I've come to realize now that my study of the Bible has entered a new phase. And facilitating that transition have been three books.
Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology was the first of the three books that I was introduced to. There is a men's group at our church that has been going through this tome for the past year. We're expecting to finish it by this summer.
It's an exhausting read. But, while I may not agree with Mr. Grudem on every point, I certainly agree with his approach: begin with Scripture, continue with Scripture, and end with Scripture. While he definitely has an opinion on controversial topics, he presents both sides fairly, including for all sides of the debate both supporting and difficult passages in Scripture. Never have I seen so many Bible references on one page, and that's true of all of the 1500 or so pages in this great work. It may sound like a huge book, and it is. But because of the number of subjects covered, it is actually a very dense book, full of logical analysis, historical background, and references primarily to the Bible, but also to theological works by other authors.
Kay Arthur's Lord, Teach Me to Study the Bible in 28 Days is an awesome approach to studying the Bible on your own. It's not a read-it-in-one-year program, or a Pentateuch, Proverbs, Prophets, Gospel, and Epistle-a-day program. Rather, it's a discipline-based approach that lets you choose what you read, and help the text speak for itself. Ms. Arthur uses a couple passages to walk readers through the disciplines that comprise her method. Writing a structure of each chapter, underlining key people/places/concepts in each chapter, and listing in a journal what the text says about each are examples of the disciplines Ms. Arthur teaches.
What's most interesting is that, while the book can be used as a daily Bible study for the time you spend reading it, Ms. Arthur does not violate her own principles. She takes great pains to let readers discover the passages on their own, rather than giving her impressions.
Her goal is twofold: help untrained laypeople study the Bible in an organized manner, and leave their Bible marked and highlighted in such a way as to be a good reference for sermons or future study.
The NIV Application Commentary for Hebrews is an eye-opening book for me. For one, it's my first Bible commentary, and therefore is my first experience with a commentary to supplement my own study. However, it was recommended by my pastor because of the application notes it contains. The commentary has a separate "chapter" for every passage in Hebrews. (The passages covered are usually quite short; the first one I read was on Hebrews 7:1-4.) Each chapter is divided into three sections:
Original Meaning
A traditional commentary, this section discusses the meaning of the text at-hand.
Bridging Contexts
To quote the Series Introduction: "This section builds a bridge between the world of the Bible and the world of today...by focusing on both the timely and timeless aspects of the text."
Contemporary Significance
Here the authors and editors mention specific circumstances in which the passage could be applicable.
I freely admit that this is my first experience with commentaries, a tool that's both popular and, for some, an everyday staple. But for me, this commentary struck a resonant chord with my study of Scripture and my desire for a more educated perspective.
These three books are, together, accelerating my study of the Bible and my understanding of God, His character, and His plan for us. I highly recommend them, and I hope that you will investigate them to help you in your studies.
