Vern Poythress | Knowable Word

How to Read Genesis 1-3

September 15, 2021 By Peter Krol

I have benefitted much from the scholarship of Vern Poythress over the years. And in this article, he provides an excellent overview of the key issues that shape the way we ought to read the Bible’s opening chapters.

In my Wednesday posts, I usually link to articles much shorter than this one. But despite its length, Poythress’s article is effectively aimed at non-scholars in plain language. He addresses matters such as who God is, who wrote the book of Genesis, what genre Genesis 1-3 is, and how Genesis 1-3 compares with other ancient literature. Here is the abstract, summarizing the entire piece.

ABSTRACT: The beginning of the book of Genesis is not, as some claim, a mythical or poetic account of creation. It is historical narrative, telling the same story that unfolds in the patriarchs, the exodus, and the establishment of Israel. And, being from God, it speaks truly. Modern readers may not learn everything they would like to know about creation from Genesis 1–3, but they will find everything they most need to know. They also will find an account of creation unlike anything outside the Bible. Compared to the creation myths of Israel’s neighbors, Genesis stands majestically alone.

If that piques your interest, this piece is well worth a good look. Check it out!

Vern Poythress on OIA Bible Study

March 30, 2016 By Peter Krol

I was delighted when Dr. Vern Poythress, professor of New Testament interpretation at Westminster Theological Seminary, was willing to endorse my book Knowable Word with the following kind words:

Here is an excellent practical guide to interpreting the Bible. Krol has thought through, tested, and illustrated in a clear, accessible way basic steps in interpreting the Bible, and made everything available in a way that will encourage ordinary people to deepen their own study.

I’m equally delighted to see that he believes enough in the OIA method of Bible study to write about it himself. From Crossway’s blog:

In the simplest form, we sit down and read the Bible with a focus on the fact that God is present and speaks to us through what we read. We consider a three-step approach to studying the Bible. The three steps are observation, elucidation, and application.

Observation answers the question, “What does the text say?” Elucidation answers the question, “What does it mean?” Application answers the question, “What does it mean to me?”

Of course, you’ll see Poythress uses the term “elucidation” instead of “interpretation,” but he clearly means the same thing.

Poythress illustrates the method with a brief discussion of 1 Samuel 22 before concluding with the value of these three steps:

Breaking the study of the Bible into three steps, rather than seeing it as all one process of interaction, has an advantage. We all have weaknesses and biases in how we look at Scripture. The three steps help people not to overlook one or more aspects of interpretation as they hurry to get to their favorite part.

One person loves application, and tends to leap into it without taking time to think through what the passage is really saying. Another person avoids application, and tends to think and think and think without ever acting on the message. By contrast, James tells us that we should make sure that we act on what we hear: “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22; see also vv. 23–27). Still another person reads and reads, without asking himself about what it means or how it applies. He remains largely on the level of observation.

The division into three steps encourages people to look at the passage in several ways, and not to neglect aspects that they tend to minimize.

Poythress gives evidence of what I’ve written before: “The OIA method has many benefits. It teaches us to hear the text and respond to it. It trains us in critical thinking and clear communication. It interests post docs, preschoolers, and everyone in between. It can be learned in five minutes and perfected over a lifetime.”

Poythress’s full article is worth a few minutes of your time. Check it out!

Do You Interpret the Bible Literally?

February 25, 2015 By Peter Krol

When helping ordinary people learn to study the Bible, the question is inevitable:

Do you interpret the Bible literally?

This is a hard question to answer, and Justin Taylor explains why. He taps into some insight from Vern Poythress—who, coincidentally, endorsed Knowable Word—to list 5 different ways one could interpret a passage “literally.”

Determining the meaning of the words in isolation.
Accepting obvious and explicit figures of speech, but taking a literal meaning if possible.
Discerning the meaning intended by the original author.
Reading the text as if it were written directly to us.
Discounting any possible figurative use of language.

It’s not easy to answer the question of whether we interpret the Bible literally without knowing what the questioner is actually asking. Because of this complexity, Justin Taylor would like to do away with the word literally in discussions about the Bible. What do you think?

Check it out!