There are many links to various Bibles on this page--some of which may no longer work. Often websites display sales, and new releases, or some products may go out of print. Links get removed so very much online from retailers, such as Christian Book Distributors or Amazon or Ebay. If a link no longer works then you can, at the very least, copy and paste the title into a Search engine and see if it can be found elsewhere online.
If God had wanted to hide Himself from us He certainly could have easily done so. We know that creation itself silently yet boisterously conveys / communicates / speaks forth of the glorious existence of God its Creator (Ps. 19:1-4 NIRV; cf. Rom. 1:18, 19, 20). Matter does not just appear out of nothing. But, while creation can inform us that a Creator exists, only special Revelation can inform us regarding the character, the nature, and the standards of that Creator. This is what God accomplished in granting us the inspired, infallible, inerrant and irrefregable Word of God. The means by which He delivered this Revelation was overseeing His chosen writers and prophets (2 Pet. 1:16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21).
The Bible is God's Story, revealing that He freely created the universe and everything therein, including human beings in His own image and likeness (Gen. 1:1-31). Though human beings through their own choice deviated freely from their right relationship with their Creator, God was not willing to discard the creatures He created in His image, but sought, out of His own freedom and love, to redeem a people for Himself in and through His Son Jesus by the effectual work of the Holy Spirit--one God in Three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Bible is not about us but about Him. From Genesis to Revelation the Bible is God's Story, revealing God in His triune glory, as He is, in Christ Jesus, the preeminent One, to whom belongs all blessing and honor and glory and dominion, now and forever. Amen. (Rev. 5:13). May it ever be so!
The Bible is the living and active, convicting and authoritative, Word of God--"sharper than any two-edged sword," the Word of God is able to pierce "as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and [is] able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart" (Heb. 4:12 NASB). As the apostle Paul encourages a young pastor named Timothy, so he inferentially encourages us who believe, to "continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom [the reliable sources] you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings [gramma, from graphó, scriptures], which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God [or God-breathed, NIV] and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man [and woman] of God may be complete, equipped for every good work" (2 Tim. 3:14-17 ESV).
We say, with Paul, that Scripture is the breathed-out Word of God (2 Tim. 3:16 ESV). By breathed-out we mean that the words in Scripture are inerrant and effectual (Isa. 55:8, 9, 10, 11). We do not mean that the Holy Spirit somehow inwardly dictated what the authors should write; we do not mean the authors were using "automatic writing" technique, being so controlled by the Holy Spirit that their own personal writing style was superceded, but that they were kept from error and contradiction. The manner in which they wrote was intentioned by the Spirit of God at work within them (cf. 1 Thess. 2:13). The words themselves are inspired / inerrant and corroborate the Message of the Gospel--the Good News of Jesus--that He has come in fulfillment of biblical prophecy, as the fulfillment of the Mission given to Israel, to atone for Himself a people, to be raised as Victor over Sin, Death and Hell, and to intercede as the only Mediator between God and His redeemed people.
Jesus Himself prays thusly to His Father: "Sanctify them [His disciples--and, by extension, all of us who trust in Him] in the truth; Your Word is truth" (John 17:17 ESV). I trust that Jesus knows whether or not God's Word is truth, as God contextualizes divine truth, for He is the God of Truth (Ps. 31:5; Isa. 65:16, for His eternally-divine nature renders Him incapable of lying, Titus 1:2 NASB; Heb. 6:18) and Christ Jesus Himself is Truth Incarnate (John 1:14; 14:6). We should familiarize ourselves with some biblically-theological terms used by scholars about Scripture:
Dr. Mathison continues: "It is the 'No creed but Christ' or 'No creed but the Bible' attitude so prevalent in the church today. Of course, those who assert such slogans fail to realize that a statement such as 'No creed but Christ' is itself a creed--a statement of what one believes. Those who espouse this misunderstanding of the Reformation doctrine are often unaware that it is not the view of the early church and it is not the view of the magisterial Reformers." We must hold forth the unerring Word of God in its proper setting for the believer and Christ's church; and, when I use the word inerrant or unerring, I mean that the entire Message of the Gospel of Christ in Scripture is without error.
Regarding the Irrefragability of Scripture, Jesus said to the unbelieving Jewish leaders, "If those people to whom the Word of God came were called 'gods' [i.e., judges who act on behalf of YHWH, God] (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say about the One whom the Father set apart and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?" (John 10:35-36 NET). The NET Bible study note teaches us: "In this context, He does not explain precisely what is meant by 'broken,' but it is not too hard to determine. Jesus' argument depended on the exact word used in the context of Psalm 82:6. If any other word for 'judge' had been used in the psalm, His argument would have been meaningless. Since the scriptures do use this word in Psalm 82:6, the argument is binding, because they cannot be 'broken' in the sense of being shown to be in error." We choose to believe that Jesus, the eternal Son of God (John 1:1 NLT) the one and only rightful Representative of God (Heb. 1:3), knows what He is talking about. Here are some beneficial tools in your study of God's unfailing Word:
The Bible is God's Story, revealing that He freely created the universe and everything therein, including human beings in His own image and likeness (Gen. 1:1-31). Though human beings through their own choice deviated freely from their right relationship with their Creator, God was not willing to discard the creatures He created in His image, but sought, out of His own freedom and love, to redeem a people for Himself in and through His Son Jesus by the effectual work of the Holy Spirit--one God in Three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Bible is not about us but about Him. From Genesis to Revelation the Bible is God's Story, revealing God in His triune glory, as He is, in Christ Jesus, the preeminent One, to whom belongs all blessing and honor and glory and dominion, now and forever. Amen. (Rev. 5:13). May it ever be so!
The Bible is the Word of God in such a way that, when the Bible speaks, God speaks. --B.B. Warfield
The Bible is the living and active, convicting and authoritative, Word of God--"sharper than any two-edged sword," the Word of God is able to pierce "as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and [is] able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart" (Heb. 4:12 NASB). As the apostle Paul encourages a young pastor named Timothy, so he inferentially encourages us who believe, to "continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom [the reliable sources] you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings [gramma, from graphó, scriptures], which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God [or God-breathed, NIV] and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man [and woman] of God may be complete, equipped for every good work" (2 Tim. 3:14-17 ESV).We say, with Paul, that Scripture is the breathed-out Word of God (2 Tim. 3:16 ESV). By breathed-out we mean that the words in Scripture are inerrant and effectual (Isa. 55:8, 9, 10, 11). We do not mean that the Holy Spirit somehow inwardly dictated what the authors should write; we do not mean the authors were using "automatic writing" technique, being so controlled by the Holy Spirit that their own personal writing style was superceded, but that they were kept from error and contradiction. The manner in which they wrote was intentioned by the Spirit of God at work within them (cf. 1 Thess. 2:13). The words themselves are inspired / inerrant and corroborate the Message of the Gospel--the Good News of Jesus--that He has come in fulfillment of biblical prophecy, as the fulfillment of the Mission given to Israel, to atone for Himself a people, to be raised as Victor over Sin, Death and Hell, and to intercede as the only Mediator between God and His redeemed people.
Jesus Himself prays thusly to His Father: "Sanctify them [His disciples--and, by extension, all of us who trust in Him] in the truth; Your Word is truth" (John 17:17 ESV). I trust that Jesus knows whether or not God's Word is truth, as God contextualizes divine truth, for He is the God of Truth (Ps. 31:5; Isa. 65:16, for His eternally-divine nature renders Him incapable of lying, Titus 1:2 NASB; Heb. 6:18) and Christ Jesus Himself is Truth Incarnate (John 1:14; 14:6). We should familiarize ourselves with some biblically-theological terms used by scholars about Scripture:
- Authoritative / Biblical Authority: God's Word alone is the sole Source of divine revelation (2 Tim. 3:14-16).
- Inerrant / Inerrancy / Biblical Inerrancy: Scripture is without fault or error in its history, geography, dates, names, etc.
- Infallible / Biblical Infallibility: Scripture cannot fail--God's Word accomplishes all of God's eternal purposes (Isa. 55:11).
- Inspiration / Biblical Inspiration: Scripture is breathed out by God (2 Tim 3:16 ESV) as He governed the writings of Scripture (2 Pet. 1:20-21).
- Irrefragable / Irrefragability of Scripture: Scripture is not able to be refuted or disproved by any fallen mortal (John 10:35).
- Plenary / Verbal Plenary Inspiration: Every part of Scripture is fully inspired of the Holy Spirit for doctrine.
- Sola Scriptura: Scripture is the sole source "of divine revelation, the only inspired, infallible, final, and authoritative norm of faith and practice."
Dr. Mathison continues: "It is the 'No creed but Christ' or 'No creed but the Bible' attitude so prevalent in the church today. Of course, those who assert such slogans fail to realize that a statement such as 'No creed but Christ' is itself a creed--a statement of what one believes. Those who espouse this misunderstanding of the Reformation doctrine are often unaware that it is not the view of the early church and it is not the view of the magisterial Reformers." We must hold forth the unerring Word of God in its proper setting for the believer and Christ's church; and, when I use the word inerrant or unerring, I mean that the entire Message of the Gospel of Christ in Scripture is without error.
Regarding the Irrefragability of Scripture, Jesus said to the unbelieving Jewish leaders, "If those people to whom the Word of God came were called 'gods' [i.e., judges who act on behalf of YHWH, God] (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say about the One whom the Father set apart and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?" (John 10:35-36 NET). The NET Bible study note teaches us: "In this context, He does not explain precisely what is meant by 'broken,' but it is not too hard to determine. Jesus' argument depended on the exact word used in the context of Psalm 82:6. If any other word for 'judge' had been used in the psalm, His argument would have been meaningless. Since the scriptures do use this word in Psalm 82:6, the argument is binding, because they cannot be 'broken' in the sense of being shown to be in error." We choose to believe that Jesus, the eternal Son of God (John 1:1 NLT) the one and only rightful Representative of God (Heb. 1:3), knows what He is talking about. Here are some beneficial tools in your study of God's unfailing Word:
BIBLE TRANSLATIONS I USE AND RECOMMEND
- Christian Standard Bible (CSB) is a trustworthy and faithful translation of the inerrant Word of God that I trust and often reference.
- English Standard Version (ESV) is an elegant and reliable translation that I reference when studying God's Word.
- Lexham English Bible (LEB) is a faithful translation that I trust implicitly.
- Modern English Version (MEV) is in the King James and New King James tradition and is, I think, beneficial and faithful.
- New American Standard Bible (NASB 1977, 1995, 2020) is trustworthy for studying the Word of God and the one I use and trust most.
- New English Translation (NET) is a unique English translation: I like the Old Testament translation better than the New.
- New International Version (NIV) is a helpful translation by comparison and is worth the reference when studying.
- New King James Version (NKJV) is simply a must-have staple among your collection of Bibles--often it reads better than the NASB.
- New Living Translation (NLT) is also a must-have translation--bringing clarity of expression sometimes far better than the NIV or CSB.
BIBLE TRANSLATIONS I ADVISE YOU TO AVOID
- New World Translation (NWT) is the product of the cult Kingdom Hall, of Jehovah's Witnesses infamy, and is corrupt and perverted.
- The Book of Mormon is called Another Testament of Jesus Christ (contra Gal. 1.6-9) and derives from a cult and an overtly false religion.
- The Message (MSG) is a work that I may check once in a great while but I just don't like it and I don't recommend it to anyone.
- The Passion Translation (TPT) is the work of a delusional Charismatic, Brian Simmons, who is a rank heretic, misguided, and to be avoided.
STUDY BIBLES I USE AND RECOMMEND
- CSB Study Bible is a most impressive, stunningly beautiful, and substantial Study Bible--simply a must-have!
- ESV Reformation Study Bible, the late Dr. R.C. Sproul editor, is one I use, trust, and reference always when studying God's Word.
- ESV Study Bible contains 20,000 study notes from a team of nearly 20 denominations and 50 seminaries--an award-winning feat!
- LSB MacArthur Study Bible is the Legacy Standard Bible translation and contains 25,000 study notes from trusted pastor John MacArthur.
- NASB Grace and Truth Study Bible, ed. Dr. Albert Mohler, highlights the stark truth of God with His graciousness in our pain.
- NASB Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible helps the student locate Hebrew and Greek words in significant passages.
- NASB Ryrie Study Bible is the best outlined Bible I've seen. I use it daily. I carry it with me always and everywhere. This is my Bible!
- NET Bible is a textual-notes edition unlike any other Bible available in the English language. This is definitely a must-have Bible!
- NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible, ed. D.A. Carson, with over 20,000 notes, is a must-have Study Bible! I love it, trust it, and use it daily!
- NIV Study Bible, eds. Kenneth Barker, Mark Strauss, Jeannine Brown and Craig Blomberg is an award-winning Bible with over 21,000 notes.
- NKJV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible helps significantly with culture and context.
- NKJV Evangelical Study Bible (also in the KJV) hails mostly from a Southern Baptist tradition and is absolutely wonderful!
- NLT Life Application Study Bible--a Bible designed to help the believer live devotionally and faithfully in Christ.
DEVOTIONAL BIBLES I USE AND / OR RECOMMEND
- CSB Oswald Chambers Bible merges the devotional classic My Utmost for His Highest with God's Word.
- CSB Spurgeon Study Bible features thousands of excerpts from Spurgeon's sermons--chosen and edited by Alistair Begg.
- NKJV Matthew Henry Daily Devotional Bible merges one of the most influential Bible commentaries with God's Word.
- CSB He Reads Truth Bible includes well-crafted theological memos to increase biblical literacy.
- CSB She Reads Truth Bible features devotionals by the She Reads Truth team and Scripture reading plans.
- CSB Men of Character Bible features over 60 virtuous men in Scripture who brought power, wisdom, and inspiration to God's people.
- CSB Lifeway Women's Bible brings together inspirational and influential women in the Lifeway Christian community with God's Word.
- CSB Jesus Daily Bible brings the central story of Jesus to the forefront of every daily reading.
- NKJV MacArthur Daily Bible, Second Edition, takes a portion of the Old and New Testaments, Psalms and Proverbs, for each day of the year.
- Legacy Standard Bible Daily Reading Bible provides a 15-minute daily plan that will help you go through the entire Bible in one year.
- The Daily Walk Bible NLT helps you stroll through history and see the moments that God has proven to arrive in daily lives of believers.
- NLT Chronological Life Application Study Bible helps the reader to see how the various pieces of the Bible fit together.
- KJV Chronological Life Application Study Bible is updated throughout with fresh insights into the Jewish roots of the Christian faith.
FREE ONLINE BIBLE STUDY HELPS
- BibleGateway is an online help with various English translations and other study tools for better understanding God's Word.
- Bible Lexicon: Hebrew--offers Hebrew Old Testament with English translations for a broader context of Hebrew words.
- Bible Lexicon: Greek--offers Greek New Testament with English translations for a broader context of Greek words.
- Blue Letter Bible is an amazing help for believers in studying God's Word, including word-studies, and also devotionals.
- Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscriptus preserves ancient New Testament manuscripts for our modern world.
- CrossWalk enables the believer to find online answers to difficult questions.
- Lexham Press is a wonderful online resource for a great and trustworthy translation.
- Logos helps the believer who uses software, etc., to read and study Scripture.
- The Ehrman Project enables believers to answer Bart Ehrman's erroneous presuppositional agenda against God's Word.
BIBLE HELPS
If you are a new believer, or a believer who does not know how to study the Bible, the first video below may help. Merely reading through the Bible differs from studying the Bible. Many followers of Jesus today do not know how to study the Bible and think that Bible study is for pastors, Sunday School teachers, or theologians. Bible study is for every believer! The above-referenced Bible Study Helps can help you in your study. Understand, however, that there are many people without access to a Bible in their own language. Some believers cannot read, or cannot read well, or even despise the very act of reading. For them, hearing the Word of God rightly preached is crucial, and we must take into consideration the limitations of others. What about their walk in Christ? What about their being conformed to the image of Christ (Rom. 9:29)? Can they grow in their faith? Yes (2 Pet. 1:5, 6, 7, 8)! Does not the Holy Spirit sustain them by the grace of God through faith in Jesus? Yes, He does, and we in the United States assume too much because we are so fortunate to have, in many cases, multiple English Bibles in our homes. The second video below, from Mark Ward, helps us understand the significance and benefit of all of our English Bible translations.
An amazing resource for all kinds of Bibles, including premium-leather editions, is Tim Wildsmith at Bible Review Blog. Tim has the heart of a loving pastor who loves God's Word and longs to zealously share the Bible with all and anyone who has ears to hear the Word of God! Be sure to purchase Tim's book, Bible Translations for Everyone: A Guide to Finding a Bible That's Right for You, published by Zondervan!
"What English Bible translation, or what English Study Bible, should I use if I am a new believer?" That depends. What translation does your pastor / priest / teacher normally use? What is helpful is following along with your priest / pastor (unless the translation is too difficult). What about your reading level? Are you at or between levels of elementary school, high school, college or seminary? What is your main purpose: everyday reading, devotional or discipleship reading, reading-through-the-Bible at any given pace throughout the year or serious Bible study? If your reading comprehension needs help (be honest, because what is important is that you understand God's Word, not trying to impress anyone), and you also want to basically focus on your relationship with Christ, then I recommend the wonderful Life Application Study Bible: New Living Translation. If you have a bit of trouble reading then I highly recommend the New International Readers Version and God's Word translation (both are amazing). If you are at a high school reading level and you just want to read through the Bible in good English then I recommend this particular edition of the New International Version of the Bible--very delightful for the eyes.
There are good Bibles for those in high school, such as the NIV Quest Study Bible for Teens and the CSB Apologetics Study Bible for Students; and for those young people in college, such as the NIV Quest Study Bible, the CSB Apologetics Study Bible, the ESV Student Study Bible and the CSB Student Study Bible. (Keep in mind that study notes are not God's Word. No one endorses all theological views of all Study Bibles.)
If your reading comprehension is college level, and you want a serious Bible study that is Southern Baptist-like, then I recommend John MacArthur's MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible (believers-only baptism, Calvinistic, appropriately anti-Pentecostal and pre-Tribulational Premillennialism); in that vein, in the Premillenial tradition, there is Albert Mohler's Grace and Truth Study Bible: New American Standard Bible, the award-winning ESV Study Bible, and the wonderful D.A. Carson-edited NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible.
If you admire the King Version Version (KJV) but find some of the language difficult to understand then I wholeheartedly recommend this wonderful update, the Modern English Version (MEV), and I find it even more clear and textually better than the New King James Version. See also the Sword Bible (and also here)--the King James Version easy-reader edition. If you desire a King James Bible then I recommend The King James Study Bible, published by Thomas Nelson. This Holman KJV Study Bible is also very helpful.
If you are Presbyterian (PCA), or perhaps Anglican Reformed, there is R.C. Sproul's Reformation Study Bible, ESV, which has been significantly updated; the NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible, which is my favorite--the one I use daily; the award-winning ESV Study Bible, the Matthew Henry Study Bible (KJV); as well as the CSB Spurgeon Study Bible (also KJV) and the amazing CSB Oswald Chambers Bible! If you are Lutheran (Missouri Synod) then there is the ESV Lutheran Study Bible or the NRSV Lutheran Study Bible (not the same Bible).
Non-Reformed Anglicans / Episcopalians, Presbyterians (PCUSA), Lutherans (ELCA), Methodists, United Church of Christ and others enjoy the soon-to-be out-of-print New Oxford Annotated Study Bible NRSV, the RSV New Oxford Annotated Bible (not the same Bible), the NRSV Harper Collins Study Bible--which has been updated and experienced a name-change, the SBL (Society of Biblical Literature) Study Bible (NRSVue)--the NRSV Access Bible and the forthcoming (01 October 2024) John Knox Press NRSVue Westminster Study Bible. If you are in the Pentecostal / Charismatic tradition then you may appreciate the Fire Bible: English Standard Version (also in KJV) and the NLT New Spirit-Filled Life Bible (Jack Hayford--also in NKJV and KJV) and the KJV Life in the Spirit Study Bible (also NIV).
If you are Baptist-like, or broadly Evangelical and not strictly Calvinistic, then the particular Study Bibles I recommend include the NKJV Study Bible, the NKJV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, the HCSB Apologetics Study Bible, the NIV Quest Study Bible, the NIV Jesus Bible (also ESV), the NIV First-Century Study Bible, the Complete Jewish Study Bible, the Key Word Study Bible NASB (also KJV, NKJV, ESV, CSB), the Jesus-Centered Bible NLT, the CEB Wesley Study Bible (also NRSV), the NRSV C.S. Lewis Bible, the Orthodoxy Study Bible (NKJV), Scofield Study Bible III, NIV, the NIV Thompson-Chain Reference Bible, the NIV Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible (also NASB, NKJV) and the NKJV Jeremiah Study Bible (also NIV, ESV). Baptists in the (CBF) Cooperative Baptist Fellowship generally prefer (but not always) the NRSV Baylor Annotated Study Bible and the New Interpreter's Study Bible NRSV. Keep in mind that I am being general and broad in these recommendations.
There are Bibles specifically for men, like the ESV Men's Study Bible, the CSB He Reads Truth Bible, and the NIV Every Man's Bible; and women, like the ESV Women's Study Bible, the NIV Woman's Study Bible, NKJV The Study Bible for Women and the CSB She Reads Truth Bible; devotional Bibles such as the NET Abide Bible, the CSB Experiencing God Bible, the NCV Grace for the Moment Daily Bible, the NLT Spiritual Growth Bible, and the NIV Couple's Devotional Bible. For Church History buffs like me, there is the CSB Ancient Faith Study Bible (Christian Standard Bible), and the ESV Church History Study Bible; and for people in recovery, such as the NLT Life Recovery Bible (Stephen Arterburn), the NLT Life Recovery for Teens, the NIV Celebrate Recovery Study Bible, CSB Restoration Bible, and NIV Recovery Devotional Bible.
For adequate Bible study, all believers can find helpful notes in many study Bibles, as noted above, but also including the yet unmentioned CSB Study Bible (Christian Standard Bible translation), the well-deserved award-winning NIV Study Bible (New International Version translation), the ESV Archeology Study Bible, the NKJV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, and the Holman Study Bible: NKJV. Study features, focus, and theological persuasions vary. In our Bible study, we must understand that there is one story unfolding throughout the Bible, since the Bible ultimately has one Author--God, in Christ, through the Holy Spirit--though God used and spoke through flawed mortals.
There are good Bibles for those in high school, such as the NIV Quest Study Bible for Teens and the CSB Apologetics Study Bible for Students; and for those young people in college, such as the NIV Quest Study Bible, the CSB Apologetics Study Bible, the ESV Student Study Bible and the CSB Student Study Bible. (Keep in mind that study notes are not God's Word. No one endorses all theological views of all Study Bibles.)
If your reading comprehension is college level, and you want a serious Bible study that is Southern Baptist-like, then I recommend John MacArthur's MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible (believers-only baptism, Calvinistic, appropriately anti-Pentecostal and pre-Tribulational Premillennialism); in that vein, in the Premillenial tradition, there is Albert Mohler's Grace and Truth Study Bible: New American Standard Bible, the award-winning ESV Study Bible, and the wonderful D.A. Carson-edited NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible.
If you admire the King Version Version (KJV) but find some of the language difficult to understand then I wholeheartedly recommend this wonderful update, the Modern English Version (MEV), and I find it even more clear and textually better than the New King James Version. See also the Sword Bible (and also here)--the King James Version easy-reader edition. If you desire a King James Bible then I recommend The King James Study Bible, published by Thomas Nelson. This Holman KJV Study Bible is also very helpful.
If you are Presbyterian (PCA), or perhaps Anglican Reformed, there is R.C. Sproul's Reformation Study Bible, ESV, which has been significantly updated; the NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible, which is my favorite--the one I use daily; the award-winning ESV Study Bible, the Matthew Henry Study Bible (KJV); as well as the CSB Spurgeon Study Bible (also KJV) and the amazing CSB Oswald Chambers Bible! If you are Lutheran (Missouri Synod) then there is the ESV Lutheran Study Bible or the NRSV Lutheran Study Bible (not the same Bible).
Non-Reformed Anglicans / Episcopalians, Presbyterians (PCUSA), Lutherans (ELCA), Methodists, United Church of Christ and others enjoy the soon-to-be out-of-print New Oxford Annotated Study Bible NRSV, the RSV New Oxford Annotated Bible (not the same Bible), the NRSV Harper Collins Study Bible--which has been updated and experienced a name-change, the SBL (Society of Biblical Literature) Study Bible (NRSVue)--the NRSV Access Bible and the forthcoming (01 October 2024) John Knox Press NRSVue Westminster Study Bible. If you are in the Pentecostal / Charismatic tradition then you may appreciate the Fire Bible: English Standard Version (also in KJV) and the NLT New Spirit-Filled Life Bible (Jack Hayford--also in NKJV and KJV) and the KJV Life in the Spirit Study Bible (also NIV).
If you are Baptist-like, or broadly Evangelical and not strictly Calvinistic, then the particular Study Bibles I recommend include the NKJV Study Bible, the NKJV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, the HCSB Apologetics Study Bible, the NIV Quest Study Bible, the NIV Jesus Bible (also ESV), the NIV First-Century Study Bible, the Complete Jewish Study Bible, the Key Word Study Bible NASB (also KJV, NKJV, ESV, CSB), the Jesus-Centered Bible NLT, the CEB Wesley Study Bible (also NRSV), the NRSV C.S. Lewis Bible, the Orthodoxy Study Bible (NKJV), Scofield Study Bible III, NIV, the NIV Thompson-Chain Reference Bible, the NIV Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible (also NASB, NKJV) and the NKJV Jeremiah Study Bible (also NIV, ESV). Baptists in the (CBF) Cooperative Baptist Fellowship generally prefer (but not always) the NRSV Baylor Annotated Study Bible and the New Interpreter's Study Bible NRSV. Keep in mind that I am being general and broad in these recommendations.
There are Bibles specifically for men, like the ESV Men's Study Bible, the CSB He Reads Truth Bible, and the NIV Every Man's Bible; and women, like the ESV Women's Study Bible, the NIV Woman's Study Bible, NKJV The Study Bible for Women and the CSB She Reads Truth Bible; devotional Bibles such as the NET Abide Bible, the CSB Experiencing God Bible, the NCV Grace for the Moment Daily Bible, the NLT Spiritual Growth Bible, and the NIV Couple's Devotional Bible. For Church History buffs like me, there is the CSB Ancient Faith Study Bible (Christian Standard Bible), and the ESV Church History Study Bible; and for people in recovery, such as the NLT Life Recovery Bible (Stephen Arterburn), the NLT Life Recovery for Teens, the NIV Celebrate Recovery Study Bible, CSB Restoration Bible, and NIV Recovery Devotional Bible.
For adequate Bible study, all believers can find helpful notes in many study Bibles, as noted above, but also including the yet unmentioned CSB Study Bible (Christian Standard Bible translation), the well-deserved award-winning NIV Study Bible (New International Version translation), the ESV Archeology Study Bible, the NKJV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, and the Holman Study Bible: NKJV. Study features, focus, and theological persuasions vary. In our Bible study, we must understand that there is one story unfolding throughout the Bible, since the Bible ultimately has one Author--God, in Christ, through the Holy Spirit--though God used and spoke through flawed mortals.
BOOKS ON THE BIBLE I RECOMMEND
- Authorized: The Use and Misuse of the King James Bible by Mark Ward
- Bible Translations for Everyone: A Guide to Finding a Bible That's Right for You by Tim Wildsmith
- Canon Revisited: Establishing the Origins and Authority of the New Testament Books by Dr. Michael J. Kruger
- Can We Trust the Gospels? by Dr. Peter J. Williams
- Inerrancy and the Gospels by Dr. Vern S. Poythress
- Knowing Scripture by the late Dr. R.C. Sproul
- One Foundation: Essays on the Sufficiency of Scripture ed. by Jeremiah Johnson
- Revisiting the Corruption of the New Testament: Manuscript, Patristic, and Apocryphal Evidence ed. by Dr. Daniel B. Wallace
- Sola Scriptura: The Protestant Position on the Bible ed. by Dr. Don Kistler
- The Bible, Simplified: Learn the Story, Live the Story by Zach Windahl
- The Historical Reliability of the New Testament: Countering the Challenges to Evangelical Christian Beliefs by Dr. Craig L. Blomberg
- The Inerrant Word: Biblical, Historical, Theological, and Pastoral Perspectives ed. by Dr. John MacArthur
- The Inspiration and Authority of the Bible by the late B.B. Warfield
- The Question of Canon: Challenging the Status Quo in the New Testament Debate by Dr. Michael J. Kruger
- The Scripture Cannot Be Broken: Twentieth-Century Writings on the Doctrine of Inerrancy ed. by Dr. John MacArthur
- The Shape of Sola Scriptura by Dr. Keith A. Mathison
HOW IMPORTANT IS THE BIBLE?
In one statement: Scripture, as belonging to God as the Word of God, is the means by which God reveals Himself, His plan and His glory for the ages, and is the only means of spiritual revelation today. Outside of Scripture there is no revelation of God's nature and character, of His ways and standards, or His salvation. There is no new revelation. Creation still speaks today, informing us that a Creator exists, and that Nature tells of the glory of God (Ps. 19:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6). But who is this God? What character does this God possess? What attributes does this Creator own and enjoy? What is His relationship with Creation and with Humanity? This is why we need His Word.
Nature alone cannot inform us about nor answer our questions regarding God. Neither can fallen human reason. The Word of God and the Gospel of Jesus are foolishness to the unregenerate person--it makes no sense to him and he does not even care about Christ or God's Word (1 Cor. 1:18). "For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God--God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe" (1 Cor. 1:21 NASB). The Jewish people wanted signs and wonders to attest to Christ Jesus and His Gospel claims to being the Son of God and God Incarnate; Gentiles sought for philosophical reason and enlightened wisdom (1 Cor. 1:22); but Paul, by the inspiration of God, responds: "but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles foolishness" (1 Cor. 1:23). The reason why people reject Christ is because they are unregenerate. The reason why people reject the Bible as being the Word of God is also because they are unregenerate. You may ask: "How, then, can anyone be saved?" Answer: "but to those who are the called, [among] both Jews and Greeks, Christ [is] the power of God and the wisdom of God" (1 Cor. 1:24 NASB). Who are "the called"?
The effects of sin have so crippled the fallen mortal that he has no interest in the things of God, of His Word, of His saving Gospel. But the apostle Paul confesses: "Yet when I am among mature Christians, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world, and not the kind that appeals to the rulers of this world, who are being brought to nothing" (1 Cor. 2:6 NLT). Paul states that we "speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory" (1 Cor. 2:7-8 NASB).
Who is the recipient of this hidden or secret wisdom of God? "For to us [those of us called to be in Christ] God revealed them [His hidden secrets] through the [Holy] Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God" (1 Cor. 2:10). God's secret wisdom is spiritually discerned in His Word (1 Cor. 2:10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15). The non-believer, being unregenerate, has no interest in God's Word or God's Wisdom or God's Gospel or God's Salvation (1 Cor. 2:14). The Word of God "is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are" (Heb. 4:12 NLT). God's Word is breathed out by God Himself (2 Tim. 3:16 ESV) and is "useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God's way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do" (2 Tim. 3:16-17 NLT).
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the instrument used of the Holy Spirit of God for the conversion of the soul (Rom. 1:16, 17) via regeneration (Titus 3:5). Does faith regenerate the soul? No. Does regeneration precede faith? Yes. Faith is the product of being regenerated by the Holy Spirit. Being unregenerate and dead in our sins is the hindrance to faith in Christ. But at the moment of regeneration, when the Holy Spirit gives us new life (John 1:12, 13; 3.3, 5, 6, 7, 8), our spirit and heart and mind comes to life to trust in Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 9). God draws those whom He has graciously chosen to save (Rom. 8:29, 30); God called them, hence they are the called (Rom. 8:29, 30), and God brings them to Himself by the Holy Spirit in Christ: "For God knew [foreordained] His people in advance, and He chose them to become
In one statement: Scripture, as belonging to God as the Word of God, is the means by which God reveals Himself, His plan and His glory for the ages, and is the only means of spiritual revelation today. Outside of Scripture there is no revelation of God's nature and character, of His ways and standards, or His salvation. There is no new revelation. Creation still speaks today, informing us that a Creator exists, and that Nature tells of the glory of God (Ps. 19:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6). But who is this God? What character does this God possess? What attributes does this Creator own and enjoy? What is His relationship with Creation and with Humanity? This is why we need His Word.
Nature alone cannot inform us about nor answer our questions regarding God. Neither can fallen human reason. The Word of God and the Gospel of Jesus are foolishness to the unregenerate person--it makes no sense to him and he does not even care about Christ or God's Word (1 Cor. 1:18). "For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God--God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe" (1 Cor. 1:21 NASB). The Jewish people wanted signs and wonders to attest to Christ Jesus and His Gospel claims to being the Son of God and God Incarnate; Gentiles sought for philosophical reason and enlightened wisdom (1 Cor. 1:22); but Paul, by the inspiration of God, responds: "but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles foolishness" (1 Cor. 1:23). The reason why people reject Christ is because they are unregenerate. The reason why people reject the Bible as being the Word of God is also because they are unregenerate. You may ask: "How, then, can anyone be saved?" Answer: "but to those who are the called, [among] both Jews and Greeks, Christ [is] the power of God and the wisdom of God" (1 Cor. 1:24 NASB). Who are "the called"?
The effects of sin have so crippled the fallen mortal that he has no interest in the things of God, of His Word, of His saving Gospel. But the apostle Paul confesses: "Yet when I am among mature Christians, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world, and not the kind that appeals to the rulers of this world, who are being brought to nothing" (1 Cor. 2:6 NLT). Paul states that we "speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory" (1 Cor. 2:7-8 NASB).
Who is the recipient of this hidden or secret wisdom of God? "For to us [those of us called to be in Christ] God revealed them [His hidden secrets] through the [Holy] Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God" (1 Cor. 2:10). God's secret wisdom is spiritually discerned in His Word (1 Cor. 2:10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15). The non-believer, being unregenerate, has no interest in God's Word or God's Wisdom or God's Gospel or God's Salvation (1 Cor. 2:14). The Word of God "is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are" (Heb. 4:12 NLT). God's Word is breathed out by God Himself (2 Tim. 3:16 ESV) and is "useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God's way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do" (2 Tim. 3:16-17 NLT).
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the instrument used of the Holy Spirit of God for the conversion of the soul (Rom. 1:16, 17) via regeneration (Titus 3:5). Does faith regenerate the soul? No. Does regeneration precede faith? Yes. Faith is the product of being regenerated by the Holy Spirit. Being unregenerate and dead in our sins is the hindrance to faith in Christ. But at the moment of regeneration, when the Holy Spirit gives us new life (John 1:12, 13; 3.3, 5, 6, 7, 8), our spirit and heart and mind comes to life to trust in Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 9). God draws those whom He has graciously chosen to save (Rom. 8:29, 30); God called them, hence they are the called (Rom. 8:29, 30), and God brings them to Himself by the Holy Spirit in Christ: "For God knew [foreordained] His people in advance, and He chose them to become
like His Son, so that His Son would be the firstborn with many brothers and sisters; and having chosen them, He called them to come to Him; and He gave them right standing with Himself and He promised them His glory" (Rom. 8:29-30 NLT). "So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended, and the Gentiles say it's all nonsense. But to those called by God to salvation, [among] both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the mighty power of God and the wonderful wisdom of God" (1 Cor. 1:23-24 NLT). "Long ago, even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes. His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ; and this gave Him great pleasure" (Eph. 1:4-5 NLT).This makes the Bible not a mere luxury, not merely a book of platitudes to grant us wisdom and insight, but the infallible, inerrant, plenary-inspired instrument of God to lead us into all truth. God's Word is life (John 6:63)! Jesus prays to His Father: "Make them [His disciples--God's adopted children by grace through faith in Christ] pure and holy by teaching them Your words of truth" (John 17:17 NLT). "Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth" (John 17:17 NASB). Jesus contextualizes and defines the Word of God, the Bible, as absolute Truth as God knows and defines and contexualizes absolute Truth. You cannot argue someone into eternal Truth. You cannot reason a person into accepting the Gospel. A person must have a Spirit-enabled confrontation with the Word of God, the Message of the Gospel, if he is to believe in Christ.
HOW IMPORTANT IS THE CANON?
I think Dr. Michael Kruger is correct to draw our attention to canonical studies when he argues that, if believers in Christ "cannot adequately answer these questions about the canonical boundaries of the New Testament," i.e. which books belong in the canon of Scripture and how we might know as much, "then on what grounds could they ever appeal to the content of the New Testament?"1 The issue of canonicity belongs also to the books of the Old Testament, given the existence of at least 18 Apocryphal books, many of them highly regarded and some of them even considered authoritative and inspired by the early Church fathers of the second, third, even to the fifth century of the common era (especially Sirach or Ecclesiasticus, Wisdom of Solomon, Tobit, Judith, as well as the historical significance afforded by most to 1 Maccabees).
Dr. Kruger rightly states: "Critics of biblical Christianity have long recognized the significance of the canon question and have therefore focused much of their scholarly energies on that very issue."2 They do so not in order to validate but to invalidate the authority and the Spirit-inspiration of the Bible. Dr. Bart Ehrman, for example, has staked his entire career in the attempt at undermining Scripture to being nothing more than the writings of uneducated farmers and fishermen with religio-political agendas--and he has done so with surprising success. He admits that he used to ask students on the first day of class how many of them merely assume that the Bible is the authoritative Word of God, most of whom raised their hands, and he then proudly seeks to destroy that assumption the rest of the semester. Dr. Kruger urges: It is one
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1 Michael J. Kruger, Canon Revisited: Establishing the Origins and Authority of the New Testament Books (Wheaton: Crossway, 2012), 16.
2 Ibid.
3 Ibid.
4 Ibid., 21.
5 Voddie Baucham, "Why You Can Believe the Bible," in One Foundation: Essays On the Sufficiency of Scripture, ed. Jeremiah Johnson (Valencia: Grace to You, 2019), 22.
6 Ibid.
I think Dr. Michael Kruger is correct to draw our attention to canonical studies when he argues that, if believers in Christ "cannot adequately answer these questions about the canonical boundaries of the New Testament," i.e. which books belong in the canon of Scripture and how we might know as much, "then on what grounds could they ever appeal to the content of the New Testament?"1 The issue of canonicity belongs also to the books of the Old Testament, given the existence of at least 18 Apocryphal books, many of them highly regarded and some of them even considered authoritative and inspired by the early Church fathers of the second, third, even to the fifth century of the common era (especially Sirach or Ecclesiasticus, Wisdom of Solomon, Tobit, Judith, as well as the historical significance afforded by most to 1 Maccabees).
Dr. Kruger rightly states: "Critics of biblical Christianity have long recognized the significance of the canon question and have therefore focused much of their scholarly energies on that very issue."2 They do so not in order to validate but to invalidate the authority and the Spirit-inspiration of the Bible. Dr. Bart Ehrman, for example, has staked his entire career in the attempt at undermining Scripture to being nothing more than the writings of uneducated farmers and fishermen with religio-political agendas--and he has done so with surprising success. He admits that he used to ask students on the first day of class how many of them merely assume that the Bible is the authoritative Word of God, most of whom raised their hands, and he then proudly seeks to destroy that assumption the rest of the semester. Dr. Kruger urges: It is one
thing for a person to question the meaning of a given passage (and whether it says what we think it says), or to question whether a particular passage is historically or factually accurate, but it is quite another to question whether that passage belongs in the Bible in the first place. The question of the canon, therefore, is at the very center of how biblical authority is established. Unless a coherent response can be offered to such questions then [D.F.] Strauss may be all too right--the canon issue could become the single thread that unravels the entire garment of the Christian faith ... [Critics' challenges] have led to the epistemological crisis faced by so many Christians today.3But we must also keep this truth at the forefront of our studies of the canon: Our goal "is not attempting somehow to 'prove' the truth of the canon to the skeptic [or the atheist] in a manner that would be persuasive to him," which is an impossibility, and futile. "Instead, the issue that concerns us here is not about our having knowledge of canon (or proving the truth of canon) but accounting for our knowledge of canon. It is about whether the Christian religion provides sufficient grounds for thinking that Christians can know which books belong in the canon and which do not."4 Dr. Voddie Baucham concurs: "But understand that my goal is not to prove the Bible; my goal is to answer the question of why I choose to believe it."5 The regenerate believer knows from inspired Scripture that "a natural [unregenerate] person does not [by practice] accept the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot [by capacity] understand them because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Cor. 2:14 NASB). The unbeliever cannot view Scripture as deriving from God by virtue of his unbelief. Baucham concludes:
I choose to believe the Bible because it's a reliable collection of historical documents written by eyewitnesses during the lifetime of other eyewitness [who heard and read the record of the life and teachings of Jesus--and they would have balked that the authors were inaccurate in their writings if they were, in fact, inaccurate]. They report supernatural events that took place in fulfillment of specific prophecies and claimed that their writings are divine [2 Tim. 3:16 NIV], rather than human, in origin [2 Pet. 1:16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21].6Jesus' view of Scripture is the highest view of Scripture and we can affirm no less than He: "Jesus answered them, 'Has it not been written in your Law, "I said, you are gods [judges who act divinely on behalf of God]"?' If He called them gods, to whom the Word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?" The NET Bible adds: "Jesus' argument depended on the exact word used in the context of the Psalm. If any other word for 'judge' had been used then His argument would have been meaningless. Since the scriptures do use this word then the argument of Jesus is binding because they cannot be 'broken' in the sense of being shown to be in error." I trust Jesus and first-century firsthand eyewitnesses.
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1 Michael J. Kruger, Canon Revisited: Establishing the Origins and Authority of the New Testament Books (Wheaton: Crossway, 2012), 16.
2 Ibid.
3 Ibid.
4 Ibid., 21.
5 Voddie Baucham, "Why You Can Believe the Bible," in One Foundation: Essays On the Sufficiency of Scripture, ed. Jeremiah Johnson (Valencia: Grace to You, 2019), 22.
6 Ibid.
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