Tag: read the Bible

Be Like Berea: Are You of More Noble Character?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date November 20, 2019

Examine the Scriptures Every Day to See If What People Say Is True

The book of Acts tells about the early church, with the latter two thirds of it focused on Paul’s travels and interactions with the various city branches of Jesus’s church.

One brief stop is in the city of Berea. Luke writes this about them: “The Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica.”

Note that he doesn’t say they have a noble character, merely that they are more noble than the folks in a nearby city.

Depending on the level of the Thessalonian’s character, this comparison could mean little (if the Thessalonians have no character) or much (if the Thessalonians have great character).

Regardless the church in Berea is affirmed for their more noble character. There are three reasons why:

1. They Eagerly Listen to Paul

They seriously consider what he says. They have an open mind but aren’t gullible.

2. They Verify What He Says

They check to make sure that what Paul says about the scriptures (what we call the Old Testament) is true. They confirm he’s not misquoting the Bible or taking things out of context.

3. They Believe What Paul Says

After listening and verifying, they act. They believe in Jesus and set an example for others.

For these reasons their character is assessed as being more noble.

Today many people aspire to be noble like the Bereans, yet they fail to measure up. When they listen it is to find fault. They seek to argue over the meaning of words.

When they read the Bible it isn’t to find agreement with others but to seek reasons to disagree. They look for any way to reinforce their theology and reject the interpretations of others.

This is a huge reason why we have 42,000 Protestant denominations today. People choose to make distinctions and divide the church of Jesus.

If only they would be more noble like the people of Berea. They listen, verify, and believe.

We should be like the church in Berea. We can read and study our Bible to advance unity in Jesus.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Acts 16-17, and today’s post is on Acts 17:10-12.]

Read more about the book of Acts in Tongues of Fire: 40 Devotional Insights for Today’s Church from the Book of Acts, available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Tags early church, read the Bible, unity

Reviews of Books & Movies

Book Review: Life Application Study Bible

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date November 8, 2019

The third edition of the Life Application Study Bible may just be the only Bible study tool you’ll ever need. With the popular NIV translation as its foundation, this Bible surrounds it with insightful charts, timelines, and sidebars.

It also includes a concise commentary, cross reference notes, and character profiles.

The Life Application Study Bible has a slew of other valuable resources too.

The over two-hundred pages of backmatter content provides additional aids, such as a resource for Christian workers, a 365-day Bible reading plan, and several indexes for abbreviations, charts, maps, and personality profiles of biblical characters.

A most helpful resource in this Bible is the combined dictionary-concordance. From one place readers can find definitions of key biblical terms, along with a list of verses that contain those words.

This is a most helpful way to dig deeper without consulting multiple, unwieldly references.

A compelling characteristic of the Bible reading plan is that it covers a “complete view of the Scripture . . . without being overwhelming.” It does this by skipping duplicate content.

This streamlined approach provides an effective, manageable tour of the Bible in just one year.

Last, don’t overlook the fourteen full-color maps in the back. They go beyond the typical maps found in some other Bibles, providing additional details and fresh views that address various eras of the biblical narrative.

For example, you may have seen maps of Paul’s missionary journeys, but what about Philip’s, Mark and Barnabas’s, and Peter’s? Their travels are there too.

Whether you’re reading the Bible for the first time or want to see it with fresh eyes, Life Application Study Bible may just be the ideal resource for you.

[Legal stuff: I received this Bible for free as a member of the Bible Gateway Blogger Grid, #BibleGatewayPartner.]

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Tags Bible, Bible Reading, read the Bible

Reviews of Books & Movies

Book Review: NIV Quest Bible Study

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date September 30, 2019

As the title suggests, the NIV Quest Bible Study is based on the popular New International Version (NIV) of the Bible. It’s billed as “the only Q&A Bible study” with “answers to thousands of questions about the Bible.”

Have you ever read a passage in the Bible and had a question about it? I have. And I’m sure you have too. In the NIV Quest Bible Study it’s quite possible that they already addressed your question in the accessible Q&A sidebar found on every page.

Presenting additional information in a clever Q&A format provides additional insight that sheds more light on the biblical text.

This allows readers to come away with an expanded understanding of what the text means and how it might apply to our life today.

In addition to the sidebar questions and answers found in every page are the top 100 most asked questions about the Bible. These provide honest clarity into issues that perplex many Christians and readers of the Bible.

The NIV Quest Bible Study also provides many other valuable resources. Most notable is the combined dictionary-concordance, which defines key biblical terms and then lists verses that contain those words.

Other items include:

Three practical Bible reading plans
An introduction to each book in the Bible
Lots of maps and timelines
Index of the subjects covered in the NIV Quest Bible Study, along with the verses that address those themes
Fourteen full-color maps in the back matter give geographic insight into various time periods covered in the Bible

The NIV Quest Bible Study is more than the NIV Bible, it’s a complete Bible study guide.

[Legal stuff: I received this Bible for free as a member of the Bible Gateway Blogger Grid, #BibleGatewayPartner.]

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Tags read the Bible

Bible Insights

Omission or Addition in the Bible?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date August 13, 2019
2 Comments on Omission or Addition in the Bible?

After prior discussions about adding to or taking away from the Bible, it gives one pause in considering footnotes in some translations, which effectively note that a certain phrase or verse is “not found in all manuscripts.”

Consider the Lord’s Prayer. The end is one such example: “For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever” (Matthew 6:9-13).

Or when the disciples can’t cast out a demon and Jesus says, “This kind can come out only by prayer.” The footnote adds “…and fasting” (Mark 9:29). Which is it? Prayer or prayer and fasting?

The largest such passage is the conclusion to Mark’s gospel, where the last twelve (Mark 16:8–20 ) verses are not included in all manuscripts.

So is it an error to include them or an error to exclude them? In these, and all other instances, I think that it is wise to include them. Here is why.

As a writer, I often revise my own work to improve it, such as adding something that I forgot or to correct imprecise wording. Sometimes this occurs after it its initial publication. It’s likely that biblical writers did the same.

As an editor I sometimes change a writer’s words to clarify what is unclear or confusing. Scribes who made copies of the Bible may have done the same, albeit with much more care and consideration.

So I’m not concerned with minor differences between the ancient manuscripts. The overall message remains unaltered and the additional text adds clarity and fullness.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Mark 8-10, and today’s post is on Mark 9:29.]

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Tags glory, Jesus, Lord’s Prayer, read the Bible

Bible Insights

What to Do When the Bible Doesn’t Make Sense

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date August 4, 2019

Discover How to Grapple with Difficult Passages in Scripture

When we read the Bible, it’s human nature to dwell on the parts we like and skim the parts that confuse us. We camp out at the many passages in the Bible that offer comfort.

And we skip the parts that confound us, the passages when the Bible doesn’t make sense.

Though this is our tendency—both yours and mine—this isn’t what we should do when we come across a passage that doesn’t make sense.

Our confusion should be a hint for us to slow down and try to understand these perplexing verses.

As an example, consider Mark 16:17-18. The passage lists five miraculous signs given to those who believe. Jesus says these traits will go with those who follow him. They will:

Cast out demons
Speak in new languages
Safely handle snakes
Be unharmed by drinking poison
Heal the sick

What do we do with this list?

Dismiss It

The theology of some is to dismiss it entirely. They think supernatural power died with the disciples.

Because they don’t want to deal with any of the items Mark mentions, they formulate a theology—with little biblical support—to write off the entire list.

Yet the same folks will still pray for sick people. Isn’t that asking for healing?

Justify Ignoring It

This part of the book of Mark contains a note that this passage doesn’t appear in all manuscripts.

Therefore, some people use this as a justification to ignore the last twelve verses of Mark, which also includes the great commission, to go into all the world and preach the good news.

But if we ignore the part of this passage that we don’t like because it isn’t in every manuscript, don’t we also have to ignore the part we like?

If the Bible doesn’t make sense, we can’t have it both ways, keeping the parts we like and ignoring the rest.

Skip It

As I mentioned, it’s human nature to skim or skip Bible passages that confuse us or don’t nicely fit in to our understanding of God and faith.

But when the Bible doesn’t make sense and a passage confronts our theology, we should do just the opposite.

We should slow down and strive to make sense of it.

Seek Holy Spirit Insight When the Bible Doesn’t Make Sense

The Bible often mentions three of these items on this list. It frequently talks about Jesus’s followers healing the sick and casting out demons. It also says we will speak in languages we don’t know.

Even if we don’t regularly see these three elements in our life, we would be foolish to let our experience trump what the Bible teaches.

When it comes to the drinking poison part, the Bible says when we drink poison, that is, if we drink poison. This suggests accidentally ingesting it, in which case we won’t face harm.

I’m okay with this. Safety from poison seems reasonable, and I can accept that in faith.

The difficult part for me is the part about safely handling snakes. Indeed a few groups include snake handling as part of their worship experience. That creeps me out. It seems unwise and wrongly putting God to a test (consider Luke 4:12).

Yet the Bible mentions snake handling as one of the five miraculous signs that will accompany those who believe in Jesus. Though I really want to cross out this phrase in my Bible and embrace the other four, I can’t.

The snakes reference seems misplaced.

But the Holy Spirit encourages me to seek other occurrences of snakes in the Bible and then meditate on them.

The Bible mentions snakes eleven times, as well as the singular form of snake twenty-five times and the related word serpent twenty-two times (in the NIV).

I’m reminded that:

Paul is protected from a snake bite (Acts 28:24-25).
Moses turns his staff into a snake (Exodus 4:4).
There is the bronze snake that allows sinners to live if they look at it (Numbers 21:9).
Jesus (Eve’s descendant) will crush the head of the serpent, Satan (Genesis 3:14-15).
Snake often equates to punishment or judgment (consider Matthew 23:33).
The serpent is Satan (Revelation 12:9 and Revelation 20:2).

Could this protection from snakes be figurative and not literal?

I don’t know.

I’m still trying to figure out how to best understand this passage about handling snakes. The Holy Spirit is still giving me insight.

What I do know is that just because I don’t understand this verse—yet—that doesn’t mean I should write it off.

Instead I’ll continue to consider this passage, under Holy Spirit guidance, until he reveals truth to me.

That’s how I read and study Scripture, even when the Bible doesn’t make sense.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Tags Adam and Eve, Jesus, Mark, read the Bible, supernatural

Christian Living

The Benefits of Group Bible Study

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date July 21, 2019
1 Comment on The Benefits of Group Bible Study

We Should Study God’s Word in Community and Expect Significant Outcomes

Have you ever been part of a group Bible study? Over the years I’ve experienced many, but they always felt lacking. I never stuck with them for the long-term, preferring to study the Bible with just me and the Holy Spirit.

It should be much more effective to study the Bible in a group environment, where everyone works together to understand the text, sharing insight with one another. But I always felt something was missing.

The reason is that these gatherings for group Bible study invariably treat examining God’s Word as the goal, and not a path to something better. They read the text, discuss it, and leave having a smug satisfaction that they’re better off for having done so.

Yet aside from intellectual discourse about the text, nothing else happens. Frankly, they usually forget any new insights as soon as they leave.

This isn’t to dismiss the benefits of community Bible study. It’s to urge us to adopt a grander expectation when we gather for community study. We must look beyond the cerebral gathering of knowledge, and seek spiritual benefits beyond that shallow endeavor.

Here are things that could and should result from group Bible study:

Reform our Behavior

Under the conviction of the Holy Spirit, the Bible can cause us to change how we act. If we allow it to, group Bible study can reform our behavior. It can evoke a change, a personal reformation—even a group reformation.

Provide Mutual Encouragement

As we seek to allow Bible passages and lessons to change our behavior, we can encourage one another. This is a huge benefit of studying the Bible in community. Yet too often the opportunity for encouragement isn’t part of the group Bible study practice. But it should be.

Praise God

Studying the word of God in a group setting provides the potential for us to worship God. Yes, some texts—especially some of the Psalms—overflow with praise. Most any text allows us to worship God, if only we’ll let it.

This can happen when we study the Bible in community, but in my experience it rarely does.

Promote Change

The purpose of reading the Bible isn’t the stuff information into our head. I suspect that most Christians already know more about the Bible than they’re applying to their life. Additional Bible study does nothing to change this.

We need to apply what we’ve already learned before we learn more. We need to put God’s word into practice.

This requires being intentional. And as we seek to apply the Word of God in our personal lives, we can encourage one another as we do—back to the second benefit.

Final Thoughts

See how these outcomes from group Bible study all connect with each other? But to realize these benefits, we can’t do group Bible study as we’ve always done it. We need a fresh approach.

We need to move beyond the intellectual discourse of the Bible and embrace the practical use of its words. Then we can take to heart Paul’s words to Timothy that the Bible teaches us, rebukes us, corrects us, and trains us in right living.

This is to equip us for service to God, (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Group Bible study can do this.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Tags Bible, community, read the Bible

Christian Living

How to Discern the Difference Between Biblical Commands and Biblical Narrative

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date June 9, 2019
3 Comments on How to Discern the Difference Between Biblical Commands and Biblical Narrative

We Must Distinguish Between Prescriptive Text and Descriptive Text

The Bible contains a lot of versus that tell us what to do and what not to do. These verses stand as commands from God. Bible scholars call these prescriptive texts, as they prescribe the behavior God expects from us.

However, many more verses in the Bible are narrative. They tell us what happened. Bible scholars call these descriptive texts. They describe what occurred, usually without godly commentary.

Prescriptive Texts

The Ten Commandments are prescriptive texts, as is much of the law of Moses. The Old Testament prophets often include instructions from God. These are also prescriptive texts.

Paul’s letters tell the people what to do, which are prescriptive. Jesus leaves much of his teaching for us to interpret, but he sometimes tells people what to do.

Look for passages that start with him saying, “but I tell you . . .” What follows are his instructions of what to do and not do.

Descriptive Texts

However, most of Jesus’s biographies (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) are narratives. They tell us what happened. They record Jesus’s words for us. And they document the people’s response to Jesus. They describe what happened.

These are descriptive texts. The Book of Acts is also like this. The Old Testament has many historical books that tell us what happened. Genesis, Joshua, and Judges stand out as descriptive texts.

The first and second books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles are also descriptive passages.

Distinguishing Between the Two

It’s critical that we make this distinction as we read the Bible. We want to follow and apply the prescriptive texts—especially those in the New Testament—doing what they say.

Sometimes they cover things we should do, and other times it’s things we shouldn’t do.

However, we would be in error to take a descriptive text and turn it into behavior to follow, a command to obey. For example, consider Nehemiah 13:25.

In this passage, Nehemiah is furious at the men for breaking God’s command to not marry foreign women.

His response to their disobedience shocks us. He beats some of them and pulls out their hair. Yes, God’s leader hits sinful men and yanks out their hair.

Keep in mind that the Bible merely describes his behavior. It doesn’t tell us to do the same thing for people who don’t follow God’s rules. Furthermore, we shouldn’t see this as God’s approval for corporal punishment.

It isn’t. It’s merely a passage that describes Nehemiah’s reaction to the disobedience of others.

Where the Lines Blur

However, there’s a slight twist to this distinction between prescriptive and descriptive texts. Consider the short account of Jabez and his prayer. The Bible records Jabez’s prayer for us, but it doesn’t tell us to pray it.

Yet, the Bible notes that God grants the requests Jabez made (1 Chronicles 4:9-10). This confirms God’s approval of Jabez’s words. Though this falls short of a command to obey, it does emerge as an example we can follow.

Yet when God adds his commentary to the behavior of biblical characters, we can take his approval of their actions as worthy of emulation and his disapproval, as conduct to avoid.

When Reading the Bible

When we read the Bible, we’ll do well to follow the prescriptive texts, appropriately applying them to our culture and lives today. Similarly, we should read the descriptive texts as narrative and not turn them into examples to follow.

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Tags obey God, Prayer of Jabez, read the Bible

Christian Living

The Bible is the Big Book of Questions

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date April 21, 2019

Questions Arise as We Study the Bible and That’s Okay

In the post Is It Okay to Question God? I share stories of Job, Abraham, Moses, David, Mary, and Jesus. They all question God. Seriously, they do. But God doesn’t punish them for questioning him and his sovereignty. He listens. He’s patient.

Asking Questions Is Good

I suspect God appreciates their questions. It shows that they’re engaged with him. They have confidence to approach him. They have a relationship that allows for thoughtful questions.

I suspect God appreciates our questions too. It shows that we’re engaged with him. We have confidence to approach him. We have a relationship that allows for thoughtful questions. Our questions honor God and reveal our faith.

Not Asking Questions Is Harmful

In some groups, as well as some churches, people learn that they shouldn’t ask questions. Those who do, find out the hard way that there are consequences if they question authority or what they’re taught.

As a result, they end up blindly following whatever their leader says, whether good or bad. (This is a characteristic of a cult.)

And those who persist in asking questions face having the group ostracize or expel them, sometimes even kill them.

Not being able to question faith-related items will fester inside us until our faith collapses. Just as asking questions draws us to God, not asking questions pushes us away.

The Book of Questions

As we read the Bible and study it, questions arise. Some people push these aside without giving them another thought. Others are afraid to give voice to their questions for fear it reveals a lack of faith.

What if our questions show a deficit of understanding? Yet others don’t fear these questions. Instead, they embrace questions as part of their faith journey.

Asking questions about what the Bible says proves we’re engaging with its words. And by having the courage to ask these questions, it reveals our relationship with God.

We don’t fear him, afraid to question his Word. We love him, confident to ask questions about the Bible.

Asking questions proves we’re in relationship with God. Just as a student with a trusted teacher, we’re encouraged to think deeply and ask tough questions. This is because when we ask questions, we grow. We grow in our understanding of the Bible.

We grow in our faith. And we grow in our relationship with God.

Asking questions helps us grow closer to God. Isn’t this what he wants?

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Tags Afraid of God, connect with God, fear God, read the Bible

Christian Living

Do Christians Need to Read the Old Testament of the Bible?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date April 14, 2019

Since the New Testament Focuses on Jesus Isn’t It All We Need?

We read the Bible because it reveals God to us. It is the foundation of our faith. But do we need to read all scripture, the whole Bible?

The New Testament Is Enough

As Jesus wraps up a lengthy sermon, the one we call the Sermon on the Mount, he gives us a one liner that we recognize as the Golden Rule. He tells us to treat others the way we want them to treat us. Then he adds a curious addendum.

He says this one instruction summarizes the whole Law and all that the prophets wrote (Matthew 7:12). These writings—the Law of Moses and the prophets—encompass what we call the Old Testament of the Bible.

If treating others right, the way we want them to treat us, distills everything in the Old Testament, there seems no point in reading it. Right?

In fact, the New Testament provides all the essential information we need to follow Jesus and be made right with Papa. This informs our present physical life and anticipates our future spiritual life with God in heaven.

The New Testament is enough. Or is it?

The Old Testament Magnifies the New Testament

Yet early in the same sermon, Jesus says he didn’t come to abolish (that is, do away with) the Old Testament—the Law and the prophets—but to fulfill them (Matthew 5:17).

If Jesus isn’t tossing out the Old Testament but is instead building upon those writings, aren’t they also foundational to our faith and understanding of God?

Yes.

Though we can view the New Testament as containing all the essential faith information we need, understanding the Old Testament adds meaning; it deepens our understanding of the symbolism, power, and purpose of the New Testament.

For example, how can we fully appreciate Jesus’s sacrifice and dying for our sins, without knowing the backstory in the Old Testament?

We can’t.

That’s why we need the Old Testament. Though the New Testament may be enough, the Old Testament amplifies it.

All Scripture Is Useful

Consider what Paul writes to his protégé Timothy. Paul says, all scripture is useful to inform us in our faith and life (2 Timothy 3:16). He doesn’t say the New Testament is useful, which, by the way, didn’t exist when Paul wrote to Timothy.

From Paul’s perspective, he refers to all the scripture that existed at that time.

This includes what we now call the Old Testament and the Apocrypha. (The Apocrypha was part of the Septuagint, the Bible Jesus and Paul quoted from. The Apocrypha was also part of the original King James Bible.)

From our understanding today, when we read Paul’s words that all scripture is useful, we conveniently include the New Testament in this. It’s not wrong to do so, but it is an expansion of what Paul wrote nearly 2,000 years ago.

Which Is It?

As we study the Bible today, we will do well to study all of it.

Yes, the New Testament is more applicable. Yet the writings of the Old Testament—all them—carry meaningful significance.

Therefore, we should keep in mind to not focus so much on the New Testament that we ignore the Old.

As Paul wrote, all scripture comes from God. It is the Word of God, God breathed. It is useful to us in our daily life. It teaches us, rebukes us, and corrects us. It trains us in how to live right. It prepares us to do good (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

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Tags Bible, Paul, read the Bible

Bible Insights

Don’t Make New Year’s Resolutions You Won’t Keep

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date December 30, 2018
3 Comments on Don’t Make New Year’s Resolutions You Won’t Keep

Instead of Resolutions, Form Habits You Can Sustain

Do you normally make New Year’s resolutions? How’s that work for you? When I used to do that, things never turned out so well.

I might make it a couple weeks, rarely more than a month, and a few times my resolutions were no more than good intentions.

Don’t Make New Year’s Resolutions

That’s why I stopped making New Year’s resolutions. Though I set annual goals for myself, my writing, and my business, I avoid New Year’s resolutions. In their place I work to form habits. Here’s why.

A New Year’s resolution is something that implicitly takes a year to realize. That’s a big chunk of time, 365 days. This represents a huge commitment that’s overwhelming when we look at it from day one.

Strive to Form Habits

Instead, when we seek to form habits, it’s a day-to-day situation. All we need to worry about is doing this one thing today. I can do that. You can do that. We can all do that.

Then tomorrow, we seek to do it again. It’s another one-day commitment. This isn’t hard, and we can do that too. Now we have a streak going. We’ve done this one task for two days in a row. Can we make it three?

Yes, we can. All it takes to make a three-day streak is to do this one task one more day. No big deal. Then, day by day, our streak lengthens. A few days becomes a week.

We don’t want to break our streak, so we continue. A couple weeks becomes a month. By then we’ve formed a habit.

Before we know it, we have a long streak going. When we hit 365 days, we’ve gone for a whole year. But because it’s a habit, we don’t even give it much thought. After a while, we just do it.

Once we form habits, they’re easy to keep—much easier than a New Year’s resolution.

Make Reading the Bible a Habit

I’m talking about New Year’s resolutions because it’s that time of year when our thoughts turn to such things. For people who follow Jesus, our New Year’s resolution may be to read through the Bible during the year.

Frankly, that’s a foreboding task. The Bible is a long book, and some of it—to be honest—isn’t that interesting. Yet it’s important, and we know we should read it.

That’s why we make a New Year’s resolution, but most of us fall away from it after a few days or a couple weeks.

Instead, strive to form a habit of reading the Bible each day. Start one day. It’s easy to do. Then do it a second day. Then, each day work to keep the streak going. Before long we’ve turned daily Bible reading into a habit.

To help guide us in this, there are several daily Bible reading plans on ABibleADay.com. There’s a New Testament plan, an Old Testament plan, and a plan to read the entire Bible in one year.

If this is too much for you to fathom, then consider a monthly Bible reading plan, which you can start any time of the year.

And to encourage you in this, our posts for each Tuesday will follow along in our plan to read the entire Bible this year. Hopefully, this will encourage you as you work to form a Bible-reading habit.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Tags read the Bible