Bible Reference Works and Bible Studies
God does call us to love him with our minds, and we seek to encourage others to do so. Some of these listed Bible references may help you go deeper into your Bible study.
How do you study the Bible?
At an adult Sunday school class, one retired woman replied by listing the three weekly Bible studies she attends.
People use different methods. Some follow a reading plan to complete the Bible in a year. Others pick a passage and decide how it applies to their lives. If in a small group or Bible study, individuals will often use a study guide for a book of the Bible or a Christian topic. They read the lesson assignments and then respond to short or fill-in-the-blank answers that the group discusses at their weekly meeting.
My husband and I prefer to work directly with the Bible text without study guides. When we first read a passage, we make observations, which may include using the journalistic 5Ws & H. Often, we will look up a passage’s historical and cultural context. Sometimes, we do word studies.
Next, we discern the meaning of the text. What did the author intend to say and how did the original audience understand the text? What do other parts of the Bible have to say on the given topic?
We don’t consider the application, if there is any, until we make these observations and interpretations.
Over time, we have noticed that most Americans jump to application without first learning what the text actually says and means. By skipping these steps and gaining the understanding they supply, people can easily draw the wrong conclusions about a biblical passage and, thus, apply it incorrectly.
Yes, Doug and I tend to be more intellectual in our approach to Bible study than most, but God does call us to love him with our minds, and we seek to encourage others to do the same. We enjoy using reference works in our personal study to better understand the Bible.
Below, I’ve listed several of our hard-copy Bible study resources.
Bible Reference Works
Atlases
Student Bible Atlas
This slim book can be used by older children and adults.
Handbooks
Talk Thru the Bible
This volume provides background information, themes, and an outline of each book of the Bible.
What the Bible Is All About for Young Explorers
Although written for children, adults will benefit from this easy-to-use overview of the Bible.
About the Bible
A Visual History of the English Bible: The Tumultuous Tale of the World’s Bestselling Book
This book will delight those who enjoy the history of the Bible. See my review.
The Book: A History of the Bible
How We Got the Bible Made Easy
This slim volume by Rose Publishing will give you a quick overview of how the Bible came to be.
Knowing the Bible 101: A Guide to God’s Word in Plain Language
Doug used this book as a spine test to teach our adult Sunday school class an overview of the Bible.
Reference Works
Meredith’s Book of Bible Lists
I keep the following books on my study table where I do my Bible study.
A Strong’s Concordance: New American Standard Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible/Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries
Old Testament
A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23
This book explains this famous psalm from the perspective of a Middle Eastern shepherd and will significantly expand your understanding of it. We once read it aloud to our children during family devotions.
Rose Publishing Pamphlets
Minor Prophets
Life of David
New Testament
The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament
Based on Strong’s numbers.
Introduction to the New Testament
A scholarly work.
The New Testament in Living Pictures: A Photo Guide to the New Testament
We also own a collection of books on New Testament Greek.
Study and Teaching the Bible
Complete Bible Discussion Guide: New Testament
This book contains background information for each book of the Bible and a list of questions for each chapter in the New Testament. It’s useful for small groups.
The Garimus File
This quirky reference work is one of Doug’s favorite layman’s resources.
How to Lead Small Group Bible Studies
Living by the Book
A pamphlet explaining how to study the Bible.
Read Through the Bible in a Year: In Chronological Order
A pamphlet.
Serendipity New Testament for Groups (New International Version)
Scripture Twisting: 20 Ways the Cults Misread the Bible
Doug used this book as a guide to explain the pitfalls people run into when interpreting Scripture to our adult Sunday school class.
Bible Study Guides
We’re not overly fond of Bible Study guides because many of them don’t teach people how to study the text for themselves. Most Bible study guides simply point out what the author wants the reader to learn from the Bible text.
This method may not improve one’s understanding of Scripture, the character of God, and how to model their lives after Jesus. They are milk, not meat, as Paul speaks of in 1 Corinthians 3. That said, Doug does recommend the Irving Jensen Self-Study Guides. The series has 39 titles, and we own the following.
Matthew: A Self-Study Guide
1 Corinthians Do It Yourself Bible Studies
First & Second Thessalonians: A Self-Study Guide
General Epistles James, Peter, John, Jude: A Self-Study Guide
Epistles of John and Jude: A Self-Study Guide
We have collected other Bible study guides over the years from when we’ve participated in various small groups. You can find these in our library catalog.
If you would like to take your Bible study to a deeper level, check out some of these resources. If you need help using them, feel free to contact me or my husband.
You might want to consider adding your library to our free listing of private lending libraries at Biblioguides: https://www.biblioguides.com/libraries/