Study
Bibles
Not
Recommended For Bible Study!
Ed. F. Sanders
I began thinking about writing this
article after a heated discussion with a friend. I challenged some
statements made and stated the doctrine being espoused simply was 'not
in the Bible', whereupon I was shown a page in the Scofield Bible as
'proof'!. The problem was that what was presented as 'in the Bible' was
actually a footnote by Scofield! The notes in a Study Bible are
absorbed during normal reading & study and strongly affect the
student
whether the person recognizes it or not.
In my opinion:
Study
Bibles
should not
be used for Bible reading
and general study!
All Study Bibles have some degree of
theological bias and mix the editors
words in with
God's Word. Leave them on your bookshelf
and only use them as a
reference source in the same way as
you would a commentary or dictionary. Bible study should be personal
and inductive, not an exercise in absorbing other
people's interpretations and opinions which may be flawed. See
the article The
Bible Without
Comment for a good essay on this subject.
Some quotes about Study
Bibles:
Quote
from the essay An
OT
Library for Ministers by Dr. John Goldingay
“Don't buy a
Study Bible. They give you the
impression that what they say is true and important, which is often not
the
case, to judge from quotations in student papers. Distinguish the Bible
from
books about the Bible, I say”.
Quote from No. 45
- A Westminster
Standard Publication
'About a particular Study Bible
(Scofield) it has been said: "It is a matter of great concern to
many Christians that a book should exist, and be offered for sale,
wherein corrupt
words of mortal men are printed and set as positive
statements in the midst of the Holy Word of God Almighty. Is not
this
an affront before God Himself? Let
God be true and every man a
liar"
(Rom. 3:4)'.
Quote from a post on a Christian Forum about Study Bibles:
Q: "What makes a study bible better
than
a regular bible?"
A: "It allows one to get an explanation of God Word that makes
sense. We want someone to
explain God's Word, and interpret the meaning for us. "
And that is the problem! We need to study the Bible
for
ourselves and understand it as the Holy
Spirit gives us guidance, not just absorb someone else's theology.
My Suggestions:
1. If you do own a Study
Bible keep
it on your bookshelf and use it for occasional reference
only, not for reading and inductive study. Some pages in the average
Study Bible contain more words of man than Words of God! and despite
efforts the student will be influenced by the interpretations of the
editor.
2. Stay
away from those Study Bibles with strong theological bias (such
as the
Dake Annotated
Reference Bible, The
Companion Bible,
Scofield Reference Bible, Prophecy Study Bible,
Ryrie Study Bible, LaHaye
Prophecy Bible, Jimmy
Swaggert's Expositors Study Bible, etc.)!!
3. The series of Study
Bibles with the least theological bias are
those published by Zondervan, including the NIV Study Bible, NASB
Study Bible, KJV Study Bible, etc. These particular books
can be useful as reference material. Other Study Bibles with
similar names by various publishers are questionable and inconsistent
in theology.