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Apples of Gold
Radio Script for February 22, 2010
“My Favorite Bible Study Tools”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
My wife didn’t get baptized just because someone told her to.
She studied the subject for herself in the Bible, then concluded that she would be baptized.
Back then, researching a subject in the Bible was a bit more challenging; but today, with computers and software and websites, it’s never been easier to dig into the Word of God.
So now I want to share with you three of my favorite Bible study tools; but first, let me explain my Bible study technique and where it came from.
As a young man, when I first started digging into the Scriptures, I used the Bible someone gave me – a Thompson Chain Reference NIV Bible. That’s what was given to me, so that’s what I studied.
In time I became a Sunday school teacher, so there I was, teaching out of my NIV Bible. But next thing you know, I ran into class members saying, “Wait a minute, that’s not what my Bible says.”
So right there I ran into a challenge. How do you teach a class when people are using different Bible translations?
Now I know what some of you are thinking, “Well that’s easy Doug. There is obviously one version that is precisely God’s word and the rest aren’t.”
Well I studied that line of reasoning and I was not convinced. We have Bible translators all over the world working diligently to translate the Word of God so people can understand it in their own language, including English. And in that translation process they end up using a different word here and there.
Well now what? Yes, one option is to pick a version and live and die by it. But for whatever reason, I just can’t put all my faith in one group of translators. I want to know what the other translators are saying.
Now go back to my early days as a Sunday school teacher. My first problem was teaching something out of the NIV, then having a student say, “Well my King James Bible says something different.” So I began studying out of both the NIV and the King James.
And now listen. This is a key point about the way I teach. I decided that if they both didn’t say the same thing, then I would move on from that verse.
Now I certainly don’t recommend that for everyone. Some people need to dig deep into the languages. Some people need to search out every little thing.
But that is not my calling. It’s not my interest. I am looking for the big, clear, concise truths. And I know that I’ve found a big, clear, concise truth when all the versions agree – and when it’s found multiple times in the Bible.
If I find something only one time, in only one version of the Bible, I’m not going to turn that into a cornerstone of my faith.
Are you still with me?
So that brings me to my three favorite Bible study tools. These are what I use far and away the most when it comes to studying the Bible, and two of them are found on this website: www.BibleGateway.com.
At Bible Gateway, on the left side of the home page you will see a link that says, “Keyword Search.” I love the keyword search!
You can search for one word or multiple words or even exact phrases. Now I realize that’s not unusual, and anyone who uses Google knows about doing searches.
But here’s what I love about the Bible Gateway keyword search. It will allow you to search in up to five different Bible versions at the same time. So if I search a word or phrase, and it shows up in all five versions, then to me, that’s a winner. But if it doesn’t, then I check it out and proceed with caution. And if the versions seem to be quite different, then that is not a verse I’m going to hang my hat on, so to speak. I’m not going to build a major teaching on a passage that the translators don’t agree on.
No, I’m not downplaying the importance of that verse in any way, don’t get me wrong. I’m only telling you how I study the Bible as I look for big, clear, concise truths. Remember, I’m not teaching at a seminary. I’m not training the next generation of Bible translators. My calling is to search the Scriptures and teach the major truths for the common man in such a way that he gets it.
So the keyword search on Bible Gateway.com – that is a Bible study tool that I use constantly.
Another tool they offer is called “Passage Lookup.” Here you can simply enter a Bible verse, such as John 3:16. And again you can pick up to five versions. So I might line up a chapter of the Bible in five different versions and read through them all. And if they all say the same thing, then I feel like I’m on solid ground.
And one more tool I use a lot is found at another website, called www.BlueLetterBible.org.
When you look at a verse on that site, to the left there is a little link with the letter “C” on it. That C stands for “concordance and Hebrew/Greek lexicon.” If you want to dig deep when studying a particular word or phrase in the Bible, just click that little C by the verse at Blue Letter Bible.org and you will really learn a lot.
So there you go, three online tools that I use extensively when studying the Bible. Again, they are the keyword search and the passage lookup at Bible Gateway.com, and the Hebrew and Greek lexicon and concordance at Blue Letter Bible.org.
You don’t have to study the Bible exactly the way I do, but you really do need to dig in and study the Word for yourself.
And that’s why I wanted to share these with you today – three of my favorite Bible study tools.
Comments?
E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.
May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
© 2010 The Arrow’s Tip
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(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)
Why “The Arrow’s Tip”? Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold. Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.” I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.
Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL 32315
(850) 926-8000
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