Bible Reading Plans in 2011

"Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." (Psalm 119:105)

To walk with God in 2011, we need to be in His Word daily. Here are some resources for Bible reading plans:

YouVersion (not crazy about the name) is a great Bible app that syncs across the computer to your mobile device so you can read the Word at your desk or on your phone. Lots of reading plans to choose from (free). http://blog.youversion.com/how-to-pick-your-reading-plan/

Another helpful, related resource from Dr. Don Whitney: Bible reading record for 2011. Use personally, as class handout, for church resource table, or bulletin insert.

M'Cheyne's Calendar (formatted for bulletin insert)

There are certainly many other Bible reading resources and many ways to read the Bible... going through the books in order, reading selections for each testament, reading one book at a time in any order, using a One Year Bible (with selections portioned out for each day), combining reading it with listening to a recording of it being read, etc. But the most important thing is to actually READ God's Word. However we do it, let us resolve with the help of God to pay even more attention to His Word this year than last and feast upon it in 2011.

Some Thoughts on the Immediate Context of Deuteronomy 6:4-9

a few reflections on this passage... how I need these reminders from God's Word constantly!

4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: 5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. 9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9, KJV)

This passage instructed Israel
-to pay close attention to the truth that Jehovah (YHWH) is One (4).
-that they were to love Him with all that was within them (5).
-that they were to have these words in their hearts (6).
-that they were to diligently teach them to their children, with regular conversations and reminders (7-9).

The surrounding verses in the chapter reveal that
-these commands were given that they might obey them when they went to possess the land (1)
-they may fear God and keep His commands - they and their children and grandchildren
- and have their days prolonged (2-3)
- they could easily forget God their Savior amidst all His blessings if they did not do what is instructed in 6:4-9 (10-13)
- they could easily become idolaters if they do not do what is instructed in 6:4-9 (14)
- they could incur the wrath of God if they do not do what is instructed in 6:4-9 (15)
- their diligent observance of God's commands would result in it being well with them, in possessing the land He gave, and in the overthrow of their enemies, as God had spoken (17-19)
- their diligent observance of these commands would naturally lead to opportunities to testify of God's glory to future generations (20-23)
- for their good, their preservation, and their righteousness (24-25)

The relevance for us is that
- just as Israel failed to heed these commands, did fall back into idolatry and was eventually banished from the land for their disobedience, we too have failed.
- none of us has loved God completely - with our whole heart, mind, soul, and might; we have not treasured His Word as we ought
- Jesus, God the Son, who humbled Himself to become a man, taught and obeyed these things perfectly. He always pleased the Father, and took the punishment for sinners on the cross, so that we might have His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21)
- just as Israel received these instructions upon being delivered from bondage in Egypt, Christians receive God's instructions on how to live after experiencing His salvation; keeping commands does not reconcile one to God - repenting of sin and trusting in Christ alone for salvation does that - yet, He lets His children know how they need to live to please Him
- keeping God's commands flows out of our love for Him, as a response to His character and works. Truly keeping God's commands cannot be done merely as a duty, and certainly not as a scheme to merit His blessings.
- the command to teach our children has not been rescinded (Ephesians 6:4). Fathers particularly bear the responsibility to be sure that their children are taught and trained up in the Word of God.
- the instruction of our children should include frequent conversations at all times of day and phases of life. (Regular family worship should be an important part of this too.)
- like Israel, we too are prone to forget God and lapse into worshiping things other than Him (1 Corinthians 10:1-14).
- the only way for Christians to truly advance in sanctification and achieve any measure of victory over sin is to keep our focus on loving God supremely and diligently obeying and teaching His commands with the help of His indwelling Spirit.

Sola Scriptura and Service Planning

(The following article is part of the Third Annual Reformation Day Symposium, hosted by Tim Challies. Go to www.challies.com today to check out more articles related to Reformation Day!)

“Devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture” – 1 Timothy 4:13 (ESV)

Sola Scriptura, or the Scriptures alone, is an indispensable belief for the Protestant Reformation and true Christianity. The doctrine of justification by faith alone, taught in the Scriptures (especially the book of Romans), was recovered from a rampant neglect and the contradictions of the Roman Catholic Church. The 16th century Reformers believed in sola fide (salvation only through faith in Christ) because they believed in sola Scriptura. It was through their study of the Scriptures that men like Martin Luther and John Calvin came to reject the false teaching of the Roman Church that salvation was by faith in Christ plus works. The Bible teaches faith alone, so we must believe and teach it as well, pointing sinners to trust in Christ.

So why is it that many who would claim to be heirs of the Reformation, or who would at least call themselves “Bible-believers” have so little of the Bible in their public worship services? The sad observation has been made that, in many instances, a Roman Catholic church service will have far more Scripture read than most “Bible-believing” churches. The tragedy is that the group that repudiates Bible-centeredness is sometimes better at demonstrating the importance of hearing God’s Word than churches who explicitly claim that it is central to them, and that it is their only standard for faith and practice.

Whatever our denomination (or “non-denomination”), if we believe the Bible, we need to intentionally integrate Scripture into the public gathering of God’s people. Most Bible-believing churches will have Scripture read in the sermon or just before it, at the least. But many churches will have no more Scripture than that. There are multiple ways to use Scripture in the service, including as transitions to hymns. But one of the best ways of showing the centrality of God’s written revelation is by the regular, systematic, public reading of God’s Word.

There are many ways that one could incorporate public Scripture readings. I would like to mention two strategies, both of which I have seen. I will start with my home church’s strategy. The service begins with a Psalm (which usually has a common thread with the sermon text). Later we have an Old Testament reading (currently going consecutively through the post-exilic prophets). There is also a New Testament reading, which is either a parallel passage or has a similar theme. Finally, there is the text for the sermon.

Another church uses the following approach. They have two services, one in the morning and one immediately after a fellowship lunch. In the morning service, they are reading consecutively through the books of the Law and the Gospels. In the afternoon, they are reading consecutively from the Old Testament Prophets and the Epistles. Each Scripture reading includes a brief “sermonette” that explains and applies the text with a few points, so that God’s people are hearing God’s Word read and expounded four times in addition to the two Lord’s Day expository sermons (which are around 40-50 minutes each)!

In both these instances, God’s people are hearing God’s Word, week to week in a consistent, intentional, systematic manner.

If your church is accustomed only to the reading of the text of Scripture, it might not be the wisest approach to jump to three or four Scripture readings. It might be best to teach on the importance of Scripture and our intake of it as a foundation to incorporate more Scripture in the worship service. Perhaps some congregations would be receptive to a large change, but others might be better served by a gradual introduction of one additional Scripture reading at a time. The length of passages is another important factor to consider. It would likely discourage many people if you decided to implement a change in the service by reading the whole of Psalm 119 (176 verses) next week, whereas the fourteen verses of Psalm 19 might be a different story.

Of course, there is no Biblical command of exactly how many different readings there should be or how long they should be. But the thing to keep in view is that people need God’s Word to live and to grow.

To that end, consider not only the introduction of more Scripture into the worship service, but consider the preparation for those Scripture readings. The selection of the passages themselves may be difficult work, at least initially. The brief expositions will take a bit of study. If you take this approach, these expositions should be done by the pastor or another man recognized by the church as having the gift of teaching. They need to be well-prepared and probably brief. Scripture readings themselves could be done by faithful church members or the pastor.

In all instances, it is helpful for the reader to have the passage in advance to read it, pray through it, and practice vocalizing the passage. The reader should take great pains to ensure that the reading is not flat and dull. We should take great care not to bore people with God’s Word, but to read it with proper inflection, emphasis, and emotion.

However pastors apply the command “devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture,” may we find more and more churches where God’s sheep are hearing God’s voice and becoming better followers of him as a result. Sola Scriptura was essential to the Protestant Reformation, and the people of God need regular exposure to God’s Word to continue to reform according to the Scriptures and be changed more and more to reflect the character of the Christ who saves.

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More Resources to Celebrate Reformation Day!

· A Review of Reformation Resources(Books, Music, Websites (including links to Reformation Day Celebration resources, such as a free activity/coloring sheet), Movies)

· Prayer, Meditation, and Trials in Psalm 119: Luther's Instructions for Studying Theology as a Biblical Hermeneutical Method (by Dr. Rob Plummer of SBTS, published here with permission)

o Part 1: Introduction

o Part 2: Luther's Basis for His Prescription

o Part 3: Prayer

o Part 4: Meditation

o Part 5: Trials

o Part 6: Conclusion

· Book Review: The Expository Genius of John Calvin by Steve Lawson

· "The Call to Witness" – a sermon by Calvin on evangelism, election, and suffering for the Gospel

"The Danger of Getting Bored with the Gospel" (my contribution to last year's Reformation Day Symposium)

Understanding Scripture in Light of Christ

The Spring 2008 issue of The Tie is now online. Download the free .pdf here. Read Dr. Jim Hamilton's article on the Interpretation of the OT in the NT here. Very helpful material.

Recommendation: The Big Picture Story Bible

David Helm, The Big Picture Story Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2004). Illustrated by Gail Schoonmaker.

reviewed by Doug Smith

Many of us have read children’s Bible stories that focus on individual stories in the Bible in a disconnected and disjointed way. However, not all such resources approach the Bible in that way! Having just read The Big Picture Story Bible to our family over the last several weeks (thanks to being a winner in a contest Tony Kummer hosted), I can heartily recommend it to you as one that helps you see the forest of the Bible, not just individual trees. Comprised of 26 chapters (11 cover the Old Testament, 15 cover the New), the 456 pages of this hardcover book go by fast. One can easily read one or two chapters in a brief time of family devotions. Although the book is written simply, it is substantive and edifying for adults as well as children.

The chief strength of the book is that it is a mini-biblical theology. Graeme Goldsworthy (Gospel and Kingdom; According to Plan) has contended that the Bible is all about the Kingdom of God, which he defines as God’s people in God’s place under God’s rule. David Helm acknowledges Goldsworthy’s influence and does an excellent job showing the unfolding of this theme throughout the Bible. It is exciting to see the story unfold. You learn that neither David nor Solomon is God’s perfect King, and continually wait for Him until you are presented with Jesus Christ, who is the centerpiece of Scripture and fulfills all the promises about the Kingdom of God. The book makes the Gospel and its implications plain (something that many story Bibles overlook!). It helps us see God's sovereignty and holiness, our sin, and the Savior who suffered in the place of those who believe in Him, that He might make them into God's people, in God's place, under God's rule.

Because of the “big picture” perspective, many favorite Bible stories are overlooked. You won’t find anything about King Saul or the feeding of the 5,000. But The Big Picture Story Bible is not meant to be exhaustive – it is meant to be an overview. As a resource that helps us see “the forest,” it must be selective, especially if it is to be of a suitable length to fulfill its purpose. The bird’s eye view of the book gives readers/listeners a good foundation to see the individual stories within the context of the whole Bible. It’s a great place for children to start and was quite profitable for this adult to read as well!

The only caution I would give about the book regards the illustrations. My children (all under 4) love the colorful cartoonish pictures. But some potential readers may have a problem with any pictures of Jesus and whether this violates the second commandment. I’m not necessarily convinced that this is always true (I believe it can be), and it is certainly not an issue to dismiss lightly. So, if this is a matter of conviction for you, be advised that there are pictorial representations of Jesus in the book.

The Big Picture Story Bible is a great resource to have for your child’s bookshelf as well as for family devotions. It would also be great for young children in a Sunday school, pre-school or Christian school context. Its short chapters make it easy to finish in a month. Its substance makes it easy to want to read it again and again. I hope to read it at least two or three times a year to my family to make sure we don’t miss the forest for the trees when learning the small units of the Bible. It reminds us that the whole Bible is about God's Kingdom, being His people, in His place, under His rule, which is only possible through what our Lord Jesus Christ has done by His perfect life, death, and resurrection for all who trust Him.

Learn more and check it out:

• Description
• Table of Contents
• Excerpt: Part 1: The Very Good Beginning - 4,538K PDF
• Excerpt: Part 23: God's Promise Is Explained - 2,804K PDF

Introduction to Hermeneutics, Part 3 of 4: Tools

The following material is adapted from what I am teaching in the Cumberland Area Pulpit Supply ministry.

 

STUDY TOOLS FOR HERMENEUTICS

(I have placed in boldface type the volumes I consider most helpful)

 

I.                    Bibles

a.        Translations (at least one of types 1 & 2 are good to own for comparison)

                                                               i.      Formal equivalence ("literal") – NASB, NKJV, KJV, ESV, HCSB, AMP

                                                              ii.      Dynamic equivalence – NIV, NLT, NRSV, TNIV, NAB

                                                            iii.      Free (paraphrase) – JB, GNB/TEV, NEB, Phillips, Living, The Message

b.       Interlinear

                                                              i.      Jay Green (Hebrew/Greek/English with Strong's #'s)

                                                              ii.      George Ricker Berry (Greek/KJV interlinear)

c.        Study Bibles (Good ones incorporate things from these other tools)

                                                              i.      MacArthur (available in NASB, NKJV) – very comprehensive notes

                                                              ii.      Literary (ESV) – great for understanding genre and the place of a book in the big picture of the Bible – does not spoon feed you interpretations (in-text notes are very limited)

                                                            iii.      Reformation (available in ESV, older editions in NKJV)

                                                            iv.      NIV Study Bible OR Zondervan KJV Study Bible (same notes)

d.       Audio Bible – good for learning pronunciation of Bible names

 

Dictionaries typically give the range of meaning of a word, and concordances are useful in finding the precise meaning in a given usage.  Remember that words do not mean all of their possible definitions in every usage!

 

II.                  Dictionaries

a.        English dictionary can be useful, but use with care

b.       Lexicons

                                                               i.      Brown, Driver, Briggs (Hebrew)

                                                              ii.      Thayer; Bauer, Arndt, and Gingrich (Greek)

c.       Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary

d.       Vine's Expository Dictionary of OT & NT Words (Mounce also has one)

 

III.               Concordances (all Bible computer programs will have this capability built in)

a.        English Bible Concordance

                                                               i.      Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (many things are keyed to this)

                                                            ii.      Young's Analytical Concordance

                                                            iii.      Concordance specific to the translation you prefer

b.       Hebrew/Greek Concordance

                                                              i.      Englishman's Hebrew-English Concordance (by Wigram)

                                                            ii.      Englishman's Greek-English Concordance (by Wigram)

 

IV.               Books on literary elements of the Bible

a.        Gordon Fee/Douglas Stuart, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth

b.      Ryken, How to Read the Bible As Literature … and Get More Out of It

c.         Robert H. Stein, A Basic Guide to Interpreting the Bible

d.       E. W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech Used in the Bible

 

V.                  Other Bible references

a.       Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

b.       Bible Charts (Charts on OT & NT published by Zondervan)

c.        Bible Handbooks (such as Ryken's)

d.       Bible Encyclopedias, such as the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

e.        Manners & Customs book

f.        Bible Atlas, such as Oxford Bible Atlas

g.       Bible Surveys/Intros

                                                              i.      OT:  Walton/Hill

                                                            ii.      NT:  Carson/Moo; Machen; Elwell/Yarborough

h.       Theological Wordbooks

[After having studied a passage, it is helpful to compare your conclusions with theologies and commentaries.]

VI.               Theologies

a.        Biblical

                                                               i.      Vaughan Roberts, God's Big Picture: Tracing the Storyline of the Bible

                                                              ii.      Graeme Goldsworthy, According to Plan and The Goldsworthy Trilogy

                                                            iii.      Geerhardus Vos, Biblical Theology

b.       Systematic

                                                               i.      Daniel Akin, ed.  A Theology for the Church

                                                              ii.      James P. Boyce, Abstract of Systematic Theology

                                                            iii.      John L. Dagg, Manual of Theology (very pastoral and edifying)

                                                            iv.      Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology (Great application and even hymns to sing in response to the glorious truths considered)

 

VII.             Commentaries (many available on CD-ROM now and often cheaper)

a.        Types of commentaries

                                                               i.      Classic – John Calvin, Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole, John Gill

                                                              ii.      Modern – John MacArthur, Kent Hughes, Philip Ryken, etc.

                                                            iii.      Whole Bible commentaries

                                                            iv.      Individual books

                                                             v.      Sets

1.       Warren Wiersbe is good as a model of communication

2.       Expositor's Bible Commentary

3.       Hendrickson/Kistemaker's NT Commentary

b.       Resources that evaluate/recommend commentaries

                                                               i.      C. H. Spurgeon, Commenting and Commentaries (reviews older commentaries)

                                                              ii.      D. A. Carson, NT Commentary Survey*

                                                            iii.      Tremper Longman, OT Commentary Survey*

                                                            iv.      www.TheoSource.com (compiles reputable lists of recommendations)

                                                             v.      MacArthur's Recovering Expository Preaching lists recommended books

                                                            vi.      Fee/Stuart, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth*

                                                          vii.      Stuart Custer, Tools for Teaching and Preaching the Bible

                                                         viii.      Rosscup, Commentaries for Biblical Expositors

 

* Use w/caution as some critical scholars are mentioned without warning;

 furthermore, it is best to borrow or browse commentaries before buying or read reviews first if you can.

 

VIII.          Electronic Resources

a.        E-sword.net (includes many resources mentioned above – and it's FREE)

b.       TheoSource.com (recommended booklists, including commentaries, book reviews)

c.        Monergism.com, Crosswalk.com, BibleGateway.com give access to helpful Bible study tools, commentaries, and other resources.

d.       Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology <http://bible.crosswalk.com/Dictionaries/BakersEvangelicalDictionary>

e.        Online book purchases:  www.addall.com, scripturetruth.com, wtsbooks.com, christianbook.com, cvbbs.com, half.com, and amazon.com are good places to look.

 

DISCLAIMER:  Mention of a resource does not constitute a full endorsement of the contents of the book/website or all the teachings of the author(s) by Bancroft Gospel Ministry, the Cumberland Area Pulpit Supply, or the CAPS director or instructors.

 

 

Previous posts:

PART 1 - Why We Should Learn How to Study the Bible

PART 2 - Prerequisites for Bible Study

 

Upcoming posts:

PART 4 - Approaches to Bible Study

Introduction to Hermeneutics, Part 2 of 4: Prerequisites

The following material is adapted from what I am teaching in the Cumberland Area Pulpit Supply ministry.

 

PREREQUISITES FOR BIBLE STUDY

Conversion

 

First, to truly understand the Bible, we must be regenerated by the Spirit of God.  We must be born again.  Our faith must be in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  The unconverted man – even if he is an accomplished scholar – is at a great disadvantage when it comes to studying the Bible (2 Cor. 2:11-16, especially v. 14).  We need God's Spirit to open our understanding (2 Cor. 3:16, 4:4) as well as our hearts.  Do you know that you have passed from death to life and are a new creature in Christ Jesus?  Apart from knowing the Author, you will never truly understand His Book.

 

Illumination

 

As believers, we continually need God's Spirit to renew our minds (Rom. 12:2) and transform us more into the likeness of Christ (2 Cor. 3:18).  He even sanctifies our hermeneutics!  Psalm 119 is a 22-stanza song about God's Word and the Psalmist's love for it.  (One professor used to have his students memorize this Psalm prior to their theological training – this is not a bad idea!)  Notice the repeated cries for help in understanding.  This is a believer who needs the operations of God's Spirit in order to truly profit from the Scriptures.  Martin Luther studied this Psalm and found a threefold method for studying theology:  prayer, meditation, and trials.  It is through our calling out to Him for help, thinking long and deeply upon the Scriptures, and experiencing their power in our lives, that we truly come to understand them.  Do you pray as you seek to understand God's Word?  Do you seek to think upon it deeply, mining its riches?  Do you experience its power in your trials?

 

B. B. Warfield, in his essay, "The Religious Life of Theological Students," expressed the inappropriateness of separating our prayer lives and Bible study, and encourages us to combine them:

 

Sometimes we hear it said that ten minutes on your knees will give you a truer, deeper, more operative knowledge of God than ten hours over your books.  "What!" is the appropriate response, "than ten hours over your books, on your knees?"

 

Obedience

 

Unless we have application as the goal of our Bible study, we will fail in our efforts, despite any knowledge we gain.  God did not give the Bible simply for us to stock the shelves of our minds with information.  He gave it to change us more and more into the image of His dear Son (2 Cor. 3:18) – the purpose for which He saved us (Rom. 8:29).  We must certainly seek to understand the context and culture in which the various Scriptures were written, but doing so to be a means of faithfully applying it to ourselves so that we may live in obedience to the Word of God.  You are accountable for what you learn (and for what you have the opportunity to learn) and what you do with that learning.  Do you study the Bible simply to impress others with your vast knowledge – or do you learn it so that you may please God with how you live before Him and others?

 

Consider this warning from John Frame's article, "Studying Theology as a Servant of Jesus":

 

Your very immersion in the Word of God can be a blessing, or it can be a curse.  If you hear the Word in unbelief or indifference, and respond to it that way over and over again over several years, you will be much worse off spiritually as a result.

 

 

Previous posts:

PART 1 - Why We Should Learn How to Study the Bible

 

Upcoming posts:

PART 3 - Tools for Bible Study

PART 4 - Approaches to Bible Study