Review of the NASB Thompson Chain Reference Bible

Thompson Chain
Reference Bible

I have owned a KJV Thompson Chain Reference Bible for about the last 46 years.  I was excited when the Bible Gateway Blogger Grid asked me to review the NASB version of this classic Bible.  As I have shared before since this blog is a member of the Blogger Grid, I am given free copies of books from time to time to review.  This is one of those cases.

Full disclosure, I do not normally use a physical Bible any longer in my study.  I use Logos Bible Software for hours every day.  I study in a file I create in Microsoft Word that has the text of the book I am studying next to that book in the original language in a table.  Along with that I have Logos open with the resources I use regularly, displayed with the Word document utilizing three monitors.  The English version in the Word document is NASB.  That said, I use a physical Bible when I am speaking to a group and when I am traveling overseas.  Those are two different versions of the NASB.  So, I am very familiar with the NASB, it is my go to version.  Therefore, I was very pleased to be given the opportunity to review this iteration of the Thompson Chain.

As I have mentioned in previous reviews of the Quest Study Bible, the NIV Study Bible, the Verse Mapping Bible and Journal, and the NASB Adventure Bible, I highly recommend that you read the introduction and prefaces to any Bible Version you are contemplating.  I will not rehearse the reasons already stated in the other reviews, but will say that for the NASB Thompson Chain, this moves from highly recommended to absolutely critical.  I will go so far as to say that you will be lost or confused by the layout of the Bible if you should choose to skip those introductions and prefaces.  There are too many features in the Thompson Chain to adequately and succinctly explain their use in a review such as this.  However, as with my other reviews I will attempt to outline the usefulness of this Bible.

Figure 1

The Good
First, the Thompson Chain is a stealth study Bible.  Stealth in that the vast majority of the study tools are in the back of the book on pages 1613 – 2238.  You read that right, there are 625 pages of “Comprehensive Bible Helps” starting on page 1613.  That is 28% of the publication.  I am pleased that those helps are in the book, especially that they are in the back.  That arrangement does not distract from the text of the Bible.  Each page of the Bible is mostly Bible rather than notes.  That allow one to study with less distractions.  Figure 1 is the Index on page 1614 of the Bible (if you click on the picture you will get a larger image).  A casual glance through that index reveals a wealth of material.  Note especially the second entry, “Principles of Bible Study”.  One of the benefits of the Thompson Chain is that it supports and encourages personal engagement in study this is the second article in the Book on Bible Study, the first is in the prefaces on page xii – xiii.  

Figure 2

The primary difference between the Thompson Chain and other NASB Bibles is also its primary benefit.  The Thompson Chain handles cross references differently than other Bibles.  Consider Figure 2.  There are three sets of notes on a page, the far-left column, the far-right column, and footnotes.  Look at the far-left column.  You will seen next to the title of the Letter, two entries, “2697 Writer, Paul,” and “4277 Analysis of the Epistle.”  These “pilot numbers” direct you to the articles in the back of the Bible.  I like the article on Paul because it does not give you answers other than the passages that refer to Paul in the text of the New Testament.  There is a suggested outline of Paul’s life, but that would not preclude you from coming to your own conclusions.  This again is a feature that encourages your personal study of the Scripture.  Rather than summarizing the content of the passages, you are told where you can find them and are left to ponder them on your own.  The next entry, “4277” is the introduction material for Second Timothy.  This is more in line with what you may find in other study Bibles: place and date, purpose, historical occasion, peculiarities of the epistle, and a synopsis in fairly detailed outline form.  I would encourage you to do an overview of the book prior to consulting this article.  To look at it prior to doing your own study would likely skew your observations toward their conclusions.  While I understand their outline, I do not agree with either their breakdown or their emphases.

Finally I would draw your attention to the notes to the left of the beginning of the epistle.  Notice that when a topic is mentioned in the text in the left or right center column, for example, Paul’s apostleship, you will find a similar notation in the left or right outside column like, “202 Paul’s Apostleship”.  These follow the same format as mentioned above concerning “2697 Writer, Paul.”  Again, these “pilot numbers” refer to the chains in the back of the book.  These chains are what gives the Thompson Chain Reference Bible its name.  There are about 100,000 references in the chains.  Note that under the “202” reference there is noted “p.p. John 3:16.”  This is a reference that is a parallel passage and is independent of the chains.  

I find this system very good for a reference Bible.  The reason is what I stated above.  The notes, diagrams, and introductions to the different books do not distract from the text.  

The not so good
If you will look again at figure 1 or 2, you will note that you can see and possibly read what was printed on the previous page.  This is because the paper on which this book is printed is exceptionally thin.  You will notice in figure 1 that I wrote in the page number on page 1614, you can plainly see where I wrote 1613 on the other side of the page.  It did not bleed through, nor did a highlighter I tested; however, I use archival quality pens and highlighters.  While it did not bleed through, it is certainly noticeable and would possibly make reading the next page somewhat difficult.

That would seem to suggest that this Bible will not travel well.  Its best use would be a reference in your study.  I would certainly test any pen or highlighter on one of the blank pages or in a margin that is clear before using them on this book.

Conclusion
If you are looking for a good reference to expand your Bible Study, this would be a good selection.  You can get this book from BibleGateway here or from Amazon here.  If you choose to purchase this from Amazon, Entrusting Truth will receive a small part of your purchase as a donation from Amazon.

Review of the NASB Adventure Bible

Since this blog is a member of the Bible Gateway Blogger Grid, I am asked to review and provided with free Bibles and Books to review.  The latest request was to review the NASB Adventure Bible, and I am both happy and eager to do so.

The first Bible I bought after I trusted Christ was a NASB.  That was in the summer of 1973.  I still have that Bible.  It has been rebound twice and needs yet another trip to the bindery to touch up the work that was done the last time.  In the early 80’s I began studying Greek and Hebrew at Western Kentucky University.  I continued that study at Dallas Theological Seminary beginning in 1987.  As a result of that study, I have translated all the New Testament from Greek to English.  I share that because I have found that the NASB is the closest version, speaking now primarily of the 1971 version, to what I have discovered as I translated the New Testament.

So, it may be needless to state, I am a fan of the NASB, at least the 1971, 1977, and 1995 versions.  I have not evaluated the 2020 version yet.  The Adventure Bible is based on the 1995 text.  I use that text in my personal study.  While, as I stated above, I have found the NASB text close to the original, it is always a good idea to compare English translations.  Differences in the renderings can alert you to issues in the original that may require further investigation.

Overview

There are several features in the Adventure Bible that will help a young person learn to study and fall in love with the Bible.  The most obvious, at first glance, is the 5 full color, four page inserts in the Bible, these inserts contain information about the Bible that is presented in a creative way aimed at engaging a child or young reader in an activity that will cause them to process the content of the Bible.  For example the third has a paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 13 to help the reader understand love, the two page middle of this section has a two week reading plan on Jesus life and a list of passages of what Jesus taught on several topics of interest to children, and finally on the fourth page of the section, a list of famous children of the Bible and the books, chapters, and verses where they can be found.

Do not skip the Welcome pages, it explains the other helpful features of this Bible:

• Words to Treasure: This feature points out key passages in the Bible.  They are highlighted for the reader with the suggestion to memorize the passage.
• Did you know?  Points out interesting facts about the Bible.
• Life in Bible Times:  Shares details about what it was like to live in the time of the characters in the Bible.
• People in Bible Times:  Highlights many of the people of the Bible and points out interesting facts about their lives.
• Live it:  Suggests ways to apply what the readers has just read.  This may be the most important feature of this version.  We are not given the Bible to make us smarter or to help us win a Bible trivia challenge.  It is given so that we can know God and fall more deeply in love with Him, thus having our lives transformed in and through that relationship.  This section helps one to do just that.
• Book introductions:  In front of each book of the Bible there is a short introduction that answers the who, what, where, why, wherefore, questions in short sentences.  The introductions are not long and do not overly communicate in that the reader will not be prevented from learning much about the book from simply reading it.

Finally there are in the back of the book:

• Subject Index: This is an index of topics that the student may want to pursue.  Rather than give passages it gives the page numbers on which one of the features above deals with the topic.
• Activities: This was missing in my copy.  I reached out to the publisher through Bible Gateway and was told that this index which will be in subsequent printings, will function much like the Subject index.  In this case it will give the page numbers for suggestions about activities like flash cards which is mentioned in association with 1 Peter 2:9 – 12.  This again, is a feature that aligns with the purpose of the Bible that we learn to apply what it tells us
• Dictionary Concordance – this gives a short definition of a term and then some places in the Bible it is used.
• Maps:  There is an adequate if not extensive set of maps in the back of the Book

Conclusions

If you are looking for a first Bible for a new reader.  This is a good, make that excellent, option.  Both the base translation and the features are excellent, and the features do not distract from the most important thing, the text of the Bible.  Zondervan has done good work with this.

As validation, my daughter walked in my office while I was working on this review and remarked that she had done research for a kids Bible and has concluded that the NASB Adventure option was the best for her four kids.  

You can get the Adventure Bible here, or here, note that a small percentage of your purchase will be contributed to Entrusting Truth.  Let me know if you have any questions.

Review of Verse Mapping

NIV Verse Mapping Bible

Assignment
From time to time, because my blog is a member of the Bible Gateway Blogger Grid, I am provided with free Bibles and Books about the Bible to review.  Recently I was asked to review Kristy Cambron’s Verse Mapping Bible Study Journal, the Verse Mapping Bible, and the Verse Mapping Bible for Girls.

NIV Verse Mapping
Bible for Girls

Similar to Verse Analysis
The covers of all three items suggest that this method of study was developed by Kristy Cambron.  While the layout is perhaps new, the elements of the study closely resemble the Verse Analysis Study to which I was introduced in 1973 during Undergraduate Pilot Training in the Air Force.  I use verse analysis in my personal study and in the seminars I lead on Bible study.  Further, have written about that study in my blog about thirteen times; the first was the thirteenth post I ever wrote.  That post links to the Entrusting Truth website which challenges the visitor to do the study and has a link to download the form I use.  That study has eight steps, Kristy’s Study is five steps.  

Though Verse Mapping is like verse analysis, the presentation is probably more appealing and there is one particular step that I really like and have also suggested to anyone who has been in my seminars.  In fact, that step is the reason that I will heartily recommend this study method, as well as the Bibles that are associated even though they are NIV, of which if you have read any of my reviews of the NIV study Bibles you will know that I am not a fan.

Verse Mapping Bible Study
Journal

Common Content
All three of the publications have instructions on how to verse map.  The Bibles have two pages at the front of the Book.  The Journal has a very helpful and detailed 14 page instruction and examples starting on page 5.  

[Note, One Challenge: The last sentence on page 13 of the Journal is either a typo, very confusing, or simply wrong.  The sentence as published says, “If a Greek word was used in one translation and not another…find out why.”  In my office I have a bunch of Bibles, say 20ish; on my computer, I have 20+ more, none of which, whether version, translation, or paraphrase, have any Greek words in them.  They are all in English, Spanish, French, or Arabic.  I have contacted the person at Bible Gateway who sent me the books about this.  He forwarded my comments to Kristy’s editor, she contacted me and told me that she had talked to Kristy and they were going to recast the sentence to explain Kristy’s point more accurately.  I think I know what she meant, but I cannot be sure.  I have held off on writing this review in hopes of hearing how this is resolved.  As yet, I have not heard.  However, the spirit of what is being suggested is good.  I will touch on that later in this review.]

The Verse Mapping Bible is top
The Verse Mapping Bible 
for Girls is bottom
The content is identical and the 
page number is even the same.

The Bibles
The Verse Mapping Bibles are virtually identical.  They are, as stated above, the NIV.  They are bare bones except that there are 350 verse maps in each of the Bibles as well as 70 blank ones.  Pages either have a fully, partially, or blank verse map, or simply text with a column next to the edge of the page for notes.  The layout is good, and the text is easy to read.  I originally found it odd that there were no cross references in the Bibles.  However, the addition of 420 partially complete or blank verse maps essentially added 420 pages to the book.  If the publisher had added cross references, it would have made the work unwieldy.  The student will need to use a concordance or a bible program such as those referred to in the Journal’s resource section to find cross references.

The Journal
The Journal has 60 blank maps for you to use.  Both have a topical index that may help you find verses to map.  There is also a Reference and Resource Guide in the back of the journal that those starting this type of study will find extremely helpful.

Providing a Bible Study Journal is a great idea.  All of us suffer from the reality of forgetting what we have studied.  Having these maps in one place to review is a good way to keep track of what the Lord has been teaching us in our study.

The Method
The method is very good.  The best part of the method, the part that mitigates the promotion of the NIV, is step 2, design.  In that step one is to compare the verse one is mapping in 2 – 4 other English versions or translations (for some help on why there are differences in versions and translations read the three blog posts I wrote on this starting here).  This is really a necessary step for any analysis of a verse in an English Bible, especially if you one does not have access to the original languages.  Comparing the texts, may point out differences in the way the Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic is translated by the version’s committee or the individual making the translation.  It will also highlight things that you may need to consider as you look at the original languages.  The author gives the student suggestions on how to examine the originals both in the 14-page overview of the method in the Journal and in the Verse Mapping Reference and Resource Guide on page 137 of the Journal.  The suggestions are concise and good.

Blank Verse Map.  Note you work from top right to bottom left

Conclusion
This is a very good method from which any believer would benefit.  Either one of the Bibles and the Journal as a set would be an excellent investment.  My sense is that if one engages with the method their hunger for more will increase.  That is a good thing.  

There are two things I would suggest adding.  One is looking at other passages that support the passage you are mapping.  Thus, the reference to concordances and other resources above, as well as using the topical index in the Bibles.  The second, would be for the student to add a personal application to the outcome.  Prof, Howard Hendricks, always said that if we haven’t applied what we have studied, we haven’t really studied (that was a paraphrase).

Bottom line, I would heartily recommend this method to anyone.  In fact, I am going to show it to some of my grandchildren when they are old enough to engage with it.

You can get the NIV Verse Mapping Bible here, The Girls version here, and the Journal here.

Help for Struggling Prayer

(Normally I write these in an hour or so.  This one I have been working on for 3 or 4 days.  It is long.  I considered breaking it into two or three posts but decided against it.  I think that would have diminished the message.)

Full Disclosure
I struggle with prayer.  I can study the Bible for hours, but I will fall asleep, like the disciples, when I try to pray for thirty minutes.  I share that as a preface to what I have been challenged with in the Word over the past few days.  I share it because I do not want you to think that what I am about to write about prayer, is in any way a declaration that I have this figured out or am doing well with this spiritual discipline.

Source of This Post
For some context, I am working through Revelation (here @ Bible Gateway) in three Bible studies: one on Monday morning, and two on Tuesday morning.  So, I am working through the book verse by verse three different times.  Most of what follows is a result of those studies.  

The Importance of Prayer to God
In Revelation 8:3 – 5 (here @ Bible Gateway) there is a picture of the importance and effectiveness of prayer that overwhelms me.  What John sees is an altar, a golden alter, before the throne of God.  We see in verse 5 (here @ Bible Gateway) that the altar has fire.  In verse 3 (here @ Bible Gateway) we find that the prayers of all of the saints are on that altar.  Think of that.  Your prayer, my prayer, are on the altar before God.  

If your experience is like mine, sometimes it feels as if my feeble prayer does not get past the ceiling of my office.  Yet here we find that these prayers, feeble as they may be, are on the altar, seemingly as a burnt offering to our God.  

But that is not all.  In Revelation 8 (here @ Bible Gateway), the angel comes to the altar and adds much incense to the prayer on the altar.  I understand that this is after the seventh seal, so, we cannot assume that this happens now.  However, the altar seems to be there now.  Regardless, the actions of the angel with the incense, the fire from the altar, and the censer, seem to underline and emphasize the effect of our prayer.

Hope In My Feeble Prayer
It has been of help to me to consider what John saw and recorded in Revelation 8 (here @ Bible Gateway) as I begin to pray.  To understand that my prayer will be on the altar before God, gives me hope.  Hope even though I am so weak in my prayer.

But there is more hope.

In Romans 8:26 – 27 (here @ Bible Gateway) I am greatly comforted about my feeble prayer life.  There we read that – but wait, the first words we read are, “In the same way”, that makes us look at the previous context to see what that “same way” could be, we see, among other things, the ministry of the Spirit in our lives assures us of our adoption and gives us hope.  That hope is a direct reflection of Paul’s point in Romans 5:1 – 11 (here @ Bible Gateway) where, as we exult in our tribulation, the Spirit produces love in our hearts, as we persevere, we develop proven character in and through that perseverance, and that results in hope.  

So as the ministry of the Spirit helps us to walk in Christ, assures us of our adoption, and gives us hope, “in the same way” He helps our weakness.  He helps in one of the areas in which I need great help, prayer.  The text says that we do not know how to pray.  This “we” includes the author, Paul.  Paul, like me, like us, struggled with prayer.  But here the Spirit inspires him to encourage “we”.  We are helped because the Spirit takes our weak, feeble prayer, and intercedes for us.  

The Full Engagement of the Trinity in Our Prayer
However, it gets even better.  Look at the last clause of Romans 8:27 (here @ Bible Gateway):

“because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God,” (NASB95).  

Note that the words “the will of” are in italics which indicates those words were added by the committee to make the translation “make more sense”.  Regardless of which version or translation you consider those words are added.  The Greek literally says:

“because according to God He intercedes on behalf of the saints”.  

While I understand the addition of “the will of”, from my perspective the addition significantly diminishes the point Paul is making.  The Holy Spirit intercedes for us according to God.  While the will of God is certainly in mind, I believe that “according to God” indicates all of God’s nature and character, all His glory and excellence.  Paul’s Holy Spirit inspired choice of vocabulary, highlights and underscores the fullness of the Holy Spirit’s participation with the Father and the Son as God, bringing that participation fully into His intercession for us.

This is not a minor point.  You will note that Romans 8:2 – 39 (here @ Bible Gateway) is the explanation of and support for Romans 8:1 (here @ Bible Gateway) (notice all of the verses in your Bible that begin with “for,” “for” is a structural marker (click here for more on structure in the Bible or search this blog for the word "structure") that indicates support for or result of something that has been stated.  Throughout this chapter Paul is substantiating what he has declared in 8:1 (here @ Bible Gateway)).  For those of us who are in Christ, there is no condemnation.  

Part of the reality that we are under no condemnation is what we are considering here.  We are still weak.  We are still needy.  Even though it is declared that we are in Christ in 8:1 (here @ Bible Gateway) and that the Spirit (8:9 (here @ Bible Gateway)) and Christ (8:10 (here @ Bible Gateway)) dwell in us.  In 8:26 – 27 (here @ Bible Gateway) we are told that “He who searches the hearts” knows the mind of the Spirit.  It is the Father that searches the hearts (consider: 1 Samuel 16:7 (here @ Bible Gateway); 1 Chronicles 28:9 (here @ Bible Gateway); Proverbs 17:3 (here @ Bible Gateway); Jeremiah 11:20 (here @ Bible Gateway); 17:10 (here @ Bible Gateway); 20:12 (here @ Bible Gateway); Revelation 2:23 (here @ Bible Gateway)).  The Father searches the heart of the believer, the Spirit prays for the believer and the Father and the Spirit are completely in sync, which brings the full force of the nature of God into that prayer.  To cap all of that off, we read in 8:34 (here @ Bible Gateway) that the Son is also interceding for us at the right hand of God.

Summary
So as we struggle with prayer, it helps me to remember, that my feeble attempts of coming to my Lord in prayer, are absorbed by the Holy Spirit, compared with the actual needs that I have, the Spirits understanding is completely understood by the Father, who has searched my heart and understands my needs, then the Spirit prays for me to the Father with groanings too deep for words – He is pouring His soul out for us – while at the same time the Son is at the right hand of the Father also praying for us, and all of this time, our feeble prayer is on the golden altar that stands before the throne of the Father.

Conclusion
That is help.  That truth has helped me rest as I pray.  It has taken away some of the struggle.  It has caused me to rejoice and praise Him who has engaged so completely in my efforts to come to Him.  It is an overwhelming picture of God’s love and effective working of His grace in our lives.

Traversing Affliction

This morning I was reading in Exodus.  The chapters assigned were 1 – 2.  Actually, that was the reading last week some time.  But, because of chemo and getting the second Covid vaccine, I was not able to think or read after Tuesday morning, so I am doing some catch up.

I was struck, not for the first time, by Exodus 1:10 – 14 (here @ Bible Gateway).  Some context, for a while now, I have been pondering how or why the Lord is using the past five years and specifically the cancer to equip my wife and me for that which He designed us.  Reading Exodus 1:10 – 14 (here @ Bible Gateway), and thinking about God’s knowledge of our path, Psalm 139:3 (here @ Bible Gateway), it occurs to me that what comes into our lives is intentional, purposeful.  To validate that for yourself, consider Ephesians 2:10 (here @ Bible Gateway), Hebrews 12:4 – 10 (here @ Bible Gateway), Romans 5:1 – 11 (here @ Bible Gateway), 2 Corinthians 1:3 – 11 (here @ Bible Gateway).

Back to Exodus…  We know from the rest of the book that Moses is going to lead the nation out of their bondage to Egypt.  That is not a trivial journey.  The nation is going to have to flee the Egyptian army, cross miles of wilderness, essentially living off the land while carrying everything they can including shelters.  Serious backpacking trip under duress. 

Note what happened prior to Moses showing up.  The Egyptians forgot Joseph.  They began to afflict Israel.  They gave them difficult, physically demanding work.  They “compelled the sons of Israel to labor rigorously”.

Since we see in the Word that the Lord is sovereign, able to control the hearts of kings, Proverbs 21:1 (here @ Bible Gateway); isn’t it reasonable that the Lord used the Egyptian’s fear of Israel and their response to compel them into rigorous labor as preparation for the rigorous journey out of Egypt that was just around the corner for the nation?

So, if we are facing difficult times, perhaps we should be asking the Lord to help us understand it as prep.  We certainly may not, and probably won’t, get an explanation as to the specifics of the reason for the prep.  But, praying or asking in that way will remind us that is the case, it is prep.  

It may be as simple as creating for us a platform from which to encourage and comfort others who are going through similar trials as 2 Corinthians 1:3ff (here @ Bible Gateway) suggests.  It may be to develop our character as Romans 5:1ff (here @ Bible Gateway) and Hebrews 12:4ff (here @ Bible Gateway) declare.  It may be for reasons that we never are able to determine.  It is still prep.

Regardless, whether we understand or not, praying for understanding will remind us not only that He is intentional in what He brings into our lives, but also that we can trust Him through the process.

I do not pretend to suggest that this will make any of the difficulties less difficult.  However, it could more accurately align our focus and faith.

What do you think?

Review of the NIV Study Bible

In September of 2019 I was asked to review the Quest Study Bible.  This last fall I was asked to Review the NIV Study Bible, Fully Revised Edition.  I am invited to do so and provided a review copy because I am a member of the Bible Gateway Blogger Grid.  I was supposed to have this done by the end of October, but the effects of chemo did not allow that to happen.  So this is late along with two other reviews that will be published here shortly.  As with the Quest review, I will address the good and the things I consider not so good about this work.

The Good
There is much to recommend this Bible.  Much of that is the front and back matter.  For any Bible you use you should read the preface.  Why?  The preface explains the reason for the version and the philosophy of translation.  Further, there is usually information about how the work is organized.  The committee will also point out which parts of the work of which they are especially proud.  

In the case of this work, the parts that are highlighted are very good.  There are several articles included that explain or expand parts of the Biblical text or story that are good.  There is a table of contents at the beginning of the book that is specific to those articles.  Reading through that table one would be inclined to read several of them.  The titles alone are instructive in the sense that they deal with questions or sections of the Bible about which many believers are curious.

The map section in the back is very good. Additionally, there are maps throughout the Bible showing the locations that are referenced in the text.  That gives one geographic orientation as one is dealing with a section without having to pull out an atlas.  In the front of the book there is an index of all the maps.  That index is presented by book of the Bible which is especially helpful.

There are also a number of helpful charts that would help the student synthesize or understand sections of scripture.  As with the articles and maps, there is a separate index for the charts which is also presented by book of the Bible.  Looking at the book of the Bible and seeing the charts related to that book is instructive.

The cross references are good and many.  The charts are informative and have their own table of contents.  The articles are adjacent to the Scripture to which they are most relevant, and they have a separate table of contents.  The notes have a topical index.

At the beginning of each book of the Bible there is an introduction and outline of the book.  These have helpful information about the author, date, and content of the book.  The outlines are detailed.  I would recommend that one do and overview of the book including one’s own outline before reading these.  The reason is that once you read their outline it will be difficult for you to see anything differently.  There are significant differences between the outlines published and the ones I have done for each book.  That is not to say either mine or the published outlines are wrong, it just means that this gives you a chance to compare what you see to what is published.

There is in the back several helpful tools.  First there is a topical index to all of the notes.  For instance, suppose you are studying Hebrews and you have a question about Melchizedek.  The index lists all the Biblical passages that have a note that mentions him.  

There is a good concordance in the back of the book.  The preface calls it the most complete concordance ever published in a Bible.  I would not dispute that.  It allows you to find a passage based on a word that you remember in that passage.

Lastly, and for me this is the most appealing thing about this work, there are center column cross references in this Bible.  They are extensive.  These give the student a means to study themes and or words throughout the Bible.  It is a good exercise for either study or devotions to chase a theme through these cross references.

The Not So Good
If you have read my review of the Quest Study Bible you will know that I am not a fan either of the NIV or study Bibles in general.  

I do not prefer the dynamic equivalence philosophy of translation.  I believe that there are too many choices made for the student.  Admittedly, this version of the NIV altered the passage that I found the most troubling, but their choices still do not reflect the Greek wording.  While the choices made by the committee may in fact be accurate, making the choice for the student eliminates the student’s investigation of the text and short circuits their coming to their own conclusion as to the point of the author.  It adds, I believe, an unnecessary layer of insulation between the student and the original.

This version of the NIV takes this further in that it changes the gender of many of the statements in order to align with the most common use of English.  The problem with this is that the Bible texts were not written in English.  Rather, they were written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.  Those languages have gender associated with pronouns and nouns.  It was by inspiration of the Holy Spirit that these languages, the vocabulary, and the associated grammar were used to reveal the nature and character of God and His redemption of His people.  As I have stated in the earlier review, it seems that choosing to accept the gender issues of the world is in violation of Romans 12:1 – 2.

Conclusion
Despite my aversion to the NIV, this work would be a good resource to use after one has done one’s own study.  The introductions, and outlines would be helpful for most students.  The articles would also be helpful, especially since they are indexed to the books of the Bible and are adjacent to the passages to which they refer.

I would use this as a commentary rather than a Bible.  I would use the tools to either further my personal study on a passage or a topic using the copious cross references, or else to compare my conclusions with those of the committee.  I would study a more literal version and use this as a supplement.  

Another use would be to check a literal translation (as NASB or ESV) with the NIV and where there are significant differences in the translations, this raises the appropriate question of what is happening in the text that is causing this difference.  That is where Bible Gateway can help.  One can look at the interlinear version to see what the original says and use a lexicon to look up different options for the meaning of the word or do a search on the word for other places it is used in the Bible to compare with the passage you are studying.

In Bible Gateway (https://www.biblegateway.com/) if you choose the interlinear, you can click on the anglicized Greek word and a box will open on the right giving you the word in Greek, it's Strong Number and Greek Number.  Clicking on the link "see everywhere apostolos appears..." takes you to Bill Mounce's  helpful website with a full list of where the word appears in the New Testament.

Should you choose to get a copy you can get one here.

Saved for Whom

When you consider your salvation, whose benefit, for what reason were you saved?  Do you ever think about that?  Sometimes it seems as if we accept Christ for what He can do for us.  Yes, we get eternal life, but we also expect Him to take care of us here.  In fact, He does.  But are we saved primarily for the good it does for us?

Ezekiel 36:22 (here @ Bible Gateway), seems to indicate that God intervenes in our lives to protect His name.  1 Corinthians 1:30 (here @ Bible Gateway) suggests that it is God who works to bring us to Christ.  That notion seems to be repeated in Philippians 2:12 – 13 (here @ Bible Gateway).  Further we cannot discount John 15:5 (here @ Bible Gateway), we can do nothing apart from Christ.  I would assume that that means, nothing.

So, He invades our lives to bring us to Himself.  He does it for His purposes.  Ephesians 2:4 – 10 (here @ Bible Gateway) underscores this and gives us the reason He chooses to engage in our lives.  We are His workmanship.  He has work for us to do for which He designed us.  Work that was prepared before we were.

What are the implications of all that for us?  How do those passages affect your thinking?

Gifts

We all like getting or giving gifts.  My wife and I have 9 grandchildren with the 10th on the way.  At Christmas, the area around our tree is covered with gifts for them.  It is fun to watch their excitement as they open them.

We read in scripture that God’s gifts are perfect, James 1:17 (here @ Bible Gateway).  In Matthew 7:11 (here @ Bible Gateway) and Luke 11:13 (here @ Bible Gateway) we are reminded that the Father gives good gifts to His children.

In Philippians 4:6 – 7 (here @ Bible Gateway) we are told to not be anxious but rather ask with thanksgiving for what we want.  In Hebrews 12:9 – 10 (here @ Bible Gateway) we see the same parallel that we saw in Matthew and Luke above, what the earthly father does compared and contrasted with what our heavenly Father does.  Our heavenly Father works in our lives to cause us to share His holiness.

In Romans 5:1 – 11 (here @ Bible Gateway) we are challenged to exalt in our tribulations, knowing that navigating those positively impacts our character and dependence on Him.

There are more passages that come to mind chief among them Psalm 139:3 (here @ Bible Gateway) and Psalm 119: 67, 71, 75, 107 (here @ Bible Gateway).

When we put all this together, perhaps a slightly different view of His gifts emerges.  Nothing comes into our lives without His direction and purpose.  He is intentional in developing us for the work He has for us.  So illness, financial challenges, family challenges, all that we encounter, all of life’s experiences He uses to shape us.  

We pray for healing from illness, for easing of the financial or family challenges, do we make those requests with thanksgiving?  I was challenged praying for one who was close to us for healing from cancer.  I was confronted with the challenge of being thankful for the cancer.  Was that really what the Lord was asking?  As I processed that with the individual, they were struggling with the same issue.

Paul penned much of what we read in the New Testament.  He gives help from his own life on this issue in 2 Corinthians 10:7 – 10 (here @ Bible Gateway).  He prayed for relief but came to the realization that the weakness made him dependent on Christ.  He then boasted about his weakness, embracing the power of Christ.

Our family has had lots of “gifts” in the past 4 years.  Personally, I have not consistently thanked the Lord for those struggles.  I have not always exalted in them.  I continue to struggle with what it means and how to live through the power of Christ.  However, I am slowly learning how to be well content with weakness, distress, and difficulties.

Loose End – Part 3

Yesterday we continued to think through the issue that Wilberforce and Osborne both wrote about 206 years apart.  An issue that persisted throughout those 206 years and seems to persist today.  That is the seeming apathy to the Lord’s exhortation to abide in His Word.

Yesterday I shared the idea that reading books about the Bible, listening to messages about the Bible, watching programs, going to classes about the Bible, is not the same as being in the Bible.  I have done and still do all those things.  I have a ThM, which was 128 hours of class and untold hours outside of class, and that does not count the courses I took in Greek and Hebrew before I got to seminary.  I’m sitting in an office that has every available wall lined with full bookcases and there are 20 or so boxes of books in storage.  All of those things, books, programs, classes are helpful, but they cannot and are not supposed to be the major input of our Biblical lives.

All of those, as good as they are, are filtered through the study and experience of others.  As good as those others are, their work is not inspired.  We need to be in the Word of God ourselves, before we pick up a book – say we are studying Ephesians.  We need to do an overview, analyze each section, and then summarize what we studied.  Then and only then we are ready to look at some secondary source.  If we engage in the secondary source first, what we see will be channeled toward what the teacher, author, or speaker saw.

There is another challenge though.  For the most part, churches regardless of their tradition, have not done a good job of equipping those in the community with the skills needed to study the Word for themselves.  Ephesians 4:11 – 16 (here @ Bible Gateway), outlines succinctly what the ministry of a local church is to be.  The leaders are tasked to equip those in the church to do the work of the ministry.  Did you catch that?  The leaders are not supposed to do the work they are to equip the saints to do so.

That may be the source of the problem.  Seminaries, at least the ones I am aware of, do not focus on training pastors to equip.  They are focused on exegesis, hermeneutics, exposition, and homiletics.  That is, in a normal person’s words, technical study, interpretation, explanation, and proclamation.  Thus, most pastors do not equip, they proclaim.  Again, that is good.  I have listened to thousands of messages and have benefited from them.  But the primary input, the most help I have gotten, has been from personal study, personal engagement, wrestling with the text of the Bible.

I learned how to do that, not from classes – while there were some classes that helped in the sense that they suggested methods or tools of which I was not familiar.  Rather, it was from individuals who showed me how to do the work and gave me feedback on what I saw and how I explained it.  It is that interaction, that back and forth, what Paul refers to in Ephesians 4:16 (here @ Bible Gateway), as “being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body…”  Classes do not equip.  Practicing what a class teaches, under observation by someone who knows and is mastering or has mastered the content and gives feedback and constructive criticism – that is what equips.

It seems to me that is what we need in our churches.  I have heard there are some that are doing this.  I am working at doing so in my church.

Loose End – Part 2

Yesterday we started to probe the issue that both Wilberforce and Osbourne spoke to around 206 years apart.  Today we will consider some of the implications of what we examined yesterday.

The conclusion yesterday was that if one does not engage in the activity that Christ exhorts, the implications are dire.  That conclusion is driven, in part, by John 8:31 (here @ Bible Gateway).  As we saw, if one is to be a disciple of Christ, one must abide in His Word.  The import of that is if one is not abiding in the Word, then one is not a disciple.  

In an earlier post we examined 1 Peter 2:1 – 3 (here @ Bible Gateway).  The passage is a complex conditional statement.  Essentially it says that if one has tasted the kindness of the Lord, that is has fully experienced His kindness, then that one will long for, hunger for, not be satisfied without the Word of God.  Would it not be the case then that if a person does not have a hunger for the Word of God, if they are not pursuing learning it, studying it, reading it, would it not be reasonable to conclude that they have not tasted the kindness of the Lord?

In Luke 6:46 (here @ Bible Gateway), Jesus asks a rather penetrating question.  “If you call me Lord, why do you not do what I say?”  Isn’t the implication there that if one is not doing what Christ says, He is not their Lord?  

I have been engaged with more than one church’s small group project.  One of the consistent challenges is getting the groups to engage personally, individually in the Word of God.  Many are quick to read “Christian” books, or watch “Christian” videos, or focus on fellowship, but to read secondary sources is not the same as reading the Bible.  

I have been asked to review two study Bibles.  I have done one, and the other is in the que.  Both are chock full of notes and reference material.  When I was new to the faith, the Scofield Reference Bible was the main Bible that people carried.  It too was chock full of notes and reference material.  Full disclosure I have at least four Study Bibles.  I don’t use any of them.  Why?  The notes and reference materials are the work of man.  They are not inspired.  The text of the Bible is inspired.  Hebrews 4:12 (here @ Bible Gateway) does not say, “For books about the Bible and the notes in your study Bible are living and active and sharper than any two edged sword…” you can fill in the rest.

It is confusing to me why the Lord allows this.  He states that His word will not return void, Isaiah 55:11 (here @ Bible Gateway).  It seems like, many, if not most, of those claiming to be in the Body, have chosen to abandon His Word.  Chosen not to abide instead to depend on proxies to apprehend the Word of God.  This seems to have resulted in an ineffective and anemic Body.  I don’t know why this persists.  But the quotes from Wilberforce and Osborne indicate that it has for the last couple of hundred years.

The Holy Spirit inspired His Word, all of it.  It reflects God’s nature and character, 2 Peter 1:1 – 4 (here @ Bible Gateway).  Peter in 2 Peter 1:16 – 21 (here @ Bible Gateway) compares having the Word of God to his experience seeing Jesus transformed on the Mount of Transfiguration.  But, we have trouble getting believers to engage personally in it?  Why?

I have some thoughts on that I will share in the next post.

Loose End

In June of last year, I shared two quotes, one by William Wilberforce, the other by Grant Osbourne.  As noted in the post, the quotes were 206ish years apart and yet essentially dealt with the same issue.  In that post I said I would share my thoughts on those two quotes.  In reviewing my journal and the blog just now, I realize I never did.  So here goes…

If I were to synthesize the two quotes the common issue seems to be that there is a tendency in the community of faith to not take the need to work at understanding or studying the Bible as necessary for every believer.  There seems to be a prevailing sentiment that after I come to Christ, I’m done with work in terms of knowing Him.  Sure, I will listen to the occasional message and may read the occasional Christian book, but actually dive into the Word of God for myself?  I wouldn’t know where to start.  Anyway, that is the job of the pastor and teachers.  They need to study and tell me what to think.

In the previous paragraph I referred to the community of faith.  Why?  This issue prevails from Genesis to Revelation.  The people of Israel abandoned the Word of God.  There were times of renewal.  Each time the Word was found and read to the people and the people tore their clothes and repented.  But abandoned the Word again in short order.

In Jeremiah 23 (here @ Bible Gateway) the Lord reveals His attitude toward this type of behavior.  The prophets were not sharing the Word of God with the nation.  Rather, they were sharing their own dreams and ideas.  God did not like that.  It is worth your time to read the chapter.

In the New Testament over and over the importance of the Word of God is emphasized.  Perhaps the section of Scripture that is most telling is John 15:1 – 16 (here @ Bible Gateway).  In that passage John repeats the Greek word μένω (meno) 11 times in those 16 verses.  The word is variously translated abide, remain, continue, dwell.  We are exhorted by the Lord to abide in Him and have His Words abide in us.  In John 8:31 (here @ Bible Gateway) the exhortation is to abide in His Word to be His disciple.  Both statements in John 8:31 (here @ Bible Gateway) and John 15:7 (here @ Bible Gateway) are conditional.  The construction of the sentences indicate that it is not certain that those who heard or read will actually fulfill the condition of having the Words abide in them or abide in His Word.  The implications of not doing what Christ exhorted are dire.

This is getting longer than I intended when I started.  So I will finish it in the next post or so.  Stay tuned.

The Job of Every Believer

A while back something I was reading caused me to chase a theme through the New Testament.  

Here are the passages that came to mind:

• 1 Corinthians 12:7, 24 – 27 (here @ Bible Gateway)
• Romans 12:4 – 5 (here @ Bible Gateway)
• Ephesians 4:1 – 3, 11 – 16 (here @ Bible Gateway)
• Hebrews 3:13 – 15 (here @ Bible Gateway)
• Hebrews 10:23 – 25 (here @ Bible Gateway)

As you see the passages deal mostly with gifting of each member of the body of Christ.  It occurred to me, while working through this, that the purpose of each individual in the body is to build up the other members.  Based on Hebrews 10 (here @ Bible Gateway) that is an intentional and thoughtful enterprise. 

To the extent that we do not build one another up, not consider, not encourage, not strengthen, not challenge, not exhort, not call to walk worthy, to that extent we weaken not only the body, but we diminish ourselves.  By not building up a member in Christ, we are choosing to not activate that person’s gift thus depriving the body and us of their ministry.

The argument will be made that it is the domain of the elite, the pastors, the leadership of a body to build up the members.  But, that flies in the face of the Lord’s command in Matthew 28:18 – 20 (here @ Bible Gateway).

Abundant, Overwhelming Grace

On May 12th last year I started chemo for the cancer I have, Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia.  I had no idea how it was going to impact me.  The first infusion was two days, 3 hours on the 12th and 5 hours on the 13th.  

On the evening of the 13th my diaphragm began to spasm.  It was like having hiccups on steroids, which I had both days.  They calmed down by 10 PM but started back up again at 12:30 the morning of the 14th.  They kept me awake until 5 AM.

In my journal the evening of the 14th I recorded a passage that had really encouraged me, 2 Corinthians 12:7 – 10 (here @ Bible Gateway).  I was struck yet again by Paul’s attitude.  He was well content with weakness, with insults, with distress, with persecutions, with difficulties, for it made him dependent on Christ.

As mentioned in my last post part of my Quiet time for the past year or so has been to read and reflect on one of the entries in The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions (VOV).  This is what I read the morning of the 15th.

The voyage is long, the waves high, the storms pitiless, but my helm is held steady, thy word secures safe passage, thy grace wafts me on ward, my haven is guaranteed. (VOV, Voyage, page 202 - 203) 

Those words reminded me of what Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 12:7 – 10 (here @ Bible Gateway).  However, that is not what was the greatest comfort.  I started reading VOV because of a conversation I had with one of the small group leaders in our church.  He mentioned that the men in his group spent some time looking at it and discussing some of the entries.

Out of curiosity, I got a copy and a few weeks later incorporated it into my time with God.  That was months before May 15, 2020.  Yet the timing of this sentence was perfect.  What stunned me, and I should know better by now, was the Lord using an off hand comment by a Christian brother months before, to supply encouragement to me when I was in need.

Psalm 139 (here @ Bible Gateway) tells us that He knows our path in detail, He encloses us behind and before and lays His hand on us.  He knows what I need before I need it and supplies it just in time.

Further, this morning before I started my time with Him, I prayed that He would meet me and in our time together, He would through His Spirit increase my love for Him.  But this morning nothing really stood out in what I read.  As I am writing this, I am overwhelmed with His love and care for me.  He answered the prayer in His own time.

His grace and kindness are overwhelmingly abundant.

Under Obligation

From time to time I read part of a devotional, The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions (VOV), during my personal devotions.  They are short; two pages.  But I tend to break them up into sentences and reflect on the message.  It seems that some of the Puritans thought when Paul commanded that we imitate him, that meant they were to write sentences like he did.  Some of their sentences are looooong.  I break those up.

Yesterday this was the sentence that I wrote out in my journal:

Send me forth to have compassion on the ignorant and miserable.

I was struck by the depth and simplicity of the thought.  Most of the time these excerpts bring to mind verses that support what I read.  This was no exception.  Five passages came to mind.  The first was Romans 1:14 (here @ Bible Gateway).  It is not my favorite verse.  I am ok with all of it but the last three words.  However, I know that I can’t pick and choose what I obey.  I have trouble with foolish people.  I have found that there are a lot of them.  Yet 1:14 (here @ Bible Gateway) tells me that as a believer I am under obligation to share the gospel with them.  The sentence in VOV, echoes Paul.

Then two passages in Ezekiel, 3:18 – 19 (here @ Bible Gateway) and 33:8 – 9 (here @ Bible Gateway).  When you read those you will see that our obligation extends to the wicked as well.  That the passages are virtually identical, indicates emphasis.  We are exhorted emphatically that we are obligated to share the good news with the wicked.

Then Jude 22 – 23 (here @ Bible Gateway) came to mind.  Jude speaks of the urgency of the matter.  We need to view the Greeks, barbarians, wise, foolish, and wicked as inside a burning building and we are the only one that can get them out.  Fun picture.

Lastly, Matthew 28:18 – 20 (here @ Bible Gateway) came to mind.  You have probably hear messages on this passage.  We are told – well the only imperative in the passage is make disciples.  The other verb forms, go, baptize, and teach are all participles.  Participles get their force from the main verb, make disciples, so they take on the imperative mood of make disciples.  The point of this, is that we are expected to make disciples.  The first step in making a disciple is to lead them to Jesus.

It is easy to justify why we are not sharing the gospel.  I have essentially been under house arrest since last March because of my compromised immune system due to the cancer and subsequent chemo.  But, even before that, much of what I have been called to do focuses me on equipping believers in their study of the Word of God.  So in a sense I am insulated from non-believers.  But I don’t find in Scripture any out.  I am still under obligation to our list of Greeks, et al.  I have to use every interaction with another person as an opportunity to share Christ.  To go forth, intentionally, with compassion.  I am not very good about that.

20210109 Training for Ministry? Part 2

Yesterday’s post ended asking you to consider two verses, 2 Timothy 2:24 – 25 (here @ Bible Gateway) and 2 Timothy 4:2 (here @ Bible Gateway).  Note that when you compare these passages to 2 Timothy 3:16 – 17 (here @ Bible Gateway) all three passages essentially have the same four actions. 

Consider this chart:

2 Timothy 2:24 - 25	2 Timothy 3:16	2 Timothy 4:2
Teach	Teaching	Proclaim
Correct	Reproof	Reprove
Repentance	Correction	Rebuke
Knowledge of the Truth	Training in Righteousness	Exhort

As you can see the four actions are similar if not identical.  

In 2 Timothy 2:24 – 25 (here @ Bible Gateway), Paul is challenging Timothy to confront false teachers, or in other words, those who do not have a relationship with the Lord, non-Christians.

In 2 Timothy 4:2 (here @ Bible Gateway), Paul is challenging Timothy to share truth with believers, Christians, those in his ministry in Ephesus. 

However, in 2 Timothy 3:16 – 17 (here @ Bible Gateway), Paul is challenging Timothy to be in the Word for himself, to follow Paul’s example, allowing the Word to teach him, reprove him, correct him, and train him.  This is also the ministry of the Word of God in our lives.

Further, note that 2 Timothy 2:24 – 25 (here @ Bible Gateway) and 2 Timothy 4:2 (here @ Bible Gateway) mirror 2 Timothy 3:16 – 17  (here @ Bible Gateway), the ministry of the Word of God in our lives.  The implication seems to be that our effectiveness in sharing with both non-believers and believers is dependent on our being in the Word first.

In Deuteronomy 6:6 – 7, 20 (here @ Bible Gateway), we are told that we are to always share the Word with our children.  In a sense we are helping them learn to process life through the grid of the Scripture.  In Ephesians 6:25 – 31 (here @ Bible Gateway), Paul outlines a husband’s responsibility for his wife.  It is a ministry to build her up and present her to the Lord with out spot or wrinkle, holy and blameless.

If what we read in 2 Timothy is true, then is seems that the prerequisite for our being successful in serving our wives and our children is for us as husbands and fathers to be consistently in the Word.

What do you think?

Training for Ministry?

A few years back I was asked to lead a seminar on how to study the Bible at the headquarters of a well know Christian organization.  It was essentially the same seminar that I have done in 10 weeks compressed into about 4 days.  During one of the last hours together one of the staff asked me if I thought that training staff was essentially Bible study.  I did not answer the question well.  About three years later I tracked down the staff member that asked the question and we talked through the issue.

Essentially, my answer was Bible study is the starting point and the foundation of all equipping for any Christian ministry.  

In this blog a reading plan has been mentioned several times.  The plan was put together by a Scottish minister, Robert Murray M’Cheyne.  It has been an enormous help to me.  So much so that I wanted to know more about this man whom the Lord took at the age of 30.  I got a copy of his biography and have been slowly reading it.  There is early in the book a key passage:

Mr. Alexander Somerville (afterwards minister of Anderston Church, Glasgow) was his familiar friend and companion in the gay scenes of his youth.  And he, too, about this time, having been brought to taste the powers of the world to come, they united their efforts for each other’s welfare.  They met together for the study of the Bible, and used to exercise themselves in the Septuagint Greek and the Hebrew original.  But oftener still they met for prayer and solemn converse; and carrying on all their studies in the same spirit, watched each other’s steps in the narrow way. (Memoir and Remains, Andrew A. Bonar)

Note that these two men who were struggling to walk with the Lord amid a world that was pulling at them, chose to fight by joining together to study God’s word.  This is a good example of Hebrews 3:13 (here @ Bible Gateway).  This is a key concept.  These men joined together to help each other excel in the Christian life.  What did they do?  They started by studying the Word of God together.

In 2 Timothy 3:14 – 4:4 (here @ Bible Gateway), Paul tells Timothy essentially the same thing.  Timothy is to continue in the Word of God.  All of us know 3:16 – 17 (here @ Bible Gateway), the four things the Word does, teach, reprove, correct, and train.  But have you noticed that Paul repeats those four impacts of the Word in two other places in 2 Timothy?  Consider 2 Timothy 2:24 – 25 (here @ Bible Gateway) and 4:2 (here @ Bible Gateway).

In the next post we will unpack these two passages, consider some of the implications of Paul’s statements, and catalog some ways they apply to men leading their families.