Have you ever heard someone quote a Bible verse and wondered whether that was really what the passage meant? Sometimes a familiar verse takes on a surprisingly different meaning when we read the paragraphs surrounding it. Reading Scripture in context is one of the simplest ways to grow in biblical understanding. It means allowing the…
Most of life teaches us that we receive something because we earned it. We work for a paycheck. We study for a grade. We demonstrate ability before receiving responsibility. Then we come to the gospel and encounter a completely different word: grace. Grace means that God gives us what we could never earn. He comes…
For Christians, reading the Old Testament is not an excursion into a disconnected religious past. Genesis through Malachi introduces the story, hopes, failures, promises, images, and questions that prepare us to understand Jesus. Learning to read those books well can deepen the way we read the entire Bible. The Christian Bible Does Not Begin With…
When you encounter a Bible passage you do not understand, don’t assume you are failing at Bible study. Slow down. Read the surrounding passage, consider what kind of writing you are reading, pray for wisdom, and allow other parts of Scripture to help you. Sometimes understanding comes quickly. Sometimes it develops as we continue walking…