Knowable Word: Helping Ordinary People Learn to Study the Bible

by Peter Krol

People with Bibles don’t always know how to use them. They may be good at absorbing and repeating material from sermons, commentaries, and blogs, but they miss the fullness and joy that comes from studying the Bible for themselves. The power to change the world is available, but it goes untapped.

Though study aids are helpful, imagine if your primary ministry curriculum was Scripture itself. You could study the Bible, teach people how to study it themselves, and expect those folks to lead their own Bible studies with their neighbors, coworkers, and friends. Each year, you’d see an increasing number of men and women wield the sword of the Spirit, piercing hearts and drawing the lost to Jesus.

Ordinary people can learn to study the Bible. These people may not have been to seminary. They don’t have much free time. But they love Jesus and want to be more like him. They want to know him.

Knowable Word offers foundational instruction on why and how to study the Bible. Using a running study of the first chapter of Genesis, it illustrates how to observe, interpret, and apply the Scripture—and gives the vision behind each step. It also shows how to read each Bible passage in light of salvation history. But besides being just a how-to on Bible study, it fuels the desire to learn and grow through studying the Scriptures.

This book will appeal to three kinds of

Beginners who love God and his word

Mature Christians who want to improve their Bible study skills

Leaders who long not only to teach but also to equip

Knowable Word offers what each group a sensible Bible study method. By learning to observe, interpret, and apply, ordinary people will grow extraordinarily close to Jesus Christ as they learn to study his knowable Word.

Genres: Christian, Christian Living, Faith, Nonfiction, Discipleship, Spirituality, Christianity

Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2014

About the author

I have taught the Bible since 1996 both as a collegiate missionary with DiscipleMakers and as an elder in both Presbyterian and Independent churches. I've trained dozens of people to study the Bible. Many of them now train others who, in turn, have begun training a third generation.

With each new year, I read nothing but the Bible until I finish it. I do this, not because it makes God any happier with me, but because it makes me happier with him in Christ.

Reviews

[Peter Krol]

I'm not going to rate this one, but I logged it because my children recently had the privilege of listening to the live audio version read by the author. There are no extant recordings of it, however. Sorry.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my pastors recommended this book while we were teaching through hermeneutics in our adult Sunday School class. We'd been working through seminary-level course materials, that we were paring down for a lay audience. The material itself was good, but was not really suited to our audience. He encountered this book and recommended it.

I've now read it and found the method much simpler and much more useful for its simplicity. The methods are simple and relatively easy to do for most any reader. The real trick, of course, is in the actual doing. Doing it yourself, or encouraging others in your congregation to actually do it are the challenging part.

Krol has done a great job of laying out the principles and actually showing how the work is done. I highly recommend this for just about everyone. It will help your own understanding and study of Scripture, and prepare you to help others do the same.

[Neil Kruger · Rating 4 out of 5]

While useful for all believers, this book will be especially effective for new believers to gain the confidence of Bible study.

[Lance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely clear, well-organized, and helpful. Enjoyed it more than other approaches for inductive studies. Going to recommend it to my teenager, and incorporating it into our daily devotions.

[Mitchell Dixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book on the OIA method. Helpful refresher.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!

Why wasn't this book around when I was 20? I am a student of scripture, and have read several books about how to study Scripture. They were all okay, but lacking. Some were too technical and opaque, others were like Bible study lite. Others attempted to be simple, but weren't clear.

This book is simple, clear, and even better helpful! Very helpful. You can download study sheets from their website to help you as you study the Bible. Obviously you will use sheets less as you understand how to study better, which is the point.

I cannot say enough good things about the riches to be found here. Do by all means obtain this book and mine it's wealth for a you are worth. The effort will reward you.

[Nathan Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

This this a short little book about the OIA method of Bible study. Though this is the second edition, I found this to be a mixed bag. The strength is that there are some excellent insights and some practical steps for how to use the OIA method. I really appreciate the free worksheets and resources available on the web at https://www.knowableword.com/resources/. However, there were times where the book felt convoluted and lacked clarity. Krol's formulation of the Interpretation phase I found to be especially busy. There is some good stuff here, but it needs to be supplemented.

[Marguerite Harrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finish my 18th book that is Knowable Word by Peter Krol published by Cruciform Press. Great book to read. I do have that in e-book format and wishing that is in book form format for myself as a tool to go back to remind myself. This book would be a lot better in book form format for those who are new at OIA (Observation, Interpretation, and Application) and those who are rusty at it (like me). For those who are an pro at OIA, they can read this book in e-book format.

[Jonathan Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good refresher of the Observe, Interpret and Apply Bible Study method. I liked how the author expounded on the method and then gave practical methods to do it. I am thinking of using this in a Bible study methods class. I think I will make use of one more aspect (the author talks about it but I will probably make it the fourth part to keep focus where it belongs) and that is context. I think this book will add a lot to my church’s Bible study experience. Good stuff

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

My second time reading this little book by my friend Peter. Good stuff! Many helpful tips on observing, interpreting, and applying God's Word. Now, the biggest challenge is to take all of these great tips and actually put them into practice. This time through, I've jotted notes to myself that should help guide me through passages of the Bible.

[Katie Krombein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great straightforward little book that outlines the Observation-Interpretation-Application of studying the Bible with questions and examples of how to do so.

pg 75: …insofar as I honor God with my lips, I live as a hearer. But insofar as I also repent and believe the gospel, I live as a doer. For example:
-To go to church is to hear. To practice the truth that was preached is to do.
-To love theology is to hear. To attempt to persuade others about theology, et without quarreling, is to do.
-To identify what you’ve learned speaks of hearing. To identify how you’ve changed speaks of doing.
-Asking questions about scripture is about hearing. Acting on the right answers is about doing.
-To talk about obeying the civil authorities is proof of hearing. To refuse to conceal taxable income is proof of doing.
-A sense of conviction over sin is about hearing. To make changes is about doing.
-To know who Jesus is, is to hear. To cooperate actively with God in the daily process of being conformed into his image, is to do.

p. 83: one simple way to apply effort (pressure) and provoke change (overcome inertia) is by considering three spheres: head, heart, and hands. The spheres represent three aspects of human life where we can both change and be changed.
p. 84: The head represents everything we think and believe…being a hearer of the word. This sphere involves thinking God’s thoughts after him and believing what he says.
…The heart represents who we are. Heart application is the first and foundational part of being a doer of the Word. …walking in righteousness, desiring the Lord above all, and showing godly wisdom and selfless character.
…The hands represent everything we do. Hands application is the second part of being a doer of the Word…laying aside old patterns of selfish behavior, imitating the Lord and his ambassadors, and becoming more effective at building God’s Kingdom.

[Rudy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't let the 3 star review fool you—the content of this book is actually quite good. In Knowable Word, Peter Krol lays out practical methods for proper interpretation, transformation, and execution of biblical principles through methodical reading of God's Word. Essentially, this is a reading comprehension 101 course for folks looking to understand the bible better and apply its instruction to daily life. If the book is solid in these areas, what's up with the 3 star assessment?

The short answer is that I found many areas of the book to be redundant and maybe even long-winded, which is a surprise given its relatively short length. Everything here is presented in a very basic format, making it easy to understand for all skill levels. It's just a shame that multiple portions of the book feel like a retread of precious talking points, often with multiple examples that could be expressed in a single example. Again, redundant.

I could see this book being very helpful for many folks, especially if you work through the question and answer portions. If you're new to the bible and want to understand it properly, absolutely read Knowable Word! But for others who've gone through a number of reading comprehension courses, this book may feel a bit dry and unnecessary at times.

[Blake A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful book that outlines what he calls the “OIA method” (Observation, Interpretation, Application) of studying the Bible. It’s very similar to the Inductive method we’ve learned with the same categories and processes. He provides some worksheets that might help organize, though I think the straightforward pages we use are easier to use.

The points he adds that I like are including the authors mood, tone and structure of the passage. Those are just harder to teach because they are mire subjective than looking for key words.

He fails to include types of statements. He has a section on “grammar” that would probably include these but is more vague.

The other benefit of his method is an emphasis on how to connect the interpretation/application to the big picture of the Bible and Christ’s redemption.

Overall, there isn’t that much new to those who have learned Inductive but it’s a simple, helpful tool for those trying to learn it for the first time.

[Troy Nevitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peter Krol has done something excellent in this book. I think it does what many other hermeneutics texts do, but it feels so much more naturally approachable in the way it's presented. It's still a book that makes you do some pretty heavy lifting. I would compare this to Grasping God's Word by Duvall and Hays (also reviewed) and The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment by Tim Challies (also reviewed).

What I really appreciated about this book was that the steps of other books are simplified into three steps: Observe, Interpret, Apply (OIA). This book does an incredible job of showing the importance of all three, but I appreciated the observe section especially. I, in fact, loved all three elements. I highly recommend this text to those who want to lead a group in studying Scripture, or learning how to study it better for yourself.

[Erika Forrest · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic guide to learning to study the Bible, including some "worksheets" to help guide. I found this very edifying as the leader of an OIA Bible study and encouraging in my personal study. This is very applicable to individual study and personal study (and NO, you don't have to formally walk through the phases/steps every time; the form just guides and provides structure that starts to come naturally with more practice).

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

There’s a lot of good information here, but it also managed to take what is a relatively common and simple Bible study method and make it seem really complicated and involved. I read this as part of a class on studying the Bible at church. We all felt overwhelmed reading the book but then realized it was pretty simple in practice.

[ME · Rating 3 out of 5]

Krol's presentation of study methods is clear, concise, and practical. This would be a great book to work through with a small group. There's nothing that replaces just digging in and doing the work, and this gives the novice a great path forward in doing that. Some important principles are clearly defined here that many older tutorials omit. I would recommend it.

[John Lundberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short and practical introduction for how Christians can interpret and apply the Bible, I would recommend this book to any Christian wanting to increase their confidence studying Scripture.

Some of its biggest strengths are the resources given to aid Bible study and the examples of Bible study done well. The author also identifies many bad habits Christians can fall into when reading.

[Wade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps the best book on how to read, interpret, and apply Scripture that I have read. Approachable enough for a teenager to read, and yet rich enough for the seasoned minister to gain wisdom and expertise in reading and applying Scripture.

[Daniel McCoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a clear, helpful read. Working on developing better observation, interpretation, and application skills is a must for any committed student of Scripture. This is a resource I'll return to regularly, especially in helping others to develop personal Bible study skills.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent little book and process

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent introduction to inductive Bible study (OIA). Recommended!

[John Deissler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read, taught about how to study Scripture. The author used the way I was taught at school, so it was almost like hearing the same thing over again in a way

[Carrie]

The book used in Berea as we studied Malachi. It lays out a really useful and straightforward method to study scripture.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful, short book.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid, practical overview to basic Bible study methods.

[Angela Witte · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very helpful Bible study aid.

[Abi Kunene · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
On my initial read several years ago, I liked this book and found it helpful in bible study. It is a small book, with helpful tools for Observation, Interpretation, and Application of Scripture. I find it a helpful volume for people just starting out on structured bible study.

This year I read it for the second time, in conjunction with a small group. As a result, I spent much more time answering the chapter questions and using the charts. When spending this concentrated time with the book, I found several issues with the book.

1. The author leaves out two very important things in Observation and Interpretation. First, he spends no time talking about understanding the author, the historical data, and the understanding and meaning for the original audience. This is vital to properly understand any passage, certainly Genesis included.
Second, he misses any specific focus on God. He wants to see Jesus in Genesis 1, but hardly touches on what we explicitly learn about God in Genesis 1. This can be seen in his main point when he quickly jumps to lessons for humanity as the main point of the text! His main point of Genesis 1 is "God's creative work sets a pattern for human dominion of the art, and therefore humanity realizes its potential when it illuminates, shapes, and fills the earth in God's name. " This is not the main point of Genesis 1, and I would say is even quite misleading, and frankly dangerous. There are incommunicable attributes of God, that we cannot imitate. Only God spoke the World into existence ex nihilo. Therefore I see the main point of Genesis 1:1- as: The trinitarian God's creative power in forming the universe ex nihilo in six days. The application generally here being to believe and worship. In the second part of the chapter, my main point would be "Gods 'very good' creation of mankind in His image, and the mandate to man and woman to be fruitful and multiply and to have dominion. It is in this second section of the chapter we see the command to humanity.

2. The understanding of seeing Jesus in the text is simplistic, and therefore prone to cause error in exegesis. I do believe in the big picture of the Bible, and that we see Jesus all throughout the Scriptures. I also agree that Luke 24 sheds some light on this. I do not think, however, it can be made into a template and applied to every passage I study.
"Every passage of Scripture reveals Jesus by explaining at least one of the following truths about his work": (1) The Messiah would suffer (die) and rise from the dead. (2) We must repent of our sins and be forgiven (3) This message -must be proclaimed to all nations.
The text studied in the book (Genesis 1 and 2) are the prime examples. The author draws out ways to see Jesus in the text as savior, even before the fall in Genesis 3! The way we see Jesus in Genesis 1 is the trinitarian God creating the universe. Lets wait until Genesis 3:15, please.

3. The errors mentioned above of course naturally lead to an error in application. The result of this is an over-spiritualizing of the text. Krol's one application is that he is called to illuminate (bring light into darkness), by sharing the Gospel with coworkers. Yes! This is both true and biblical, and can be seen as a command in many other scriptures. But it is not the meaning of the text, and is therefore not a proper application of the text.

4. The charts. I leave this until last, because it likely could just be a preference issue. As helpful as they can be, they often seemed to overcomplicate. Rather than being a guide, the multitute of boxes often did the opposite, by distracting from the main point of the passage. I do think they can be beneficial, but be aware of this tendency.

In short, there are issues with the book, but I still found it a beneficial aid. Even the points of disagreement were sharpening, for they pushed me to study scripture at a deeper level.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine walking into an Italian restaurant and learning that pizza was not on the menu. Aside from the understandable wails of grief and loss, how would you respond? You would be shocked! After all, for Americans, pizza seems foundational to an Italian menu. Many such restaurants are judged purely on the quality of their pies. A restaurant without pizza lacks something vital for the ongoing health of the business.

So it is with a Christian who does not study the Bible. Since Christians believe that the Bible is the word of God, nothing can be more important or foundational to the Christian life than understanding the Bible. The Bible is crucial for our understanding of God, ourselves, our world, and how we are to live. And yet, for all its importance, individual Bible study is not a widespread practice. Christians, when they do read the Bible, usually read briefly and lightly, perhaps more concerned with fulfilling their Christian duty than understanding and applying what God has said. Some Christians depend on pastors or authors to explain what the Bible really means and they feel unprepared or unable to face the text themselves.

Peter Krol wrote the book Knowable Word to help "ordinary people learn to study the Bible." Whether you are a Christian who has read and studied the Bible for years or you are coming to the Bible for the first time, this book will provide just the assistance you need. Though I am familiar with the method Krol teaches, I learned and gained much from the book. This is not just for newbies. I highly recommend it.

At the heart of Knowable Word is the OIA (Observation, Interpretation, Application) method of Bible study. Though this method is known in other circles by other names, Krol makes a convincing argument for its value over and against more common ways people approach the Bible.

As Krol discusses the steps of the OIA method, he punctuates each explanation with an example. (He returns to Genesis 1:1–2:3 throughout.) The descriptions were thorough and the instructions were easy to grasp. I also appreciated the cautions Krol gives—what dangers might arise as you begin OIA? What might stand in your way of seeking the Lord at each phase? How can you avoid getting sidetracked?

The book is thoroughly practical. Krol has designed simple worksheets to help with each phase of Bible study; these appear throughout the book and are also available on the author’s website. I recommend printing them out and using them during the first few times that you study the Bible using OIA.

Though Krol models each step of Bible study for the reader, a shining strength of the book comes in the section on application. All along, Krol guides the reader to understand the main point of Genesis 1:1–2:3. When the time comes for application, Krol shows just how extensive and far-reaching our application of the Bible can and should be. Would you believe that several paragraphs in this section are concerned with home improvement projects?

The phrase that recurs in my mind when summarizing this book is "helpful tool." An engaged reader will find here many aids not just for personal growth in Bible study but also for preparing to lead small groups. I plan to consult the book frequently when I teach an adult Sunday school on Bible study at my church in the fall.

I love that this book is self-consciously not an end in itself. Over and over again, Krol points us back to the Bible. If we only read his book and do not begin to implement his recommendations, we have not really read the book. I love how this book pushes me, equipped, with hope, to study the Bible with the express purpose of seeking and knowing God through Jesus Christ.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

There seems to be a deluge of books on the word of God recently, first came the "Taking God at His Word" by Kevin DeYoung. Then came "Knowable Word" by Peter Krol. Looking forward for more books in this area. I do seriously think the current generation needs to read more and more of God's Word.
Knowable Word is a great introduction for anyone to do just that. The main aim of the book is to help people read and understand the bible by themselves.

Krol first begins by telling the audience why we need to study the bible, showing us variously ways people have studied the bible and finally introduces his method, the OIA.

1. Observation
2. Interpretation
3. Application

Krol then goes on to show each and every step, giving clear examples and explanation on the objective of each of the "steps". Although this book is meant really for relatively new christians, Krol also highlights dangers that we might bring into each study before we even begin, this dangers would be very helpful for those who have been studying the bible for quite some time.

What's great about this book is that unlike other OIA methods, this one sticks in and wants you to see and observe how the passage you're studying is related/leading to Christ.

Littered around the book are also helpful excerises that helps the read to see and apply what they learn on the spot, Krol also consistently uses the same, simple passage (Gen 1-2:3) throughout the book to let you have a feel of how everything would be like if you had used this method consistently.

Although this might not be the one and other book you'll ever need to interpret the book carefully (for example genres were not discussed in great depth), this is an excellent start for any Christian, to help them see that they can and should study the bible by themselves and for themselves.

Why not buy a copy, and try these methods out yourself and/or with a friend? I'm sure you'll be able to see that it is possible for us ordinary people to understand bible!