Bible study resources

Sunday, August 9th, 2009 | Receive, Engage, Pursue, Spiritual Disciplines

bible_study

Studying the Bible can seem intimidating, but many helpful books and resources are available.

Where should I start reading in the Bible?

Try starting out with Biblica’s “Reading the World’s Greatest Story” plan. This is a great reading plan that will help you trace God’s big-picture story through the Bible. As a next step, consider one of the reading plans available from Zondervan. Think about looking for a reading partner, someone (or a group) who will do a reading plan with you. This will help both of you stay on track, and it is often a great encouragement and help to discuss what you are reading.

Study resources

One of the most important study resources to have when you are starting out is a study Bible. The NIV Study Bible is a good choice, but there are many others, such as the ESV Study Bible.

A next step would be to look into a devotional book that will guide you through reading a book of the Bible. These are also great for group studies. Try Th1nk’s study of John, or any of the other Th1nk studies.

As you move further in the discipline of Bible study, you might want to consider getting a commentary, such as the New Bible Commentary or the IVP Bible Background Commentary. Also feel free to use the resources available in the church library. We have the Expositor’s Bible Commentary, a Bible dictionary, and other study resources.

Free online resources

Free resources are available online. These tend to be older commentaries and tools, so you may have to wade through older language, but they are still very helpful. Check out http://www.biblestudytools.com and http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/. For a history of the Bible, go to Biblica’s Bible History timeline.

Bible study software

Good Bible study software is extraordinarily powerful and can replace entire bookshelves full of study books, but it also tends to be expensive. One of my favorite programs is Logos. It comes in many different levels with smaller or larger libraries. For most home use, the Christian Home Library or Bible Study Library should be sufficient.

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