Knowable Word - Bible study help

Against Springboard Studies

April 24, 2023 By Ryan Higginbottom

How can a Bible study go wrong when the entire focus is on the Bible? How can a Sunday school class or sermon be steeped in God’s word and leave us feeling empty?

Springboard Studies

Some Bible studies are springboard studies. The Bible study leader reads the passage and identifies connected biblical themes. Then the group time becomes an opportunity to teach on or discuss those themes.

I call these “springboard studies” because the leader takes the given passage as a jumping-off point—a springboard—to a different discussion. Springboard studies have the appearance of being faithful to the text of Scripture because the group is reading numerous Bible passages and talking about theology and doctrine. However, at the end of the hour, participants rarely have a good idea about the meaning of the discussion’s “text of origin.”

This is common for teachers, speakers, and preachers, too. People serving those in those roles should read on with their domain in mind.

What Drives Discussion?

Springboard studies can be lively and engaging. This is often because the leader jumps from the passage to a topic about which they are passionate or interested. As such, the leader puts a lot of energy into defending a doctrine or explaining some theological development close to their heart.

The problem with this approach is that it almost by definition misses the main point of the passage. People attending the Bible study may leave with a better sense of the leader’s allegiances and theological preferences but without an understanding of why the original text was written.

Bible interpretation is hard work, and we often need to fight to understand what the author was trying to communicate. But if a Bible study group claims to be studying a certain book of Scripture, the goal should be to observe, interpret, and apply that text.

Building a Theological Framework

Please don’t misunderstand me. Theology and doctrine are of great importance, and we sometimes build portions of our theological frameworks on the smaller points or assumptions of the Biblical authors. (Although, it is worth asking how devoted we should be to doctrines which are not the main points of any Bible passage.)

My issue is with Bible studies (or sermons) that claim to be expositional, verse-by-verse examinations of Scripture passages which may better be described as “inspired by the text.”

How to Avoid Leading a Springboard Study

Springboard studies come about, in part, because we don’t think the Bible is interesting or important enough to hold our attention for 45 minutes. So we map a word, phrase, character, or scene from the Bible onto something “more relevant” that will sustain a longer conversation. As though merely having a conversation—any conversation at all—were the goal of Bible study!

The main way to avoid leading a springboard study is to let the text of Scripture drive the discussion. After observing the passage, we fire every related question we can think of at the text. The Scripture in front of us may not have answers to all (or many) of these questions, but the work of interpretation is to keep asking and answering questions until we identify the author’s main point.

There is an important place in the church for classes, lectures, and conversations about Biblical topics which are not rooted in a single passage. But let’s not confuse this with Bible study.

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The Sort of Bible I Wish I Had

April 21, 2023 By Peter Krol

Having just closed our annual Bible reading challenge, we had the privilege of giving away a set of ESV Old Testament Scripture Journals for the grand prize. We are deeply grateful to Crossway Bibles for providing the grand prize for this year’s challenge.

These Scripture journals are remarkable, and I buy them for my family whenever we have a new sermon series, Bible study, or Sunday school book study. The text is printed only on the left-hand page, with ample space between lines for marking it up. The right-hand page is blank except for being lined for notes.

Each book of the Bible comes in a separate volume, so you can take your Proverbs journal to church for sermon notes, and your 1-2 Kings journal to small group. They take up a lot of space on the shelf, but not very much in your bag on the go.

These sets are outstanding and are the sort of Bible I wish I had when I was younger (before I began taking all my notes digitally). My only beef is that I wish there were a version for left-handed people (with the Scripture text on the right-hand page), but I understand there probably aren’t enough of us right-minded Bible customers to justify the cost of production.

I highly recommend you check them out. Find them at Westminster, Amazon, or Crossway.

Disclaimer: Westminster and Amazon links are affiliate links. Clicking them will provide a small commission to this blog at no extra cost to yourself.

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Why “Just Your Interpretation” is Never a Reasonable Refutation

April 19, 2023 By Peter Krol

Kevin DeYoung writes thoughtfully about a perceived resurgence of “that’s just your interpretation” as a defeater accusation toward disagreeable Christian doctrine. Whether it’s the uniqueness of Christ, the necessity of his salvation, the definition of marriage, or the distinction of male and female—some folks may think they’ve refuted the Christian position by simply observing that disagreement exists among Christian interpreters. So one interpretation cannot be any more valid than another.

DeYoung exposes the problem with such accusations:

The reality is that “interpretations” are what we have in every area of intellectual inquiry. The problem of pervasive interpretation pluralism is not an evangelical problem. It is a human problem. Do we really think historians, economists, sociologists, and scientists don’t disagree on how to interpret matters in their field? And do we think they aren’t confident that their conclusions are much more sure than mere “interpretations”? If we are going to give up on reading texts and reaching firm conclusions, we won’t just marginalize the Bible; we will render the entire exercise of human reason fruitless and irrelevant.

The objection cannot stand up under its own weight.

Check it out!

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Announcing the Winners of the 2023 Bible Reading Challenge

April 14, 2023 By Peter Krol

We love motivating people to read more of their Bibles. So since 2017, we’ve held an annual 90-day Bible reading challenge with prizes both material and immaterial. (Click here for explanation of the benefits of rapid Bible reading.) This year’s challenge just wrapped up, with 23 entries submitted for the drawing, and winners have been notified.

Congratulations to Abigail H. for winning the grand prize of a set of Scripture journals, and to Charles H. for winning a one-volume reader’s Bible! If you have not responded to me yet with a shipping address, you have a few more days to do so before we have to select an alternate winner.

One of the things I love about our annual Bible reading challenge is hearing what the participants thought of the experience. Here are some quotes from those who entered the drawing, identified by the length of time in which they read the entire Bible:

50 days: It was great! My previous fastest read was 6 months, and I finished reading/listening in 50 days with this challenge, and it was a different experience from any reading/listening plan I’ve done before, because with reading/listening to so much so fast, I was able to make connections I haven’t in the past, because so much of it was still fresh from the few days before.

90 days: This was a gift. I have tried year-long reading plans and never made it past February. This was my first time actually reading every word of Scripture. It has made me crave reading God’s word and stirred up a desire to know him more. I am so excited to do this again and invite others to join me.

88 days: This is my third year participating in this with you. I was really looking forward to it this year. It is refreshing to get the whole story tied together in the quick read. I have a notebook nearby to jot down verses, ideas, etc that I want to explore further and this gives direction for further study along the way. I’ve known for 60+ years that the Bible is one coherent story, but these past few years with these 90 day reads, it is becoming so real. More and more I see connections throughout, way beyond the basic prophecies focused on each December. Thank you again for issuing this challenge. I plan to keep it a part of my yearly plans.

89 days: The experience far outweighs my expectations. I was amazed how the Lord in His grace has provided me with so much insights into his word. I have always refused to do even a yearly overall reading of the Bible as I think that only a good deep study will reap more benefits than just reading. I have never thought I can learn so much through this fast paced reading of His word. So thankful I did this challenge.

74 days: I was surprised by how short the Bible was. (It is the equivalent of 4 novels.) I noticed a lot more connections between the Old Testament and the New by reading quickly and I felt like it was easier to remember the context of each book.

73 days: It drew me closer to the Lord! Always looked forward to reading it!

90 days: I like doing it at the beginning of the year because it helps me to establish a good habit and to set aside time to consistently dig into God’s Word throughout the year.

90 days: I really disliked reading Psalms and Proverbs so quickly. Those literary types did not do as well in big gulps. Overall, it was helpful for the rest of the books.

88 days: The more I do this challenge the more I enjoy reading large sections of Bible text each day. I don’t stop and ponder anything I read but somehow it sticks with me more than it used to. I used to feel lost reading through Isaiah and other prophets who have long sections of poetry. I think the way the CSB Reader’s Bible lays out poetic text helped to make it easier this time.

53 days: The more you read God’s Word the more you fall in love with the one who loved me so much that He sent His Son to die for me so I can be redeemed.

Many thanks to all who participated. Keys your eyes peeled in November for the launch of the 2024 Bible reading challenge!

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Find Friends Who Know the Bible

April 12, 2023 By Peter Krol

Your friends foreshadow your fate. Show me your friends, and I’ll show your odds at ever finding wisdom.

Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.
Proverbs 13:20

Part of the reason for this is that wise friends will tell you what you need to hear, while foolish friends will tell you only what you want to hear.

Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.
Proverbs 27:6

Daniel Seabaugh understands these truths as he reflects on the gift of friends who know the Bible. He describes the delight and support to be found when you surround yourself with people who know and have courage to speak the Scripture into your life. Speaking such friends, Seabaugh writes:

When I watch them lead at work, home, and church, I’m encouraged to take Christ-like responsibility for my own life. Whether they realize it or not (and I think they get it), their lives display God’s power. When we acknowledge our weakness and invite Christ into those spaces, God shows up in mighty ways. I’ve seen it over and over in the lives of my friends.

Check it out!

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What Comes After Resurrection?

April 10, 2023 By Ryan Higginbottom

Bruno van der Kraan (2018), public domain

We tend to think of Jesus’s resurrection as his last act on earth, the final event in the Gospel accounts. But this isn’t so.

While the empty tomb is the last major episode of the Gospels, we must read on to know what Jesus did afterward. The Gospel writers did not end their accounts with the resurrection!

What Jesus spent his time doing and saying after the resurrection was crucial, both for the disciples and for us. In this article we’ll look at the Gospel of John, and we’ll see that Jesus spent his time confirming the resurrection and sending his disciples on their mission.

Jesus Confirms His Resurrection

I will not focus on the resurrection itself, as Peter has already written about the resurrection as Jesus’s final sign in John’s Gospel.

Jesus’s meetings with the disciples after his resurrection take up most of the last two chapters of John. Jesus took care to reveal himself and show that he was the same man who had recently died and been buried.

When Jesus first appeared to the gathering of the fearful, hiding disciples, he showed them his hands and side (John 20:20). Thomas had not been present, and he (famously) wanted to see the proof for himself. Jesus encouraged Thomas to touch his hands and side—something we are not told he did for the other disciples. Thomas believed, and said “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:24–29)

John understood that Jesus aimed to persuade. He said that Jesus did many other signs for the disciples beyond those which were recorded (John 20:30). John was on board with this mission—he wrote his Gospel in part so that readers would believe Jesus is the Christ (John 20:31).

Jesus also appeared to seven of the disciples on the sea shore. They recognized Jesus when he told them to fish on the other side of their boat. He invited them to the shore and made them a breakfast of bread and fish. John emphasizes the importance of these appearances: “This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead” (John 21:14).

In these encounters, Jesus repeatedly confirmed that he was alive. His disciples could see and touch and eat with him. He was not a ghost or a hallucination; the resurrection really happened, just as he had said.

Jesus Commissions the Disciples

Jesus also took time after his resurrection to send his disciples on their mission.

When Jesus greeted his disciples at that first post-resurrection meeting, he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” He breathed on them, and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld” (John 20:21–22). John connects the power of the Holy Spirit with the sending of the disciples, just as Luke does (Luke 24:49, Acts 1:8).

Jesus commissioned the disciples as a group, but he paid special attention to restore and empower Peter. Three separate times Jesus asks Peter if he (Peter) loves him (Jesus). When Peter says that he does, Jesus points him to his work: “Feed my lambs,” “Tend my sheep,” “Feed my sheep.” Jesus also told Peter directly: “Follow me” (John 21:15–19).

Later, when Peter asked Jesus about John, Jesus cut through the question to remind Peter of what was most important: “You follow me!” (John 21:22)

An Important Connection

After his resurrection, Jesus focused on confirming his resurrection and sending his disciples on their mission. But these are not separate tasks for Jesus.

Jesus’s resurrection confirmed all of his teaching and prophecy. Since the disciples were sent out to proclaim the good news of the Messiah, it was vital that they had this validation for themselves. Because they would face intense persecution and hardship for their message, they needed to be convinced of the truth. Jesus sent them on their mission, emboldened with resurrection hope and power.

What was true for Jesus’s disciples in the first century is true for us today as well. This is, after all, why John’s Gospel was written (John 20:31).

Are you convinced that Jesus rose from the dead? If so, does this give you courage and hope to go on the mission God has for you?

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Overcome Your Enemies by Dying

April 7, 2023 By Peter Krol

What do you do when people turn against you? When those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ come after you for daring to follow him? When nitpicking and backstabbing are the standard operating procedure in the workplace? When family members use guilt and pressure to manipulate you into doing what they want?

‌What do you do when your friends turn against you and become your enemies?

‌The book of Proverbs refers to such situations as “strife,” and I’ve previously addressed the causes and complexities of such strife. It’s one thing to try to avoid strife. But what do you do when the dam breaks and the water has come rushing out (Prov 17:14)? When your enemies come after you, and there’s no possibility of staying away?

God does not ask his people to live as idiotic simpletons or punching bags. God wants his people to overcome strife and evil (Rom 12:21). But the way you overcome it matters. To win the fight in the wrong way is to lose.

Fundamental Mindset: What You Can Control

To begin with, the Lord doesn’t expect you or me to try to take his place. None of us can get what we want or predetermine any outcomes. That means we can’t control what others will do; we can control only what we do.

Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man.
Proverbs 3:3-4

When we focus on what we can do in the midst of strife, we are best equipped to live in a way that pleases the Lord. To speak and act with steadfast love and faithfulness and so imitate the God who has shown steadfast love and faithfulness toward us.

Five Tactics: Overcome by Dying

Once we’ve got the right mindset, we’re ready to practice five tactics found along the way of wisdom.

Waived Rights

Do not say, “I will repay evil”; wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you.
Proverbs 20:22

Strife often tempts us to assert our rights—especially the rights to make a defense and to see justice served. But the middle of a heated conversation is typically not the best time for asserting such rights.

The repayment of evil could take the form of vengeance. Even socially acceptable vengeance. For example, if a bully trips a kid walking down the hallway, nobody would complain if that kid got the bully back by tripping him in another hallway. Similarly, when someone shouts and swears at you, it might feel like justice to shout and swear back. But the wise wait for the Lord to deliver them.

The repayment of evil can also take the form of simply seeking to set the record straight or present your resume of good deeds. But it’s usually better to keep quiet and let your enemy show off his folly for all to see.

A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.
Proverbs 29:11

The Lord honors such wisdom, when a person waives their right to speak their mind or to defend their actions. But it feels like death to do this.

Genuine Questions

If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame.
Proverbs 18:13

The fool always comes out swinging, spouting accusations. But the wise person knows that there is always more to a situation than meets the eye. So—even when they feel great offense by the terrible and false things said about them—they know they don’t have all the facts, and they take the time to hear out their accusers.

And no matter how ridiculous the accusations may appear, something remarkable happens when—instead of going right into their defense—a wise person instead asks questions.

I didn’t realize you felt that way. Can you please tell me more?
What did I say or do that caused you so much pain?
What did you think I meant by it?
How could I have done it differently?
How would you like to see our relationship improve?

It’s amazing how disarming such questions can be. Perhaps you really screwed up, and your enemy is just not expressing his concern in a wise manner. If you are wise, you can still learn from it. And if your opponent’s perspective is foolish and unreasonable, your honest questions may give every onlooker the opportunity to see that folly and unreasonableness for themselves.

The Lord honors such wisdom, when a person chooses not to defend themself but makes sure they first have fully understood their opponent’s perspective. But it feels like death to this, especially if you are the only person who cares about trying to understand before being understood.

Compelling Truth

When it’s eventually time for you to speak and offer some of your own answers, you’ll want to do it as compellingly as possible.

That means minding your tone:

A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Proverbs 15:1

It also means speaking only verifiable truth:

The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly.
Proverbs 15:2

If you have done the work of calming your enemy down by asking loads of questions, and by communicating how much you desire to understand their perspective, why would you then wreck the whole thing by responding with a harsh word? Why would you let your disappointment and frustration take over? A harsh word will accomplish nothing except stirring their anger back up.

And if you are wise, your tongue will commend knowledge. In other words, it will formally praise the truth. It will present what is true as something worthy of approval and acceptance.

‌Maybe that sounds self-evident, but most of us don’t do it.

‌If your response to your enemy begins with, “You always…,” then you are not commending knowledge. You are pouring out folly, because nobody “always” says or does the wrong thing.
‌If you frame your response to your enemy as, “I feel that…,” then you are probably not commending knowledge, because the main issue is not how you feel but what was actually said or done.
If you allow your severe emotions to warp the facts in any way, you are not commending knowledge, because we’re never justified to twist reality or rewrite history in order to get our own way.

The Lord honors such wisdom, when a person minds their tone and speaks only verifiable truth. This is how they make the truth compelling. But it feels like death to do this, especially if you are the only person in the room who seems to care about such gentle truth.

Authentic Confession

When our self-protective alarm systems kick in, we’re generally quick and eager to defend our every word and deed. But the way of wisdom is to be patient and not be hasty in rendering such self-acquittal.

It is a snare to say rashly, “It is holy,” and to reflect only after making vows.
Proverbs 20:25

So don’t be so quick to label your actions or motivations as holy in the heat of the moment. Don’t be quick to judge yourself as being without guilt. Don’t let fear drive you to make irrational excuses for yourself.

Who can say, “I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin”?
Proverbs 20:9

It is true that we must not make stuff up or apologize for things that aren’t sins (Isaiah 5:20-21). But even with that said, it is simply a fact of reality that I am still a sinner who has not yet been made perfect. I should be able to find something in the accusations against me that has a ring of truth. I can take ownership of that, call it what it is, and confess it authentically, without a hint of bitterness or resentment.

The Lord honors such wisdom, when a person doesn’t make excuses, but takes ownership to confess everything they can legitimately confess as sin or weakness. But it feels like death to do this, especially if you are the only person in the room who seems to take any responsibility for their own actions.

God Pleasing

In the midst of strife, some people are desperate to please themselves, so they fight until they win. And other people are desperate to please their enemies, so they stop fighting and roll over, just to calm things down.

‌But the Lord says there is only One whom we must please. And if we do, in fact, please him, it changes everything.

When a man’s ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
Proverbs 16:7

Is this for real? We’ll need one more post to examine how the Lord Jesus overcame his enemies so that our ways might please the Lord.

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You Can’t Understand the New Testament Without the Old

April 5, 2023 By Peter Krol

Mitch Chase wants you to embrace not only the 27 books of the New Testament but also the 39 books of the Old Testament for your Christian discipleship. He argues that the Old Testament is not only Jewish Scripture, but is also a foundational part of Christian Scripture. In fact, you can’t really understand the New Testament without the Old.

After giving seven reasons for this assertion, he concludes:

The Old Testament is relevant for the Christian life because it is Christian Scripture. We are children of Abraham by faith, so the earlier covenants and redemptive acts of God are part of our history. We need the warnings and exhortations of the Old Testament. We need its songs and proverbs. We need to know about its prophets and kings. The Old Testament tells of saints before the cross, and they form a cloud of witnesses as we run the race after the cross.

Check it out!

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Why Strife is so Complex

March 31, 2023 By Peter Krol

When conflict gets messy and personal, the book of Proverbs refers to it as “strife.” And the first objective for a man or woman of wisdom is to avoid strife whenever possible. The Lord declares those who avoid strife to be honorable (Prov 20:3).

‌But sometimes, it’s just not possible, is it? There are times when we make costly mistakes that cause strife. And there are times when strife hunts us down regardless of how hard we try to avoid it. What do we do then?

Navigating strife requires a wise and mature perspective. Reject the folly of simplistic answers, because human strife is quite a complex dynamic between people. Immature solutions will only end up making it worse.

The Problem with Toothpaste

Though the wise will try to avoid strife whenever possible, they recognize that once it squirts out, you can’t try to shove the toothpaste back into the tube and pretend nothing happened.

The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so quit before the quarrel breaks out.
Proverbs 17:14

“Letting out water” is the ancient equivalent of “toothpaste out of the tube.”‌ Water has no shape in and of itself. When the dam breaks, the water gushes, and you’ll never get it back to where it was.

‌So the wise understand that sometimes, it becomes too late. When the quarrel breaks out, you can’t stuff it up and pretend that nothing happened.

‌So if you explode in anger at someone, it’s not okay to come back the next day and sweep it under the rug. Yes, it’s uncomfortable to talk about. Yes, it’s awkward and difficult. No, you don’t want to be tempted to explode yet again.

‌But once the dam breaks and the water is out, we now have something we must talk about and reconcile.

‌What led to it?
What were you fearing or believing at the time that caused you to feel so threatened?
What did you think would be accomplished by yelling in anger?
What would be a better choice to make next time?

‌Now, that sort of conversation works only between reasonable people who want to do what is right. What if you couldn’t bail in time for a quarrel to erupt with someone who is a fool?

‌The Rage of Fools

If a wise man has an argument with a fool, the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet.
Proverbs 29:9

‌The thing a wise person will understand is that most fools do not want to resolve strife. They want only to be right and to be served. And the harder you press on them to back down, compromise, or find righteous resolution, the more you will only subject yourself to ongoing rage and ridicule.

‌So there is a time and a place for the wise to not pursue reconciliation with someone who does not want it.

‌When Jesus was on trial before wicked men who had already made up their minds, Jesus did not try to reconcile things with them!‌ He simply stood before them as silent as a lamb led to slaughter. He had a more important task underway than reconciliation with raging fools.

‌Now in the book of Romans, the apostle Paul commands Christians to live at peace with all men, so far as it depends on you (Rom 12:18). So do all you can to serve, to persuade, and to reconcile. But please recognize the intricate complexity of strife with fools.

The time is likely to come when the best thing you can do is close your mouth and just slowly step away.

‌The Raising of Defenses

‌Another thing that makes strife complex is how personal it can get. And because it gets so personal, strife has the effect of hardening people to one another.

A brother offended is more unyielding than a strong city, and quarreling is like the bars of a castle.
Proverbs 18:19

‌This verse talks not about a fool but about a brother. Someone close to you, from your own family! Even perhaps, from the family of God.

‌Sometimes, strife arises from a deep violation of trust and respect. Dealing with such strife is quite complex, because we cannot expect trust to be restored very quickly.

‌For example, let’s say a person discovers their spouse viewing pornography. This is nothing short of adultery, and it often causes feelings of severe pain and betrayal. The offending spouse may be willing to come clean, ask for help, seek counseling. They may even take drastic action to cut the sin out of their life. There is a transaction of forgiveness that must take place.

‌But even when forgiveness is requested and granted, there remains a fortified city that must now be won over. Trust is not quickly restored.

‌It is legitimate for a person to forgive someone for an offense, but to also to need more time to see real change before they can let down their walls to trust again.

‌Please don’t ignore such complexity. Be wise about recognizing it and allowing for it.

‌The Plurality of Perspective

‌One last thing about the complexity of strife is that there is always more than one way to perceive a situation.

The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him.
Proverbs 18:17

‌Perhaps you have a friend who has been deeply hurt, or who has been struggling with a certain relationship. It is godly and needful to come alongside that person with a listening ear. Ask questions and listen to their pain and hurt. Ask them what went wrong and how it could be improved.

‌But the wise person will keep in mind that this person’s perspective is not the only perspective. Cross-examination is a basic principle of justice that God built into societies.

‌So while it’s one thing to care for a friend by empathizing with what they have experienced, if you are ever called upon to make a judgment about a situation—or to attempt to fix it or assist with reconciliation—‌it is not wise for you to draw conclusions after hearing only one side of the story.

‌To give a rather straightforward illustration: When a family has more than one child, there is bound to be strife among siblings in the home. And when my wife and I became parents, we committed ourselves to never bring disciplinary action against a child on account of the accusation of a single, embittered sibling.

‌In other words, my son, if you tell me that “he hit me!”—that is not sufficient to warrant a judgment of discipline.

‌More evidence is required. And the accused always gets to have just as much of a hearing as the accuser. If there were any other witnesses, that might be enough. If there is video evidence, that helps. Or if the accused confesses to the crime, then we’ve got the right suspect.

‌But a he said/she said is never enough to convict. That goes for parenting. That goes for society’s justice system. And that goes for counseling and advising your own friends.

‌Wouldn’t the world be such a better place if social media had algorithms built into it to recognize that the first one to label himself or herself “victim” seems right, until others come and examine them? I am not saying that people who claim to be victims are wrong. I am only saying that all sides of a situation must be heard and evidence must be taken into account, before any sort of objective judgment is drawn.

‌Summary

‌Strife sure is complex, isn’t it?

‌You can’t pretend it didn’t happen.

‌You can’t resolve it with a fool.

‌Trust is really hard to restore.

‌And there are always more sides to the story.

‌Part of what it means to fight like a Christian is to recognize such complexity. Yet awareness is only the first reaction, the fundamental perspective a wise person ought to develop amid situations of strife. Once the complexity has been recognized, what is the wise man or woman of God to do about it?

That will require us to search out more proverbs to guide us.

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7 Reasons to Study Revelation

March 29, 2023 By Peter Krol

Nancy Guthrie wants you and me to study the book of Revelation. She writes:

Let’s be honest: Revelation can be an intimidating book. Because of that, some of us have avoided Revelation, deeming it to be too difficult to interpret and understand, too controversial, or too scary. Perhaps we’ve ignored it because we have assumed the book is only about the future, with nothing “practical” for us today.

The truth is, while the apocalyptic prophecy of Revelation presents some challenges to us as modern readers, it also provides gifts of insight and understanding to those who are willing to engage with it. Revelation is a letter written to gird us for faithful allegiance to Christ as we wait for his return. And that is encouragement we all need!

The she proceeds to offer 7 reasons this book is worth studying.