Tag: Josiah Nichols

Bible study · Book Reviews

A Review of, “Find God’s Will In God’s Word” a Workbook, by Pastor Josiah Nichols MDiv

Bob SnyderLeave a comment

In case you don’t know what an inductive study is, here is a definition from the web; Inductive study, particularly in the context of Bible study, involves a method that helps individuals understand and apply the teachings of the Bible. This method is characterized by three main steps: observation, interpretation, and application. The goal is to draw conclusions based on the evidence found in the text rather than starting with preconceived notions.

Unlike other workbooks, this one does not lead you by the hand to predetermined conclusions. This one simply allows you, the reader, to employ the guiding principles set forth in the guide’s worksheets. The author trusts God the Holy Spirit to teach you from God’s Word.

There are only a total of eight written pages, those pages are an introduction to the study, an explanation of, the right spirit, The gospel, the right tools, and an example of how to fill out the worksheets. This leaves all of the rest of the 154 pages of worksheets. Here is a picture of the example of how to use the worksheets.

You’ll notice on page 6 titled, “The Right Tools” the author includes some things that will be helpful in your study. I’ve included some pictures of the resources I like to use. You’ll have to purchase your own. I think this book could be done with a simple study Bible. You definitely don’t need all the resources I’ve put up. You can also use Bible Hub for free. It has tons of resources. Something you might notice, is that if you are using bound books, they can get pretty heavy to carry around with you. There is an alternative. You can use a Bible program like Bible Study from Olive Tree. You can purchase digital copies of all the same resources. Makes it a lot more portable. Here are the pictures.

This is a John MacArthur Study Bible in the Legacy Standard Bible(LSB) translation.

You might also need a New Testament Greek dictionary, A good commentary set, and a Greek New Testament.

Who is this workbook for? Anyone who is attempting to discover more about God, and His will for us. I would use it for a middle school, and up, homeschool curriculum. It would be helpful to keep you focused on specifics in a study if you are easily distracted. It would also be great to use in a group. It may not seem like the value it is due to there being a lot of worksheets, and hardly any written pages, but that is the point. It is inductive. I hope this helps you make up your mind to get the workbook, and learn more about you’re Creator, and Savior.

Book Reviews · Uncategorized

My Review of, “Romans Roadblocks” by Josiah Nichols.

Bob SnyderLeave a comment

In Josiah Nichols’ new book, “Romans Roadblocks, Using Hermeneutics to Discover the Essentials of the Christian Faith” you’ll follow him along through the first chapter of Romans while he demonstrates, and employs hermeneutics to exposit the text. This book is not intended for academia, nor is it a tedious comprehensive study of Biblical hermeneutics. In Romans Roadblocks you will learn about Biblical hermeneutics by following along as Josiah employs the methods of hermeneutics to the text.

Some may find more scholarly works difficult to follow or understand. If you’ve been studying the Bible for any amount of time, you might find out by reading this book that you were already practicing some of the methods of hermeneutics without knowing it. You might also discover where you have been making errors in your study and interpretation.

One thing that will become evident is how interconnected scripture is to scripture. You’ll see Josiah cross reference texts to other texts in different sections of the Bible for context when those cross references are justified by citation or some other requisite.

As the title implies, the essentials of the Christian faith are in view here. If you follow the author along through the book, you will learn about the topics listed in the table of contents. (The author labeled it as outline.)

Chapter 1 Biblical Hermeneutics
Chapter 2 Saul Called Paul
Chapter 3 Biblical Audience: Church in Rome
Chapter 4 Studying the Book of Romans
Chapter 5 What the Passage Says
Chapter 6 Christian Identity
Chapter 7 The Gospel’s Authority in Holy Scripture
Chapter 8 God’s Fully-Divine and Fully-Human Son
Chapter 9 The Resurrection is the Declaration of the Son of God
Chapter 10 The Trinity
Chapter 11 The Results of the Gospel and the Obedience of Faith
Chapter 12 Blessings of the Gospel
Bibliography

By, “unpacking” scripture along with Josiah you will find that theology is something we all do. You can’t have a thought about God without it being theology. Hopefully, after going through the steps, and seeing the theology revealed in the scriptures, you will have a better grasp of the fundamentals of the faith. I think you will.

Book Reviews · evangelism · gospel · hermeneutics · Theology · Uncategorized

A Snyder’s Soapbox Review of, “When my Ox Gores my Neighbor: Using Hermeneutics to Travel from Mt. Sinai to Mt. Zion” by Josiah Nichols.

Bob SnyderLeave a comment

oxgore.jpeg

I was contacted by a mutual friend to do this review. Up until that point I had not heard of Josiah Nichols. This would be the first work that I have read of his. It might also be his first published work. It isn’t a long book, nor is it a book that requires a seminary education to read. The author’s purpose is to demonstrate how he employs hermeneutics to interpret, and derive applications from Exodus 21:28-32. The book is very evangelistic. I would say that it has been far more evangelistic than many theological books that I’ve recently read.

From reading the title, and the author’s intended goal treating the topic of hermeneutics, I expected a more in depth primer on hermeneutics, and a demonstration of the analytical methods of hermeneutics on the cited verses. While the author accomplished this goal, I think occasionally the author also got a little lost in some peripheral details.

It is also evident that the author is a big fan of Wretched Radio/TV and their work. Todd Friel is the host of the programs as well as the podcast. The people over there at Wretched have put out a number of very useful videos, and educational products. Josiah refers to, “Hermen Who?” numerous times throughout the book. Wretched should thank him for the plug 🙂 I liked both the book, and Wretched. I am a big fan of their work to, so I share that with the author.

The questions I consider for book purchases are, is it theologically accurate, and will it add value to the individual’s Christian library? That’s it. That’s how simple it is for me to decide, “yes” or “no” for a book. The answer to the first question is, yes this book is good and accurate if you are Reformed in your soteriology. If you are not, it is still accurate, and you are the one with the problem lol.  As far as value goes, it does add value to your library as a resource to loan out. This book is evangelistic. I would feel good handing this to someone who is new in the faith. It will teach them a bit about hermeneutics, and much more about other doctrines of God.

After reading it, I am still hard pressed to categorize this book, or write a more fitting title. The author does analyze Exodus 21:28-32. He does so accurately. He did not twist the scripture, or impose a meaning on it that was not intended by the author of scripture. It would be educational for a new Christian. I believe that was his intended audience. I look forward to seeing Josiah’s future projects. I think we will see bigger and better works from him. He was precise and nuanced without being rhetorical. Some theological books for laymen seem as if the authors had forgotten who their audience was. If Josiah reads this, “Keep up the good work.” You can pick up a copy of his book at Amazon, Christianbook, or Westbow to name a few. It can be purchased from many other online book retail sites.

ISBN-13: 978-1512782530