Newish Christian. What now?

salt-n-light · Jul 13, 2018

For one don't focus on denominations. Focus on learning who God is, who you are following, and what is required of you. If you are planning to join an assembly, by some point you should have enough awareness of the Word, to know how to discern which church is biblically sound in teaching and also supportive in your walk. That's what they are there for. Again, if its a church that are Baptists and you see its biblically sound in teaching and supportive in deed, then just stay there and fellowship.

Pick your company wisely, you've probably seen stories on those who benefitted from the church and those that have been scarred. So give yourself time to pick those you plan to grow with. Don't expect perfection, they are human living this life like you are. Keep your eyes on Jesus, and always make your own time studying the Word and communing with God.

If you ever seen a student who took their syllabus seriously and studied their notes and read all the material come to their weekly class, ready to learn, talk with friend and professors, and ask questions and help others, that look excited and engaged, well that should be you on a Sunday morning. Don't be one that expects to just get stuff when you show up to church, and then neglect what you learned. In short be proactive in your walk. Help out, volunteer your time, seek to fellowship.

In terms of Bible, I also use ESV, im not a Calvinist, and its just a matter of liking how they worded this, its easy to follow, although I grew up reading the KJV (pentecostal background) ESV is a good version to start with and if you are comfortable, its a safe version to stay with, that's my personal opinion. I would start with the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) to understand the life of Jesus.

But your focus should be just getting to know your Father and enjoying His presence and knowing His voice and heart in the Word, everything else will come naturally.

Daniel Martinovich · Jul 13, 2018

I like the American King James. Is not a new translation. Just changes the thee's and thou's. Not available in book form though.
http://biblehub.com/akjv/genesis/1.htm
Of course Bible hub has most of the popular translations. Wouldn't suggest using most of them. But they might be helpful in some cases. Found their interlinear is pretty good.
http://biblehub.com/interlinear/john/1-1.htm
Number on the top of each word is Strong's concordance. You'll find that very helpful.

Silly Uncle Wayne · Jul 14, 2018

I think you should start by getting a book that overviews the whole Bible. My recommendation is Fee & Stuart's How to Study the Bible for All it's Worth, or Pawson's Unlocking the Bible.

Neither is without bias, but neither has a huge bias.

After that it is a matter of reading the Bible yourself and researching the background of various books authors and events and always being aware of the potential bias of the authors of the reference work you are reading.

You might even come to conclude that Calvinism is correct (unlikely as personally I don't think it holds up either logically or Biblically)!

Silly Uncle Wayne · Jul 14, 2018

I see others are recommending Bible translations.

For study purposes get a Bible that straddles the extremes of dynamic equivalence (e.g The Message) and Literal translation (KJV).

In fact I'd recommend more than one translation. When I first started out I had the Good News Bible (ESV is the modern equivalent) and NIV (still around, but New Revised Standard Bible is good also).

Also a great concordance will help you no end. You can see how a particular word has been translated elsewhere to see why it might be translated slightly differently in the passage you are looking at.

I found the Thompson Chain Reference Bible invaluable at the beginning as well and have been contemplating getting another as it was so good for study.

Silly Uncle Wayne · Jul 14, 2018

There is a reason why modern translations translate passages differently: better sources and scholarship.

Additionally most modern translations don't omit passages as you suggest, they footnote them.

Hazelelponi · Jul 14, 2018

It seems while your definitely asking what study bible would be good, there is an underlying current of "I believe, so what now?" in what you said in your OP.

I'll answer to that..

The thing about being Christian is that it's about living. The what now is simple, you live. In that life as a Christian you let the teachings of the Bible and the Holy Spirit shape how you do it..you don't need to be a Bible scholar, you just need to know how the teachings of the Bible affects what you do, or don't do.

A good book, albeit older, to read is The Pilgrim's Progress.. it's a good book to start with, that helps answer the "what now?" question for a new Christian...

As a beside, I have the NIV study Bible because i find it easy to understand.

Melissa Suzanne · Jul 15, 2018

I highly recommend starting in the gospels in the New testament.

I don't know about what study Bible as I'm non-denominational but I would first read it without one and see what the Spirit tells you when you read it. Be open to all of the commands and even if it's hard to swallow, ask yourself what you think the Spirit is teaching. The spirit is the best interpreter and can lay a true biblical foundation. There are some verses that are complicated and I go to different sources for help in those. If you read to grow close to God and that alone, he will illuminate the scriptures to you.

Melissa Suzanne · Jul 15, 2018

So true. The Holy Spirit is the best teacher.

Rescued One · Jul 15, 2018

hedrick · Jul 15, 2018

The ESV is a fine translation. The original study Bible based on it was explicitly Reformed (Calvinist). That doesn't mean the translation itself was somehow biased.

It’s impossible to answer your question in a completely “neutral” way. Translations and commentaries have inherent assumptions. E.g. most modern translations assume that people make mistakes when copying manuscripts, and do their best to figure out which reading is most likely to be original. But some assume that God guided the transmission, so the readings used in the King James are inspired. There’s an intermediate theory (“majority text”) that assumes all texts are equally likely to have errors, and so picks the majority reading (although what we know about how texts were transmitted makes the assumption impossible).

Then there are questions about translation. Mostly there’s no significant difference. Of “mainstream” translations the only one I know that is bad enough to change your understanding of theology is the NIV. But there are details: E.g. the RSV/NRSV try to translate OT texts as they would have been understood by their authors. More conservative Protestant translations are at tines influenced by how Christians apply them. (The most well-known example is Is 7:14, where in the original context it means “young woman,” but as understood in the NT means “virgin.” This isn’t an error in the NT, by the way. Matthew is following standard practice among Jews in using OT texts. But RSV/NRSV translates “young woman” and evangelical translations “virgins”). There aren’t a lot of passages where this happens.

Theology can influence translation in other ways. There’s a word that means literally “mercy seat.” It’s used in Rom 3:25 to refer to Christ’s death. Evangelical translations use “propitiation,” on the understanding the Christ’s death appeased God’s anger. The non-evangelical NRSV uses “atonement,” under the assumption that it reconciles us to God as described in Rom 6.

These differences aren’t major, but they are enough that evangelicals and mainline Christians have separate translations. So do Catholics to some extent, though they often use mainline translations.

Looking at translations for detailed Bible study:

ESV is a solid evangelical translation. The Holman Christian Bible is another, which you may find easier to understand. Also New American Standard. (The original NASB was too literal to be readable, but I don’t find that true of the most recent version.)

NRSV is the only serious choice if you don’t have a commitment to evangelical preferences in translation (except for Catholics).

I agree that you want either notes or a commentary. I have the Reformation Study Bible, the original ESV study bible. The notes are great, but they are clearly Reformed. I think there are news study Bibles that aren’t Reformed.

Why a study Bible or commentary? The Bible is 2000 - 3000 years old, written in a very different culture. The NT alludes to the OT and to customs and events in their world. A good commentary or study Bible will point this out for you, which may well change how you understand certain passages. A study Bible is one option. Another is a Bible without notes, but used with a one-volume commentary (or a whole shelf full of commentaries on individual books).

I’d guess that you’re evangelical. I haven’t reviewed study Bibles for them. The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the NRSV is the standard for non-evangelicals (and is typically what students in university Bible classes use). For one-volume commentaries, although I haven’t looked at it, if you’re evangelical I’d look at “New International Bible Commentary,” based on who is involved with it. It’s based on the NIV, but I’d use it with a different translation. (The fact that it’s based on the NIV worries me when it comes to Paul.) The New Bible Commentary, 21st Century Edition is also worth looking at. For non-evangelicals, it looks like the New Interpreter’s One Volume Commentary is the place to start.

If you think the King James is inspired, then there’s a different set of translations and commentaries. I’m not in a position to make recommendations.

hedrick · Jul 15, 2018

There's one other translation that's worth looking at as a second translation: the NET Bible. I explained above that translations often differ because of differing assumptions. Most Bibles have footnotes that give alternatives. But they don't really explain them. When there are several possibilities, the NET Bible will have a footnote that explains what they are and what the reasons are for choosing one. Of course a good commentary may also do that, but often a one-volume commentary will be more focused on historical background and the author's intent, and not on the details that the NET Bible footnotes give you.

StephenDiscipleofYHWH · Jul 15, 2018

I would suggest that you get a KJV but not a New KJV, I would also recommend that you get a Strongs Concordance and a Shepherd's Rod. I would Advise that you start your studies with Matt Mark luke and John then read Acts right afterward. Keep reading these books until you have it down as most of the Foundation you will need is contained within these books. There is much you can learn on your own and with the Guidance of the Holy Spirit but unless you are given the Gift of Understanding you will need a teacher to guide you in the faith, so pray daily that the Lord God Guide you to the truth of his Gospel and that he send you a teacher to instruct you(Acts 8:30-34; Ephesians 4:11-16; Romans 10:13-18) .

The reason I recommended the Shepherd's rod is because much/most of what is contained within it is true, though since Houtiff is not a prophet some of what is says is wrong but out of all the mainstream religions he has more right than most, Ellen white and the seventh day Adventists being a close second. But out of all the other religious books that give guidance the Shepherd's rod stands out the most, it's doctrine is fairly clear(especially when compared to Ellen white or Catholic Doctrine) and the charts make it easy to understand. Before reading it though make sure you are firmly built on a strong foundation that comes from a strong understanding of Matt, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts once you understand these books heading to/understanding Paul's writings is much easier just try to stay away from revelation and Prophecy until your foundation is very strong as you can easily be carried away by strange/false Doctrines. After the foundation is built then reading Whites writings and Houtiff's would be most profitable.

This is just my opinion though, you can take it or leave it. Also brother most commentary bibles are just personal opinion and don't provide much information that isn't biased toward their own beliefs, so I would advise you stay away from commentary until you are built on a sure foundation.

May the Lord God YHWH Guide you to the truth and light of his word brother.

Look Up · Jul 15, 2018

While I agree a bias-less response on my part as for others is not entirely possible, I recommend the introductory Exegetical Fallacies by D.A. Carson. The title is a negative phrasing of "how to study the Bible" or the like. A chapter in that book reviews a number of wrong (and hence right) ways to understand how we use words--or rather how the biblical authors (did not) use words.

This in turn should help you in using a Bible concordance, previously recommended on this thread. A Bible concordance is a basic tool in Biblical studies--a resource and good study material. Strong's Concordance is based on the KJV (or its 19th century updating commonly published even today), and is still valuable and readily available at relatively little expense.

The Exegetical Fallacies book also reviews some wrong (and hence right) ways to use grammar. Of course this in turn encourages learning the original languages of the Bible, but short of that, the book is helpful as far as it goes. There are grammars (as resources) applicable to the Bible, but these assume some knowledge of the original languages.

Exegetical Fallacies has a chapter on logic--i.e., some typical logical fallacies the author has observed in reading and understanding the Bible.

Also available are of course lexicons (dictionaries) applicable to the Bible based on the original languages--again to speak of Bible study resources. "Vines" is not so good. Note the valuable four volume New International Dictionary of the NT (Geoffrey Bromiley, general ed.), which is English-friendly and has useful indexes (and a great article toward the end by Murray Harris on prepositions).

A good Bible atlas can be a useful resource; some study Bibles have adequate maps in the back. A good Bible dictionary can help too (some are one volume). And there are introductions to the OT or NT which discuss matters such as history, Bible book provenance, archaeological and dating issues, authorship, various thorny issues, and so on.

There are of course many helpful commentaries on the Bible. Some are more technical, others geared to lay readers or preachers preparing for sermons. Quality varies considerably, especially by author.

Commentaries in series are typical, partly from a marketing perspective for the publishers. One author writes about one Bible book, another author on another book--or that is the general idea.

Some series are largely Catholic (e.g., Anchor), others broadly evangelical (e.g., Word, New International Commentary on the OT/NT), others largely from a liberal scholarship point of view (e.g., Hermenia), others Jewish, and so on. In general terms, you might like many of the New International Commentary volumes if you are a serious (esp. Protestant) student.

See for example https://www.bestcommentaries.com/. The expense for such Bible study resources (as for various Logos products online) may be considerable, but you may want to limit your purchases to key Bible books like the Gospel of John, Romans, Genesis, Isaiah and the Psalms at least for starters. As a source for such resources, see for example https://www.christianbook.com/ .

There are one volume Bible commentaries (some older, some newer). These might be compared to the notes in a Bible Study Bible, but with a bit more space for words.

There are varied systematic theologies from various theological camps (think of Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion or Thomas Aquinas's Summa Theologica), many of 19th or 20th century vintage. But this arena may take you farther afield than you intended.

Textual criticism (having to do with ancient Biblical manuscripts) is probably another arena you are not thinking about, important as the matter is. Here nonetheless I have to recommend How We Got the Bible by Neil Lightfoot as an easy and eye-opening read.

One could go on as well as be more specific, but my response is largely general like your OP question.

AWorkInProgress · Jul 16, 2018

Hey Allen,

Sorry I am late to this party. If you are starting fresh, even with prior reading of the Word, you need to find the bible that SPEAKS to you.

When I started this journey years ago, my reading skills were horrible(failed English 99 and 100 in college =P ). All I wanted to do was understand what the Word of God was saying, because I wanted to change and learn truth. I started out with New Living Translation with Life application, I ate that puppy up. Ask the Lord was working on my heart, he gave me the tools I needed. Like my step Dad one day out of the blue walked up to me and said I needed to check out 2 Chronicles 7:14. The verse was EXACTLY what my troubleshooter mind needed at the time.

As you heal and grow, your needs will change. Even abruptly.

I knew my NLT in and out, then I ran into the "KJV only" crowd. Poked holes into the interpretation differences. They were jerks about it, but when I looked into it I could see what they were talking about. I was leaning on the translator's view of scripture more than Word to Word translation. I was devastated.

I tried to do the KJV thing, went right over my head with the thous and thees. NKJV wasn't that bad, but it didn't speak to me that well. I tried NIV to sync with my pastor during his sermons, but reading it just made me angry. Tried AMP and it was good for studying, but man too much info. I just limped by for a couple of years, never having that connection with my bible like my NLT.

Long story short, I fell down the path of false teaching and it distorted my view of God. The Lord snapped me out of it, and I was at ground zero. Who do I trust? What do I trust? One teacher I took a risk on, watched youtube video on "What was the gospel?" and he really put it all together for me. Thru him I learned about theology and the Church history, and the rich heritage we have. I am thankful and indepted to Dr RC Sproul and his ministry. Now I am fallen in love with my ESV, and I am still learning how to walk my current path with Christ. Every time I read it, I feel like there are parts of scripture that weren't there from the last time I read the bible all the way through.

I shared this because I want to encourage you to walk your own path. The Spirit of Truth will prevail even if you walk down the wrong road. Go to a Christian book store, flip thru the different bible versions and study bibles. Find the one that speaks to you, not the one everyone is telling you to get. Much like you talking with a person, if you can't understand what they are saying, how can you hear and learn?

Look Up · Jul 16, 2018

Chemical_Alien While I'm not sure why so many posters have emphasized English translation as a Bible study resource as opposed to other resources for Bible study, some of which I have mentioned, nonetheless I concur with much of hedrick's remarks on the topic, not least in view of the proverb that in the multitude of counselors there is strength--of course viewing Bible translations as "counselors."

In practice there are too many translations in English to follow, and I think hedrick previously lists a relatively small number I consider more worth consulting than some others. And the NET Bible (online) would be a good resource for a variety of translations and other helps.

In this connection also, it would be helpful not only to read the prefaces and introductions to the translations for translation philosophy, conventions, and so on, but also the Lightfoot book I recommended above, giving some sense of how the Bible came to us and something of what translators use as evidence--not to mention a bit of church history (as mentioned previously on this thread) so that one understands something of how one fits in with others.

tonemonkey · Jul 16, 2018

Truly, any of the major translations are going to be just fine for your study. I've noticed that a lot of folks here are suggesting you get either a KJV or NKJV. I'm not saying that this is true about those here who are suggesting these translations, but a lot of people suggest those because the KJV was translated before most of the other ones, but that doesn't really matter. There are a lot of folks that believe that "modern" translations are rewritten from the KJV, but this isn't true. If you are reading a reputable translation - NIV, NLT, ESV, NASB, etc - then the translators went back to the original manuscripts and made a fresh translation.

There are two main perspectives that most translation teams translate from - "word-for-word" and "thought-for-thought". I prefer a thought-for-thought translation like the NIV or the NLT because the writing is smoother to read, and I've read some word-for-word translations where the word choice can make things unnecessarily complex.

I'm going to suggest that you get yourself a New Living Translation study bible. Here's some information about the NLT. I personally use this version, and most of the verses used by my pastor in sermons are from the NLT. I suppose the study part of an NLT study Bible might have a particular denominational slant, but I would suggest not worrying about that.

You might want to get yourself a Strong's Concordance which is a guide to knowing which Greek and Hebrew words were translated for the verses you are reading. There are a ton of good Bible dictionaries out there as well. What's going to help the most, I think, is start going to a good church and get into discipleship.

I know very little about Catholicism, but there are many very strong and knowledgeable Catholic believers. I'm pretty leery about all of the praying to saints and to Mary, though - they can't answer prayers, Jesus can.

If you're headed in a Protestant direction you should know that Protestant churches fall into two main categories. Pentecostal churches believe that Spiritual gifts like speaking in tongues and healing continue today. I don't remember the broad name for churches that don't believe the gifts continue today, but there are churches like that. This seems to be a sticking point for many - if it is for you, then find a church that believes like you do on this point.

When you consider going to a church see if they have a website where you can look a their statement of beliefs and/or values. This will help you to know if they're in line with scripture.

Do you know any solid believers you can get discipled by?

Hishandmaiden · Jul 21, 2018

The english standard version of the bible is a bible you can consider purchasing.
It is not denominational.

faroukfarouk · Jul 23, 2018

Remember, daily prayer and the Scriptures are so important.

faroukfarouk · Jul 23, 2018

A lot of conservative Christians use the ESV, don't they?

hedrick · Jul 23, 2018

Yes, but also NIV, NASB, Holman, etc. I don't think any is more conservative than the others (though I think the NIV tends to be weirder at times, particularly with Paul). To me the main distinguishing factor of the ESV is that they tried to make the original form of the language visible in English. I'm not happy with all of the results. E.g. they tend to have lots of sentences in the Gospels starting with "And." The result is translationese, not English. I actually think the ESV has a more literal feel than the most recent NASB. Basically they started with the RSV, changed the things that conflicted with evangelical theology, and made it less readable. (It's one of the few major translations not done directly from the originals.) But it's still as good a translation as the other major conservative translations, and better than the NIV.

If you want something that isn't intended for conservatives, the NRSV is the usual recommendation for formal equivalence, or CEB for something slightly easier to read.

Newish Christian. What now?

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