It takes a Library! There is a crying need for Christians to stop admiring God’s Word and talking about it and pledging allegiance to it, and start reading and studying it with heart and soul.
If a majority of Christians would begin to read the Bible in a regular and thoughtful way, it would revolutionize the church and its mission. Think about it... if a substantial number of Christians progressed from just reading to actual study of God’s Word, there is no telling what might result from such personal immersion in the Word.
Bible “study” rather than just reading is how we build a sustainable knowledge of God’s Word. Study is how we gain insight, wisdom and learn to apply Godly principles in our lives. Bible Study requires that you do more than peruse the text; you must dig into it and squeeze out the meaning and power that is there.
To do that, you need to a personal library of study aids and resources that can help you gain a deeper understanding of Scripture.
Listed below are several books worth adding to your library. Some are simple and inexpensive. Others are more substantive and expensive. Choose at least one book in each category and order them through your favorite and trusted online resource such as... Amazon.com, Christianbook.com and others.
Commentaries
France, Richard. Matthew. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries. Grand Rapids: Wm. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1985.
Lewis, Jack P. The Gospel According to Matthew (2 vols). The Living Word Commentary. Austin: Sweet Publishing Co., 1976.
Hurtado, Larry W. Mark. A Good News Commentary. San Francisco: Harper & Row Publishers, 1983.
Williamson, Lamar Jr. Mark. Interpretation Commentary Series. Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1983.
Morris, Leon. The Gospel According to St. Luke. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries. Grand Rapids: Wm. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1982.
Bruce, F.F. The Gospel of John. Grand Rapids: Wm. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1983.
Tennery, Merrill C. John: The Gospel of Belief. Grand Rapids: Wm. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1948.
Cottrell, Jack; Chaney, Terry A.: Romans - NIV Commentary. College Press.
There are many more Bible books, OT and NT, in the complete NIV Commentary Series available from College Press Publishing Co.,2005.
Topical Study
The Faith Once For All: Bible Doctrine for Today. Jack Cottrell; College Press. 2007
Baptism: A Biblical Study. Jack Cottrell; College Press Publishing Co. 1989
The Holy Spirit: A Biblical Study. Jack Cottrell; College Press. 2007
Just Great Books for your Library
Lewis, C. S., Mere Christianity (available in paperback)
Lewis, C. S. The Screwtape Letters (also available in paperback)
Gardner, Paul D., Editor. The Complete Who's Who in the Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1995.
Bridges, Jerry. The Pursuit of Holiness and The Practice of Godliness. These two books by Bridges are available in paperback. Published by NAV Press, 2001.
Bible Dictionaries
Any good Bible Dictionary will give you a wealth of information for your study of the gospels. Find one that fits your price range and study level. I can recommend the following three as ones you will greatly benefit from using...
New Bible Dictionary. Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton: 1982.
Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, B & H Publishing Group; 2003.
Wycliffe Bible Dictionary, Hendrickson Publishers;1998.
The New International Dictionary of the Bible. Douglass, J. D. and Tenney, Merrill C. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1987.
Concordance
There are many good concordances available. Choose one that is based on the translation you like to use (e.g. The NIV Complete Concordance). You can’t go wrong choosing most any of the Strong’s Concordances, as long as you match it to your Study Bible translation, NIV, ESV, NKJV, NASV, etc.
Atlas
New Bible Atlas. Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, 1985. Beitzel, B. J.
The Moody Atlas of Bible Lands. Chicago: Moody Press, 1985.
Then and Now Bible Maps, Deluxe Edition w/CD-ROM, Rose Publishing; ISBN: 1596361638
Study Bible
I would highly recommend the NIV Study Bible, the ESV Study Bible, or the NKJV Chronological Study Bible. STAY clear of any version of the New Living Translation Bibles (NLT).
Computer Software
Wordsearch 9 in any of its reference library versions. Go to www.wordsearchbible.com for purchase information. It is available for either PC or Mac.
The Thompson Chain-Reference Bible Library is an excellent resource for computer based research. It contains 10 Bibles, 10 concordances, and 48 reference works.
The Teaching Library is another excellent choice. It contains 14 Bibles, 14 concordances, and 75 reference works.
Bible Explorer 4.0 is a ver inexpensive way to get started. BE contains 14 Bibles, 14 concordances, and 121 reference works. It also offers an upgrade path to Wordsearch 9.
There are so many resources for finding good quality reference materials and Bible study aids. Ask your preacher or an elder in your church for additional recommendations. How ever you go about it... the important thing is to get started in building your library.
Growing in your faith starts with being in His Word and understanding what God is telling us. The knowledge of God is of inestimable value. God would not command people to seek that which was worthless or useless. He would not urge us with so much earnestness to seek Him if it were not of inexpressible importance.
Isaiah 55:6 says... "Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.“
Gift Giving season is Here! Start now... in this Season of the Christ, by giving gifts of lasting value. Build a Library of Tools for Personal Bible Study for you and your family.
