Knowable Word - Bible study help

Don’t Forget the Gospel During Bible Study

November 6, 2023 By Ryan Higginbottom

This is not a post about connecting the interpretation of a Bible passage to Jesus. I won’t dwell on considering the work of Christ when applying the truth of Scripture. By God’s grace, you should do both of these things. Today I want to stress the importance of the gospel as it relates to the Bible study process.

Success and Failure

At Knowable Word, we’re big fans of the Observation-Interpretation-Application (OIA) Bible study method. It is our goal to help ordinary people learn to study the Bible. We advocate for steps that help you find the author’s main point, connect it to Jesus, and apply that truth to all the musty crawlspaces of your life. Our suggestions are not perfect, but we believe these are sound principles that help us to know God better through his son Jesus.

But what if you forget? How do you react if you jump too quickly to interpretation and don’t spend enough time in careful observation? What happens when you get excited about a pet application and miss the main point? What should you do when you mishandle God’s word?

On the other hand, suppose you follow all of our suggestions to the letter. How do you feel about your personal Bible study then? How does God think about it? Or maybe the Bible study group you are leading had a wonderful meeting—do you carry yourself as though you got a heavenly promotion?

We Always Need the Gospel

The good news of Jesus Christ is not just information that brings us into a relationship with God; we need to know and act on this news in every moment of our Christian lives. Neither is the gospel merely the dessert cart wheeled out at the conclusion of the Bible study meal. We need the gospel from soup to nuts and back into the kitchen.

We tend to hear this exhortation about remembering the gospel and think immediately of our moral behaviors—our successes or failures in the realms of pride, anger, lust, jealousy, and the like. But we need reminders about God’s love, Jesus’s work, and our new identities throughout our lives, and we need to connect these truths to our every endeavor, including studying the Bible.

So as you study the Bible yourself or with a group of other people, here are some ways to remember the gospel.

Our successes do not take us closer to God — If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, God’s love for you is full. You cannot do anything, including following sound Bible study principles, to make God prize you any more. All the proper method, careful listening, and prayerful application in the world will not draw God any closer to you. In your place, Jesus has offered to God all of the obedience you will ever need to be accepted. Interpreting the Bible accurately and applying it thoroughly will lead you into further obedience and greater joy, but God cannot be on your side more than he already is.
Our failures do not cast us away from God — In the same way that God does not love you any more for your successes, he loves you no less for your failures. Whether your errors in Bible study are small or large, you cannot drive God away from you, not even a little. If you have spotted a mistake, you should repent and make efforts to set things right. But God is not distant from you in the meantime; indeed it is his grace that leads you to repentance (Rom 2:4).

I need this exhortation most as a small group leader. Hours after a study ends I will think of several ways I failed my group. I didn’t connect our interpretation to Jesus; I didn’t make time for specific applications; I talked too much and didn’t ask enough questions. It’s easy for me to be overcome with regret.

But I need to remember the gospel at these moments. Instead of dwelling on my shortcomings, I try to focus on Jesus. God doesn’t look at me as subpar and inadequate because of my performance; he sees Jesus’s perfect record instead of mine and is completely satisfied. God’s grace is lavish and powerful—strong enough to lift my chin and help me trust him even when my flesh tugs me toward despair.
We are free to offer the grace we’ve been given — Have you ever caught someone yawning or nodding off during your Bible study meeting? Are you frustrated to see your friend fighting the same battles against sin he fought a year ago? Does one member of your small group seem clueless despite your efforts to teach the Bible? Because God has loved you deeply, you are free to pass along love in the same manner. In his love God is patient, long-suffering, and full of forgiveness. Despite your flesh’s desire to complain or lash out in anger or frustration, remembering the gospel will help you to be patient with others in their sanctification even as God is patient with you.

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Announcing our 2024 Bible Reading Challenge

November 3, 2023 By Peter Krol

We believe one of the best ways to learn to study the Bible is to read it. A lot of it. Over and over again. That won’t give you everything you need to understand it, but it will get you quite a long way toward the goal. As in marching through Kadesh all the way to the peaks of Pisgah. All you have to do is look down toward the valley, trust that God meant what he said, and finish the job from there. Don’t listen to those fools who speak of giants and grasshoppers. Just look at the size of those grapes. And the size of the God who gives them.

If you’re not sure what I mean by all this Kadesh/Pisgah stuff, then maybe this is your year to read the entire Bible in 90 days. Milk and honey are yours for the taking. Not the under-the-tongue sort (Song 4:11) but the flowing-land sort (Deut 26:9). Though, of course, there is a theological connection between the two.

But I digress and perhaps ought to get to the point.

The Challenge

I’m writing to announce our 9th annual Bible reading challenge. The challenge is to read the entire Bible within 90 days. If you wish, you may begin today. Regardless of when you begin, your 90-day period must end no later than March 31, 2024.

And why—you ask—would you embark on such a strange venture? (“Has the day finally come,” they inquire, “when the Lord has struck with madness the riders of this horse we call the blogosphere?” Zech 12:4) I can think of at least three reasons.

Your grasp of the Bible’s big picture will surge like a COVID case count in winter.
Your reward in heaven will be great.
We’ve got a sweet set of prizes to urge you on in the present age.

All who complete the challenge are invited to fill out the form below (which we’ll share repeatedly as the twilight of March draws nigh). One grand prize winner will be selected at random to win an ESV Wide Margin Reference Bible in Top Grain Leather, generously provided by the good people at Crossway Bibles. Yes, you read that right: This Bible has top grain leather. This is one of those gorgeous “premium” Bibles that might not normally fit the budget.

One additional winner will be selected to receive a one-volume reader’s Bible of their choice. Physical prizes are limited to the continental United States. Winners in other parts of the world will receive a $50 Amazon gift card via email.

If you’d like a checklist to help you stay on pace, here are three. You may make a copy and update the dates, if you plan to start on a date other than January 1.

Or here is an iOS app that can help you track your plan. You may also want to consider making a reading plan in the Dwell listening app if you prefer audio.

You may now begin any time, and may this be the ride of your life.

Official Rules

Here are the rules:

You must read (not scan or skim) all 66 books of the Protestant Bible. You may choose the translation and reading plan (canonical, chronological, etc.). You don’t have to stop and meditate on every detail, but the Lord sees and knows when you are being honest about reading and not skimming. Listening to an unabridged audio Bible is acceptable. You may also use any combination of audio and visual reading, as long as you’ve read or listened to the entire Bible within the allotted time period.
You must read the entire Bible within a 90-day period.
The last day of that 90-day period must be between November 4, 2023 and March 31, 2024. If you’d like to understand why we recommend such fast-paced reading, see our Bible reading plan for readers.
To enter the drawing, you must fill out the survey below, letting us know the dates you read and what you thought of the speed-reading process. Your thoughts do not have to be glowing, but they should be honest; you’ll still be entered into the drawing if you didn’t enjoy your speed-read.
Any submissions to the form below that don’t meet the requirements or appear to be fabricated will be deleted. For example: multiple entries with different data, date of completion not between November 2, 2023 and March 31, 2024, “What I thought about the experience” has nothing to do with Bible reading, or date of completion is later than the date of entry submission (please don’t try to enter the drawing if you plan to read the Bible; only enter once you have completed reading it).
In the first week of April 2024, we will randomly select 2 winners from those who have submitted the form. We will email the winners to get their shipping addresses. If a winner does not respond to our request for a shipping address within 1 week, a new winner will be selected in their place.
The first prize winner (if continental US) will receive a copy of the ESV Wide Margin Reference Bible in Top Grain Leather. The second prize winner (if anywhere in the US) will get their choice of a one-volume reader’s Bible (While these are not your only options, we have reviewed the following: ESV, CSB, NIV.). Any winner who does not qualify for a physical prize will receive a US $50 Amazon gift card via email.
Unfortunately, though they are terrific people doing marvelous work for the sake of Christ, staff members of DiscipleMakers are not eligible to win the drawing.

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How God Directs His People in the Book of Numbers

November 1, 2023 By Peter Krol

A few weeks ago, I finished reading the book of Number 20 times in a row. From that reading, my draft of the main point is “Yahweh sees his people through the wilderness, though not in a manner any of them hoped or expected.”

Douglas Allison recently posted an overview of Numbers, where he proposes a similar main point: “I have taught that the big idea of Numbers is that Yahweh is his people’s guide to the promised land.”

Allison defends his main point through an outline of the book and an explanation of benefits for reading the book.

As we read today, we can be confident that the same God who led the Israelites through the wilderness in Numbers is the same God who will see us home. Yahweh was Israel’s guide to the Promised Land. And he has not left us without a guide.

Check it out!

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Your Conscience Requires an Eternal Inheritance

October 27, 2023 By Peter Krol

Previously, I proposed that Jesus is the best thing for your conscience because he provides an eternal redemption and he promises an eternal inheritance. This is what Hebrews 9 is all about. Last week I explained our eternal redemption in Heb 9:1-14. Now it’s time to see the eternal inheritance in Heb 9:15-28.

close up photography of concrete tombstones — Photo by Mike Bird on Pexels.com

The Promised Eternal Inheritance

Hebrews 9:15-28 states its main idea right at the beginning, in Heb 9:15: That which awaits the beneficiaries of Jesus’ new covenant is a “promised eternal inheritance.”

‌Now the way an “inheritance” worked back then was very similar to how it works now. An inheritance is the thing you receive when your parents or grandparents pass away. A person spends their life building up an estate.‌ And when they die, they pass that estate on to their heirs in portions.

‌That’s what this text is saying that Jesus does.

‌The text has been talking about a “covenant” (Heb 9:, 15), but in Heb 9:16, he’s suddenly talking about a “will.” At least, it feels sudden to us, but it’s not sudden at all.

‌You should know that the original Greek word for “will” (Heb 9:16-17) is exactly the same as the original Greek word for “covenant” (Heb 9:15, 20, etc.). This one Greek word could be used in a variety of ways, and we need two English words to capture the sense of it.

‌But a “covenant” and a “will” are closely related concepts, and the author plays off those concepts here in this text.

“He is the mediator of a new covenant…” (Heb 9:15)
“For where a covenant is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established.” (Heb 9:16)

‌What he’s saying here is simply that an inheritance cannot pass on until the person owning it passes away. And that’s exactly what happened with Jesus Christ.

‌So those who trust in Christ and join his new covenant receive a promised eternal inheritance (Heb 9:15). But they can’t actually get it unless the one who promised it dies (Heb 9:16-17). Heb 9:18-22 references Exodus 24, where the first covenant was activated in those copycat, earthly places by constant death. But the new covenant was activated in the real place—heaven—by just one death (Heb 9:23-26).

‌Sometimes people think of the Old Covenant as being real and physical, and the new covenant as being spiritual and invisible. But this text looks at the differences differently:

The old covenant was only figurative. The one making the covenant didn’t actually die. He had to kill an animal as a substitute to activate the covenant. And since it was only figuratively forgiving sins, the sacrificial deaths had to occur over and over again.
But the new covenant is the thing that is real, not symbolic. Therefore only one death had to occur, since it fully and finally activated the will, so the heirs could receive the inheritance.

‌So what is the point of all this?

‌You can know your redemption is real and eternal, because the Lord Jesus died, activating his covenant, and passing on his full estate as your inheritance.

‌Application

‌Stop trying to cleanse your conscience through good deeds or religious activity! You can’t silence the inner voice of accusation by attending services or performing rituals. And you’ll never do enough good deeds to balance out the sin you have committed.

‌Instead, look to the inheritance that belongs to you because the Lord Jesus died.

‌And that begs a crucial question: What is that inheritance? What is it that we get after Jesus died that we couldn’t have gotten before he died?

‌The Old Testament people of God had the land of Canaan as their inheritance. They lost that inheritance when they rejected God as their God. But what is our inheritance under the new covenant?

‌Well, that’s what the author ends with: the general principle that all people die and face judgment (Heb 9:27), applied specifically to Jesus (Heb 9:28). Jesus himself died, and will one day face judgment. Though in his case, the judgment he faces will not be brought against him. It is his own judgment to put the world to rights and save his people from injustice.

‌And who will those people be? How can you tell who will be saved by him on the last day when he returns?

‌He “will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him” (Heb 9:28).

‌Right here, the author informs us of what we inherit. The thing we get, now that Jesus has died, is Jesus himself. We are those who are waiting for him. Eagerly.

‌And if you’re tempted to think that’s lame and anticlimactic, because that’s not the sort of inheritance you were hoping for, and you wonder where all the fortune and glory is—

‌Then you need to go back to chapter 1 of Hebrews and remind yourself of who Jesus is.

‌It is no small thing to say that Jesus is yours. That he is your inheritance. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature. Jesus is the one who upholds the universe by his word of power. He created the world, and he is the heir of all things.

‌And when he is your inheritance, everything that is his becomes yours. And you belong to his God and Father.

‌So as a final application: Let’s test your conscience right now.

‌If you found out that Jesus was returning this afternoon, how would you take that development? Would you embrace the news eagerly, as the solution you’ve been waiting for? Or would there be a nagging voice in your head that springs to life, reminding you of the grave danger you are in, rehearsing all the things you’ve left unresolved?

‌Would you feel as though Jesus’ return would cut you off from experiencing something “better” that you haven’t experienced yet?

‌I encourage you to wait for the Lord Jesus to return, and to wait eagerly. As you look ahead to his return, you ought not be wracked with guilt, anxiety, or distress. You can serve him now with a clear conscience, because you wait eagerly for him to become fully yours then, when he returns. He’s already dealt with your sin and that of the world. Now you’re just waiting for him to clean up all the undesirable effects of it.

‌Your eternal inheritance is the Lord Jesus himself, your great high priest. He provides you with the assurance that your redemption is eternal. And because of his eternal redemption and eternal inheritance, your conscience is clean.

‌Not just for a little while, but now and forever.

‌Jesus is the best thing for your conscience.

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Watch Out for Silly Putty Bible Study

October 25, 2023 By Peter Krol

Consider the following scenario. What do you think could be the problem with it?

…a Christian woman who has been praying for her family’s conversion stumbles upon Acts 16 during her quiet time. Her eyes settle on Paul’s response to the Philippian jailer, who asked, “What must I do to be saved?” “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved,” Paul answered, then added, “you and your household” (vv. 29–31).

Encouraged by these words, the woman begins to claim the “promise” that her own household will be saved, with the justification that “the Holy Spirit gave me this verse.”

This situation comes from a wonderful article from Greg Koukl about how easy it is to treat the Bible like Silly Putty®—a squishy, doughy substance you make into any shape you want. Koukl’s analysis and counsel is very good.

Check it out!

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No Substitute for God

October 23, 2023 By Ryan Higginbottom

In the kitchen, some food substitutions work better than others. Swap oil for applesauce? Sure! Use almond or soy milk for your lactose-sensitive friends? Unnoticeable. Cut some butter in favor of plain yogurt? Absolutely.

But other replacements don’t cut the mustard. Gluten-free bread doesn’t behave like bread. Fat-free cheese won’t melt. Tofu? No thanks.

Tim Sackton (2012), Creative Commons License

But the altar is unlike the oven. Though we know nothing measures up to God, our hearts are prone to wander. How does God react to his children’s idolatry? Isaiah 31:1–9 gives us a glimpse.

The Alliance With Egypt

In a previous post we saw Judah seek protection from Assyria through a sinful alliance with Egypt. Isaiah tells us that Judah turned to “horses,” “chariots,” and “horsemen” instead of looking to God (Is 31:1). Why did Judah trust Egypt? What are the consequences of that misplaced trust?

Isaiah writes that Judah “trust[s] in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong” (Is 31:1). Were the chariots and horsemen of Egypt really stronger and more able than God? Judah’s betrayal was that they did “not look to the Holy One of Israel, or consult the Lord.”

God’s reaction to this treason springs from his character: he is “wise” and he “does not call back his words” (Is 31:2). He will turn against Egypt, the “helpers” who “work iniquity.” We read the obvious contrasts: “the Egyptians are man, and not God, and their horses are flesh, and not spirit” (Is 31:3). Isaiah highlights these disparities both to emphasize the inability of Egypt to resist “when the Lord stretches out his hand” and to finish the rebuke begun in Is 31:1.

Notice that Egypt and Judah share a fate: “they will all perish together” (Is 31:3). As we saw when studying Isaiah 30, God often punishes sin by bringing about its natural consequences. Judah sinned by aligning with Egypt, so they will share Egypt’s demise. The alliance they pursued for life has resulted in death.

Like a Lion, Like Birds

We read of two similies for God’s posture toward his people in Is 31:4–5. In Is 31:4, Isaiah compares God to a lion who “growls over his prey.” The “band of shepherds” (Egypt) tries to rescue the prey (Judah) from the lion, but the lion “is not terrified by their shouting or daunted at their noise.”

Does it bother you that God compares Judah to a lion’s prey? God is jealous for his people—he will discipline them as he pleases, with no unwanted interference.

This same “Lord of hosts” (repeated in Is 31:4 and Is 31:5) who will wage war on Mount Zion (Is 31:4 NASB) will also protect Jerusalem like hovering birds. God will “protect and deliver” and “spare and rescue” his people, a fourfold blessing of protection.

A natural question is, from whom/what is God delivering Judah? On the one hand, God is rescuing his people from their earthly enemies. But put these two figures together—if Judah is like a lion’s prey, then God is also sparing Judah from himself.

Can you see your Savior here? In Jesus, God rescues us from his own just wrath. The Father spares us by devouring his son like lion’s prey. We are protected because Jesus was not.

Turn to God!

In Is 31:6 NASB, Isaiah exhorts Judah to return to God from whom they have “deeply defected.” What an accusation! Defected means Judah has not merely forgotten God or somehow grown apathetic, but they have turned against him! A defector doesn’t quit military service, he wages war against his former allies. “Defector” is the charge leveled against idolators. If we worship anything other than God (and we do), we are traitors.

Isaiah tries to persuade Judah to return to God in Is 31:7 by writing that “everyone shall cast away his idols.” Is this a convincing argument?

There is no doubt about the sinfulness of idols: we see “idols” twice along with “sinful” and “sin” in Is 31:7 NASB. But the glory of the Lord will be so great “in that day” that “everyone” will discard their idols. If that is true about this glorious, future day, why not start now? You’ve defected from him—waste no time in turning back!

God Fights for His Own

Along with a return to God and the smashing of idols, in that day “the Assyrian shall fall” (Is 31:8). We saw God’s willingness to fight for his people in Is 30:32 and we see it again here with the repetition of “a sword, not of man.” God’s sword will slay the Assyrian.

In addition to death, God will bring slavery, panic, and terror to the Assyrians (Is 31:8–9). God is not to be opposed. If you wage war against his people, you may feel his “fire” or be subject to his “furnace” (Is 31:9).

Return to God through his Son

Isaiah’s message is clear. Do not trust in replacements for God. Return to God—he will discipline, protect, and deliver his people. But we take no Christian meaning from the chapter unless we consider Jesus.

Jesus died for our idolatry. The Lord “stretch[ed] out his hand” against Jesus in terrible judgment. Though he had opportunity (Matt 4:1–11), Jesus never (not once!) trusted anyone except his Father.

Jesus makes it safe for deep defectors to return to God. Because Jesus (the faithful, loyal one) was treated as a traitor, we are welcomed as sons and daughters of God. For those who are in Christ, we are no longer enemies of God, and God will take vengeance on our behalf (Rom 12:19).

Application

Consider these questions as you apply the truths of this chapter.

How can we identify our replacements for God? How can we help each other identify these replacements?
What are the barriers we might face to helping each other in this way?
How should we call each other to return to God? How can we be the sort of people that can be called back to God by our friends?

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Your Conscience Requires Eternal Redemption

October 20, 2023 By Peter Krol

Last week, I proposed that Jesus is the best thing for your conscience because he provides an eternal redemption and he promises an eternal inheritance. This is what Hebrews 9 is all about. Let me now tackle the first part of that thesis.

Regulations for Worship and Place

Hebrews 9:1-14 has a tremendous amount of detail‌ because the author is summarizing the entire ceremonial law of Moses for us. But his main argument consists of three pieces.

Jesus’ redemption is eternal (Heb 9:11-14),
because he provides better worship (Heb 9:6-10)
in a better place (Heb 9:1-5).

That’s it. Amid all the detail, that’s all that he’s saying here. Jesus’ redemption is eternal, because he provides better worship in a better place.

The tricky part is to grasp what that means. And in order to grasp what that means, you’ve got to grasp the Old Testament system of worship.

‌Regulations for Place

Referring to God’s contract with his people in the Old Testament, the author reminds us that the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness (Heb 9:1). He then expands on the place first in Heb 9:2-5. Then he explains the rules for worship in Heb 9:6-7, before bringing the two (worship and place) together again in Heb 9:8-10).

‌With respect to the place, he describes the tabernacle Moses set up.

‌It had two rooms, with certain pieces of furniture in each room. The only doorway takes you into an outer room, with a lamp, and a table with bread on it. There’s a doorway with a curtain, going into a second, inner room, with an altar to produce a sweet-smelling cloud to cover the large golden box containing God’s personal belongings.

‌In Heb 9:5, the author states that “of these things we cannot now speak in details.” What he’s saying is not that the details don’t matter but that they do. We could study them and discuss them at great length. For example, see my series on the tabernacle in Exodus, beginning here.

‌But now is not the time to go into all of those details. The main idea in Hebrews 9 is simply that that old covenant had a place for worship.

This tent, with its two rooms, and all its furniture, provided a place on earth where God could dwell with his people, and they could come and enjoy a relationship with him.

‌Regulations for Worship

But beyond the place itself, we ought to consider the regulations for worship. In other words, what transpired in that place to enable God’s people to worship him?

‌Most people could not enter the tent, but had to remain in the front yard, where gifts and sacrifices were offered. But any priest could enter the first room (Heb 9:6). And only the high priest could enter the second room, and that on only one special day each year (Heb 9:7).

That high priest must offer blood to cover the sins of both himself and the rest of the people. If he tries to enter without the blood of a substitute, he dies.

The ritual described here is called the Day of Atonement, and you can read about it in Leviticus 16.

‌But what is the point? Why do we need to know about the place? And why do we need to know the regulations for worship?

According to Heb 9:8, as long as there is a temple in Jerusalem with two rooms (because the first, or outer room is still standing), that means that there is no way opened into the holy places. In other words, there is no access to God’s presence with his people. There is only a hint or shadow, a tease of his presence.

‌This is symbolic for the present age (Heb 9:9)! At the time Hebrews was written, the temple was still standing. The curtain between the two rooms had torn on the day Jesus died, showing that access was now granted. But the Jews had repaired it, and access to God’s presence was once more denied to God’s people.

The impact of all of this comes at the end of Heb 9:9: When gifts and sacrifices are offered in an earthly place with limited access to God, those gifts and sacrifices cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper. The best they can do is provide outward conformity to a ritual code (Heb 9:10).

‌So under the old system, you can conduct worship in a special place, and that worship will clean you up on the outside.

But it can’t do anything for you on the inside.

‌Your sin will still hound you, and your conscience will continue to convict you. That’s how it worked under the old system.

‌Eternal Redemption

But when Christ came along, to be a new high priest, he changed all that.

‌Jesus did not conduct his priesthood by entering the earthly temple in Jerusalem (Heb 9:11). He actually went into the true and original tent pitched in heaven! He conducted his ministry in a better place than the Jewish priests.

And he offered a better worship (Heb 9:12). He didn’t bring the blood of goats and calves, but his own blood.

And there’s the main idea of the entire section: Because our priest Jesus conducted better worship in a better place, he secured an eternal redemption. Jesus offered himself once and only once, and it worked!

The proof that it worked is that he doesn’t have to keep doing it! It worked, and our sins were forgiven, and therefore, he has purified our conscience from dead works to serve the living God (Heb 9:14).

Do you get what this means?

Because Jesus your priest offered better worship in a better place, you can be with God forever. If you belong to Christ, your sins cannot ever be held against you. The accusations of conscience can be done away with forever. You can be free of the inner prosecuting attorney who claims you are a miserable excuse of a human being.

The blood of Christ, applied to the holy places in heaven, speaks on your behalf. It bears witness to the inhabitants of heaven that you are a child of God, and that nothing can ever change that.

You have been bought and paid for. Your redemption is eternal.

Application

If you do not yet follow Jesus Christ, I want you to know that it is possible to clean your conscience once and for all. When that nagging voice speaks up to condemn you for the things you have done, it is probably speaking the truth!

It is not healthy to suppress the voice of conscience. And what Jesus does is not suppress the conscience, but satisfy it.

If that voice speaks up to condemn you, but you have placed your trust in Jesus as your King and great high priest, then there is another voice — that of God’s Holy Spirit — who comes and argues with the voice of conscience. He shows forth the blood of Christ spilled once for all on behalf of sin, and then splashed onto the heavenly tent to make it welcoming and accessible to God’s children for the rest of time.

You don’t have access to God, or to the satisfaction of conscience, unless Jesus is your King and master.

So if you do follow Jesus, and you trust him as your high priest, then you can now serve God with a pure conscience.

You don’t have to worry about when the hammer will fall, or whether you will get swept away in the coming judgment. You have been rescued, redeemed, bought and paid for. And that redemption is eternal.

The blood of Jesus decorates the heavenly tent for the rest of time. And the resurrected Jesus himself dwells there, bodily, for the rest of time.

There is no outer room to keep you out, but only a single room, testifying forever to your eternal redemption. Such an eternal redemption does wonders for your conscience.

‌But That’s Not All

Now that would be wonderful enough — to have a redemption that can’t ever be brought into question. But our text doesn’t stop there.

It’s one thing to have judgment and accusation removed from you, but how do you ever know that it really worked? Wouldn’t it be nice to have a tangible and specific affirmation to signal your newfound security? Something to remind yourself of on those days when the voice of accusation rears back up?

That’s where he goes in the rest of the chapter, which I’ll cover in another post.

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Follow Your Heart: Is it in the Bible?

October 18, 2023 By Peter Krol

Yes, it is.

Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.
Ecclesiastes 11:9

Mitch Chase wonders what this could mean, in light of all that Jesus, Moses, the prophets, and sages of Israel had to say about not following one’s own heart.

Chase makes excellent use of correlation with other wisdom texts as well as the context of the argument within the book of Ecclesiastes to answer the question. And he arrives at a great place.

The writer, in Ecclesiastes 11:9, is not advocating reckless living but Godward living, decisions made overflowing from a heart that fears and follows the Lord.

The only thing I might add to Chase’s conclusion is that, in light of the joy granted as a gift of God, all throughout the book of Ecclesiastes, “the ways of your heart” here are not only the commands of God that have been written on the heart—but also the personal affections and delights God implants when he shapes a person in his image. In other words, when one fears God, not only their Godward morality—but also their Godward hobbies, vocation, and delights—are unlocked to enjoy to the fullest.

As long, of course, as one never forgets that the Lord remains the judge of our hearts’ delights, such that we might walk in the fear of him.

So go swing a baseball bat, plant a rose garden, or audition for a play—to the glory of your creator. Such things are nothing but vanity in themselves. But the gift of God to those with whom he is pleased is the ability to enjoy such vain things to his glory.

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Jesus is the Best Thing for Your Conscience

October 13, 2023 By Peter Krol

A person’s conscience is a funny thing.

‌My earliest memory of what I would consider my “conscience” involves a little orange newt I found when I was 6 or 7 years old. I picked it up and thought it would be fun to throw it as hard as I could into a brick wall at point blank range.

‌Far from being fun, it made me feel sick to my stomach.

‌A little voice in my head informed me that I was a poor excuse for a human being. And that voice was right.

‌I tried to cover my tracks, so nobody would know of my dark deeds. But I still just couldn’t stand the time spent waiting for others to return to my location, and potentially catch me red-handed.

eastern newt on ground — Photo by Connor McManus on Pexels.com

‌What about you? What sort of run-ins have you had with your conscience? And what is it like to wait for the eventual return of King Jesus?

‌Does your conscience inject your waiting with anxiety at what he will find, or with eagerness for his justice?

‌Maybe your conscience still accuses you of things you have done. Maybe it reminds you of your past, or of the secret desires you don’t wish to speak about openly. Maybe your conscience gives you a clean bill of health … for now.

‌Regardless, Hebrews 9 has some really good news for you: Jesus is the best thing for your conscience.

The chapter divides into two main sections. The first section (Heb 9:1-14) describes the “regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness” (Heb 9:1), culminating in the assurance of eternal redemption (Heb 9:12) through the eternal Spirit (Heb 9:14). The second section (Heb 9:15-28) elaborates on Jesus’ new covenant mediation, which provides an eternal inheritance (Heb 9:15).

‌So Jesus is the best thing for your conscience — for those two reasons. He provides an eternal redemption, and he promises an eternal inheritance.

‌If Jesus is your priest, nobody can take these things away. Your redemption. Your inheritance. And these two things will have a profoundly cleansing effect on your conscience.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll take a closer look at each section of this glorious chapter.

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How Can a Human Book be Divine?

October 11, 2023 By Peter Krol

Lewis Varley addresses a matter commonly raised by both Muslims and secularists against the Christian doctrine of special revelation: How can a book produced by humans be inspired by God or accurately communicate divine speech and intentions? Isn’t God—according to the Christian conception—so far above us that human speech and human writing is utterly unable to adequately communicate his will?

Varley offers a number of helpful responses:

The Divine-Human Scriptures Point to God’s Power
What Form Should a Book of Direct Revelations Take?
God Has Shown His Kindness to Us in the Accommodation of Scripture
The Divine-Human Scriptures Are Made Possible Because of Our Identity as God’s Image Bearers
The Literary Forms of Scripture Resonate with Our Lives

Here is a taste:

It comes as no surprise that our friends who deny that God could inhabit a human body would also deny that God’s words could also be human words. To deny the character of Scripture as a divine-human book is, by extension, to deny that God could ever come into our world, our times, our lives, but must inevitably be detached from us. To affirm the divine-human word is to affirm God’s immanent involvement in our everyday, often ordinary, lives.

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