Main Point | Knowable Word

Why Study a Book like Genesis?

March 6, 2013 By Peter Krol

The 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:

To build your confidence in the Bible
To build your confidence in the Basics (how to love God, love your neighbor, and make disciples)
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!

The Greatest Enemy of Application is Insight

January 4, 2013 By Peter Krol

Application happens when we understand the meaning of a Bible passage (i.e. we see Jesus and our need for him) and conform our lives to it. This conformity to Christ is the great purpose of God from the foundation of the world (Rom 8:29).

But the chief obstacle to vigorous application is insight. As we gain more insight into the Bible, we become more prone to revel in the insight itself and not in the life-change that ought to result from that insight.

“Debate Sobre” by Secom Bahia (2010), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution License

For example, have you ever read a verse like Romans 8:29 (which I referenced above) and turned it into a theological debate? What does this verse mean about the predestination/free will controversy? Which side is right? Who has the best insight into what Paul meant by the word “foreknew”?

I’m prone to feel good about myself if I can answer these questions. I really want to win such debates. I’ve invested much time fighting my way through them.

But the chief question shouldn’t be whether predestination or free will is right. The chief question is: How is my life becoming more and more conformed to Christ? It doesn’t matter which side of the debate I fall on; God’s purpose in my life remains the same. What must change in order for me to be more like Jesus, so he can have pre-eminence as the first-born?

Insight can get in the way of application in other ways too. Have you ever felt disappointed after reading the Bible because nothing new and fantastic had occurred to you?

In contrast, have you ever felt the warmth splash over your heart when you see something you’ve never seen before in God’s Word? Maybe you found an allusion to another Bible passage that wasn’t immediately obvious. Perhaps a repeated word or idea became clear. Maybe you felt like you could relate to a Bible character due to some recent experience of your own. Perhaps you just started to get the hang of this OIA stuff, and you’re amazed at the beauty and joy that results when you can find an author’s main point.

Such insight into the Bible can be invigorating, but don’t let it distract you. The task isn’t complete until you change. Keep moving forward into Application.

Jesus warned us of the danger of insight when he used the image of architecture (Matt 7:24-27). The one who hears the Word, and stops there (possibly rejoicing in his keen insight), is like a foolish builder constructing a beach hut in a hurricane zone. The wise builder is the one who hears the Word and does it.

What other hindrances to Application can you think of?

The Difference between a Main Point and a Summary

November 30, 2012 By Peter Krol

A main point is not the same thing as a summary.

In Bible study, it’s important to find the author’s main point. If you miss the main point, you’ve missed the main point. You’ll get caught up in secondary issues, questionable interpretations, or divisive doctrines.

One of the most difficult struggles for people in learning to study the Bible is to figure out the author’s main point. It requires them to learn how to think. They must learn how to ask good questions, and how to get the answers they need.

In addition, it requires them to learn how to figure out why the passage is there.

The most common counterfeit of the main point is the summary. It’s not all that difficult to read a passage and summarize it. We do it all the time. We summarize news articles, blog posts, novels, and movies.

Note, however, that a summary is not a main point.

A summary may be the climax of observation, but it is not the same as interpretation.

A summary captures what was said, but not why it was said.

A summary restates a passage; a main point explains the passage.

Let me give an example.

In Hebrews 7:1-28, the author writes a profound theology of Jesus’ high priesthood. There’s your summary: “Jesus is a high priest like Melchizedek.” He contrasts Melchizedek with Aaron. He engages with a few obscure Old Testament texts. He provides fodder for our debates on Bible interpretation, the relationship between old and new covenants, and the relevance of the law.

However, he is crystal clear about his main point. Look at Heb 8:1, ESV:

“Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest…”

The theology serves a purpose. It ought to inspire hope and confidence. Those who fear God’s displeasure ought to rest assured in Christ. Those who presume on God’s graces ought to tremble at their indifference.

The author desires to move his audience to action. He doesn’t seek to inform their thinking (and then stop there). He wants to inspire them to set their hope on the only one who can give what he promises.

What does he say? Jesus is a great high priest, greater even than the Levitical priests.

Why does he say it? So you might trust him more confidently and draw near to God through him.

Do you see the difference? Do you see why it’s important to understand the main point (and not just the summary)? Unless we really hit the main point in Bible study, application remains far off and obscure or disconnected from the text.

The good news is that, once you have a summary of the passage, it’s not complicated to get to the main point. Just take your summary and ask “Why?”

How to Interpret: Determine the Main Point

November 23, 2012 By Peter Krol

This week I’ll explain the third of 3 steps for interpreting the Bible.

Step three was Determine the Author’s Main Point:

As you answer all your questions, pull them together into a big picture. Your job is to understand the main thing the author is communicating through the passage (2 Pet 3:15-18).

Most theological disagreements among Christians take place when people focus on things other than the main points of passages. I’m not saying that theology is bad (in fact, it’s very important). I’m simply saying that it’s important to focus on the main points of the Bible and not on secondary, questionable, or implied points (Matt 23:23-24).

Here are a few ideas to help you get to the author’s main point:

Take note of the author’s flow of thought. How did he get from the first verse to the last verse? One way to do this is to break the chapter into paragraphs. Then determine the main point for each paragraph. String them together to see what might be the main point of the whole chapter. If you’re still not sure, you could break it down further into sentences before putting it back together.
Outline the essential grammar. This requires careful observation of the passage. You can distill narratives to their basic plot structure. You can outline instructional texts by writing out just the subjects and verbs of each sentence. Often, noticing the shape of this skeleton helps with identifying the main point.
Consider what the passage says about Jesus. We know he’s the main point of the Bible (John 5:39), so we should expect each section to say something about him. I believe Luke 24:46-47 provides a helpful template. Every passage of Scripture reveals Jesus by explaining at least one of the following truths:
1. The Messiah would suffer (die).
2. The Messiah would rise from the dead.
3. We must repent of our sin and be forgiven.
4. This message (that the Messiah’s death and resurrection make forgiveness possible) must be preached to all nations.
Always ask “Why?” We’re after more than a summary of what the author wrote. We want to do our best to figure out why he wrote it.

Your analysis of the main point of Luke 2:1-21 might look something like this:

verses 1-7: in contrast to the might of Rome, Jesus, the heir of King David, is born into great obscurity.
verses 8-14: heavenly soldiers herald his birth to the lowly, not the powerful. Jesus is not presented as a conquering king, but as a savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.
verses 15-21: the lowly serve the true King by racing, viewing, and testifying.

So far, so good. We could summarize the passage by calling it “The Birth of Jesus Christ.” But we must move beyond summarizing to ask why it is here. What does Luke want to teach us?

I’d suggest something like: God sent Jesus to be born so he might save the lowly and rule them graciously. This brings him highest glory.

3 Steps for Interpreting the Bible

October 31, 2012 By Peter Krol

Misunderstandings stink. I once got cussed out on the phone because of one.

The guy who did the cussing thought I’d scheduled an event on a certain date in order to purposely exclude him from attending. Well, he had misunderstood, and I wish he’d asked more questions before jumping to conclusions.

If he’d asked, I could have given more information (for example, I had no idea this fellow was unavailable on the proposed date, and I primarily chose the date to avoid conflicts with other events).

It is possible to misunderstand the Bible, but with careful interpretation it’s also possible to rightly understand it. God’s Word is a Knowable Word.

Interpretation is the second of three steps in the Bible study process. We’ve seen why we should interpret the Bible. We’ve seen two things that will hinder interpretation. But how do we interpret?

These three steps will help you to interpret any passage of the Bible.

1. Ask Questions of Your Observations

If you’ve observed well, you’re ready to interpret.

Take your observations and ask questions of them. Lots of questions. Tackle those observations from every direction.

Be as inquisitive as possible. Get better at asking questions, and you’ll get better at interpreting the Bible.

Note that your questions should be about your observations of the text. Don’t ask just any old questions. Don’t feel the need to be particularly clever. Your job is not to innovate, but to uncover. (Note how the disciples didn’t observe well, and so asked the wrong questions in John 21:22-23.)

2. Answer the Questions from the Text

Once you’ve asked your questions, answer them. There’s one critical rule, though: answer questions only if they are answered (explicitly or implicitly) in the text (Prov 30:5-6).

Don’t go on rabbit trails. Don’t use minor details to make the text say what you want it to say. Don’t build a whole theology from one verse. Instead, answer only those questions that are either assumed or addressed in the text. Let the rest go.

3. Determine the Author’s Main Point

As you answer all your questions, pull them together into a big picture. Your job is to understand the main thing the author is communicating through the passage (2 Pet 3:15-18).

Most theological disagreements among Christians take place when people focus on things other than the main points of passages. I’m not saying that theology is bad (in fact, it’s very important). I’m simply saying that it’s important to focus on the main points of the Bible and not on secondary, questionable, or implied points (Matt 23:23-24).

Missing the main point means misunderstanding the text. And misunderstandings stink.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll unpack each of these steps in greater detail.

Which of these steps seems most obvious to you? Which one is most difficult?

Sometimes the Point is Clear

June 30, 2012 By Peter Krol

Some Biblical authors are very clear about why they wrote their books. When you study these books, don’t feel the need to be particularly profound. If you don’t get to the stated point, you’re probably missing something.

Proverbs – to know wisdom, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction, to give prudence, to understand a proverb (Prov 1:1-6).
Luke – to give an orderly account, that we might have certainty concerning the things we have been taught (Luke 1:1-4).
John – so you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, and have life in his name (John 20:30-31).
1 John – so you may know you have life (1 John 5:13).
Jude – to encourage us to contend for the faith (Jude 3).
Revelation – to reveal Jesus Christ and show his servants the things that must soon take place (Rev 1:1).

Please feel free to comment if I missed any.

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