The Gospel Coalition | Knowable Word

Applying the Old Testament in Africa

April 26, 2023 By Peter Krol

I appreciate seeing how Christian brethren around the world seek to apply the Bible in their own context. While the interpretation of the Bible is rooted in the author’s intention for his original audience, application of the Bible can and should be as varied and diverse as are the people laboring to apply it.

And there is much we can learn from watching those in other culture apply the Scripture to the particular issues they face. For example, this piece from Africa wrestles with proper application of the Old Testament to contemporary African issues such as circumcision and polygamy.

Polygamy was not God’s plan for humanity. The fact that God made concessions to the polygamous practices of Abraham, Jacob, and David does not mean that he approved their sexual choices. Abraham and Jacob were still influenced by their cultures as they were learning God’s principles for family. David used polygamy to form alliances. Unfortunately, some Christians in Africa have used the example of Abraham to justify polygamy. God honoured Abraham’s faith; he nowhere condoned Abraham’s polygamy.

Check it out!

The Lost Skill of Listening to the Bible

January 17, 2018 By Peter Krol

Last week, The Gospel Coalition published an article with the intriguing title “Don’t Just Read the Bible.” I was expecting the article to be about Bible study (Don’t just read the Bible but study it.) But in fact, the author went in a different direction: Don’t just read the Bible; listen to it being read.

I have valued Bible listening for quite some time, which is why I’m happy to allow for audio-Bible listening in our 90-day reading challenge. Listening to the Bible is a marvelous way to soak in the big picture, the main ideas, the overarching story line. And in his TGC article, Jonathan Bailey makes a good case for the practice:

So how do reading and listening shape us in different ways? When we read, our default tendency is to study, to pull apart the text and piece it back together, and to draw conclusions. We’re after comprehension: to grasp with the mind, to sharpen our thinking, to learn, and, above all, to understand. When we read, we want to get something out of it.

When we listen, we have to leave all that behind. We lose our ability to be precise; there’s no underlining, cross-referencing, or consulting commentaries. Listening is more leisurely. When we listen we’re after apprehension: to lay hold of something, or better said, to have something lay hold of us.

Now of course, comprehension is not a bad thing. But I certainly appreciate the useful distinction between comprehension (getting something out of it) and apprehension (merely beholding the wonder). This sounds just right. And anyway, having our own Bibles to read is a rather recent development in the history of the world. Before the 16th century, most people would only get to listen.

So in the bio at the bottom, I noticed that Mr. Bailey just launched a Kickstarter project for a new Bible listening mobile app. An app designed to perfect not the reading experience but the listening experience. Different vocal tracks with a variety of English-speaking accents. Seamless synchronization. Original music scored to highlight the text. Listening plans and playlists.

I must say I am impressed. So impressed that I immediately backed the project to get a lifetime subscription to the app. Perhaps you might want to consider this project as well. It became fully funded within 3 days, but it’s still open to new backers. The more they raise, the more features they can add at launch. But regardless of how much they raise now, it sounds like many more features will come over time.

So I encourage you to check it out! Here is the Kickstarter campaign for the listening app. And here is the article at TGC about the unique value of listening to the Bible.

A Bible Reading Plan for Readers

December 23, 2016 By Peter Krol

This is a great time to consider a new reading plan. While it requires discipline, it can also be great fun. The following article describes the speed-reading Bible plan I’ve followed since 2011. This article first appeared at The Gospel Coalition.

With the new year approaching, prepare yourself for the onslaught of Bible reading advice. “Slow down.” “Savor the Scripture.” “Whatever your plan, stick to it for the whole year.”

Such advice sounds good for those who prefer Peter Jackson to J. R. R. Tolkien or who would choose a locally anesthetized lobotomy over any sort of reading assignment. Non-readers show courageous faith when they commit to regular patterns of Bible reading at predictable intervals, and I laud their desire to draw closer to the Lord.

Leland Francisco (2011), Creative Commons

But what about those of us who enjoy reading? Why limit ourselves to a few chapters (or a few verses) 10 minutes a day?

Perhaps you were one of the geniuses who devoured Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows within two weeks of its publication. Maybe a Kindle deal puts a spring in your step. You always have one or more books going, and you have to set boundaries so blogs don’t overrun your life.

You, like the non-readers mentioned above, love the Bible as God’s Word. And you think following Jesus is more than a passing fad. You love to read, and the Bible is a book.

Here’s my advice: Read the Bible.

Go for It

Just go for it. Read all of it. Read the Bible like you would watch the Olympics. Delightfully. Astoundingly. In large doses over a few weeks. As though your hope of world peace depends on it. With an eye to the spectacular drama.

I dare you to read the entire Bible this year, and to read it as fast as you can.

I’ve done it annually since 2011, and I plan to keep doing it. My practice has been to drop all recreational reading (fiction, non-fiction, magazines) on January 1, at which point I read nothing but the Bible until I’ve finished it. My goal is to finish more quickly than I finished the previous year, or by all means to beat the first day of spring. (After that point, I don’t set the Bible aside but reinstitute a more measured pace and reintroduce other books into my literary diet.)

For each year’s sprint, I’ve read a different translation. I’ve used a different reading sequence (chronological, historical, canonical). I use a mobile-compatible app—I like YouVersion—so I can read anywhere at any time and be able to pick up where I left off. For the last two years, I made use of the terrific ESV Reader’s Bible (Amazon | Westminster), which made the reading experience more attractive than ever. This year, I can’t wait to enjoy my speed-read with the hot new ESV Reader’s Bible, 6-volume set (Amazon | Westminster).

To be clear, the kind of reading I suggest is not mindless but voluminous, and for a season. The Bible expects us to read meditatively (Psalm 1:2, 119:97, etc.), and while meditation may involve a small chunk of text read at a slow pace, it doesn’t have to. Just as we can meditate on nibbles, so we can meditate on gobbles.

For example, upon reading Deuteronomy in one or two sittings I’m floored by the absolute necessity but innate impossibility of worshiping Yahweh as the only true God. This theme saturates the entire book, and for months after reading it I’m driven to meditate on both my need for a new heart and my hope of glory, Christ in me (Col 1:27).

Happier with Him

I don’t perform this annual romp through Scripture to make God any happier with me; I do it because it makes me happier with him. It does this in a number of ways.

1. It helps me grasp the overall story of the Bible. Though the Bible contains 66 books written by numerous human authors, it’s also one book with one divine author. The story begins well, declines quickly, and builds tension through the Old Testament. It climaxes in Jesus and resolves with much hope. Consuming the whole Bible in a short period keeps the big picture prominent.

2. It reminds me the Bible is a work of literature. All year long, I get plenty of time to analyze short passages of Scripture in detail. But for this short season, I loosen my literary inhibitions and succumb to the glory of the most influential book on the market. I saturate myself in the biblical text, frolicking through it like a well-fed dolphin in open water. I learn to see the Bible more as a collection of books than a collection of chapters, and the rhetorical intent of each human author comes alive.

3. It gets me through the difficult parts more easily. Ridiculing books like Leviticus and Chronicles is pretty hip these days. But with a speedy reading plan, they go by quickly and make more sense in light of the whole. Chronicles tells humanity’s epic tale from creation to Israel’s restoration from exile, and it empowers a new generation to rebuild the nation and re-engage with the Lord. Leviticus shows the wilderness generation how to draw near to God and live in community. A rapid reading plan helps us not to belabor the minutiae, so the “boring” parts of the Bible aren’t all that boring.

4. It heightens my anticipation for Christ. When I consume the Old Testament in large gulps, my spirits rise and fall with the fortunes of God’s people. And there’s more falling than rising, especially in the prophetic books, where oracle upon oracle yields darker condemnation and more violent opposition to the people’s social injustice, rebellion, and idolatry. But the promise of a dawning light pushes me on. When I finally hit the transition from “lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction” (Mal 4:6) to “the beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1)—I’m not exaggerating to say my heart sings. The four Gospels blaze pure light like a God-man on a mountaintop, and I delight anew in the hottest piece of work on the planet. There’s a reason it’s called “The Greatest Story Ever Told.”

If you like to read, you won’t find a better book than the Holy Bible, the unbreakable Scriptures, the sword of the Spirit, the living and abiding Word of God. Take it for a test drive this year, and see if you don’t have the time of your life.

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Help With Teaching Through a Book

March 9, 2016 By Peter Krol

I’ve been digging a podcast from The Gospel Coalition called “Help Me Teach the Bible.” In this podcast, Nancy Guthrie interviews proven Bible teachers who have expertise in a particular book of the Bible. The interview’s goal is to help other Bible teachers to teach through that book.

Because each podcast episode typically focuses on one book of the Bible, you don’t have to listen to every episode to find something you want to hear about. I’ve been jumping around, listening to episodes on books I’m studying: Mark, Ephesians, Daniel, Job.

I’ve been impressed, and I’ll be checking this resource when I get ready to study a new book of the Bible.

Check it out!

7 Benefits of Memorizing Long Scripture Passages

December 30, 2015 By Peter Krol

Perhaps you’re not much of a reader, and this week’s contest announcement didn’t inspire you. Maybe you’re more interested in Scripture memory than Bible reading. If so, have you considered the benefits of memorizing long passages, even entire books, instead of select verses?

Chris Brauns suggests 7 benefits of systematic long-term Scripture memory, stretched over not only months but decades.

It allows you to follow the example of the ant.
Along with prayer, it offers the most immediate and intentional way to pursue sanctification.
It enables you to identify insights into Scripture that take years to see.
It teaches you what to pray.
It preserves memories of when God’s word was impressed on you.
It offers a tool for discipling others.
It makes you a more efficient reader of theology.

Brauns’s article explains these points with helpful examples. Check it out!

Basic Facts About the Bible

December 2, 2015 By Peter Krol

At the Gospel Coalition, Joe Carter writes of some basic Bible facts we all should know. This background information helps us to understand better as we read and study. Carter briefly covers issues such as:

it’s a library of books
the Bible is self-referencing
why it’s called a “Bible”
the meaning of Testament
where chapters and verses came from
how we discovered the canon

Check it out!

What to Do When Relationships Blow Up

May 27, 2015 By Peter Krol

Yesterday, The Gospel Coalition published my article about “7 Steps to Conflict Resolution.” In the article, I walk through Philippians 4:2-9 to show that – far from being a random assortment of unrelated memory verses – this section provides concrete steps for navigating excruciating conflict.

Two prominent women—Euodia and Syntyche—had a disagreement so severe and public the entire church knew about it, and word reached the Apostle Paul (Phil 4:2). These women had once been ministry partners, but now they sat on opposite sides of the table. They couldn’t resolve their concerns on their own, so Paul employed a third party—his “true companion”—to lend aid (Phil 4:3).

Far from changing the subject, Paul coached his true companion over the next few verses on the process of mediation and reconciliation, providing steps to resolution.

Paul’s 7 steps are:

Rejoice in the Lord always
Let your reasonableness be known to everyone
Remember the Lord is at hand
Don’t be anxious about the conflict, but ask God to resolve it
Guard your heart and mind with the peace of God, even when it does not make sense to do so
Find something – anything – praiseworthy to focus on in your antagonists
Find good role models and continue practicing these things

Doug Smith also recently preached a sermon on this text examining these principles further.

If you’d like to see my full article, check it out!

Did Jesus Offend the Canaanite Woman?

January 14, 2015 By Peter Krol

In Matthew 15:21-28, Jesus responds to a needy woman in a manner most of us would consider offensive. He ignores her. He calls her a dog. He denies her request for healing.

How are we to understand Jesus’ words?

At the Gospel Coalition, Jimmy Agan has an excellent article addressing this question and more. Agan models good observation of the text, tracing the flow of thought from one episode to the next, considering the context, and answering interpretive questions from the text.

Check it out!

5 Common Small Group Myths

December 17, 2014 By Peter Krol

At the Gospel Coalition, Steven Lee writes about “5 Common Small Group Myths (and the Truth to Help Transform Your Group).” He expands on the following 5 myths:

Myth #1: A successful small group will not be relationally messy.
Myth #2: Small groups exist for others to meet my needs.
Myth #3: Trust and transparency take many years to cultivate in a small group.
Myth #4: Small group members should become best friends.
Myth #5: Small groups should focus only on Bible study, not sharing sins or engaging in outreach.

I certainly struggle with #3, and I feel pretty guilty if #4 doesn’t take place. Can you relate with any of them?

The full article is worth reading. Check it out!

My Love-Hate Relationship with Bible Study Tools

November 19, 2014 By Peter Krol

Last week, the Gospel Coalition published a piece I wrote called “My Love-Hate Relationship with Bible Study Tools.”

What if I were to ask you to solve 30 long-division problems? One thing, though: there’s no calculator. Sure, you probably remember how to do it by hand, but since you haven’t since childhood, you’re rusty. As a result, the whole idea seems a little threatening and needlessly difficult, doesn’t it?

Thanks to the blessings of the modern age, nobody does long division by hand anymore. We’ve become dependent on the tool. Why go to all that intellectual effort when you can punch a few buttons and have an answer at your fingertips in a matter of milliseconds?

I love that we have access to calculators. I don’t even mind that using them has permanently atrophied my math skills. But I refuse to let modern Bible study tools—as great as they are—do the same thing to my Bible study skills. I never want to become so dependent on these tools that I forgo the deep joy that comes from sitting down with a Bible, plus a pen and some paper, and simply digging in. I never want to pretend that reading the fruit of someone else’s Bible study efforts is the same as plumbing the depths of God’s Word myself. And no matter how biblically wise or learned I may become, I never want to train anyone to rely on me more than they rely on Scripture.

What’s more, I’m convinced that if the New Testament authors were alive today they would back me up: modern Bible study tools are a great blessing—but if you rarely or never study the Bible without them, you’re not only doing it backward, you’re seriously missing out.

The article then lists 3 fruits of personal Bible study and makes a brief case for the OIA method. If you’d like to read the full article, have at it!