Knowable Word - Bible study help

The Bereans Had No Bibles

December 9, 2020 By Peter Krol

In response to a common appeal for Christians to search their Bibles and “be like Bereans,” Griffin Gulledge has a provocative piece entitled “The Bereans Had No Bibles.” In it, he makes some important points worth your consideration:

Bereans receive the truth.
Bereans learn in the context of the gathered church.
Bereans believe the Christian faith from the Old Testament.

Gulledge concludes:

Being a Berean is a lost label for Christians. These days, most of the people who appeal to the term are bloggers on the internet, mostly engaged in heated polemics at best or vicious attacks on those they disagree with at worst. What we see here instead is that Bereans are those who receive the truth in the context of the church, and thereby together prove Christ is both Savior and Lord from the Scriptures. What is the end of all of this? It’s not to win debates or to fill our heads with knowledge for its own sake. The passage tells us: many believe.
The goal of emulating the Bereans is to bring about and strengthen faith. It is Christ’s work and who he is, preached from the Scriptures, that saves and sanctifies. The Bereans had no Bibles. But they did have Christ. We have the Bible. And together, we should seek to find Christ there, and thereby be transformed into his image (2 Cor 3:17-18)

Check it out!

Share or follow:

4 Bible Studies for the New Year

December 7, 2020 By Ryan Higginbottom

As we approach the end of one year, we plan for the next. For many Christians, the start of the year offers a chance to assess their devotional habits and commit to new practices.

Lots of believers begin read-through-the-Bible plans in January, and this is a good thing! (Here at Knowable Word, we have our own 2021 Bible reading challenge!) Surveying the totality of God’s word is good for our souls.

But a careful study of the Bible is essential for our spiritual lives as well. If you’d like some structure to help you study the Bible in 2021, this article is for you.

What We Mean by “Bible Study”

In some circles, an article touting Bible studies for the new year would give recommendations of resources to peruse or purchase. It’s not too hard to find devotional works that guide believers through sections or books of Scripture.

That’s not what I’m advocating here. Though devotionals have their place, we want you to hear directly from God.

You might think you don’t have the time, ability, or intellect, but you’d be wrong—you can study the Bible yourself. That’s the very reason this website exists! God’s word is a knowable word, and he wants you to know him through his word.

Toward that end, we have many resources and articles to help you get started. Studying the Bible begins with reading and rereading the passage at hand. You’ll want to observe what the author wrote and use those observations to ask interpretive questions. As you answer those questions, seek out the author’s main point in writing. As you grow in your understanding, apply the passage to your life and your spheres of influence.

While you can and should study the Bible on your own, it’s healthy to talk about what you’re learning with others. As you consider the Bible study plans below, consider recruiting some friends from your local church to travel this path with you. A check-in meeting every week might be a helpful practice to begin the year.

Four Plans to Study the Bible

As with my previous articles on Bible studies for Advent and Lent, there isn’t anything revolutionary in these Bible study plans. Instead, I’ve provided sections of Scripture that can be studied over four weeks, broken down by week.

The studies below relate to the theme of newness. So, at the beginning of the new year you can study portions of the Bible in which you will encounter other beginnings.

A Study in Genesis

Genesis is the ultimate book of beginnings, and its opening chapters are foundational to the rest of Scripture.

Week 1 (January 3–9): Genesis 1:1–31
Week 2 (January 10–16): Genesis 2:1–25
Week 3 (January 17–23): Genesis 3:1–24
Week 4 (January 24–30): Genesis 4:1–26

A Study in Joshua

After Moses dies, the people of Israel get a new leader (Joshua). They cross the Jordan into the Promised Land and begin their new mission.

Week 1 (January 3–9): Joshua 1:1–18
Week 2 (January 10–16): Joshua 2:1–24
Week 3 (January 17–23): Joshua 3:1–17
Week 4 (January 24–30): Joshua 4:1–24

A Study in John

The beginning of John’s Gospel connects the beginning of Jesus’s ministry with the beginning of creation.

Week 1 (January 3–9): John 1:1–18
Week 2 (January 10–16): John 1:19–51
Week 3 (January 17–23): John 2:1–25
Week 4 (January 24–30): John 3:1–36

A Study in Acts

The first chapters of Acts describe the beginning of the gathered and scattered church.

Week 1 (January 3–9): Acts 1:1–26
Week 2 (January 10–16): Acts 2:1–36
Week 3 (January 17–23): Acts 2:37–3:26
Week 4 (January 24–30): Acts 4:1–37

The Best Way to Start a Year

Whether you adopt one of these study plans or not, there’s no better way to begin 2021 than to draw closer to God through his word. May your year be full of joyful understanding of the truth of Scripture and the glad fruit of a changed heart and life.

Share or follow:

Literary Markers in Acts

December 4, 2020 By Peter Krol

I’m beginning to study the book of Acts (following upon my study of Luke over the last year), and I’m struck by a great insight into the book’s structure. This insight was not my own, but was something I read in works by both William Taylor (affiliate link) and Daniel Wallace.

That insight is that the book of Acts has exactly seven narrative summary statements regarding the growth of the church: Acts 2:47, 6:7, 9:31, 12:24, 16:5, 19:20, 28:30-31. And these statements are not simply throwaway transitional statements, but they appear to be concluding statements to mark the main divisions of the book.

Check it out for yourself and consider these statements and the alleged divisions they mark. The material they conclude (for example, 1:1-2:47, 3:1-6:7, 6:8-9:31, etc.) does generally appear to hang together thematically.

I should say that Daniel Wallace is clear that this is only one way the narrator structures the book of Acts. It also could be structured geographically, in expanding circles from Jerusalem and then by Paul’s missionary journeys.

But I must say, this seven-fold structure to Acts helps me to make sense of some strange results of a purely geographical way of outlining the book. For example, the narrative moves seamlessly from the end of Paul’s second journey and into his third (Acts 18:22-23). It just doesn’t seem reasonable to proclaim a major division in the book between those verses. The demarcation is much clearer between Acts 19:20 and Acts 19:21 (that latter verse introduces, for the first time, Paul’s commitment to go to Rome, which carries him through the rest of the book).

Have you noticed this sevenfold structure to Acts? Do you think a different set of literary markers suggests a different structure for the book? Structure is one of the most important tools to help us grasp the overall message and argument of a book, so it’s worth it to observe it closely!

Share or follow:

Saints Resurrected at Jesus’ Death

December 2, 2020 By Peter Krol

Greg Lanier has a helpful piece on “Resurrected Saints and Matthew’s Weirdest Passage,” where he addresses some common questions on Matthew 27:52-53:

The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

Lanier asks:

Did this really happen?
What exactly happened?
What does it mean?

He looks closely at the text in its context to provide reasonable answers.

Check it out!

Share or follow:

Saying, “I don’t know”

November 27, 2020 By Tom Hallman

I remember the first time he said, “I don’t know.”

The setting was my very first Bible study, or at least the very first one I took seriously. The group was small; maybe 4 or 5 of us. The book was John. The “he” I mentioned was Dave, the Bible study leader who was teaching us all how to know Jesus through the Scriptures. I was just a baby Christian at the time, but I knew that Dave knew everything about Jesus. Everything!

And that’s when it happened.

Somebody asked a question about the text. I don’t remember exactly what it was. Maybe it was why Jesus responded the way He did to His mother in John 2:3-5. Or whether John 3:16-21 was spoken by Jesus or was John’s commentary. Regardless, Dave’s answer astounded me.

“I don’t know.”

That impacted me for several reasons. First, Dave was suddenly more human. I now had the slightest bit more hope that maybe one day I could lead like he leads (though to this day he’s still a lot better at it than I am!) Second, most of my experience with Christians involved watching them get offended, angry, and/or frightened when they didn’t know something. Instead, here was Dave modeling real humility! And third, it was simply an honest answer to a good question! No shame in that.

Now, this blog is called Knowable Word, and we really do believe (and plan to show why we think this) that the Bible is knowable, that Jesus is knowable, and that you can experience a great deal of joy as you grow in knowledge of God.

However, I do hope we can also be humble enough to say, “I don’t know.” There’s a lot of hard-to-understand stuff in the Bible. The apostle Peter says that Paul is hard to understand in 2 Peter 3:15-16. Paul says that God is hard to understand in Romans 11:33. Are we wiser than they? Aren’t there many passages where we too scratch our heads and basically have to confess, “I don’t know”?

Perhaps this is what the author of Proverbs 3:5 had in mind when he penned,

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. (ESV)

Maybe! I don’t know.

Share or follow:

Context Matters: To All Who Received Him

November 25, 2020 By Peter Krol

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God
John 1:12

How much of our evangelistic effort roots itself in this verse, asking people to “receive Christ,” inviting him into their hearts? Is that what John meant when he wrote these words?

Jim Elliff argues that no, John did not have such a practice in mind. And Elliff shows us from the verse’s context a better understanding. Here is one place it takes him:

Our main work is not so much to explain the sinner’s response to Christ (that is important mainly for pretending believers), but to labor on the gospel itself. When we are brutally honest with people about their sin, and lucid about the only answer being in Christ, His death and resurrection, then we have preached the gospel. We have done what is necessary to cooperate with the Spirit in their conversion. We will actually work against the Spirit when we get caught up in a formulaic approach to the gospel as opposed to a content-filled proclamation. Get the message right and depend on God to convict and convert. You will know someone is saved, not when they “pray the prayer,” but when they repent and believe in Christ, with the evidence of truly following Him. Ask, “Do you believe?”

Elliff observes the text closely, in its context, and he argues, from John’s larger message, a better way to think about evangelism. This is terrific.

Check it out!

Share or follow:

Context Matters: Do Justice, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly With God

November 23, 2020 By Ryan Higginbottom

Perhaps you’ve heard that Christians should do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. Even people outside the church have seen and heard these phrases.

Some people take this verse (Micah 6:8) as the theme of the book of Micah. Others claim this is even more important—that it’s the central message of the entire Old Testament, or the whole Bible.

This verse has made its way into mission statements for organizations of all types. You can see it everywhere from Christmas cards to protest banners.

But does the current use of this verse honor its context? God has given us paragraphs, chapters, and books—not just sayings and slogans. When we learn to read the Bible as God intends, we may find that our most quoted verses play a different role than we assumed.

The Immediate Context

The immediate context of Micah 6:8 is an indictment of the Lord against his people (Micah 6:2).

God reminds his people what he has done for them. He brought them out of Egypt and redeemed them (Micah 6:4). He turned the intended curses of Balak and Balaam into blessing, and he brought the people across the Jordan into the promised land (Micah 6:5). The people of God should not act as though God has wearied them (Micah 6:3).

Micah asks what sacrifice would be acceptable to the Lord—burnt offerings? Thousands of rams? Rivers of oil? A firstborn child? (See Micah 6:6–7.)

We read Micah 6:8 after these questions. No specific transgression or sin (Micah 6:7) has been mentioned, so Micah 6:8 is the charge against the people to which verses 6 and 7 are a response.

Yes, Micah 6:8 sets out God’s desires for his people in heart and action. But God is not merely giving a mission statement, he is leveling a legal charge. As the rest of the book of Micah makes clear, Israel has utterly failed to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with their God. This failure is detailed (and the deserved punishments are outlined) in Micah 6:9–16.

Needed: A New Leader

We must not only locate Micah 6:8 in its chapter but also its book.

Micah spends much of the first three chapters of the book warning Israel and Judah about the coming judgment for their sin. And many of these warnings are pointed at those in leadership.

The rulers of the nations should know justice (Micah 3:1).
The prophets lead the people astray, motivated by self-interest (Micah 3:5).
The rulers of Israel detest justice and fill Jerusalem with sin. Their officials, priests, and prophets are motivated by money, and they do not see that disaster awaits their city (Micah 3:9–12).

The famous passage about the coming Messiah (Micah 5:2–5) is a direct consequence of these terrible failings. Israel needs a new ruler and a new shepherd; Israel needs peace. God will provide.

Because God is going to bring a new king for Israel, and because God’s king will be completely faithful in his ways, we can read Micah 6:8 through this lens. The Messiah will do justice, the Messiah will love kindness, and the Messiah will walk humbly with God. The Gospels show how beautifully and perfectly Jesus fulfilled these predictions.

Look to the Lord

After the indictment of Micah 6, readers naturally wonder where to find hope. Micah knows his own sin and admits that he cannot find any righteous on the earth (Micah 7:2). There is so much evil and corruption around that he cannot trust anyone (Micah 7:3–6). He must look to the Lord and wait for the God of his salvation (Micah 7:7).

Micah knows he has sinned against the Lord, but he knows just as surely that the Lord will vindicate him (Micah 7:8–9). In the end, Micah can hope and trust in God because of his steadfast love and compassion.

Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity
and passing over transgression
for the remnant of his inheritance?
He does not retain his anger forever,
because he delights in steadfast love.
He will again have compassion on us;
he will tread our iniquities underfoot.
You will cast all our sins
into the depths of the sea.
You will show faithfulness to Jacob
and steadfast love to Abraham,
as you have sworn to our fathers
from the days of old. (Micah 7:18–20)

Conclusion

The way many people use Micah 6:8 is not exactly wrong, but it is incomplete. In this prophetic book, this verse serves as the law leveled by God against the people of Israel. And the judge brings a guilty verdict.

The guilt of the people reflects the guilt of their leaders, and God has promised a Messiah. We cannot depend on ourselves or anyone else except this one who will “be great to the ends of the earth” (Micah 5:4).

This Messiah—Jesus—will do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with his God. And he will do it for us.

Context matters.

For more examples of why context matters, click here.

Share or follow:

Overcoming our Objections to the Old Testament

November 18, 2020 By Peter Krol

I argued a few weeks ago that we can trust the Bible because Jesus trusted it. In fact, the degree of trust he put in the reliability and authority of the Old Testament ought to astonish us.

“But what about the barbaric genocide?” some might protest.

“And the Old Testament’s low view of women?”

“And its scientific inaccuracy?”

When you talk about the value of the Old Testament, it doesn’t take long for such objections to begin rolling in.

Matthew H. Patton has a wonderful piece at Tabletalk Magazine entitled “Cherishing and Defending the Old Testament,” where he briefly addresses these objections and more.

When you invite folks to dinner, there are certain rooms you hope they won’t see because there wasn’t enough time to clean everywhere. Similarly, for many Christians, the Old Testament is not a gem to show off but a closet of problems that we hope our unbelieving friends won’t see or ask us about. But what if the Old Testament is actually one of our greatest treasures? What if some of its most problematic parts are actually part of its glory? In this article, we will step through several objections to the Old Testament and show how these issues actually point us to the glory of Christ.

Patton’s brief article is well worth your time, so you don’t have to feel ashamed of this book as you might an untidy room in the house. Cherish this aged wisdom which leads us to Christ.

Check it out!

Share or follow:

Announcing our 2021 Bible Reading Challenge

November 13, 2020 By Peter Krol

We’re giving away a copy of the CSB Reader’s Bible, Five-Volume Collection and a one-volume reader’s Bible. The CSB Reader’s Bible, Five-Volume Collection provides the perfect opportunity to read the Bible in its original and simplified form, uninterrupted by verse and chapter references. Constructed with select cloth cover materials and printed on high-quality book paper, this unique Bible reading experience invites the reader to encounter God’s Word as a grand narrative and have a fresh experience with the Bible.

To win one of these prizes, you simply have to demonstrate you’d know what to do with it.

If you’ve been with us for the last few years, you’ve probably been expecting this post. Here I come, like the sun rising, going down, and once again hastening to its place to rise again. Like the wind blowing round and round, north, then south, and back again. Like streams running to the sea, and yet the sea is still not full. What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. Viruses and turmoil are no match for our inevitability.

If you’re new to the blog, you’ll be delighted to know we do a reading challenge here annually. And we try to get the best prizes we can think of to reward your toil at which you toil under the sun.

In our former days, most excellent Theophilus, we issued a 90-day Bible-reading challenge that had to begin on January 1 and end by March 31. But many folks have told us they would like to be able to get started over the holidays. While many are eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, or chasing a spirit of stupor, we hear that you—the readers of this blog, the champions of the covenant, the heroes who shine like stars in the midst of a present evil age—would prefer to redeem the time when you already find yourself away from your usual responsibilities.

And who are we to stand in your way? You think about all his commandments; you will not be ashamed. You are continually overcome with longing for his judgments. Though your life is down in the dust, you seek life according to God’s word. Therefore this year’s Bible reading challenge may commence immediately. In fact, perhaps it already commenced for you, and you’re just now realizing it.

Here are the rules:

You must have a United States mailing address to win one of the stated prizes. Residents of other countries will receive a $50 (US) Amazon gift card via email.
You must read (not scan or skim) all 66 books of the Protestant Bible. You may choose the translation and reading plan (canonical, chronological, etc.). You don’t have to stop and meditate on every detail, but we’re trusting you to be honest about reading and not skimming. Listening to an unabridged audio Bible is acceptable. You may also use any combination of audio and visual reading, as long as you’ve read or listened to the entire Bible within the allotted time period.
You must read the entire Bible within a 90-day period.
The last day of that 90-day period must be between today and March 31, 2021. If you’d like to understand why we recommend such fast-paced reading, see our Bible reading plan for readers.
To enter the drawing, you must fill out the survey below, letting us know the dates you read and what you thought of the speed-reading process. Your thoughts do not have to be glowing, but they should be honest; you’ll still be entered into the drawing if you didn’t enjoy your speed-read.
Any submissions to the form below that don’t meet the requirements or have the appearance of being fabricated will be deleted. For example: multiple entries with different data, date of completion not between November 13, 2020 and March 31, 2021, “What I thought about the experience” has nothing to do with Bible reading, or date of completion is later than the date of entry submission (please don’t try to enter the drawing if you plan to read the Bible; only enter once you have completed reading it).
In the first week of April 2021, we will randomly select 2 winners from those who have submitted the form. We will email the winners to get their shipping addresses. If a winner does not respond to our request for a shipping address within 1 week, a new winner will be selected in their place.
The first prize winner (if US) will get their choice of the CSB Reader’s Bible, Five-Volume Collection or a one-volume reader’s Bible in the translation of their choice. (While these are not your only options, we have reviewed the following: ESV, CSB, NIV.) The second prize winner (if US) will get whichever option the first prize winner didn’t choose. Any winner outside the continental US will receive a $50 Amazon gift card via email.
Unfortunately, missionaries with DiscipleMakers are not eligible to win the drawing.

We will occasionally post links to the submission form on the blog between now and March 31. But you might also want to bookmark this page for easy access when you’re ready to submit your entry.

If you’d like a checklist to help you stay on pace, here are three. I won’t bother to update the dates, as I don’t know which day you plan to start. But the checkboxes can provide signals to make sure you’re on track to finish on time.

Or here is an iOS app that can help you track your plan.

We are grateful for the generosity of Lifeway Christian Resources in providing the grand prize for this year’s giveaway. You may now begin any time, and may this be the ride of your life.

Share or follow:

Make the Most of Virtual Small Groups

November 11, 2020 By Peter Krol

Becky Kiern and Jenilyn Swett have a wise and practical piece at the Gospel Coalition, arguing that “Your Virtual Small Group Can Still be Vibrant.” They have great suggestions for both leaders and participants. Here is a taste:

• Keep virtual meetings shorter than in-person meetings. An hour is usually plenty of time. When groups meet in person, they build in time for small talk, for grabbing coffee or snacks, and for participants to reconnect—all prior to diving into the meeting. But virtual platforms make these interactions nearly impossible, and extended digital meetings can lead to a loss of focus.
• Consider limiting your group to around 10 or fewer. If your group has previously been larger than this, consider breaking into smaller groups for your virtual meetings this semester. As the number of participants in a virtual discussion increases, each one’s sense of being a vital part of the discussion decreases.

The full article has much more for your consideration. Check it out!

Share or follow:

« Previous Page