Knowing God's Word requires studying God's Word. However, this can be difficult on your own. Using a Study Bible is a helpful tool for believers to dig deeper into God's Word. But how do you choose from the many selections out there? At Old Fort Baptist, we have done some of the leg work for you. Check out the Book Store for recommendations and to get your hands on a few options for Study Bibles. Ask the Pastors and your community of believers what they use, and check publications before you purchase. God has given His Word to us so that we can know Him. Resources like Study Bibles and commentaries help us as learners and teachers of the Word.
My personal favorite Study Bible is the ESV Study Bible (Released October 15, 2008, and has an Amazon Rating of 4.8 Stars from 3,803 reviews). In addition to the wonderful notes at the bottom of each page helping us to better understand the verses, the section at the back of the Bible provides you with vital information that Old Fort Baptist Church offers in the Theology class during EQUiP University. That section on Biblical Doctrine is followed by an overview of Biblical Ethics, an introduction to interpreting the Bible, articles on reading the Bible, the canon of Scripture, the reliability of Bible manuscripts, archaeology, the original languages, the Bible in Christianity, world religions, and religious cults, and many charts, diagrams, maps. This Study Bible also provides a daily Bible reading plan, and a concordance.
When Old Fort transitioned to the Holman Christian Standard Bible translation in January of 2015, I began exploring that Study Bible. Though not quite the same as the ESV, many valuable insights are still provided. Since transitioning the name of the translation to the Christian Standard Bible, the CSB has continued to release all sorts of new Study Bibles.
My personal favorite from the CSB collection is The Disciple’s Study Bible (Released November 15, 2017 and has an Amazon Rating of 4.6 Stars from 80 reviews). This Bible is modeled after the Replicate discipleship program. This is an excellent discipleship model that encourages Scripture reading, memorization, and interaction through journaling. The Study Bible provides instruction on how to use the F-260 Bible reading plan, a sample HEAR journal entry, a sample pray log, a sample Scripture memory card, the F-260 Bible reading plan, and many excellent articles on developing a healthy discipleship mindset. Another neat element of The Disciple’s Study Bible is that it provides space within the Bible for journal entries, meaning you only need to just take your Bible and a pen to study!
Another Study Bible that has been intriguing is the She Reads Truth Study Bible (Released April 15, 2017 and has an Amazon Rating of 4.8 Stars from 1,777 reviews). I have many female friends who thoroughly enjoy this Study of the Bible. There’s even a He Reads Truth Study Bible that has been released. These Bibles provide sections on how to read the Bible and what the Gospel is, a genre guide, a section on the languages of the Bible, a reading plan to read through the Bible in one year, and a section with key verses. These Study Bibles are very aesthetically appealing and come in a variety of English Bible versions.
A personal Study Bible is absolutely something that should be in your personal library. The opportunity to have so much insight into Scripture accessible in one place is just too appealing to ignore. If you are looking into picking up a new Study Bible, I would recommend one of the three listed above. Also, did you know Old Fort Baptist Church’s website has a recommended resources section that provides suggested readings on various topics that have been read and affirmed by your pastoral staff? Go check it out here!
If you think you might prefer something a little different or might have heard of one that wasn’t mentioned here, please reach out and ask. I would love to have that conversation with you!
