While teaching at a Christian school in Maryland about fifteen years ago, Jennifer began asking me questions about the Bible. She was a public school student with a hunger for the Word. Each Wednesday she had a list, often lengthy, of questions from her Bible reading. Her questions were often extremely insightful, and I reveled in explaining Scriptural truths to this eager disciple. After about a year, I recognized a change in her questioning. Rather than asking “What does this mean?” or “How does this verse fit with that truth?” she began asking, “I think this means…, what do you think?” What a delight to see her grow in her ability to handle God’s Word. Don’t you wish every Christian had the same ability to understand the Bible? God gifts some with knowledge and understanding, but most of us learn through hard work and helpful guidance.
Dig Deeper: Tools for Understanding God’s Word provides an invaluable toolkit for a lifetime of fascinated Bible study. Nigel Beynon and Andrew Sach led multiple Bible studies in the UK. They have written Dig Deeper “to help you to understand the Bible correctly. … We want to help you to dig deeper to find hidden riches in the Bible. … Most of all, we want to help you to do all this for yourself.” (emphasis theirs) They have accomplished their goal wonderfully well.
The authors explain sixteen tools to make Bible study effective. Each chapter explains a different tool, providing helpful examples and projects as well. The chapters are brief, typically just six to ten pages,, yet the explanations are extremely well thought out. It is obvious that Beynon and Sach have taught through this material many times. Equally clear is their passion and excitement.
Yet we need continually to express our dependence on God for a right understanding of him and his ways. He is the one who grants insight (2 Tim 2.7; Phil. 3.15). And so we must pray. Pray before you open the Bible. Pray when you get stuck and don’t understand. Pray again when you do understand it–say thank you! Pray, pray, pray!
Nothing is new in Dig Deeper. The tools they teach ought to be well used, but are often neglected. Their concise explanations and guided studies make it much easier to begin personal Bible study. The authors also explain the purpose for the tools: that Christians may understand what God means and that they would not read into the Bible their own meaning. This book clearly and unequivocally states that God “is the supreme Lord and King of the universe. He is the One in charge. Given that, it should be obvious that what he says goes.”
The book is aimed at the average Christian, and it is an excellent introduction to hermeneutics. Adults would benefit from studying this book, and it is written on a level that teens also could work their way through. It would be an excellent book for a group Bible study or a high school Bible class or a new believers group.
So what about Jennifer? God’s word has continued to do its sanctifying work in her life. She is a godly wife and teacher and church member in Korea. Many other students of mine are living similar, God-graced lives because of their study of and submission to the Scriptures. Dig Deeper will be a valued resource in nurturing the Christian growth of many more young believers in the years to come.
This notification is required by an agency of our federal govmint: “A complimentary review copy of this book was provided by the publisher, Crossway Books.”
Wonderful!