Knowable Word

Helping ordinary people learn to study the Bible

Copyright © 2012–2025 DiscipleMakers, except guest articles (copyright author). Used by permission.

You are here: Home / Archives for Check it Out

4 More Gifts to Encourage Bible Study

By

Patrice_Audet (2013) public domain

Patrice_Audet (2013), public domain

There are two types of people: those who bounce through mid-December and those who slouch. There are two types of people: those who have finished their Christmas shopping by mid-December and those who haven’t. I trust you catch the correspondence.

My final pre-holiday gift to you is a list. (You’ll accept it unwrapped, I hope.) If you’re slouching, consider these suggestions for family and friends this Christmas. If you’re a bouncer (not that kind), don’t worry—these ideas are evergreen. Stash these tips for birthdays, graduations, or any gift occasion, like Limerick Day (May 12) or National S’mores Day (August 10).

Four Gift Ideas

Last year I shared three gifts to encourage Bible study; this year I have four more. As before, I’ve included a no cost option, so this list is for everyone.

  • A markup Bible — People are more likely to engage with the Bible when they interact with the text physically—circling, underlining, highlighting, outlining in the margins. Why not buy a Bible for a friend or family member dedicated to this purpose? This need not be an expensive gift. If you follow the links on this page, you’ll find several reasonably-priced options. (Additionally, remember that Westminster Bookstore has a great sale on ESV journaling Bibles through the end of 2015.)

    Bonus suggestions: For those who prefer to print out Bible passages instead of marking up a separate Bible, consider giving some printer paper and printer ink. Any markup Bible fan would be able to use good pens, colored pencils, or highlighters.

  • A Study Bible — Peter has recently cataloged his Study Bible recommendations, so read through his reviews and check out his spreadsheet to settle on a good option. If you buy a Study Bible for a loved one, make sure they’re aware of the many blessings and curses of such a resource. A Study Bible is like a sharp knife—a great tool when used carefully; dangerous otherwise.
  • A commentary — Like Study Bibles, not all commentaries are created equal. Some model good Bible study methods, and some specialize in speculation or historical esoterica. While you should turn to your Bible first, commentaries can be a great blessing if used with care. If you know of a friend diving into a particular book of the Bible for study in the new year, consider blessing them with a top-notch commentary. Peter has compiled a list of recommended commentaries here.
  • Time — Think of someone at church or in your neighborhood who is overburdened. A young mother with three kids under five, a mid-fifties man caring for his dementia-stricken mother, a single mom with two teenage sons. They are stretched so thin with responsibility and exhaustion, just the idea of Bible study is overwhelming. Think of ways to free them up so they can spend extended time with the Bible—babysitting, playing cards with the elderly mother, mowing grass, running errands, providing a meal. Let them know your intention with the gift, and point them to some online resources to help them study the Bible for themselves. (Helping in this way should probably come in the context of meeting your friend’s other physical needs.)

Disclaimer: The Amazon links above are affiliate links, so if you make a purchase after clicking through, you’ll be giving a small percentage of your purchase to Knowable Word—a great gift! This will allow us to keep posting and help ordinary people learn to study the Bible. It’s a circle of giving!

50% Off ESV Journaling Bibles

By

From now until Dec 31, 2015, Westminster Bookstore has all ESV journaling Bibles at 50% off. Perhaps this would be a good time to consider getting a new markup Bible.

Check it out at Westminster Books!

————

Dear Journal: If people click the Westminster link, this blog will receive a small commission. How should we notify them of this fact?

Basic Facts About the Bible

By

At the Gospel Coalition, Joe Carter writes of some basic Bible facts we all should know. This background information helps us to understand better as we read and study. Carter briefly covers issues such as:

  • it’s a library of books
  • the Bible is self-referencing
  • why it’s called a “Bible”
  • the meaning of Testament
  • where chapters and verses came from
  • how we discovered the canon

Check it out!

The Basic Message of the Bible is Plain to All

By

Here is something from Aaron Armstrong to be thankful for:

We shouldn’t act as though the Bible has hidden knowledge that only an elite few can access. That is the way of the mystical guru, who offers esoteric nonsense—absurdities in place of true wisdom. But the message of the Bible—at least in its basic message—is plain to all. Most anyone could come to the text of the Bible and understand the means by which God offers salvation (whether they agree with it or not is another question entirely). They can know the commands of God (whether they obey, again, is another question entirely). They can know there will be judgement, there will be a day when suffering and sadness end, when death is no more and all will be made new. Some elements are confusing, and some, frankly, make little sense to those living in the West today. Even so, there is no need for discouragement: what we can know, we can know.

Check out his full article.

OIA Under Another Name

By

I regularly try to clarify that what makes our Bible study useful is using not OIA terminology but OIA principles. So when I claim that OIA is the best Bible study method, I’m not saying that “OIA” is the secret pass code that unlocks all the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I’m merely saying that we have to pay attention to what’s said, understand what it means, and connect it to our lives.

Case in point: Marshall Segal writes a great post about “Six Questions to Ask When Studying the Bible in a Group.” And his six questions are really helpful not only for small groups but also for personal study. And someone might work through the steps Segal presents and wonder, “Why are there so many methods out there, and how do I make sure I’m following the right one?”

But please consider. Notice that Segal’s “Swedish Method” is the same as the OIA process, just with different labels.

Of course, we might explain each step with slight differences, but the substance remains the same. By all means, if you find “the Swedish Method” helpful, then please use it. It’s far more important to use the method than to label everything the same way I would.

I recommend Segal’s helpful article to you. Check it out!

The Bible Teaches Us to Use the Bible

By

When we want to figure out how to use the Bible, we don’t need to complicate the process. The Bible itself tells us how to use the Bible.

Jesse Johnson quotes W.H. Pike, who writes of the many instructions the Bible itself gives about how to use the Bible:

  1. Read it (Neh 8:8)
  2. Believe it (Rom 10:8)
  3. Receive it (James 1:10)
  4. Taste it (Heb 6:5)
  5. Eat it (Jer 15:16)
  6. Hold it fast (Titus 1:9)
  7. Hold it forth (Phil 2:16)
  8. Preach it (2 Tim 4:2)
  9. Search it (John 5:29)
  10. Study it (2 Tim 2:15)
  11. Meditate on it (Ps 1:2)
  12. Compare it (2 Cor 2:13)
  13. Rightly divide it (2 Tim 2:15)
  14. Delight in it (Ps 119:92)

Pike’s article explains each point in a few sentences. Check it out!

Tweetable Bible?

By

Aaron Armstrong posts some helpful thoughts on tweeting the Bible. In a generation when we’re trained to memorize, think about, and teach the Bible in single-verse chunks, a communication tool like Twitter presents some real challenges. Most Bible verses can fit in fewer than 140 characters, but do we use them properly when we remove them from the context their paragraph, chapter, section, or book?

As Armstrong suggests, think before you tweet your Bible.

Check it out!

Memorizing Books of the Bible

By

Andy Naselli wants to persuade you and me to memorize entire books of the Bible, and I think he has some great things to say. Check out his two articles on the topic:

14 Reasons to Memorize an Entire Book of the Bible

11 Steps to Memorizing an Entire Book of the Bible

Naselli explains that memorizing entire books gives us a better idea of God’s thoughts in context, which puts us in a better position to meditate on those divine thoughts.

Naselli says he spent 45 to 75 minutes each morning to memorize 1 Corinthians in 16 months’ time. I doubt many people will have that kind of time every day, but the task is still well worth pursuing. I can still have a sweet time in Scripture when I don’t have a Bible in front of me, but I get to rehearse (and meditate) on chapters or large sections I’ve memorized.

Check it out!

Infographic Comparing Study Bibles

By

I’ve reviewed a number of study Bibles this year, and I was planning to write a post comparing and contrasting them so you’d have the basic info all in one place. But Tim Challies beat me to it, and his infographic is much prettier than mine would have been.

Challies compares the following 7 study Bibles (links go to my reviews):

I’ve also reviewed the following volumes:

In the next few weeks, I’d like to create a chart evaluating each study Bible in light of the overall blessings and curses of study Bibles. But the Challies infographic gives you most of the basic information (translations available, number of pages and articles, etc.) at a glance.

Check it out!