Bible Study and Devotional Helps Part 1

One year when I was at Shepherd’s Conference, I heard Dr. MacArthur make a statement that has stuck with me. “The only time you are inherent is when you read the Scriptures.” That just really rang my doorbell.  It is the Bible that is without error and no matter how hard and long I study the Word of God, I am prone to error.  It’s not like I didn’t know that, but Dr. MacArthur’s admonition just seemed to hit home and make an indelible mark on my heart. Bible study and devotional helps go along way to keep us on track with the inerrant Word of God.

When we study the Bible and want to give the “sense” (Nehemiah 8:8) of what God is communicating, we have an obligation to give ourselves “to zealous maximum effort to impart God’s truth as completely, as clearly, and as unambiguously as possible.”[1]  This is not only true of Pastors and teachers (James 3;1), but for all us who desire to know God’s will, found in the Scriptures.  Anyone who is serious about their walk with God must be serious about the study of God’s Word.

For many of you who are reading this, you are already a student of the Word.  But for others who may be young in Christ, what I want to share, is for you, and is vital for a solid understanding of the Bible.

Let me just say first, that there is no way you can come to a real understanding of the Word of God by mere academic pursuit. For “the letter kills but the Spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:6). You must be taught of God (John 6:45).  This is commonly called “spiritual illumination.” And this is precisely what Christ meant in John 14 and 16.

John 14:26 (ESV) ²⁶  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

John 16:13 (ESV) ¹³  When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

It is also naïve, to think that this illumination of the Spirit operates in a vacuum without a reverential approach to the Bible (Ezra 7:10).  Our approach needs to be prayerful and with a teachable spirit.  It also means that we approach the Word of God with an understanding of our own limitations and an understanding that God has raised up gifted people in the Body of Christ that can teach, equip and edify us in the Word of God for the work of the ministry.

Ephesians 4:11-12 (ESV) ¹¹  And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, ¹²  to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,

God, throughout church history and in particular, the Reformation and Puritan influence, has raised up Godly, scholarly men who loved God’s Word and have contributed mightily to the Church and as a result, today we are blessed with a great many Biblical study helps, commentaries and other books to edify and equip the Body of Christ.

Today I would like to highlight three of the basic study helps that are indispensable to basic Bible Study.  I will highlight others next week.  If you want to see the whole list right away, go to the “Basic Study Books” tab in the header. You can click on any of the pictures of the books below or any of the hyperlinks and you will be directed to Amazon for purchase.

The New Strong’s Expanded Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible

Strong’s

First is “The New Strong’s Expanded Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible.”  This one resource book is invaluable as it shows every word of the text of the common English version of the canonical books, and every occurrence of each word in regular order. This edition includes the best of Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. The Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic dictionaries now have three times more word study information than any other edition. Plus additional cross-references from leading dictionaries make this the ultimate reference tool for all students of the Bible.

Naves Topical Bible

Naves

The “Naves Topical Bible” is the best known of all topical bibles, and has been a valuable Bible-study reference and a best-seller for more than 75 years. The Late Dr. Billy Graham considered this book indispensable to his sermon preparation.  It is a comprehensive digest of over 20,000 topics and subtopics with more than 100,000 associated Scripture references. The most significant references for each topic actually include the full text of the verse cited saving the need to separately look up each verse.

Basic Theology

Basic Theology

The third book is a one volume theology book by Dr. Charles Ryrie. Ryrie has written Basic Theology: A Popular Systematic Guide To Understanding Biblical Truth for every student of God’s Word, from the devotional student to the seminary student. Featuring charts, definitions, and Scripture and subject indices, Basic Theology will give you a clear and comprehensive picture of Ryrie’s approach to systematic theology. Its 94 chapters are arranged in outline style for easy reference.

Within these pages, you’ll find:

• A systematic overview of the Bible’s major doctrines, including God, the Bible, the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, the church, Satan, sin, salvation, man, angels, demons, events to come, and more
• A glossary of theological terms
• A list of key Scripture passages for the study of theology

[1] John MacArthur, MacArthur New Testament Commentary – 2 Timothy, (Chicago: Moody Press, 1995), pg 74.