Anyone who’s ever read the Bible knows that while the word of God holds the answers to the deepest, most profound questions of our lives, it can also leave us asking more questions. But as we continue to seek the truth and to know every answer that can be known, there’s one question that anyone who truly wants to understand the Bible must avoid asking. It’s a question whose answer is not only antithetical to the truth, but often a challenge to the authority of God Himself. It’s a question that isn’t satisfied with what the Bible says, so it reaches beyond the word of God to deduce an answer for itself. Read more

In the world of Bible study, there are several types of great tools, such as Concordances and Lexicons, to help us successfully navigate the teachings of the Bible. Beyond these, many people also rely on secondary, extra-biblical sources for their study, knowledge and understanding—and for good reason. There is an inordinate amount of Bible-related information that is simply not contained or well-developed in the Bible. But the problem is that, when it comes to understanding Scripture itself, many will mistakenly turn to secondary sources first, rather than to God’s word. Secondary sources make it extremely easy to find answers to biblical questions… perhaps, too easy. Read more

There is only one way to get the biblically correct answer to every single Bible question: we must first ask ourselves, “What do the Scriptures say?” But the problem with the Bible—if you can call it a problem—is that the information we’re looking for is often spread out and sprinkled in various places, which doesn’t exactly make it easy to find. So when we need help navigating the Scriptures in order to readily and thoroughly search what they say, then it’s time for us to turn to Bible study tools.
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Sometimes we don’t particularly like what the Scriptures say, or, for some reason, we think there must be more to it—that it can’t be as simple and straightforward as it appears. So instead of just asking the question “What do the Scriptures say,” we start asking ourselves, “Is that really what that Scripture says?” or, “Is that all that that Scripture says?” and our search for the truth becomes an exercise in misinformation.
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Many believers aren’t particularly discriminating when it comes to choosing a Bible translation. We’ll often choose one because we like the way it reads, or because it’s the version our pastor or rabbi uses—making it easier to follow along during the sermon—or simply because someone told us it was good, based on any number of criteria. All of these reasons are certainly worth considering, but the problem is that not all Bible translations are created equal. There is a great deal going on in the background in each Bible version that isn’t always obvious to us as end-users.

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