By Peter Krol
Erik Raymond wants Christlike, Bible reflexes. Do you?
Jesus directs them to the authority on the matter. Amid the swirling debate about divorce in the community around them, Jesus cuts through the fog and points to the Word of God. Jesus pointed people to the Bible, not because the cultural voices did not exist but because they were inferior. Jesus understands the authority of the Scriptures to settle matters of debate. He doesn’t salute the wisdom of the age; he dusts off the wisdom of God.
By Peter Krol
Steve Midgley ask a great question at the blog for the Christian Counseling and Education Foundation: Is reading the Bible a chore or a delight? The difference, he suggests, depends on how connected you feel with the characters. Or more specifically, the Character.
For the Bible is really a book about one person: God. He is the hero on every page. How much do we really care about him? So much of the time we read the Bible as if it were all about us. How can I find some comfort? How can I get a little guidance? How can I be spiritually strong? We come to the Bible as if it were a self-help manual, as if its prime purpose were to help us fix our problems. But it isn’t.
The Bible’s prime purpose is to bring glory to God. It does that by declaring his excellence and establishing his kingdom and, finally and wonderfully, by bringing all things together under one Head, even Christ (Eph 1:10). As long as we insist on reading the Bible as if it were all about us, we will not only miss the point, we will find it dull because we won’t be interested in the character that it is describing—God himself.
By Peter Krol
In her book Study the Word: 12 Christian Leaders on Bible Study, Nancy Leigh DeMoss shares practical wisdom for followers of Jesus brushing up on her skills. The Logos Talk blog summarizes 4 specific steps you can take if you start to feel in a rut:
Check it out!
By Peter Krol
Scott Slayton has four ideas to help you develop a robust biblical literacy. He writes:
Most Christians do not know the basics of the biblical storyline, basic facts about the Bible’s major characters, or the texts on which our most foundational doctrines are built. Many Christians try to have in-depth discussions about ethics and the relationship between Christianity and the government without knowing even the most basic facts about Scripture. It’s like trying to solve an equation when you don’t know that 2+2=4.
His suggestions are:
These suggestions may sound straightforward, but we have a hard time implementing such reading habits! Slayton explains what it could look like for you.
By Peter Krol
Randy Alcorn recently made a profound point: that people can claim to “believe every word of the Bible” even while they proclaim things directly contradictory to the Bible’s teaching. This dynamic is truly remarkable, as one doesn’t have to outright reject the Bible any more in order to do away with its uncomfortable truths.
Alcorn writes:
As people respond to my books, ask questions, and state opinions through emails and social media, I’m struck with how many say they believe the Bible, but their interpretations are so out of line with credible biblical meanings that their profession of confidence in Scripture becomes meaningless, and even dangerous. Not only is this happening more frequently today, it’s also being accepted as normal.
Historically, theological liberals denied Scripture, and everyone knew where they stood. But today many so-called evangelicals affirm their belief in Scripture, while attributing meanings to biblical texts that in fact deny what Scripture really says. Hence they “believe every word of the Bible” while actually embracing (and teaching) beliefs that utterly contradict it.
He concludes:
So we need to teach people not just to read the Bible but also how to interpret it, so they don’t end up being Bible-believing heretics or Jesus-followers who follow a Jesus different than the real Jesus of the Bible and history.
I find myself wishing people would know they are denying Scripture, and not feel free to use Scripture to deny Scripture. If you’re aware that you disbelieve and reject the Bible, there is hope because you can come under conviction to submit to God by denying your preferences and accepting what Scripture actually says. But if you imagine you believe the Bible all along, when in fact your interpretations contradict it, pride can blind you from knowing the truth and therefore the truth cannot set you free.
The full post is worth a moment of your time. Check it out!
By Peter Krol
Tim Challies lists 14 metaphors the Bible uses to describe itself. I find this list both stunning and stimulating.
By Peter Krol
Mike Leake shows us why context matters in the letter of 2 Corinthians. Some might see a universal principle in 2 Cor 12:14: “Children are not obligated to save up for their parents, but parents for their children.” But the historical, logical, literary, and biblical contexts show us the limited scope of what Paul meant.
Leake does a great job showing us how to approach the text of Scripture with caution and care for the context.
By Peter Krol
If you’ve been persuaded not to skip the Bible’s genealogies, you might still wonder what to do with them. And Scott Slayton has just the help you need. In his article “How Do I Deal with the Genealogies?” he offers three suggestions:
Questions 2 and 3 are useful in helping us to reflect on the theological benefit of any genealogy, but I find question 1 most helpful when working through a book. Remember that the genealogy is not a waste of words. It’s not as though the author had nothing useful to say, and so he decided to throw in a list of names. No, the author is making a case for something; he’s trying to move his audience to action. And the genealogy helps advance his agenda. We must observe the genealogy carefully to uncover what that agenda is.
Though Slayton addresses his article to pastors, his suggestions are just as fitting for any teacher or student of the Scripture.
By Peter Krol
As a follow-up to last week’s post on the metaphor of the bruised reed in Is 42:1-4 and Matt 12:15-21, here is an article I wrote for Desiring God. Here is a taste:
The metaphor seems self-evident. “Bruised reeds are people who are broken and needy, people worn out and tired and exhausted with life’s circumstances, people neglected by the world, but accepted by Jesus.” We casually toss the phrase out like a trump-suit ace impervious to counter-play. No need to explain; just assert: “Jesus never broke a bruised reed.”
But have you considered why the reed doesn’t get broken? Look at the text carefully, and you might find you’ve become a little too familiar with this biblical phrase and perhaps have missed a profound point. In fact, hastily assuming the “what” may have obscured your insight into the “why”…
We rightly marvel at Jesus’s deep compassion. We rightly delight in his commitment to the down-and-out of society, and we rightly long to imitate his works of service and provision. We rightly praise the one who brought hope and healing to those who had none.
But is the point of the bruised reed image Jesus’s compassion? Should we identify weak, lowly, or otherwise hurting people as the “bruised reeds” who weren’t — and thus shouldn’t be — “broken”? Interpreting the metaphor this way is often assumed rather than argued, but perhaps we’ve grown too familiar with it and should take another look.
By Peter Krol
J.A. Medders understands the temptation to skip boring parts of the Bible, such as genealogies, even in his preaching. But he advises us not to do it. Why?
Medders has some needed encouragement to help us better align our hopes with God’s priorities. And I agree. Each year, as I commit to reading the genealogies along with the rest of the Scriptures, I find myself appreciating them more each time. Medders concludes:
[Genealogies] remind us about a list of names where you are listed. Right now, in Heaven, the Lamb’s Book of Life is filled with the names of those who would be redeemed by the blood of Jesus. And if you believe in the risen Lord, your name is on a page—and it’s written in ink older than the earth (Rev. 17:8). You aren’t listed in Exodus 6 or Matthew 1, but you are listed in Heaven, in a genealogy of Christ’s brothers and sisters.
Check it out!
