Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 01154 The wisdom books of the Old Testament — Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes — sit at an oblique angle to the great redemptive events of Scripture. There is no exodus here, no covenant ceremony, no prophetic oracle pointing to the coming Servant. These books engage the texture of human existence in a world where…
Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 01157 The relationship between scholarly consensus and the plain reading of a biblical text is not a straightforward hierarchy in either direction. Neither blanket deference to scholarship nor reflexive dismissal of it serves the text well. When the two appear to conflict, the question of how to weigh them requires more careful reasoning than…
Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 0040 The short answer is: you can’t. And this isn’t a criticism—it’s simply the reality of how human beings engage with any text, including Scripture. Everyone Has Theology The moment you open your Bible and read, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1), you bring theology with you. What…
Reading Time: 6 minutesQuestion 1138 This phrase comes from 2 Timothy 2:15, one of the most important verses for understanding how to handle Scripture properly. Paul writes: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” The ESV translates the key…
Reading Time: 8 minutesQuestion 1140 For as long as I can remember, Isaiah 64:6 has been the go-to text in evangelistic preaching for showing that even our best efforts before salvation are worthless to God. “All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags,” we’d quote, and from there explain that human morality, charity, and religious works cannot save us…
Reading Time: 5 minutesQuestion 0024 The Bereans have become something of a byword in Christian circles for careful biblical discernment, and rightly so. Whenever someone encourages us to check teaching against Scripture, the Bereans get mentioned. But what exactly were they doing, and why did Luke consider it worthy of such commendation? The passage in question reads: “Now…