Bible Study | Knowable Word

Emphasizing What the Bible Emphasizes

May 22, 2023 By Ryan Higginbottom

About a decade ago, I knew a couple that had a very strong, specific view on creation. They read piles of books and articles, and almost every conversation with them circled back to this topic. For them, the trustworthiness of other authors and Bible teachers was always passed through the grid of agreement on this one doctrine.

This issue was a single, steel track that ran through their relationships. Regrettably, I began to avoid conversations with them because every interaction ended the same way.

Though it may be with a different issue, you may know people like this. It’s possible that you may be a person like this!

The Issue of the Moment

When one doctrine or application or book of the Bible dominates someone’s thoughts and conversations, it is not necessarily a bad thing. From my experience, these are often legitimate spiritual matters, and it may be that God is at work changing a person’s mind and heart.

As humans, we are often creatures of the moment, and what we are learning or struggling with or rejoicing over can become our center of spiritual gravity. All other issues fall into orbit.

A few years ago I began studying Lamentations and thinking deeply about lament. This affected me profoundly, and God taught me much through it. This was a reorienting lesson, and I brought it into many conversations. Looking back, I’m guessing my friends and family were eager for me to get past the just-learning-about-it phase.

When our issue of the moment begins to dominate our thoughts and conversations—to the exclusion of other healthy, worthy topics—what is missing is balance and proportion.

The Bible’s Emphases

As we mature as Christians, we should learn to distinguish between an emphasis and an exclusive emphasis. God wants us to learn about lament, and he also wants us to practice lament—but this is not a good summary of the Bible or our lives as Christians. This is not what we should focus on to the exclusion of all else.

There are at least three commitments that will keep us from losing sight of the big picture of the Bible.

Connect every passage to the Bible’s big story. Regardless of how powerful and affecting a portion of the Bible is, we should work hard to put it in the context of the whole Bible. Rehearsing the main story of the Bible regularly is a safeguard to a single-issue obsession.

Talk about the Bible with your friends. Good friends will offer encouragement and correction as needed. Dialog with our friends about what God is teaching us will give opportunities for pushback—both in terms of content and emphasis.

Regularly exposure yourself to lots of the Bible. If our Bible intake is limited to what we are studying deeply, we may end up imbalanced in our emphases. If you are a part of a good church, this can include the weekly preaching and other Bible-focused classes. Reading and listening to the Bible (in addition to studying it) will remind us of what God emphasizes in his word.

The Truth about Spirit-Led Bible Study

May 10, 2023 By Peter Krol

I’ve sometimes heard people oppose rigorous Bible study skills with being “Spirit-led,” as though academic reflection might get in the way of what the Sprit of God wishes to do in our lives. Faithlife recently published a piece I wrote to explain that rigorous Bible study skills are right in line with the work of God’s Holy Spirit.

The Spirit of God inspired the Scriptures. He illuminates the Scriptures. And he gives his people wisdom to know God through Christ in the Scriptures. By developing good habits and skills, we partner with this same Spirit to attain to the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Check it out!

Studying the Bible is not Code Breaking

May 8, 2023 By Ryan Higginbottom

The Bible is not a secret code.

Written Plainly

Some Christians act like the Bible is written in a mysterious language, accessible only to a select few. Bible study is left to the brilliant, the professionals who can teach the rest of us.

I remember a time when some people were convinced that the key to understanding the Bible was in the numbers. Biblical numerology would unlock the real meaning of the text and make everything clear. Now, I’m rather fond of mathematics, but this never added up.

You may have run across similar approaches to the Bible. If you look at just the right map, do just the right word study, count the letters in Greek and Hebrew, then you’ll know the truth. Then you’ll be on the inside.

Friends, the Bible is knowable. It is understandable. We need no advanced degrees or initiation rites to grasp the message of God’s word.

God Wants to be Known

The point of a code is to pass a message in such a way that if the wrong people see the message, it will look like gibberish. Only the tiny few intended targets will be able to transform the text into something understandable.

When we treat the Bible as code we make God out to be someone who is hiding, who does not want to be known, who is shielding his real identity from the world.

But this is NOT what God is like!

God wants to be known; he wants to be worshipped and understood. If in no other way, this is clear through the incarnation of Jesus.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known. (John 1:14–18)

Jesus came to make the Father known. God does not hide who he is from the people he wants to know him.

The Bible is Deep

This does not mean that the Bible is trivial or obvious. While we can grasp the most important truths of the Scriptures with simple reading, the Bible repays diligent, faithful study. The more we spend time with God’s word, the more we understand and delight in God himself.

The Bible is a pool shallow enough to provide refreshment and keep us from drowning. But it is also so deep that we will never reach the bottom.

The Easy Way Out

Paradoxically, treating the Bible as a code might, for some people, be the search for an easy path. After all, for people that can break a code, everything is made plain. For those without the key, there is no way of understanding. We might as well throw up our arms.

God calls us to the slow, gradual, longterm renewing of our minds and hearts by his word. This is not the task of a computer and an algorithm, it is the joyful work of a life.

How to Approach the Bible

We read and study the Bible to know God and walk with him. We are not looking for secret knowledge or a golden ticket. Rather we labor to learn and remember what is clear, work to understand what is less clear, and apply all of it through the help of the Spirit. And, because we forget so easily, we read and reread.

How do we understand the Bible? We approach it the way we take in any other communication: we observe what it says, interpret its meaning, and apply it in our lives.

Understanding and transformation are available to all in God’s word. Won’t you give yourself to it?

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.

Repeated Words and Titles as a Clue to the Main Point of a Book

January 16, 2023 By Ryan Higginbottom

We’re big fans of observing repetition in the Bible. Just like in our emails and conversations, the words, phrases, and topics we dwell on most are usually at the center of our thinking. We’ve pointed out how this helps us find the author’s main point in a passage of Scripture.

The same is also true for books of the Bible! Since books of the Bible are really just long passages, maybe this isn’t that shocking. But I was a bit surprised how easy this was in the New Testament book of Titus.

Look at the Data

Titus is a short book, so we can read it several times without much effort and uncover the repetition. (For longer or more complicated passages, Bible study software might come in handy. We’ve pointed out the capabilities of both Logos and e-Sword to help in this regard.)

Titles of God

The title of God as “Savior” shows up six times in Titus. Combine that with one occurrence of “salvation” and one of “saved,” and we can see part of what occupies Paul as he writes.

Paul has been entrusted with preaching by the command of “God our Savior” (Titus 1:3).
Paul sends grace and peace “from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior” (Titus 1:4).
The submission of bondservants to masters will “adorn the doctrine of God our Savior” (Titus 2:10).
The grace of God has appeared, “bringing salvation for all people” (Titus 2:11).
Living godly lives in the present age involves waiting for “the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).
The “goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared” (Titus 3:4).
God “saved us” (Titus 3:5).
The Holy Spirit was “poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior” (Titus 3:6).

The titles used to refer to anyone (especially God) are important details in a passage. So when a title is repeated this often in three little chapters, we should take note.

Good Works

The other repetition that jumped out at me in Titus was the idea of works or good works. I count eight occurences.

The unbelieving profess to know God but “deny him by their works” (Titus 1:16).
Because they deny God, these unbelievers are “unfit for any good work” (Titus 1:16).
Paul charges Titus to be a “model of good works” (Titus 2:7).
Jesus gave himself (in part) to purify a people “who are zealous for good works” (Titus 2:14).
Titus is to remind his people to be “ready for every good work” (Titus 3:1).
God saved us “not because of works done by us in righteousness” (Titus 3:5).
Those who have believed in God should “devote themselves to good works” (Titus 3:8).
Paul wants “our people” to “devote themselves to good works” (Titus 3:14).

Putting Pieces Together

Noticing the repetition of these two ideas is not enough to produce a main point for the book of Titus. These data points are essential, but we have merely observed so far; it takes the additional work of interpretation to take the next step.

Epistles, more than other books in the Bible, sometimes contain a purpose or summary statement. This is not true of all epistles, just like it is not true of all our conversations or emails.

There are two short sections of Titus that involve one or both of our repeated ideas and which might function as a summary of Paul’s letter.

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. (Titus 2:11–14)

The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people. (Titus 3:8)

Stayed tuned, for in a future post I plan to use the observations here to produce an interpretive overview of Titus.

Grammar Crash Course: Clauses

December 2, 2022 By Peter Krol

What makes this paragraph so strange?

Unsteadily wobbling toward me, when my son’s arms stretch out. In my heart of hearts like a flame. Speaking my name—”Papa”—for the first time, but sounding like too many margaritas: “Baba.” Joy to explode in here. Happiness over there. Resounding exultation on all sides. Not a toddler but a teenager-in-training. Flos floridus.

If I treated it like a poem and gave each unit of thought a separate line, there would be no big deal. You could probably follow along.

But as a standard prose paragraph, it doesn’t quite work. Despite hints of comprehensibility, there remains something sorely lacking. The paragraph’s citizens include not a single independent clause.

Distinguishing Dependency

In English, there are two main types of clause: independent and dependent.

Independent clauses contain a complete thought that could function as a complete sentence.
Dependent clauses don’t contain a complete thought and can’t function as a complete sentence.

In the paragraph above, “unsteadily wobbling toward me” is not a complete thought because it has no subject, and -ing verbs cannot stand on their own as main verbs. To make the clause independent, I could add to it (He is unsteadily wobbling toward me) or revise it (He unsteadily wobbles toward me).

The grammatical rules and explanation of dependency can get far more complex than this, but the most important thing to know is this idea of a “complete” thought. Take any phrase or clause and say it out loud. Ask yourself: Could this stand by itself in a conversation? If so, it’s probably an independent clause. If not, it’s probably a dependent clause.

“When my son’s arms stretch out.” That could not stand alone; it must be dependent. “My sons arms stretch out”—that minor omission transforms the dependent clause into an independent one.

Why It Matters

Distinguishing dependent clauses from independent clauses may seem like an obscure and academic thing to do. Not the most thrilling way to occupy one’s morning. But this is perhaps the most important grammatical skill to master for your Bible study to go anywhere. Especially when you study epistles.

One of the greatest challenges of studying an epistle is that the sentences are often so loooooooong. We must have a way to identify which part of the sentence carries the most weight. Or how the parts relate to one another. Without that skill, all we’ve got is gut instinct. So we just camp out on a single word or phrase that strikes our fancy, and we reflect ponderously on the deep things of the universe contained in that word or phrase. And the apostles’ harps pop a string every time someone on earth reads their magnificent works of literature in such a demeaning manner.

When facing those long sentences, the best thing you can do is label the clauses as either independent or dependent. Then, set aside all the dependent clauses for a time to focus your attention on the independent clauses. The dependent clauses are dependent because they are depending on something. That something is going to be the more important part of the sentence. In other words, the independent clauses in a sentence contain the main idea(s) of the sentence. The dependent clauses are either window dressing or evidence for those main ideas. So to grasp the main ideas we must recognize the independent clauses.

If you fail to recognize independent clauses, you will fail to grasp the main point of a sentence. If you fail to grasp the main point of a sentence, you’ll fail to grasp the main point of the paragraph. Fail to do that, and… Well, let’s just say you might as well be looking at the Greek original (or if know Greek, let’s say you might as well be looking at an Urdu translation) for all the good it will do you.

Examples

In the ESV, Ephesians 1:3-4 is one long sentence. “Who has blessed us in Christ” and “even as he chose us in him” and “that we should be holy and blameless” are all dependent clauses. None of them carries the sentence’s main idea. “Blessed be the God and Father”—now we’re talking! That’s independent, containing a complete thought. So the main idea of the sentence is that God is blessed. The rest of the sentence expands on that idea and gives it more detail. But let’s make sure not to focus on the hows and whys of what God did to the point of forgetting Paul’s emphasis on who this God is. How blessed he is.

Or take Philippians 4:8. Every clause that starts with “whatever is” is dependent. The independent clause is “brothers…think about these things.” Now it is crucial to understand the nature of those things we ought to think about (true, honorable, etc.). But a word study on “true,” another on “honorable,” and another on “just” will prevent you from interpreting the sentence. Paul’s point is not to define a whole set of virtues. His purpose is to command his people to think about the right set of virtues.

Though it’s not from an epistle, John 3:16 gives another great case study. “That he gave his only Son” and “that whoever believes in him should not perish” are both dependent. The main, independent clause is “God so loved the world.” The dependent clauses explain how God loved the world (he gave his Son) and why God loved the world (so people could not perish but have life). But those ideas support the main idea that God loved the world. If we shift the emphasis from that main clause, we will struggle to make sense of what else Jesus says to Nicodemus in this passage.

A Parable on the Dangers of Speculation in Bible Study

November 21, 2022 By Ryan Higginbottom

Amy tossed her phone on the bed. “Any idea what happened between John and Zack?”

From across the room, her husband David answered, “What do you mean?”

“Well, John always gets invited to Zack’s birthday party. But not this year.”

David and Amy Goodwin’s eleven-year-old son John was friends with Zack Thomas, who lived in the neighborhood. Today was Zack’s birthday, so Amy had just texted Charlotte, Zack’s mother.

Charlotte’s reply was pleasant enough. But Amy was hoping for more. Over the past two weeks she had been expecting a colorful card in the mailbox, announcing some big production: paint ball, or ice hockey, or white water rafting. John loved Zack’s parties, so Amy thought her message would trigger a forgotten invitation for her son. No such luck.

“I don’t know of any problems between the boys,” said David. “Maybe Zack isn’t having a party this year.”

“Yeah, maybe,” said Amy. “It’s just that Charlotte’s text seemed so brief. I gave her an opening to mention a party, and there’s just nothing.”

“Can I see?” asked David.

Amy turned her phone toward her husband.

AMY: Happy birthday to Zack! Hope your new TWELVE year old has a great day! Any big plans?

CHARLOTTE: Thanks! Can’t believe he’s 12!

“I see what you mean,” said David. “But maybe she’s just short on time. You could be reading too much into something that isn’t there.”

“Maybe. I just think if that friendship was important to Zack, Charlotte would have said something—one way or the other. I hope John will be okay.”

Amy made a mental note to talk with her son about Zack. She knew John didn’t have any friends to spare.

A few weeks later, the Goodwins were heading over to the local pool on a Saturday afternoon. John, who wasn’t phased by any previous birthday drama, asked his father if he could bring Zack along.

“Great idea,” said David. “I’ll text Mr. Thomas.”

David pulled his phone from his pocket and tapped out a message.

DAVID: We’re headed to the pool. Do you want to join us? Or we can just pick up Zack on our way.

A reply pinged on David’s phone within 30 seconds.

JOSH: Sorry, we can’t. Charlotte’s parents are in town this weekend.

DAVID: No problem. Hope you have a good visit!

JOSH: Thanks. It will be a blast.

When they got to the pool, David relayed his text exchange with Josh to Amy.

“That’s a little weird, right?” asked David.

“What do you mean?” asked Amy.

“Well, I thought Josh liked his in-laws. But it sounds like he’s bracing for a hard weekend.”

“What? He said the visit would be a blast,” Amy said.

“No, he’s being sarcastic. Don’t you see? No exclamation point, no emoji. There’s no way he’s having fun,” said David.

Amy frowned. “You’re drawing a big conclusion from that little phrase. I’m not sure you’re hearing his intended tone.”

“I think it’s pretty clear,” said David. “I’ll have to stop by their house tonight on my walk. I bet Josh could use the interruption. We’ll throw the football in the yard for a while.”

Why We Skip Some Books of the Bible

October 10, 2022 By Ryan Higginbottom

When was the last time you studied the book of Nahum? What about 3 John? Have you read Ezekiel or Revelation carefully this year?

If you haven’t studied any of these four books recently, you’re probably not alone! I searched in vain for data on this question, but years in the church have convinced me that there are some portions of the Bible we rarely read, let alone study.

Let’s think a bit about our selective Bible reading.

The Books We Like

What parts of the Bible do Christians most often read, study, and discuss? What do our preachers most often take as their texts?

In my experience, we spend a lot of time in the Gospels, Acts, and (many of) the New Testament epistles. We are fans of Old Testament narratives like Genesis, Exodus, and—to a lesser degree—the books of Joshua through Esther. We dip into Psalms and Proverbs for inspiration and wisdom, and we might read the beginning and ending of Job. The only prophetic books we tend to know are Jonah and the first half of Daniel, because these chapters have strong narrative components.

In general, we like narratives, inspiration, and New Testament instruction. We shy away from the rest. Why is that?

The Books We Skip

There isn’t a single reason, and answers will vary by person, church, and circumstance. But here are my best guesses.

We skip Leviticus through Deuteronomy because we find them boring. There are too many laws, too many lists, and we find the books irrelevant.

We skip the middle of Job because it is lengthy and circular. We don’t really understand why it’s there. We skip Ecclesiastes because it is depressing and Song of Songs because it makes us uncomfortable. We skip Lamentations because it is so darn sad.

We skip the major prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel) because they are dense and difficult. We think of these books as long and repetitive. We skip most of the minor prophets because they are obscure and challenging, and probably no one expects us to read them carefully.

We skip 2 John, 3 John, Philemon, and Jude because they are short. What could an epistle of only one chapter teach us?

Finally, we skip Revelation because it is confusing and controversial. We have heard of or seen people use this book incorrectly, and we’re not sure we’re smart enough to understand.

What Books Should We Read?

Functionally, we think spending time on these often-skipped books of the Bible is not essential to our Christian lives. We imagine we’re not missing anything crucial in our neglect.

The gospel of Jesus Christ affirms that reading those books of the Bible is not essential to being a Christian. When we come to Jesus, he commands us to repent and believe. No act of obedience or love is necessary to keep us in his family. He will not let us go!

However, Jesus also said that all of the Scriptures point to him (Luke 24:44–48). So, if we want a full picture of who Jesus is, what he has done, what he is doing, and what he will do, we must look to the whole counsel of God.

That is, we should read (and study) the entire Bible.

Different Books in Different Seasons

This argument requires a small caveat. Not every book of the Bible is the best choice for every person or at every time. I would more likely point a new Christian to John than to Jeremiah, and I’d offer different counsel to a recent widow than a missions-bound twenty-something. Wise friends, counselors, and church elders can help us know where to turn in God’s Word.

But much of the church has quietly developed a category of books of the Bible that need not be read or studied. These books rarely even come up in discussion.

While we cannot read and study all of the Bible at once, we should not ignore or neglect any part of it. There are riches on every page, as much in Leviticus as in Luke.

When You Study the Wrong Bible Passage

September 26, 2022 By Ryan Higginbottom

I fear I have become too reliant on the chapter breaks in the Bible. I know these are not inspired and that they do not always produce the optimal portions of Scripture to study. But they are so convenient!

Also, sometimes the chapter breaks are helpful markers. I’ve been studying Ezra and Nehemiah in my small group over the past year, and the chapter breaks in Ezra are great. They occur at logical transitions in the text, and we moved a chapter at a time through Ezra without any issues.

The same has not been true in Nehemiah.

Nehemiah in Jerusalem

There is rarely a single “right” way to divide a book of the Bible into sections for small group study. We might choose to take larger or smaller pieces at a time, and when these divisions resonate with the structure of the book, everything is smooth. When we choose a section that doesn’t match the author’s logical argument, we’re cutting the wood against the grain.

My group studied the first chapter of Nehemiah during one meeting and the second chapter during the next. When I was preparing the third chapter for the following meeting, I realized I’d made a mistake.

Nehemiah 2:1–20 describes how Nehemiah asked the king of Persia for permission to go rebuild Jerusalem. The king granted his request, and this was evidence of God’s work (Neh 2:8).

Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem and inspected the damaged walls and gates by night. He formed a plan and spoke persuasively to the Israelites in the city.

Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision.” And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work. (Neh 2:17, 18)

Biting Off Less Than We Should Chew

Nehemiah 3:1–32 is a list of the successful efforts to rebuild the walls and gates of city. We read of specific people, specific locations, and specific work. It is impressive.

However, at the end of the day, it is undeniably … a list. Lists are challenging to study. It is hard to find the author’s main point in a list.

It became clear to me that our group should have studied chapter 3 with chapter 2. After all, the work in chapter 3 is recorded as evidence to support Nehemiah 2:18 — “And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work.”

It’s not that there is nothing fruitful to gain from studying Nehemiah 3. But the purpose of chapter 3 is to illustrate the work of God in chapter 2, so putting a dividing line between the two was not the wisest choice. In fact, I suspect the main point of chapter 2 would have landed with more force had we studied the two sections together.

Lessons Learned

This was another reminder to me of the importance of each book’s structure in the Bible. In preparing for my small group, I want to refer back to my book overview and an outline of the book when selecting the next portion of Scripture to study. This will help align my group’s focus with the logical units in which the original author of the book wrote.

You Need to Hear Directly From God

September 12, 2022 By Ryan Higginbottom

Picture it. You’ve made time for devotions. Envision your room, your chair, and (perhaps) your beverage. Now, what book is in front of you?

Angela (2015), public domain

More Than a Preference

You have a lot of options. You could listen to any one of a million sermons. You could grab a devotional book or a study guide or a book on a biblical topic. You could even pick up a commentary.

None of these resources are inherently bad, but they all have one thing in common. They put distance between you and God’s word.

The desire to use an extra-biblical resource is understandable. If you view your devotions primarily as a relaxing way to begin or end your day, you’ll think devotions should be easy. And since reading (or hearing) someone else’s interpretation requires less effort than discovering one yourself, it’s simple to see why many people prefer these materials.

Reading a devotional work or listening to a sermon can stimulate your spirit. But this is not the same as reading and studying the Bible for yourself. You need to hear directly from the mouth of God.

Perhaps two analogies will help.

Analogy #1

Jim is supposed to read Crime and Punishment for his high school English class, but he plays sports with his friends instead. When it’s time to consider the book in class, Jim relies on the plot summary he read online. During the discussion, Jim is able to talk about a few important themes of the book.

But when his teacher asks him pointedly about the book’s impact on him, Jim freezes. He cannot recall any of the powerful scenes or locate any of the moving prose, because he doesn’t know the work itself. He only knows this book through a filter.

Even when filters are reliable and thorough, they don’t offer a genuine interaction with the author.

Analogy #2

In the middle of the afternoon, Sarah knocks on her brother Mark’s door. “Mom wants you to clean up your room before dinner.”

Mark puts his folded laundry in his dresser, makes his bed, and recycles the papers on his floor. Then he returns to his comic books.

At the dinner table, Mark learns that his mother wanted much more than a little straightening. She wanted him to dust the furniture, vacuum the carpet, and clean the windows. She wanted a deep clean.

Sarah wasn’t lying, but she wasn’t clear. And Mark didn’t ask Sarah or his mother for clarification.

In this scenario, the messenger softened the blow, and as a consequence, Mark fell short of obedience.

Your Father is Speaking

Portions of the Bible are impossible to envision without a personal encounter with God’s word.

I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. (Psalm 119:11)

I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.
I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word. (Psalm 119:15–16)

…but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. (Psalm 1:2)

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! (Psalm 139:17)

In the Bible, God has told us about himself. He has given his requirements, his promises, and his plan to save his people. He has shared the good news about the Savior of the world, his son Jesus. And he has described what his people should believe and do as they tell the whole world about him.

The Bible is lovingly and wonderfully given by God to his people for their good and the good of the world. You might prefer to read a different book, but when you meet with God, yearn for his voice. Don’t turn away from your heavenly father.

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