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What is your experience with study bibles?

By Jeremy Myers
29 Comments

What is your experience with study bibles?

Evangelism Study BibleI am not a huge fan of study Bibles. I have used several throughout my life, however. I began with the Thompson Chain Reference Bible, then moved to the Life Application Bible, and spent some time with the Ryrie Study Bible, before finally using the Nelson’s Study Bible for several years. Today I use an unmarked wide-margin Bible for most of my Bible reading and Bible study.

I don’t use Study Bible’s Any Longer

There are two reasons I don’t have much interest in study Bibles any longer.

First, I have had too many encounters with Christians who cannot seem to differentiate between what the Bible says and what is written in the notes of their preferred study Bible. I cannot tell you how many times I have had to point out to people that the notes in their study Bible are just someone’s interpretation or understanding of what the Bible means, are not actually “God’s infallible Word.” This common experience has soured me from recommending Study Bibles.

The second reason I have stopped recommending or using study Bibles is related to the first. I firmly believe that God wants to teach each one of us how to read and understand the Bible. I believe the one of the primary ways the Holy Spirit speaks to us is through Scripture. But I also believe that we stifle God’s whisperings to us by turning too quickly to Bible commentaries, Bible studies from other Christians, and the notes in our study Bibles.

When we study a difficult (or “easy” – though is there truly such a thing?) text in Scripture and want to know what it means, we too quickly turn to what others have written about this passage, thereby short-circuiting anything that God might have wanted to teach us through the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit.

The Proper Place for Study Bibles

This does not mean there is no place for Study Bibles. There is. I still use them.

But I think the notes and study aids that are contained in Study Bibles should be used near the end of the Bible study process, rather than at the beginning. If you use a Study Bible as your main Bible, it is too easy, when wrestling with a troublesome text, to simply look down at the notes on the bottom of the page, and in so doing, miss out on the absolute thrill of the “self-discovery” that comes by sweating through the text and praying for understanding.

The Evangelism Study Bible

So it was with some trepidation that I sat down to read through a lot of the notes in the recently-released “Evangelism Study Bible” by Larry Moyer and EvanTell.

EvanTell Larry Moyer

And as expected, I am still not a big fan of Study Bibles.

However, IF you are engaged in a lot of personal evangelism or crusade evangelism, I do highly recommend the notes in this study Bible to help you understand the free offer of eternal life in the Bible.

I respect Larry Moyer and his emphasis on the freeness and clarity of the Gospel message about eternal life. I respect his stance on eternal security. I like how he emphasizes that eternal life is the free gift of God to all who believe in Jesus for it.

I wish the notes would have been more clear about the biblical definitions of “salvation” (it rarely refers to eternal life in the Bible), and “repentance” (the notes take the change of mind view; cf. p. 1157).

Overall, the notes in the Evangelism Study Bible are decent, and it contains numerous sidebar studies on various concepts, ideas, and strategies related to evangelism and witnessing. I was not too surprised to see that the notes in the Old Testament were quite sparse. After all, very rarely do evangelists appeal to Old Testament texts, unless it is to Genesis 3 to talk about the sinful condition of humanity.

I also examined several hotly debated gospel and evangelism texts. I was pleased to see that in the notes on Matthew 7:16-20, the reader is informed that the bad fruit in question is the false doctrine of the false teachers. The notes and sidebar section on Hebrews 6 were excellent, as it laid out the various options for how to understand this tricky text (p. 1346), and concluded that however we understand Hebrews 6, it is not talking about someone losing their eternal life.

I was not at all impressed with how the Study Bible dealt with texts like John 15:2 (not a single note whatsoever), James 2 (a terribly weak discussion; almost non-existent), and Matthew 12:31-32. On this last text, the only note was “See Mark 3:28-30.” I went and checked the Mark parallel, and while the explanation was decent, it was much too short to be very helpful for most people who struggle with questions about the unpardonable sin.

Evangelism Study BibleBy going here, you can get the notes on Ephesians for free.

So do I recommend the Evangelism Study Bible? Well, if you are looking for a Study Bible that will help you dig deep into the Word of God and understand it’s message, themes, and overall trajectory, this probably isn’t the Study Bible for you.

But if you engage in lots of one-on-one evangelism and large-group evangelism, the Evangelism Study Bible might help provide some clarity to your invitations. If you are trying to understand what the Bible says about the free gift of eternal life, this Study Bible might help you with that as well.

Anyway, what is your experience with study Bibles? Do you love them? Hate them? If you have used them, which ones, what do you recommend, and why?

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: Bible study, Bible Study, Books I'm Reading, Discipleship, evangelism, gospel, repentance, salvation, witnessing

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Sometimes the Bible is our own worst enemy

By Jeremy Myers
51 Comments

Sometimes the Bible is our own worst enemy

The Bible

Be careful not to quote too much Scripture to an atheist… because he or she may start quoting Scripture right back! There are a lot of verses in the Bible that seem downright, well, anti-biblical. Or at least anti-christ.

You know… verses about killing babies, marrying girls you raped, and slaughtering all your enemies (including their cows and sheep).

Would Jesus command such things? I don’t think so…

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: apologetics, atheists, Bible study, Discipleship, humor, violence of God

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We See in the Bible What We’re Told To See

By Jeremy Myers
62 Comments

We See in the Bible What We’re Told To See

Have you ever seen this video? Watch it and follow the instructions carefully…

If you’ve seen the video before, you know what to look for, but if you have never seen the video, you might have been shocked at what the end of the video revealed…

I think that sometimes, the way we read the Bible is similar.

We have been taught by books, pastors, seminaries, and Christian friends for so long to read the Bible a certain way and look for certain truths in Scripture, that when someone comes along and says, “Yeah, but did you notice the gorilla in the text?” we reject such an interpretation and say, “No! That’s not there! I have read and studied the Bible for years and have sat through countless sermons, and since I have never heard that idea before and no pastor I have listened to has ever brought that up, it must be wrong! I went to seminary and never heard that in any class!”

And yet, maybe we missed what is really going on in the text because we have been counting the number of times people in white t-shirts pass the ball around. Just as we only see in a video what we are told to look for, so also, maybe we only see in the Bible what we are told to look for.

Maybe I’m only talking about myself.

For the past 7 or 8 years, I have been struggling with Scripture. Some days it almost literally feels like I am wrestling with the Bible. There is all my theological education on one side, screaming at me “Count the number of times the people in white t-shirts pass the ball!” and then there is a still, small voice over on the side saying, “Yes, but did you notice … ?”

I’m trying to notice. I really am. But it is so hard to retrain the mind to see and hear something else.

uncle andrewI was reading The Magician’s Nephew to my daughters last night, and there is a part in the story after Digory, Polly, and Uncle Andrew witness the creation of Narnia where C. S. Lewis explain why Digory and Polly could understand what the Narnian animals were saying but Uncle Andrew could not. It all began when Aslan was singing Narnia into existence and Uncle Andrew convinced himself that the lion was not actually singing, but was only growling. From there, Uncle Andrew’s logic carried him the rest of the way, so that by the time he is surrounded by curious Narnian animals, all he sees is dangerous, brutish beasts who want to eat him. Lewis says that by that point, it would have been impossible for Uncle Andrew to have ever hear the animals talking.

As I read this, I felt like I was Uncle Andrew. There are things I feel like I have believed for so long about God and the Bible, that I am not sure I could ever un-believe them, simply because I have believed them for so long. Try as I might, and despite all the people speaking into my life (and even the still small voice of God), I find it extremely difficult to believe something other than what I have believed my entire life.

Like what?

I’d rather not say.

Last time I wrote about some of the things I was having questions about, I lost my job…

That’s why for now, on this blog, I am going to have to steer away from my series on the violence of God and write about something I feel a little more confident about.

Namely, Calvinism.

I ran a survey earlier this week, and the response was overwhelmingly positive. Over 98% of you want to know more about Calvinism, and specifically, why I am NOT a Calvinist. So, I am going to start that series on Monday.

Just so you know, however, I will still be trying to see the gorilla in the text. I will try to believe what some have been whispering to me, that “animals talk” and that the Lion is not going to eat me.

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: Bible Study, Bible study, CS Lewis, Narnia

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I’ve Started Using Logos Bible Software… And you can get 15% Discount

By Jeremy Myers
13 Comments

I’ve Started Using Logos Bible Software… And you can get 15% Discount

logos Bible software discountI have a long and varied history with Bible software packages. I like the idea of Bible software, but have often had trouble finding one that works well with my thought flow and study habits. A while back, I even wrote a complaint about QuickVerse.

So when I recently decided to give Logos a try, I was a little hesitant to use it. But I must say that I was quite pleased and surprised at how easy Logos Bible software was to use, and also how powerfully it helped my study, research, and writing routines.

To show you some of what I mean, here is a 15 minute video I made with some of the abilities of Logos Bible software that I am really pleased with.

Logos free book of the monthAnother thing I like about Logos Bible software is that every month or so, they make one of their books available as a free download. I think I have downloaded the last four or five books, and I am looking forward to getting some more free books from Logos in the future.

This month’s free book is Spirituality of the Psalms by Walter Brueggemann.

If you are thinking of buying some resources from Logos Bible Software, make sure you use this discount code to get 15% off your order:

Logos Bible Software Discount Code: tillhecomes6

There’s a “5” on the end there… don’t leave that off!

Yes, if you make a purchase using that code, Logos will pay me a bit of money as a “Thank you” for referring you to them, but that is not why I am recommending this software. I do not recommend anything I do not use myself or find helpful in my own studies, research, and writing. I recommend Logos because I think they have the best Bible study software available today.

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: bible software, Bible study, Bible Study, Logos

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Theological Debates with Ignorant Christians

By Jeremy Myers
31 Comments

Theological Debates with Ignorant Christians

Maybe it’s just me, but I seem to be running into more and more ignorant Christians who seem to think that the best way to learn theology is to not study it. When challenged on any of their theological beliefs, their only real defense is, “God revealed it to me.”

Here is how these discussions often go:

Ignorant Christian: I disagree with what you taught from the Bible today. You are wrong about _____.

Me: Well, I make no claim to infallibility. It is possible I am wrong. Why do you think so?

Ingorant Christian: Because you obviously haven’t read the Bible. If you had, you would know about Passage X, Y, and Z, which say this: (They then proceed to quote several verses to me from the Bible. I call this Shotgun hermeneutics.)

Me: I am actually quite familiar with those texts, and have studied them extensively. I just simply understand them in a different way than you do.

Ignorant Christian Ignorant Christian: Well, your way is wrong.

Me: Again, that is possible. Besides, I forgot that you are smarter than I am, and have more education than I do.

Ignorant Christian: Oh, you’re mocking me now? I may not have gone to Bible college or Seminary, but I know the Bible just as good as you do. In fact, it is at Bible college and Seminary that you learned all your heresies.

Me: Undoubtedly so. But tell me, where did you get your learning from? What books have you read? What teachers do you listen to? How did you gain the Bible knoweldge you have?

Ignorant Christian: I learned it all on my own. I don’t read any books except the Bible and don’t listen to any teachers except the Holy Spirit. Jesus has taught me everything I know about the Bible.

Me: Wow, I wish I was that spiritual… So have you ever been wrong in anything you believed?

Ignorant Christian: No, God wouldn’t teach me lies. Everything I learn from God is 100% accurate.

Me: …So you’ve never been wrong about anything?

Ignorant Christian: Of course I have! Just nothing God taught me. If I am wrong about something, I trust that God will teach me the truth as I study Scripture, pray, and listen to the instruction of the Holy Spirit. I don’t need human teachers or human books to teach me the truth.

Me: I see…  So why are you correcting me again?

Ignorant Christian: Because you’re wrong.

Me: But you’re human, right?

Ignorant Christian: Of course. What are you saying?

Me: Well, you just said that everything you believe you learned from God through the study of Scripture and the instruction of the Holy Spirit, and that you don’t listen to human teachers or read human books, and yet here you are, a human, trying to instruct and correct me… It seems that if you really believed what you say, you would trust God to teach and correct me the way He teaches and corrects you.

Ignorant Christian: But you don’t believe God does that.

Me: I didn’t say that… I guess I’m just confused. You don’t want human teachers to teach and correct you, but you, as a human, want to teach and correct others?

Ignorant Christian: Because God has taught the truth to me, He has called me to teach that truth to others. And as you were teaching, He revealed to me that I was supposed to correct you.

Me: Well, thank you for being God’s mouthpiece. Please, next time you talk to God, tell Him that I am open to His instruction and correction, and that anytime He wants to correct my theology, He can come speak to me the same way He speaks to you.

Ignorant Christian: You can’t order God around like that! GOD WILL NOT BE MOCKED! DON’T YOU KNOW THAT THE UNRIGHTEOUS WILL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD?!

Me: Ok, this conversation is over. Thank you for voicing your concerns with my ideas. Good bye.

Ignorant Christian: I WILL PRAY FOR YOUR ETERNAL SOUL!

Not all conversations go exactly like that, but that tends to be the genearal direction. My favorite part of these conversations is always that “I only the need the Bible, but you need to listen to me” argument. It is shocking to me how many people I encounter who have that sort of mindset.

Any of you have similar conversations? Maybe you have interactions online with people like this? Share below!

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: Bible study, Bible Study, Christians, Theology - General

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