Knowable Word - Bible study help

Luke: The World’s Salvation Has Arrived

February 19, 2021 By Peter Krol

Luke writes to a Roman official to corroborate the facts of the early Christian movement. “It seemed good to me … to write an orderly account … that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught” (Luke 1:3-4). And in particular, the things being corroborated in this “first book” are “all that Jesus began to do and teach” (Acts 1:1).

I have written quite a few posts on Luke’s gospel, by way of overview, including:

This post now summarizes most of the work done in those other places, to provide a single interpretive walkthrough of the book.

Literary Markers

Luke’s chief markers are geographical statements. He begins in Judea in the days of King Herod (Luke 1:5), shifting the setting from Judea to Galilee and back again a few times in the opening chapters. Then Luke 4:14 returns to Galilee, remaining there until Luke 9:50. From Luke 9:51, Jesus is on the way to Jerusalem. And from Luke 19:28, Jesus remains in Jerusalem (with the exception of a 7-mile hike to the suburbs in Luke 24:13).

These markers suggest four main divisions to the narrative, plus a brief preface in Luke 1:1-4. See this post for a detailed analysis of how each section subdivides further.

Part 1 Walkthrough

The early chapters go out of their way to link Jesus with his cousin John. The angel Gabriel predicts John’s birth, and then Jesus’ birth. Mary and Elizabeth celebrate the two coming children, sent from God the Savior (Luke 1:47). Then John is born, Jesus is born, and a multitude of angels celebrate the coming of the Savior, who is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:11). Zechariah confesses his son’s role to give knowledge of salvation (Luke 1:77), and Simeon’s eyes get to see for themselves God’s salvation embodied in the baby Jesus (Luke 2:30).

In the second subdivision, we see John’s and Jesus’ credentials for the ministries to which they’ve been called. John’s purpose is to prepare the world to “see the salvation of God” (Luke 3:6). And that salvation shows up in the man whom God declares to be his Son (Luke 3:22), a wildly contested claim (Luke 4:3, 9).

Salvation has arrived. Will we see it?

Part 2 Walkthrough

Jesus’ Galilean ministry begins by focusing on all that Jesus began to do and teach. And the doing and the teaching are nearly always linked.

He declares himself to be the Spirit-filled servant of the Lord Isaiah foretold (Luke 4:16-30); then he demonstrates the fact by giving liberty, sight, and favor to many (Luke 4:31-6:11). He proclaims a new covenant morality to his covenant people (Luke 6:12-49). Then he demonstrates and explains how salvation is received by faith (Luke 7-8), before dedicating attention to shaping his followers (Luke 9:1-50).

Part 3 Walkthrough

Luke slows time to a crawl, narrating almost no significant plot points, but having Jesus draw out in great detail the nature of his kingdom over the course of the next 10 chapters. Luke subdivides this part by means of periodic reminders that Jesus is on the way to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51, 10:38, 13:22, 17:11), and the topic of each subdivision launches when a character asks Jesus a weighty question (Luke 9:54, 10:40, 13:23, 17:20).

First, he does not want his disciples to call down fiery judgment but to proclaim the kingdom. Second, he shows that, of course, he cares about what he is asking of his followers, and he is deeply concerned with their growth in his kingdom. Third, he acknowledges that those who are saved will be few—and not at all those whom you would most expect. Fourth, he declares that the kingdom of God has, in fact, come; it is in their midst, and a reckoning is now demanded.

Part 4 Walkthrough

Jesus finally arrives in Jerusalem, and the situation is not pretty. Bracketed by references to “the mount that is called Olivet” (Luke 19:29, 21:37), the first section narrates what Jesus did and taught to convince his generation that Israel was guilty. From weeping at sight of the city, to exposing the hypocrisy of the leadership, to prophesying the coming doom at the hand of Roman armies, Jesus pled with them time and again to recognize the visitation of their God and repent.

Bracketed by references to the holy days during which the Jews plotted to kill Jesus (Luke 22:1-2, 23:56), the second section declares time and again that Jesus was innocent. The trials of Jesus highlight his innocence before the judges of the earth. And at the cross, while Matthew’s and Mark’s version of the centurion declares Jesus to be Son of God (Matt 27:54, Mark 15:39), Luke’s narration has the centurion simply declaring Jesus innocent (Luke 23:47). Perhaps Luke is here foreshadowing the verdict he wishes Theophilus to win for Paul.

The third section of part 4, and the final section of the book, shows us the fallout of resurrection. The fruits of salvation. The narratives here are largely about how people will recognize salvation when they see it. Whether they can identify salvation’s embodiment when he stands resurrected before them.

Conclusion

The world’s salvation has arrived. His name is Jesus, and you can have him if you will only see him and believe.

Interpretive Outline

Christianity is on trial, and this orderly account will help you to be certain regarding what you’ve heard about the movement – Luke 1:1-4
The Defendant’s Credentials – 1:5-4:13
1. The Salvation of God – 1-2
2. The Son of God – 3:1-4:13
The Defendant’s Fundamentals – 4:14-9:50
1. His Teaching – 4:14-6:49
2. His Offer of Salvation Through Faith – 7:1-8:56
3. His Followers – 9:1-50
The Defendant’s Goals – 9:51-19:27
1. Proclaiming His Kingdom – 9:51-10:37
2. Growing His Kingdom – 10:38-13:21
3. Numbering His Citizens – 13:22-17:10
4. Timing His Kingdom – 17:11-19:27
The Defendant’s Vindication – 19:28-24:53
1. Judaism is Guilty – 19:28-21:38
2. Jesus is Innocent – 22:1-23:56
3. Israel’s Salvation has Arrived – 24:1-53

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

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The Book of Job in Light of Genesis 3

February 17, 2021 By Peter Krol

I’ve written a number of posts on the book of Job, and I appreciate this piece by Nicholas Batzig exploring the themes of Job in light of the larger context of Genesis 3 and the Fall. Batzig quotes and builds from the work of Meredith Kline to show how Job’s ordeal is a step in the battle between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent, looking ahead to the final justification and triumph of Jesus as the Son of Man.

This is a beautiful picture of the way in which God redeems and restores all of His people through the saving work of the God-man, Jesus Christ. Jesus, the Seed of the woman, is the greater Job who endured the temptations of the evil one and who wrestled with God in the Garden. He is the ultimate Servant of the Lord (Isaiah 42:1) who would suffer in order to justify His people (Isaiah 53:11). Like Job, Jesus cried out to God in helplessness. The writer of Hebrews tells us that “in the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered” (Heb. 5:7–8). Jesus conquered his accuser and vanquished the sins of His people on the cross. In the resurrection from the dead, Jesus was vindicated and God was vindicated in Him. He thus becomes the captain of salvation to all who trust in Him and suffer with Him.

Check it out!

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Asking Good Small Group Questions: An Example

February 15, 2021 By Ryan Higginbottom

You can tell me what qualities you like in a dessert all you want, but eventually I’m going to ask you to get specific.

Similarly, laying out principles for good questions to ask in a small group Bible study is all well and good. But leaders need examples for clarity and motivation.

1 Thessalonians 1

Today I’m sharing a Bible study I led on 1 Thessalonians 1 for my church small group. I am far from a perfect example, so please take this simply as one man’s effort to point in a helpful direction.

As evidence of how much I have to learn, I made several improvements to the study in the process of writing this article! Thinking carefully about good questions has been stimulating.

After the study, I’ll explain how these questions illustrate the six characteristics I described in my last post. I’m numbering my questions here in order to make later referencing easier.

Bible Study Plan

Here’s the outline of the study.

Launching question: Can anyone tell us about an experience you’ve had sharing your testimony of coming to faith in Christ?
Give background on the Thessalonian church. It was a young church!
What do you observe about Paul’s thanksgiving in verses 2–3?
- Follow-up: What is significant about the items Paul mentions?
What evidence does Paul give that God has chosen the Thessalonians?
- Follow-up: Does the power and conviction in verse 5 refer to Paul or the Thessalonians? How do you know?
Why does Paul mention God’s choice?
Note that Paul is speaking of the Thessalonians’ experience chronologically.
What happened to the Thessalonians after the gospel came to them? (See verses 6–7.)
- Follow-up: What is the difference between the way Paul uses “imitator” and “example”?
What is significant about the locations Paul mentions? (See verses 7–8.)
What were people saying about the Thessalonians? Why does Paul highlight these things?
The main verbs in verse 9–10 are “turn,” “serve,” and “wait.” How are these actions important for young Christians?
- Follow-up: How are these actions important for more mature Christians?
Does Paul intend verses 9–10 to be a summary of the Christian life? How do you know?
How does the gospel relate to verses 9–10?
- Follow-up: How do verses 2–8 relate to verses 9–10?
What is Paul’s main point in writing chapter 1? How do you know?
What implications does this have for us? What implications does this have for our work making disciples?

Reviewing These Questions

I have tried to write these questions with my list of six characteristics in mind. Let’s see how those qualities affected my questions.

A good question is asked in a natural order.

While my launching question is personal, none of my other questions get personal until the end. I’ve also tried to ask easier, observational questions (like questions 3 and 4) before harder, interpretive questions (like questions 5, 8, or 11).

A good question is honest.

While I have studied this passage quite a bit, I know that others in my group have much to teach me. So I want my questions to be open and inviting (like the follow-up to question 3 and questions 8 and 10). I also avoid fill-in-the-blank questions–it’s actually for this reason that I state some observations (see #6 above) instead of asking about them. I don’t want my group to feel they must read my mind.

A good question is tethered to the text.

In many of my questions, I use specific language from the passage or verse numbers. In other places, when I ask, How do you know?, that is my effort to direct my friends back to the Bible for their reasoning.

I have made room for people to speak from their different perspectives and experiences (see questions 10, 12, and 14). But ideally all such discussion will spring from the words of God.

A good question is understandable.

I’ve tried to avoid long or complicated questions. My longest question above is question 10, and I would ask this twice before inviting responses.

A good question is purposeful.

When putting this study plan together, I wrote down the main point of the passage and then wrote the questions to lead my group toward that conclusion. My hope was that when I asked question 13, my group would have a solid answer.

A good question is prayerfully considered.

In my planning I tried to imagine the responses that each question could provoke. If the question was ambiguous or unclear, I tried to write with more focus. This lead to several inquiries with immediate follow-ups prepared.

I’ve written this before, but it’s worth repeating. Preparing good questions is time-consuming, demanding work.

Encouraging Conversation

This two-post series on good questions is part of a larger effort to help Bible study leaders encourage conversation in their meetings. In my next article, I’ll write about creating an atmosphere within a Bible study that invites interaction.

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My Bible Intake

February 12, 2021 By Peter Krol

I am asked with some regularity how I schedule time (and find time) to be in the Scriptures. As a full-time missionary with DiscipleMakers, I am thrilled to get paid, in part, to study the Bible. But I also seek to develop practices for Bible intake when I’m “off the clock.” I write this post not to suggest that anyone must operate the same way I do, but in hopes that some may be stimulated and encouraged to try new opportunities for increasing their own intake of God’s word. Regardless of how you do it, the fact of Bible intake is a tremendous privilege for followers of the Lord Jesus.

Daily Routines

I start every morning with an audio lectionary in the Dwell listening app. I’m just about to complete the 1979 Book of Common Prayer’s morning daily office, which takes about 5 minutes per day. I listen to it on my phone while I brush my teeth. As I continue getting ready for the day (getting dressed, greeting my children, moving toward my treadmill for exercise), I listen to a Bible-in-a-year daily plan (also with Dwell). This year, I’m following a “genre” plan, which gives about 3 chapters per day, each day in a different genre of the Scriptures (Yesterday’s text was from a prophet; today’s from a gospel). This takes anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes each day (I listen on 2x speed), and usually finishes up while I’m on the treadmill.

On weekdays, while showering after exercise, I review Scripture memory. I review Proverbs 1-9 over the course of 5 days, and I currently also recite Psalm 145 all 5 days. On weekends, I take a break from Bible memory to give my brain a rest.

So on most days, I’ve taken in about 6-8 chapters of Scripture audio (or memory review) before I’m even able to sit down to read.

Once I can sit down to read, I spend about 30 minutes reading the Bible before moving on with my day. I prefer to follow Joe Carter’s reading plan for how to change your mind (Summary: Read a book of the Bible 20 times. Then read another book 20 times. Continue until finished with all books.) I began doing this in earnest in 2016, and have completed 23 books so far. I select books based on what I’m expecting to study in the coming year. So I recently completed Luke and Acts because we were preaching them at church. I’m now working on 1 & 2 Samuel (treating them as a single book), because I’m teaching a Sunday school class on it to our middle and high schoolers. Later this year, I’ll move on to Revelation to prepare for a preaching workshop I plan to attend.

I end each day with a little more Dwell listening. I’m currently about to complete the 1979 Book of Common Prayer’s evening daily office, which takes about 5 minutes while I brush my teeth and get changed for bed.

Weekly Routines

You may have noticed my daily routine contains quite a bit of Bible reading and very little detailed study. That’s because I prefer to work on careful study in fits and starts. Though I trumpet the OIA method for Bible study, I just don’t have the energy to delve the depths of it every day. And I do enough teaching that my detailed study centers around whatever I’m teaching. I don’t feel the need to separate my teaching from my learning.

Currently, I preach about 3 in every 10 weeks at my church. Two weeks before each sermon, I study the text, with the end goal being the completion of this worksheet, which all our church’s preachers complete for every sermon. I spend up to 5 hours those weeks, scattered Monday through Wednesday, studying the passage enough to credibly complete the worksheet.

On weeks where I don’t have my own worksheet to complete, I am receiving another preacher’s completed worksheet. I spend up to 30 minutes studying the text enough to comment on his worksheet, to celebrate his work and help him improve it (as the others do with my worksheets). We also meet for an hour each Wednesday afternoon to rehearse the sermon for the upcoming Sunday and give feedback on its presentation. In this way, our team of preachers co-labors to preach expositionally through books of the Bible.

For the middle/high school Sunday school class I teach, I spend up to 30 minutes on Saturdays preparing the next lesson in 1 Samuel.

Finally, on Sunday nights, I recently restarted our family Bible reading time, where I read the Scripture out loud for 30-60 minutes while the children play quietly. We’re only a few weeks in and will soon complete Genesis.

Seasonal Routines

In times past, I’ve had weekly small group studies to either lead or participate in (both of which required preparation). But at this time I’m taking a break from our church small group.

Every November, and sometimes in February, I enjoy attending preaching workshops run by the Charles Simeon Trust to sharpen my craft. These workshops require significant Bible study preparation (perhaps 5-7 hours) in the weeks leading up to the workshop.

In my work with DiscipleMakers, I have numerous other events throughout the year where I may be giving a talk, leading a small group, or teaching an online course that requires me to get into the guts of OIA study.

And every Jan 1, I set aside everything else I listed above (at least as much as possible) to give myself to reading the entire Bible straight through as fast as possible. With the combination of listening to audio and reading a physical book, I squeeze such reading into every nook and cranny of my schedule to finish in 25 or fewer days. After that is complete, I return to the regular routines I’ve listed above.

Conclusion

I’ll reiterate: I’m not deluded to the point of believing that anyone on the planet ought to do things quite as quirkily as I do. But with enough interest, anyone can find corners in their schedule where they could increase their Bible intake just a bit further. May you be encouraged and astonished at your Lord, and at the opportunity you have, perhaps unique in human history, to commune with him through his word, for hours on end, through a wide variety of formats.

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When Your Works Betray Your Profession

February 10, 2021 By Peter Krol

Wyatt Graham takes a close and skillful look at Paul’s letter to Titus, to illuminate Paul’s statement that people may “profess to know God, but they deny him by their works” (Titus 1:16). Can’t we simply trust a person’s profession of faith in Christ?

Wyatt’s piece is a great example of observing contrasts, asking interpretive questions, following the train of thought, and applying the Scriptures specifically to our situation. And it’s quite brief!

His conclusion:

We should test ourselves to see if we act on our profession of faith because the passions of flesh vie against the mind through which the Spirit sanctifies us (e.g., Rom 12:1–2). Expressing our feelings and angst and anger are not goods. They are in fact sin. Passion is bad. In an age of expressive individualism, my words here likely sound profoundly unfashionable.
They are also biblical.

If you’d like to see Bible study done well, this is worth your time. Check it out!

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Starting the Year Well with Small Groups

February 3, 2021 By Peter Krol

Matthias Media has a helpful article about how to start the year well with small groups. There is much practical advice to consider here, especially in the unusual situation with the ongoing pandemic. The article will briefly offer guidance on how to:

Intend to be faithful
Intend to grow
Intend to get your group on board early

I encourage you to check it out!

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6 Characteristics of a Good Small Group Question

February 1, 2021 By Ryan Higginbottom

A bad question is one reason for lingering silence in a small group Bible study. So, for small group leaders, it is worth our time to think about what makes a good question.

Learning how to ask good questions is a lifelong pursuit. It pays dividends in almost every setting and every relationship in life. But there are few gatherings in which this skill makes a greater difference than in teaching or leading a small group.

What Makes a Good Question?

I have taught and led small group Bible studies for many years, so I’ve had plenty of occasions to ponder the quality of my questions. The observations below are the fruit of my experience, though I know I have much more to learn. I welcome additional contributions in the comments.

In my experience, good questions in small groups share these six qualities.

A good question is asked in a natural order.

What is true in one-on-one conversations is also true in small groups: Accelerating too quickly makes things awkward. Learning and respecting the natural progression of questions is a concrete way for leaders to love their group members.

Questions should generally move from easy to difficult and from objective to personal. It is also usually advisable to ask questions in the observe-interpret-apply progression that we suggest as a Bible study framework.

A good question is honest.

I’ve written an entire post about honest questions, so I will offer only a quick summary here.

Having studied the Bible passage in depth before the meeting, a leader should have a point of view and a direction in which they want to lead the conversation. However, the best questions are asked in humility, understanding that even the most studied Christians have much to learn from others.

Asking simplistic fill-in-the-blank or guess-what-I’m-thinking questions is often more an activity than an invitation to interaction. These questions rarely supply enough oxygen to sustain a conversation.

A good question is tethered to the text.

There are certainly times to probe our friends’ thoughts, experiences, and feelings. After all, our group members’ backgrounds and perspectives are part of what makes small groups so valuable. But within a small group Bible study, discussion should flow from the Scriptures.

If the purpose of our small group is to study the Bible, we should ask questions about the Bible. Our human tendency is to look away from Scripture, so many of our questions must gently remind our friends to look back at the text.

Application questions are the most personal and individual questions we can ask, but even these should originate in the text. Having talked through observations and interpreted the passage as a group, the author’s main point should drive all application questions.

A good question is understandable.

When we are excited about a Bible passage, it is easy to get carried away when writing questions. We must break our questions down into small, manageable steps.

Good questions should not be too long. They should not introduce fancy concepts or big words. Usually, they should not consist of multiple parts.

A good question is concise and clear. It asks people to consider something specific. If our friends can’t understand what we’re asking, we’ve no chance of a good discussion.

A good question is purposeful.

When putting notes together for a meeting, a leader should have a defined plan. They should have a considered idea about the main point for the passage, and they should put a question plan together to help their group gather the information to arrive at that destination.

This means that some interesting features of the passage may not make it into the discussion. With a limited amount of time, a leader needs to choose their questions carefully.

A good question is prayerfully considered.

As leaders, we should pray about all aspects of our Bible study meetings. This includes our questions and the conversations they spark.

A key ingredient of planning our questions is considering possible responses. If we envision the answers, we can evaluate the quality of our inquiries and anticipate the need to rephrase or follow up in a particular way. And the better we know our small group members, the better we’ll be able to predict how our questions will land on them.

Worth the Effort

A low-quality question is just one of the explanations for silence in a small group. But it may be the most common. (I will write about bad group atmospheres and reluctant group members—the other reasons I gave for unanswered questions—in the coming weeks.) Next week I’ll provide an example of small group questions that have the qualities I’ve listed above.

Planning helpful questions is slow, difficult work and it takes time to get better. But it’s worth it—for the good of our meetings and the growth of our friends.

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Catch the Differences

January 29, 2021 By Peter Krol

Earlier this week, I completed my 11th annual speed read of the Bible. This time, I used a detailed chronological reading order I’ve never used before, which enabled me to catch on to some things that have escaped my notice before. Of course, the purpose of reading large portions of Scripture is not to notice every detail. But the pathway you take through the Bible can certainly help to freshen up some things.

For example, read the following selections of Scripture, one right after the other, and see if anything jumps out at you, as it did for me.

And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.”
Mark 10:32-34

And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.”
Matthew 20:17-19

And taking the twelve, he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise.” But they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.
Luke 18:31-34

Can you spot the differences? Image by Dmitry Abramov from Pixabay

There are, of course, many differences in the accounts, from Mark’s narration of the disciples’ amazement and fear, to Matthew’s passive voice “he will be raised,” to Luke’s hiding of the saying such that they didn’t grasp it. Each of these differences provides a clue into the narrator’s unique intentions.

But what struck me the most this time around was the differences in how Jesus is “delivered over.” If you didn’t catch the difference, go back and read the passages again, paying special attention to whom Jesus is delivered over to, and in how many stages.

What does Luke’s distinct account suggest about his intentions in describing this passion prediction? How does this fit with Luke’s larger treatment of the Jews in both Luke and Acts?

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Proactive and Reactive Bible Intake

January 27, 2021 By Peter Krol

At his blog, Chap Bettis makes a helpful distinction between proactive and reactive Bible intake. Proactive intake is our planned, and perhaps scheduled, time in God’s word, both in private and at church. But reactive intake is the unplanned moments when some issue or need holds our attention and requires answers from God’s word.

He writes:

By reactive Bible intake, I mean letting the circumstances of life drive us back to the Scriptures. It means opening up our Bible reactively when we are in pain or in doubt or have confusion about life.
The psalmist experienced this when he wrote. “It was good for me to be afflicted that I might learn your decrees,” (Psalm 119:71). In other words, pain, questions, and confusion drove him to open up the Scriptures. And he was glad for it.
If we really believe the Scriptures are sufficient then trials will drive us back to look for things we have not seen or understood deeply. The pain rips open the soil of our heart to allow the word to drop down deeper. Now our heart is tender, ready to take in the word.

I find such reactive intake to be the one I’m most likely to neglect. I often feel too busy for it, and I end up wasting the pain. How about you?

Check it out!

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Delightful Upgrade to Reading Plans in Logos 9

January 22, 2021 By Peter Krol

As I’ve made known numerous times, I am an avid daily user of Logos Bible Software. And the latest version made a significant upgrade to a feature I use more than almost anything else: reading plans. When I wrote my review of Logos 9, I wasn’t yet aware of the extent of the upgrade to reading plans. But now that I’ve been using it extensively for my new year’s speed-read of the Bible, I’d like to tell you about it.

Some of the upgraded reading plan features show up in the desktop app. But the most noticeable improvements are in the Logos mobile app. (In case you didn’t know, you can use Logos on both your desktop and mobile devices, and everything syncs perfectly between them.)

For this year’s Bible speed-read, I’m following a detailed chronological plan. I call it “detailed,” because it pays no heed to chapter divisions. It might give me a 3-verse chunk, followed by a 7-verse chunk, followed by a 16-chapter chunk, and so on. I’m currently in the gospels, and it’s really fun to read every parallel scene back to back to back. It really highlights how different each gospel’s account is, even of the same event!

My Logos reading plan handles this sort of plan (and any sort of plan, really) very, very well. I read most often on an iPad, and here is a sample screen shot.

That’s it. A very simple interface, with only the portion of text I want at the moment. Those buttons at the bottom allow me to move to the next text assignment (or previous one) with a tap. The new text will then replace the current text on the screen.

You’ll notice that I’ve gotten rid of all footnotes, verse and chapter numbers, and section headings. I adjust that setting one time, and it applies to all passages I read from that Bible (in this case, the ESV) until I choose to add them back in. Give me the text; just the text.

Finally, do you see the speaker icon in the top right? A few Bibles, such as the ESV, have an integrated audio version available in Logos. When I tap that icon, the audio Bible (Hear the Word ESV Bible read by David Cochran Heath) begins playing. The audio begins precisely with whatever text is at the top of the current screen, even if it’s not the beginning of a chapter (audio track). At the end of the selection, the audio automatically stops, even if it’s not the end of the chapter (audio track). If I tap the “next” button at the bottom before the audio stops (sometimes I have to just beat the last word), the audio will continue with the next passage in the plan.

And if all that weren’t enough, I most love what the audio Bible does in between the beginning and end of a passage. When the audio begins each verse, a pulsating golden circle appears around the first word of that verse in the text and flashes for a second. That way, if my eyes drift from alignment with the audio, I can realign them at the start of the next verse (and every subsequent verse). When a portion of Scripture is longer than a single screen, the text automatically shifts (almost like a page flip) when the audio advances past the visible page.

This combination of features makes it easier than ever for me to read/listen to my Bible on my iPad while, for example, using my treadmill each morning. It requires very little manual tapping and scrolling, and gives me a sustained audio feed with associated visual stimuli to follow along with.

I just wanted to rave about one more reason to consider looking into Logos 9.

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