Knowable Word

Helping ordinary people learn to study the Bible

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You Can Trust the Text

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Knowable Word LogoCan you trust the text? Is the Bible you hold in front of you a reliable copy of what was written so many centuries ago?

Michael Kruger at the Gospel Coalition says YES! Even though we don’t have the autographs (original manuscripts of Bible books), we still have very good reason to believe that the copies we have are reliable. He says that:

When it comes to the quantity of manuscripts, the New Testament is in a class all its own. Although the exact count is always changing, currently we possess more than 5,500 manuscripts of the New Testament in Greek alone. No other document of antiquity even comes close.

Kruger explains the difference between “autograph” and “original text.” His article introduces the topic of manuscript evidence clearly and concisely.

If you’re interested in understanding this important topic better, then check it out!

Don’t Defend Yourself or Encourage Gossip

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ThemeliosThe Gospel Coalition recently published a new volume of its Themelios journal.  Within there lies a fantastic article by Eric Ortlund about “The Pastoral Implications of Wise and Foolish Speech in the Book of Proverbs.”

Now don’t get discouraged by the long title.  The article is great.  It quotes a little Hebrew, but always translates it for you.

Here’s his point:

I would like to argue that, in the book of Proverbs, one cannot argue with a fool without making things worse. The wise person instead trusts the Lord to intervene by silencing and stopping foolish speech and vindicating those who trust him.

And from his conclusion:

We must scour our hearts, with the help of the Spirit, for foolish tendencies in ourselves. For instance, if I have something negative to say about another Christian, have I said it to anyone else? While there are a few situations in which one might have to do this (if one is asked, for example, to recommend another Christian for a ministry position), it is extremely easy to point out the faults of other Christians to third parties. This is foolish because Jesus, our wisdom and our great high priest, is interceding for all Christians, speaking the best of them before the Father. Why would we speak any differently? To give another example: in a disagreement, do I spin things in my favor? Do I believe all things and hope all things for the other Christian (1 Cor 13:7)? Or do I assume the worst about them?

Ortlund expands on ideas I’ve written about the three kinds of people in Proverbs, and he beautifully applies the teaching of Proverbs to this difficult area of criticism, attacks, and gossip.

I highly recommend you check it out!

Seeing Jesus in Daniel

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Knowable Word LogoWe contend that the whole Bible is about Jesus.  That’s why we should be able to see Jesus in any passage.

And we delight in showing you that we’re not the only ones who think this way.

To that end, we recommend you check out a post at The Gospel Coalition by Matt Smethurst.  Smethurst recently interviewed professor Sidney Greidanus about his book Preaching Christ from Daniel.

Greidanus speaks helpfully about the main point of Daniel, the historical context, and the centrality of Christ.

Check it out!

God Knows the Plans He has for You

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Knowable Word LogoI’m sure you’ve heard of Jeremiah 29:11 (“For I know the plans I have for you…”).  Perhaps you’ve wielded it against some disappointed sufferer struggling to make sense of difficult decisions.  Perhaps you’ve found hope from it yourself.

Thomas Turner, writing for Relevant Magazine, cogently warns us to “Stop Taking Jeremiah 29:11 Out of Context.”  It’s a good reminder that context matters.

Check it out!

Why Study a Book like Genesis?

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genesis-bibleThe elders of our church just finished a year-and-a-half-long sermon series through the book of Genesis, and I had the privilege of preaching the last sermon.

I titled this final sermon “Why Did We Preach Through Genesis?” and I gave 3 answers:

  1. To build your confidence in the Bible
  2. To build your confidence in the Basics (how to love God, love your neighbor, and make disciples)
  3. To build your confidence in Jesus

Have you doubted whether old books like Genesis are useful to us?  Have you wondered what is the main point of Genesis?  Would you like to understand better how Genesis teaches us about Jesus?

You might enjoy the sermon.  Check it out!

3 Myths Exposed About Solomon’s Wisdom

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Knowable Word LogoWe often ask God for wisdom with the expectation that he’ll teleport it directly to our minds.  If we ask, he’ll give, and he’ll give it quickly and fully.

But, as we’ve seen in our series on Proverbs, that’s not at all how wisdom works.

Till He Comes just published a guest post I wrote as a companion piece to my Proverbs study.  In this post, I debunk 3 common myths about Solomon’s wisdom.  One of the myths is that God supernaturally zapped wisdom into Solomon’s brain.  Nope.  Nada.  Not true.

I’m not going to tell you the other two myths here.  You’ll have to go check it out.

The Legacy of Howard Hendricks

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Howard Hendricks, long-time professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, passed away last week.  I never knew the man, but I have much respect for his book on OIA Bible study entitled Living By the Book.

Dave Miller’s eulogy for Dr. Hendricks at SBC Voices captures the wonderful legacy of this man and his love for teaching others how to study God’s Knowable Word.  May it be said of us that we had such passion and influence in propagating love for the Bible in our generation.

Check it out!