Knowable Word - Bible study help

Announcing the 2027 Bible Reading Challenge

November 6, 2026 By Peter Krol

We believe one of the best ways to learn to study the Bible is to read it. A lot of it. Over and over again. That’s one way we seek the Lord, that perhaps we might be hidden on the day of the Lord’s anger (Zeph 2:3). We don’t follow cleverly devised myths, but pay attention to this prophetic word as to a lamp shining in a dark place (2 Pet 1:16-19).

Maybe this is your year to read the entire Bible in 90 days. Though the day of wrath is on its way (Nahum 1:2-5), the Lord Jesus Christ has shown you how to find refuge for your eternal soul (Nahum 1:6-7, Luke 13:34, 1 John 2:1-2). You’ll only find it, though, if his words take up residence within you (John 15:3, 7).

But I digress and perhaps ought to get to the point.

The Challenge

I’m writing to announce our 2027 Bible reading challenge. The challenge is to read the entire Bible within 90 days. If you wish, you may begin today. Regardless of when you begin, your 90-day period must end no later than March 31, 2027. Once you complete your reading, you may submit an entry form (see below) to enter a prize drawing.

And why—you ask—would you embark on such a strange venture? (“Has the day finally come,” they inquire, “when the Lord has struck with madness the riders of this horse we call the blogosphere?” — Zech 12:4, my paraphrase.) I can think of at least three reasons.

Your grasp of the Bible’s big picture will surge like the number of the redeemed children of Israel (Hosea 1:10).
Your reward in the age to come will be great.
We’ve got a sweet set of prizes to urge you on in the present age.

This year’s prizes focus on increasing your access to listening to the Bible.

Grand Prize

One blessed winner will be awarded a year-long subscription to the Dwell Bible app. Many thanks to Dwell for providing this prize for our giveaway.

The Dwell app is available from either the Apple App Store of Google Play store. The app was designed completely with Bible listening in mind. It provides an astonishingly wide selection of translations, voices, and background options. You can listen, you can read, or you can sync it to both listen and read. You can find a huge variety of plans to follow. Or you can select a particular book or chapter to listen to. You can set pauses between verses to give you time for reflection, or you can speed things up and keep them moving.

I helped kickstart the app back in 2018, and I’ve used it every day for quite some time. I listen to a daily lectionary, and I also use it for repeated listening to books of the Bible. I’ve logged more than 860 hours over 1956 days, so I’m an enthusiastic power user. I reviewed it in 2018, yet it is so different now than it was then. Most of the drawbacks have been fixed (complete Bible, many translations, downloadable, customizable playlists, etc.). I am delighted to commend to you this wonderful app, and I’m thrilled we can give away a free year-long subscription to it.

Second Prize (aka Delayed Gratification)

But wait, there’s another audio adventure waiting in the wings! In addition to the grand prize, we will offer an additional prize of the ESV Symphony of Scripture to come in the Fall.

The ESV Symphony of Scripture is a new audio Bible project Crossway is working on, with world-class narration and sound design. They commissioned a composer to write over 100 hours of orchestral music, with recurring melodies to highlight major biblical themes. The website has some samples from the Gospel of John to give you a taste.

This prize will not deliver until the project is complete, projected in the Fall of 2027. We’re grateful for the generosity of Crossway in providing this prize for us to give away later in the year.

Third Prize

In addition, one more winner will get to choose one of the following options:

A one-volume reader’s Bible of your choice.
A copy of both Knowable Word and Sowable Word.

Please note: Physical prizes are limited to people with addresses in the United States. Winners in other parts of the world will receive a $25 Amazon gift card via email.

Help is Available

If you’d like a checklist to help you stay on pace, here are three. You may make a copy and update the dates, if you plan to start on a date other than January 1.

Or here is an iOS app that can help you track your plan. You may also want to consider making a reading plan in the free version of the Dwell listening app if you prefer audio. And perhaps you’ll want to bookmark this post so you can find the entry form once you complete the reading.

You may now begin any time, and may this be the ride of your life.

Official Rules

Here are the rules:

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 the Lord sees and knows when you are being 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 November 9, 2026 and March 31, 2027. 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 appear to be fabricated will be deleted. For example: multiple entries with different data, date of completion not between November 9, 2026 and March 31, 2027, “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). God sees and knows what you are up to, and fake entries will be chucked to the place where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.
In the first week of April 2027, we will randomly select 3 prize winners from those who have submitted the form.
We will email all winners requesting contact info to deliver their prize. If a winner does not respond to our request for information (such as a shipping address) within 1 week, a new winner will be selected in their place.
The grand-prize winner will receive a year-long subscription to the Dwell Bible app.
The second prize winner will receive a copy of the ESV Symphony of Scripture to be delivered when it hits the market (estimated in Fall 2027).
Third-prize winner (if in US) will select either a copy of both Knowable Word and Sowable Word or a one-volume reader’s Bible of their choice. (While these are not your only options, we have reviewed the following: ESV, CSB, NIV.)
First and second prize winners will have the option to decline their prize and receive the “third” prize instead. If either declines in this way, their prize (Dwell or Symphony of Scripture) will be given to the third-prize winner.
Any winner who does not qualify for a physical prize will receive a US $25 Amazon gift card via email.
Unfortunately, though they are among the most courageous and competent people on the planet, staff members of DiscipleMakers are not eligible to win the drawing.

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How to Access God’s Power through your Weakness

November 4, 2026 By Peter Krol

What does it mean that “[God’s] power is made perfect in weakness,” and how can we get in on more of that? Kenneth Berding addresses such questions as he studies 2 Corinthians 12:9 in light of Paul’s argument. Berding models interpretive curiosity, making use of the context, following an author’s train of thought, focusing on the main idea, and getting concrete in application.

Berding highlights the fact that not every weak person gains access to God’s power. But by taking to heart what Paul says, you can. And in the process, you’ll enlarge your view of Christ.

Check it out!

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How to Share Scripture While Respecting Context

November 2, 2026 By Ryan Higginbottom

I’ve argued that the context of Scripture is so important that ignoring it is dangerous. One might conclude that I want people to share the Bible less often.

Nothing could be further from the truth! I want the Bible in the hearts and on the tongues of all people from pole to pole, and that won’t happen unless Christians share God’s word with others.

I don’t want the Bible to be shared less. I want it to be shared better.

Reminder: Context Matters

On this blog we have produced many arguments and examples of why context matters. We will not grasp the intended meaning of a Bible passage if we don’t understand how it fits into the larger picture.

Respecting context is particularly important when we talk about the Bible with others. In these situations we are not only communicating the meaning of the Bible but also the proper use of the Bible.

If we fling around solitary verses, this teaches others to do the same. And many, many bad theologies and heresies have resulted from this practice. (Stay tuned for more on this in my next post.)

Our Top Priority

When we talk about the Bible with our friends, we should labor to communicate what is true. So the first step in sharing Scripture with our friends is to study the Bible passage until we understand it.

Here at Knowable Word we advocate studying the Bible using the OIA framework. We have lots of articles, examples, and resources to help ordinary people learn how to study the Bible.

This will take time and effort. But the payoff will be worth it—we will have confidence that the Scriptures we are passing along mean what we claim.

Here are two suggestions on how to share Scripture while honoring context.

Suggestion #1: Share the Context

One way to avoid ignoring context is to provide the context. Instead of lifting a verse out of a chapter, send along the whole chapter.

Having already studied the passage, we will have a good sense of the literary unit in which the passage lives. This unit (at minimum) is what we should share.

Here’s our first example. If I had a friend who was burdened by the weight of his sins, I might want him to understand that salvation means we no longer fear punishment and hell. I would suggest he read 1 John 4:13–21 and pay special attention to verses 17 and 18. Instead of sending along a verse or two, I’d suggest those verses within their context, all of which my friend should be able to read in one sitting.

Suggestion #2: Summarize the Context

If it is not practical to share the entire context of a Bible passage, another approach is to summarize the context of the passage.

Here’s a second example. If I wanted to encourage a friend with the compassion and grace of Jesus, I might consider his conversation with the thief on the cross. Many people are familiar with Jesus’s final words to him: “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). In context, this is less a treatise on what happens to the soul upon death than an example of Jesus offering forgiveness to broken sinners who come to him.

To grasp the context, a person should understand the way Jesus loved and identified with the mocked and scorned throughout his ministry. When Jesus was at the height of his own humiliation, he embraced others who were hated and cast out. And in his final act, he took the place of those he loved—he became ridiculed for the ridiculed.

If I wanted to share this passage with a friend, I would not just quote the punchline verse. I would offer a few words (as in the paragraph above) about Jesus’s ministry and companions in Luke. I would also suggest that my friend read Luke 23:32–43.

In this situation, it isn’t reasonable to ask my friend to read all of Luke. But a short introduction and then the Bible text itself can work as a substitute.

Respecting Every Context

Most of the discussion above uses “context” to refer to the literary context of a passage—the author’s flow of thought and how the passage fits with what precedes and follows it. But we must recognize historical context (the occasion, author, and audience) and biblical context (how other Biblical authors refer or allude to it) as well.

This may result in different practices when sharing portions of the Psalms and Proverbs, for example.

Loving Those with Whom You Share

The way we share the Bible with a friend will depend on that friend’s background. Our communication will differ from a Christian to a non-Christian, from a new believer to a seasoned saint. All of this takes wisdom.

One of the most loving things we can do for our friends is to connect them with God’s word. As we pray for opportunities to do this, let’s work hard to share the Bible in context.

This was originally posted in 2020.

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Wisdom Turns Nobodies into Somebodies

October 30, 2026 By Peter Krol

In April 2009, a frumpy, middle-aged, and socially awkward Scotswoman marched on the stage of the TV show Britain’s Got Talent. Susan Boyle flouted her spunky attitude and wish to be a professional singer, while judges and audience members alike snickered and visibly mocked her. But they gave her a chance.

You’ve got to watch the video to understand fully what happened that day. Simon Cowell—the world’s most cynical and scathing judge of performance talent—shows little mercy to this nervous woman, but his bewildered expression after her first few notes is priceless. Boyle’s performance gives new meaning to the song “I Dreamed a Dream.”

Boyle’s audition was the most viewed YouTube video in 2009. She went on to take second place in that season of Britain’s Got Talent, but it was enough to secure her a record deal with Sony Music. Her first album sold more copies than any other album released in 2009, even though it released only 6 weeks before the end of the year. She’s since gone on to record 6 more albums. Two Grammy nominations and 22 million pounds later, she’s performed in Windsor Castle and had a musical written about her. She’s become an icon of success, a contemporary rags-to-riches tale.

Wisdom is like that.

I don’t mean that wisdom will earn you millions of pounds or pageviews. Nor do I mean that wisdom grants your wishes to become famous or successful. I mean simply this: Wisdom turns nobodies into somebodies.

We’re drawing near the end of Proverbs 1-9. Over the next few weeks, I’ll work through chapter 8 in these Proverbs posts, and I’ll show how this chapter summarizes Solomon’s entire model of wisdom. Before we get to the closing vision of chapter 9—which launches the reader into the body of the book—Solomon will remind us of all that came before. Solomon assembles the pieces of wisdom’s instruction into a few long poems placed on Wisdom’s own lips.

In Proverbs 8:1-11, wisdom is available to those who hear. The simple and the foolish can both become wise if they will but humble themselves and realign their desires. Wisdom’s words are like God’s words, more precious than gold and jewels.
In Proverbs 8:12-21, wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord and bears fruit beyond imagining. Satisfaction, justice, effective leadership, and enduring righteousness depend on the acquisition of godly wisdom. You won’t want to miss it.
In Proverbs 8:22-31, wisdom is intimately acquainted with the Lord himself and woven into the fabric of creation. You can’t delight in wisdom without delighting in Yahweh, Lord of heaven and earth. And because of what God has done in Christ, this wisdom now delights in you.
In Proverbs 8:32-36, wisdom promises divine blessing on those who listen and keep her ways. Those who find her find life, God’s favor. Those who miss her love death and end up harming themselves. This should be a no-brainer.

You and I might be nobodies. But God in his grace wants to make us into somebodies. His favor and life are stored up, ready for immediate disbursement to those who love his Son, Jesus Christ. If you grasp Christ, your wisdom from God, your life will never be the same again.

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The Prayer of Jabez Demystified

October 28, 2026 By Peter Krol

Have you heard of the Prayer of Jabez from 1 Chronicles 4? Or at least the famous book about it that treated the passage as a template for prosperity theology?

Wyatt Graham presents a study of the passage that gives careful attention to the literary, biblical, and historical context of the book of Chronicles. By considering Jabez’s prayer in light of God’s promises to Israel, Graham explains how we pray similarly to Jabez whenever we pray the Lord’s Prayer.

It is an irony then that the prayer of Jabez has become so associated with prosperity theology. Far from enriching himself, Jabez prayed for God to bless him as part of Israel, in line with God’s promises. This would be equivalent to us today praying for God’s kingdom to come. In both cases, it is good and right to pray for these things.

Check it out!

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Escape the Trap of Sexual Immorality

October 23, 2026 By Peter Krol

Sexual immorality follows this pattern: words, path, trap, death.

We hear and believe seductive words.
We follow immorality’s path of action.
We fall into the trap.
We find only death.

Last week, I showed this pattern from Proverbs 7:21-27, the final section in Solomon’s miniseries on wise sexuality. This week, I’ll cap the series with one last round of application.

Normally we don’t think anything’s wrong until we begin to experience death. “Death” in this sense refers to anything that does not advance our well-being (“life”). So we feel guilty. Or we experience the consequences of some stupid choice. Or we get caught, and we lose trust with the people we love. Or memories haunt us, or satisfaction eludes us.

Jaci Lopes dos Santos (2010), Creative Commons

If you know immorality’s pattern, you’ll know how God goes about breaking it. With the help of his Holy Spirit, you can undo the pattern and work backwards through it.

From Death to Trap

When you feel the weight of sin’s consequences, thank God for his mercy. In his love, he’s chosen to discipline you and not destroy you. He’s brought the consequences to bear so he might get your attention and turn you from your destructive choices.

But you won’t turn unless you feel desperate.

You must understand that you are well and truly trapped. You’re like a deer caught in the hunter’s snare. You cannot escape the trap on your own, and you need someone to rescue you.

From Trap to Path

If you feel trapped, you may sober up enough to see the path that led you to it. You’ll see that it wasn’t a single event, a single choice, that got you in trouble. It was a whole series of choices that led through the darkness.

Adultery is far more than a single act of intercourse. Intercourse, after all, follows foreplay. Foreplay follows the first kiss. That kiss only came after the first touch. The first touch resulted from that flirting, that testing of the waters to see if there could be “something more.” Looking for that “something more” followed the decision that you needed something “more,” which itself followed the belief that you didn’t have enough.

Whatever your struggle, trace your path. If you see how you got there, you’ll see how to get out. Small choices precede big ones, both for good or for evil.

From Path to Words

With the path illuminated before you, find the first step. What did you believe that got you into this situation? And what truth should replace that lie?

For example, if your path began with the belief that you didn’t have “enough” (romance, satisfaction, respect, love, etc.), you may find help in 2 Peter 1:3: “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.” Or in Ephesians 3:14-19, where Paul prays that we might “comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge.”

If your path began with the need to escape from a difficult life and feel in control again, you may want to meditate on or memorize John 6, where Jesus claims that “no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:44).

If your path began with the simple belief that it would be fun and exciting and pleasurable, you may simply need to remind yourself that those who commit sexual immorality “will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal 5:19-21).

Ultimately, you can remember that “there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:1). Jesus died so you could have life. When he visited his fearful, denying, doubting, cowering disciples, his resurrected lips carried a message of peace (John 20:19, 21, 26). His resurrection brings the same message to you and me.

The trick is to get that message to sink in and direct our paths.

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No Need for All the Answers

October 21, 2026 By Peter Krol

I appreciate Douglas Allison’s continued reflections on leading small groups, including this post on why small group leaders don’t need to have all the answers.

Allison gives practical suggestions for what to do when a question arises that you don’t know the answer to. Perhaps you can promise a follow up, or commit to finding out, or refer them to a person or place where an answer may be found.

But the best part is Allison’s reason for why leaders shouldn’t even presume they need all the answers themselves.

Leaders, then, should expect to need to grow in their knowledge and maturity for their entire lives. It is no failure for a leader not to know everything. It is rather a failure for leaders not to be seeking to grow in the grace and knowledge of their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

So, omniscience is not a prerequisite to being a small group leader.

Check it out!

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The Dangerous Consequences of Ignoring Context

October 19, 2026 By Ryan Higginbottom

Perhaps you’ve read a post or two on this blog stressing the importance of Biblical context. You may have seen a whole catalog of articles showing how familiar verses and phrases may not carry the meanings intended by those who splash them on coffee cups and t-shirts.

Yes, context matters. We won’t tire of repeating this key to interpreting the Bible because ignoring context is not just misguided, it is dangerous.

We Miss the Truth

The obvious danger of neglecting context is that we lose the truth. But we dare not forget how devastating a loss this is. What do we have if we don’t have Biblical truth? We are a parched, dusty land with no hope of rain.

Context drives interpretation. So when we pluck out individual verses we have no chance of arriving at a proper understanding.

In the best situations, this leads to a true teaching through a bad process. (See here for an example.) In the worst cases, we end up with damnable heresy.

We Disrespect God

Imagine writing a letter to a dear friend. You haven’t been in touch for months, so your words stretch into the thousands. You write about children and parents, work and health, joys and sorrows.

Later you learn that your friend lifted one sentence from this letter and posted it on social media. Your friend gave you credit, and the quote didn’t make you look bad, but the meaning is gone. How would this make you feel?

Despite our best intentions, misusing someone’s words always disrespects the author.

God gave us his word to read as 66 books under one cover. When we discount Biblical context, we not only disrespect the original authors, we put ourselves above the Scriptures, insisting we know better how to present it than God himself.

Though perhaps distasteful, we need to name this error accurately. It is arrogance. And God does not think highly of the arrogant (see James 4:1–10, especially James 4:6).

We Mislead Our Neighbors

As Christians we are called to love our neighbors as ourselves, and part of this calling is pointing our neighbors toward God through Jesus Christ.

Whenever we rip verses from their Biblical context and slap them on hats or bumper stickers or (gulp!) church signs, we’re telling our neighbors that this is a proper way to handle God’s word. We’re encouraging them to pick and choose what seems good or inspirational from the Bible.

This misleads our neighbors about the nature of both the Bible and God himself, and it may encourage them in error.

The Bible in Context

Now that I’ve shown how delightful a companion I’d be on your next trip to a Christian bookstore, let me reassure you.

I’m not saying we need to quote the whole Bible or nothing. There are plenty of ways to share powerful, helpful passages of Scripture with a friend or neighbor while still respecting the context of those passages. (I will share some of my suggestions on this in my next post.) I am urging, however, that we must be careful.

God’s word brings us joy and encouragement and comfort. But it is a serious, weighty, and holy matter to have and communicate the very words of God.

After all, context matters.

This was originally posted in 2020.

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When Words are More than Words and Life is Really Death

October 16, 2026 By Peter Krol

Easy sex will keep you from being wise. Trusting yourself and pleasing yourself are not in line with the fear of the Lord, the love of instruction. Therefore, it is a way that leads to death. In Proverbs 5-7, Solomon has made this point repeatedly. Now, in the last section of Proverbs 7, Solomon tries one last time.

Proverbs 7:21-27 consists of two short poems, parallel in structure. Each poem has four couplets, and these two sets of four couplets follow the same topical pattern: words, path, trap, death.

A: seductive words persuade the young man (21)
B: he follows her path (22a)
C: he’s like a stag caught in a trap (22b-23a)
D: it will cost him his life (23b)

A: listen, sons, to my words (24)
B: don’t turn your heart to her path (25)
C: she has trapped many before you (26)
D: her house will take you to death (27)

Solomon writes the first poem in third person, speaking of the young man, seduced by the immoral woman. He writes the second poem in second person, directly imploring his readers to heed his counsel.

Words

Solomon warns that words are more than words.

Immorality’s words are “seductive speech,” “smooth talk” (Prov 7:21). These words have a goal in mind, and that goal is not your best interest. We tend to hear and believe these words, but wisdom unmasks the deception:

It will feel good
It won’t hurt anybody
No-one will know about it
You’ll be glad you did it
Your pain will go away

The best weapons against immorality’s seductive speech are the father’s words (Prov 7:24). Listen to the words of Solomon, those words which were breathed out by the Spirit of Christ to profit you and equip you for every good work (2 Tim 3:16-17).

Immorality will kill you (Prov 7:23).
Turn at reproof and God will pour out his Spirit (Prov 1:23).
Hear wisdom; call out for insight. You will understand the fear of the Lord (Prov 2:1-5), which is the beginning of knowledge (Prov 1:7).
Keep the commandments, and you’ll find life and peace (Prov 3:1-2).
Wisdom is more pleasing than immorality (Prov 3:17).
The love of your covenanted spouse can be utterly intoxicating (Prov 5:19).

Path

We tend to think we’re victims to our sexual sin. There’s a sense in which this is true, for when we turn to sexual sin, we’re as dumb as oxen going to the butcher (Prov 7:22). We’re hooked, following the wrong path.

But the problem is not ultimately with the path, or with the temptation itself. The problem is not with the spring weather, when people are more likely to wear fewer clothes. The problem is with our hearts. We follow the path of immorality because we have given our hearts away (Prov 7:25). We choose immorality because we believe its lies, and we want pleasures that we don’t think wisdom can give us.

Thus, the solution to immorality will never be better Internet filtering. If we want something enough, we’ll find a way around any filter. The solution is not to stay indoors or attend a Christian university. These measures offer some help, but they won’t change our hearts. We must give our hearts to the Lord and his wisdom (Prov 4:23).

Trap

Immorality is not the way of freedom. It’s a trap. A holding cell. It’s only a matter of time before the hunter arrives and finishes the job (Prov 7:22-23).

We choose sexual immorality because we think it will make us feel good and alive. Remember that many before you have fallen into this trap. Many after you will fall into it. If they couldn’t escape, neither will you (Prov 7:26).

Death

The wages of sin are death (Prov 7:23). Running toward immorality is like jumping into an early grave (Prov 7:27).

If you know Christ, you stand forgiven, now and always. He is your hope and your life. Why would you want to prolong your slavery to foolishness? He offers joy, and you choose guilt. He offers peace, and you drive yourself into turmoil. He offers love, and you mistake it for quick lust. Put those things to death, and find something better, something far more satisfying.

Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry…drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Gal 5:19-24)

This post was first published in 2014 and is part of a series walking through Proverbs 1-9.

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Don’t Let Study Replace Reading

October 14, 2026 By Peter Krol

A few weeks ago, I gave two of my daughters new study Bibles. But along with the Bibles came a few rules I expect them to follow:

Don’t use the study Bible as your main Bible, but keep it on the shelf as a reference.
Don’t use the study Bible just because a passage feels hard to understand. Work on the passage as far as you can first.
Don’t crack open the study Bible unless you’ve got a specific question on a specific text.

Ben Hicks has a thoughtful piece about not study Bibles in particular but the process of Bible study in general. In “Don’t Just Study the Bible, Read it!” he addresses the numerous ways that “study” could get in the way of direct interaction with the Scriptures. For example,

If you want to get started reading your Bible, there’s a lot of help available. Literally thousands of books, podcasts, videos, and other resources have been designed and published to help you study the Bible, many of them free of charge. You could listen to sermons every hour of the day, every day of the week and not begin to make a dent in all the sermons that were uploaded to that internet from that previous Sunday. All of this is wonderful, and could rightly be described as an “embarrassment of riches.” We have near limitless assistance in better reading the Bible. The danger, of course, is that these wonderful tools can become a replacement for actually reading the Bible.

He’s absolutely right. Let’s not get so caught up in the supplements that we starve ourselves of the true feast.

Hicks’s piece is worth a bit of your time. Check it out!

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