Knowable Word - Bible study help

The Argument of Hebrews 3:1-6

July 28, 2021 By Peter Krol

I appreciate Mike Leake’s reflection on Hebrews 3:1-6, where he walks through the passage’s argument in plain language. Take a gander.

When I read Hebrews 3:1-6 I tend to get that glazed over look on my face. It’s not that I don’t understand the words or even the structure of the sentences. The overall point is pretty simple; namely, Jesus is greater than Moses. But when I’ve read it I’ve always felt like I was missing something.
Why is the author of Hebrews telling us this? How does this serve his argument? I know that Jesus is better than Moses, but what is all this talk about building a house?

Check it out!

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Guidance for Your Turn Exercises

July 23, 2021 By Peter Krol

The most frequent feedback I have received on my book Knowable Word is the request for an “answer key” to the Your Turn exercises found throughout the book. To date, I have staunchly refused providing one to any inquirer on the ground that the act of providing my own answer key would undermine the entire purpose of helping you gain the confidence you need to study the Bible for yourself and to believe you are approved to do so.

However, I have become persuaded that the climb – from spectator of my ongoing demonstration of the OIA method with Genesis 1 to practitioner of the self-guided study questions for Genesis 2 – is a bit too steep for some who may have never before tried this at home. So I have decided to now let people know how I would answer the questions I pose in those Your Turn exercises.

But I will do so only if you promise not to view those answers as the only “right” answers. And if you don’t look at those answers until you’ve first tried to answer the questions for yourself. I offer them not as an authoritative or impeccable way to study Genesis 2:4-25, but simply as a potential measuring rod by which you can evaluate whether you’re on the right track in practicing the skills laid out in the book.

Therefore, if you would like to read my answers to the Your Turn exercises, you really ought to first try them yourself. Then if you want to see if you’re on the right track, you can visit this page to find the Guidance for Your Turn Exercises. In the future, you can access it from the Resources page. It wasn’t ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator or anything like that, but perhaps it will provide some suitable help and courage.

May every word of God prove true, as he proves to be a shield to those who take refuge in him (Prov 30:5).

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Five Ways the Bible will Grow You

July 21, 2021 By Peter Krol

Colin Smith explains five ways the Bible will help you grow, according to the Bible:

You will grow in strength against temptation.
You will grow in effectiveness in prayer.
You will grow in wisdom and discernment.
You will grow in usefulness to others.
You will grow in joy and thanksgiving.

Don’t miss out on these opportunities to grow in Christ. Check it out!

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Context Matters: In the World, but Not of the World

July 19, 2021 By Ryan Higginbottom

Perhaps you’ve heard that Christians are (or ought to be) in the world but not of the world. You’ve learned that those who follow Jesus should interact with their friends and neighbors (the world) but they should also be distinct, with different priorities and standards.

This phrase is common in Christian circles, but many may not know where it comes from. Is this a biblical saying? If so, are we using it correctly? If we read the Bible as a whole and not as an inspirational-motto jukebox, we’ll see that some familiar expressions take on a deeper meaning than we originally thought.

Within the Gospel of John

Let’s dispense with one thing first. “In the world but not of the world” does not appear in the Bible. Rather, it is a simple phrase that joins two sayings of Jesus together in a memorable way.

We find the pieces of this phrase in Jesus’s “high priestly prayer” in John 17. Jesus prays this prayer at the end of his last meal with his disciples, after Judas leaves to betray him (John 13). Jesus addresses the remaining disciples for three chapters (John 14–16) regarding his departure and the coming of the Holy Spirit. At the beginning of John 17, Jesus turns from talking to the disciples to praying to his Father for those same disciples.

In the World

My hunch is that “in the world” was pulled from John 17:11.

And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. (John 17:11)

Jesus was thinking about his departure from earth, contrasting where he will be (“no longer in the world”) with where the disciples will be (“in the world”). By “in the world,” Jesus means that the disciples are walking around on the earth like other living humans. This conclusion follows from the beginning of Jesus’s prayer.

I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. (John 17:4–5)

Not of the World

The second part of this saying occurs a few verses later in Jesus’s prayer.

I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. (John 17:14–16)

Whereas “in the world” was used by way of contrast between Jesus and his disciples, the phrase “not of the world” is used to show similarity. The disciples are not of the world just as Jesus is not of the world.

Jesus spoke of this idea in John 15:19. The disciples are not of the world because Jesus chose them out of the world. Put differently, the disciples are “the people whom [God] gave [Jesus] out of the world” (John 17:6). There is a fundamental difference between the disciples and other people now. Instead of being of the world, they are of Jesus.

Jesus’s Requests

The context of words and phrases in the Bible always matters. Both parts of this little saying are located within Jesus’s prayer. How are they connected to his requests?

With regard to the disciples being “in the world,” Jesus asks his Father to “keep them in your name…that they may be as one, even as we are one” (John 17:11). Jesus wants God to guard them, so that none will be lost (John 17:12). The end goal of this preservation is a divine unity.

Part of what identifies the disciples as not being “of the world” is that Jesus has given them his word (John 17:14). Jesus prays that his Father would not “take them out of the world,” but that he would “keep them from the evil one” (John 17:15). A related request falls two verses later: “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17).

A Helpful Phrase

Sometimes in these Context Matters posts, we correct a popular understanding of a verse. In this case, “in the world, but not of the world” is not found in Scripture, but the phrase is a helpful summary of biblical truths.

How much greater the reminder this phrase can provide, therefore, when we remember its components lie at the heart of Jesus’s prayer for his followers. Jesus still (and always) prays for his people, so we might conclude he prays these things for us now.

Those who follow Christ are in the world in a way that Jesus no longer is. Because we are still in the world we should ask God to keep us in his name that we might be one.

Those who follow Christ are, like him, not of the world. For this reason the world may hate us. So we should ask God to keep us from the evil one and sanctify us in his truth.

Context matters.

For more examples of why context matters, click here.

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Software Update

July 17, 2021 By Peter Krol

Just a quick update to let you know that we’ve switched over to a new subscription delivery software called follow.it. If you are an email subscriber, please don’t be surprised when your emails look a little different.

And if you are an RSS subscriber, follow.it will offer you many more options for how to get new posts delivered to you. You can check out the options to define filters or select different delivery options here.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or experience any bugs. And thanks for reading and studying the Bible with us!

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3 John: Speaking the Truth in Love to Challenging Leadership Situations

July 16, 2021 By Peter Krol

The Bible’s shortest book is easy to neglect but rewards a close look. This brief communication from “the elder” to “the beloved Gaius” (3 John 1) models for us both the heart and the practice of sincere ministry in a fallen world. Verse 1 introduces the twin themes of love and truth, which permeate the letter.

Regarding love: John loves Gaius (3 John 1), and Gaius loves the stranger-brothers (3 John 5-6), fellow Christians who are outsiders to his church community. Regarding truth: Gaius walks in it (3 John 3-4), we may become fellow workers for it (3 John 8), and one’s goodness may be commended by it (3 John 12).

Putting the two themes together, we see that Christian brothers have testified to both Gaius’s truth (3 John 3) and his love (3 John 6). It would appear that his love for the stranger-brothers was expressed—or could be further expressed—by planting himself firmly in the truth (i.e. walking in it), stroking in the same direction as the truth (i.e. becoming a fellow worker for it), and heeding its commendations (i.e. receiving its testimony). By contrast, therefore, he could fail to love others by departing from the truth, working against it, or being condemned by it.

This is all quite abstract, though, is it not? A survey of the themes will take us only so far. We’ll profit even further by following the letter’s train of thought from beginning to end.

Literary Markers

Once “the elder” identifies his recipient as “the beloved” Gaius, he then directly addresses this “beloved” three more times: 3 John 2, 5, 11. Those three addresses (“Beloved”) mark three sections for the letter’s body. We could potentially also peel off 3 John 13-15 as the letter’s closing. So we can observe the following structure:

Greeting – 1
Body – 2-12
- Beloved, part 1 – 2-4
- Beloved, part 2 – 5-10
- Beloved, part 3 – 11-12
Closing – 13-15

I’ve already shown how verse 1 introduces the letter’s themes, so let’s now walk through the letter’s body and closing.

Gaius’s Health – 2-4

The elder has heard reports that things are well with Gaius’s soul, as demonstrated by the fact that he continues walking in the truth (3 John 2b-3). And just as things are already going well with Gaius’s soul, the elder now prays as well that all may go well with him, and especially that he may be in good health (3 John 2). We could paraphrase these verses as follows:

As I have heard from those who have seen you in action, your soul is clearly doing well. I’ll ask God to make it continue to be so, and for that health to overflow to your body and life circumstances.

Now why is the elder singling out Gaius to receive this letter in the first place? The elder has heard reports referring specifically to Gaius’s attachment to the truth, so Gaius must be some sort of leader or public figure in the church. He is not unknown or unseen. Perhaps he’s a fellow elder in this congregation, responsible to help shepherd the flock. And the elder is praying diligently for the health of not only Gaius’s body but also his situation (“that all may go well with you”).

Gaius’s Church – 5-10

The elder now turns to describe what is going down in Gaius’s church. He begins by celebrating what is good (3 John 5-8) before frankly evaluating what is not good (3 John 9-10).

The good: Gaius is acting faithfully and with love, by sending out these itinerant, stranger-brothers in a manner worthy of God (3 John 5-6). He has entertained angels, and he’s treated them as he would treat the Lord himself, were he physically present. And Gaius hasn’t slowed down the mission in any way: He will “send them on their journey.” He’s making their mission more effective and less burdensome. Because they bear the name of Christ and have left so much behind (3 John 7), we ought to support people like this. This makes us fellow workers for the truth. There is much good to celebrate in this church and in Gaius’s leadership.

The bad: The elder has previously written to the entire church (though many commentators will disagree with me, I don’t see any compelling reason why he couldn’t be referring to 2 John here), but a man named Diotrephes won’t acknowledge his authority to proclaim truth or command obedience (3 John 9). Diotrephes not only talks wicked nonsense against the elder, but he also refuses to welcome the stranger-brothers and puts those who welcome them out of the church (3 John 10). So Diotrephes must be a leader within the church, exercising church discipline against those who accept the elder’s authority and obey his commands regarding what sort of missionaries they ought to support.

So although there is much to celebrate in the perspective and behavior of one of the church’s leaders (Gaius), there is just as much to condemn in the perspective and behavior of another one of the church’s leaders (Diotrephes). There is something deeply flawed here within the structure of the church that would permit Diotrephes to act unilaterally against the apostle’s instructions. This leaves the itinerant missionaries’ health in danger, at least in part because the entire church’s health is in question.

And this leads the elder to propose a way forward.

Gaius’s Assistant – 11-12

With the third and final address to Gaius as “beloved,” the elder commands him to imitate good and make sure not to imitate evil (3 John 11). What is this all about? How does the context shape the way we should understand this instruction?

Remember that Diotrephes is talking “wicked nonsense” (3 John 10). The elder now cautions Gaius not to be snookered by him. Don’t imitate him or his behavior. The elder goes as far as to suggest that Diotrephes has not even seen God (3 John 11). But Gaius—you who do good (3 John 3)—you are from God. You don’t need to get caught up in Diotrephes’s charismatic personality, his demands for loyalty, or his veneer of spirituality. And by all means, do not support his domineering approach to leadership.

The elder doesn’t leave Gaius with only the problem on his hands. Before he goes, he proposes a way forward to help Gaius make it right. This ugliness must be rectified before too long.

In 3 John 12, the elder commends another man, named Demetrius, who has received a good testimony from everyone and from the truth itself. The elder throws in his own testimony and that of his associates as well!

There’s much that’s not said here, so we don’t know precisely who Demetrius is. But there’s got to be a reason why the elder brings him up. The most credible options I’ve come across are that Demetrius was either the messenger who delivered the elder’s letter to Gaius, or another member of Gaius’s church—perhaps someone who had been overlooked for leadership because Diotrephes had seized the reins. But either way, the letter’s train of thought suggests that the elder is commending Demetrius to help Gaius lead the church in the truth, and to deal with the problem of Diotrephes. The elder wants Gaius to know that Demetrius would make a good fellow worker in the truth. A partner in the fight. A support in the mission of loving the stranger-brothers in truth.

In other words, Gaius does not have to stand alone in resisting the abusive leadership of Diotrephes.

Closing – 13-15

Now this is more than a little ugly. The elder has called out this guy (Diotrephes) by name, but in a way that remains surprisingly respectful and circumspect. He now concludes on an ominous note, however. There’s a lot more to say about this, but I’m not going to commit it to writing (3 John 13). Let’s do this face to face (3 John 14). These words have a more sinister tone than those that close 2 John, despite their similarity. There is no suggestion here that face time will have the result that “our joy may be complete” (2 John 12). Instead the final greetings are accompanied by a wish for “peace” (3 John 15).

Conclusion

Body and soul are intertwined. Though Gaius’s own soul is doing well, that health must seep out into his own body, and into the body of Christ of which he is a part. And since our greatest, healthiest joy derives from seeing one another walk in the truth (3 John 4), we must celebrate the good, identify the bad, and rectify the ugly. The good news of 3 John is that we don’t have to face such things alone.

Interpretive Outline

Speaking the truth in love – 3 John 1
Three wishes for the beloved church leader:
1. Prayer for the health of the whole person and community – 2-4
2. Celebration/confrontation of the brutal facts – 5-10
3. Assistance in the trenches – 11-12
More truth remains to be spoken in love – 13-15

This post is part of a series of interpretive overviews of the books of the Bible.

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Jen Wilkin on Improving Bible Literacy

July 14, 2021 By Peter Krol

I appreciate this interview with Jen Wilkin on how to improve Bible literacy in our churches and why it is so critical that we do so.

Wilkin describes how she gained a vision for learning from the Bible herself instead of getting drowned in waves of opinions from others. Then she challenges us all to consider how to better train our own children in our families and churches:

Wilkin flatly rejects the notion that deep knowledge of Scripture is best left to adults and “experts.” “A child who is capable of reading is capable of reading the Bible,” she insists. “Children need early exposure to the Scriptures because they need to see them as a familiar friend. Reading the Scriptures to them—and then, of course, having them read them themselves—are all formative practices. Sometimes we think children should only read (the Bible) if they can understand everything they’re reading,” she says, but “we underestimate their ability.”
This is why Wilkin advocates for young students doing adult-type Bible study. “If high schoolers are capable of doing calculus and physics, they absolutely are capable of grappling with a line-by-line study of the Bible.”

The full article gives many more details on Wilkin’s background and vision for training others to study the Bible. Check it out!

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Discourse Analysis of the New Testament Writings: Profitably Intense

July 9, 2021 By Peter Krol

Discourse Anaylsis of the New Testament Writings, edited by Todd A. Scacewater, is an ambitious text that seeks to explain the structure and chief arguments of every book of the New Testament. I am grateful to Fontes Press for a complimentary copy given in exchange for an honest review.

Each book of the New Testament gets a chapter, where the contributor seeks to map out that book’s structure and chief arguments. Before doing so, however, each contributor takes a few pages to describe their methodology for “discourse analysis” (which is essentially the process of mapping out a book’s structure and chief arguments). A variety of contributors employ a variety of analytical methods, though many of them overlap, sharing the same theoretical influences.

But will this book help the ordinary believer in their Bible study?

Assessment

For many years, I have enthusiastically commended David Dorsey’s Literary Structure of the Old Testament as providing much help with the literary structures of every book of the Old Testament. I have long hoped for a companion volume to recommend that does a similar thing for the New Testament. Does Scacewater’s edition fulfill that role?

Yes and no.

Yes, it does complement Dorsey’s work — in that I can and will regularly reference this book when I seek to get a broad overview of an NT book. There is much insight here worth gleaning, and this book is well crafted to encourage us readers to dive back into the Scripture ourselves and continue to observe, observe, observe.

But sadly, no, it doesn’t complement Dorsey’s work — in that this book is clearly written with a strongly academic audience in mind. Dorsey is academically robust, yet still comprehensible to average Bible students. But the contributors to Scacewater’s work use a very high degree of technical terminology, both theological and grammatical, without defining terms. Many of them quote the Greek NT text without translating it. And they presume a high degree of background knowledge in the field of discourse analysis.

Therefore, I am happy to recommend this book as worthy of your time if you’re wishing to work hard and be stretched far. For a sample, see this reflection on the state of structural studies stimulated for me by the chapter on John’s gospel. But for most folks seeking to study the Scriptures, I will not be recommending this book as a matter of routine.

Finally, I’ll mention that one of the book’s endorsers, Stephen E. Runge, wrote of the varied approaches to discourse analysis demonstrated from chapter to chapter: “Some succeed more than others.” I heartily agree. Some of the contributions are not as clear as they could be in presenting a clear argument or distinct structure for some of the NT books. I found some others not especially helpful. But I find the chapters on the following NT books particularly strong and insightful: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Romans, Ephesians, Colossians, Hebrews, James, and 1 Peter. I would more quickly recommend Discourse Analysis to someone seeking help with one of those particular books. (And in the interest of full disclosure: I have not yet finished reading the book. I’ve made it through 1 Peter and believe that has given me enough exposure to write an accurate review. As I finish the remaining chapters, I may add to the list in this paragraph.)

You can find Discourse Analysis of the New Testament Writings on Amazon or directly through Fontes Press.

Amazon links are affiliate links. If you click them and buy stuff, this blog will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support.

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Binding and Loosing in Matthew 16:19

July 7, 2021 By Peter Krol

The Logos blog has a helpful piece from Murray J. Harris on the meaning of the terms “bind” and “loose” in Matthew 16:19. When Jesus entrusts to Peter the “keys of the kingdom,” along with the authority to bind and loose, to what is he referring?

Whenever evangelists affirm that all those who repent and believe in Jesus Christ have their sins forgiven, they are declaring that such people are “loosed” and have entered the kingdom. In this declaration, they are dramatizing on earth the standing verdict that heaven (= God) has already made. Similarly, those who remain unrepentant unbelievers are “bound,” and the kingdom is shut against them. Heaven has already affirmed this truth, for “salvation is found in no one else” than Jesus the Cornerstone (Acts 4:11–12).

Harris makes his case from the context of Matthew and other ancient Jewish literature. He models good contextual work to help answer a thorny question, and he draws useful implications for what this does and doesn’t mean for churches and church leaders today.

Check it out!

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Stretching Application Beyond the Big Three

July 5, 2021 By Ryan Higginbottom

Read the Bible more. Pray more. Share the gospel more.

Christians know what’s likely coming at the end of a sermon or Bible study. If there’s any application discussed, it will be one of the big three: read, pray, share.

It’s easy to make Christians feel guilty in any of these areas. None would boast of having a check mark next to these boxes.

Even so, why do we land in the same places every week, regardless of the Scripture we study? One effect is that we become callous to these exhortations, ignoring actions that are good for us and for God’s kingdom.

The Good Kind of Repetition

When I go to my annual physical, I know my doctor will touch on diet and exercise. This isn’t because he lacks creativity or because he’s a bore. He returns to these topics because they are essential to my body’s health. Other patterns and activities are also important, but if I’m not paying close attention to what I eat and how much I’m moving, most other things won’t matter.

Similarly, Bible reading, prayer, and evangelism are central parts of our Christian lives. We cannot obey the first great commandment (love God) without hearing from him and speaking to him. And we cannot obey the second great commandment (love your neighbor) without considering ways we might point our friends to Jesus.

These application topics are repeated because they are of vital importance. We need the repetition both because we forget them and because we resist them. Let us not despise the good repetition that our souls need.

Go Beyond the Basics

It is good to be reminded to read the Bible, pray, and talk to our friends about Jesus, but that doesn’t mean these are the only applications we should draw from Scriptural truths. In some situations, these serve for a preacher or teacher as a too-easy fallback or blanket prescription.

This is precisely where I find the grid on our application worksheet so helpful. Thinking systematically can help spark ideas and push us in new directions.

Application has two directions—inward and outward. Inward application has to do with personal obedience, piety, and growth. Outward application refers to the influence we have on others—both other individuals and institutions of which we are a part.

It may also be helpful to think about Bible application in three spheres—head, heart, and hands. Head application is concerned with what we think or believe. Heart application refers to our affections—what we value, long for, or love. Finally, hands application is about our actions—what we will start or stop doing.

Overwhelmed by Application

When we put together the two directions and three spheres, we have six potential application categories. (See an example here.) For some readers, this may give you whiplash—from only three familiar application topics to an overwhelming number of possibilities.

Six may well be too many applications for any given sermon or study. A smaller number works better in most cases.

We should be drawing our application from the main point (or, occasionally, main points) of a passage. And most main points lead naturally to some of these six application categories more than others.

Finally, we must remember Jesus in our application. Feeling overwhelmed often means that we are not resting in God’s grace. The gospel reminds us that we obey and apply the Bible because we are God’s beloved children, not in order to be beloved. Jesus has bought us with a price, secured our salvation, and made our Bible application possible.

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