As we come now to the New Testament letters (Romans–Jude), we are stepping into familiar territory for most Christians. These letters are theologically rich, and we often find them speaking directly into our lives. But there are some important aspects of these letters that we need to consider as...
As we come to the Gospels and the book of Acts, many of the things we said about reading narrative passages will apply. These five books make very compelling reading—fascinating stories, deep theological implications, and some crucial history for the Christian faith.
As we read these books, we’ll notice that...
The prophetic books of the Old Testament can be tricky. But these are important books, so it’s important that we understand how to read them well.
Old Testament prophecy is not what we tend to think it is. Duvall & Hays summarize some surprising facts about the Old Testament prophetic...
In talking about “Wisdom Literature,” I’m referring to Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon. These books focus less on giving us direct commands and instead give us wise sayings to live by. Wisdom Literature pushes us to reflect, and in doing so it forms our character.
Each of...
Who doesn’t love the Psalms? These poem-songs have been treasured throughout church history. Yet we often have trouble with the imagery and figures of speech that make poetry what it is.
God loves poetry. Over a third of the Bible is recorded in poetic form. Essentially, poetry is a highly...
The Old Testament Law can be a very difficult section of Scripture for modern readers. For one thing, it’s tedious (a less friendly word would be boring). Commands are often listed one after another for chapters at a time. And seriously, how long can you stay focused when reading...
With this series of blog posts, I want to help you better understand the way in which the Bible was written so that you can get more out of your Bible reading. Specifically, I will be exploring the different literary genres in which the Bible was written.
Perhaps that sounds...
As a Greek prof, I have fun “cold busting” my students reading contraband Bibles: namely, English translations. Some give me the old lame excuse: “But I was reading the Old Testament.” On cue, I launch into my lecture about how reading the Greek Old Testament is just as valuable...
Last night, the Bible study group my wife and I are privileged to be a part of took a sinister turn. We were discussing the benefits of reading the Bible, and we examined a familiar passage:
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword,...
Genealogies are lame. Admit it. Only Bible college students pretend they’re interesting. And yet the Bible is full of them. For those readers who are unfamiliar with the term “genealogy,” these are the long lists of names that you skip through as you’re reading different sections of your Bible....