Author: John Stonestreet and Andrew Carico
A search for "Study Bibles" at Christian Book Distributors yields over 2,600 results. Though Bibles published with attached notes dates to at least the 1500s, beginning in the twentieth century, the practice exploded. Now, virtually every theological tradition, demographic, vocation, cultural perspective, preacher, and influencer—from teen girls to firefighters to duck hunters— has a study Bible just for them.
As Stephen Nichols has explained, when reviewing the massive number of study Bibles on the market today,
. . . all except the Geneva Bible date from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. It would not be a stretch to speak of the century spanning 1917 to the present as ‘The Century of the Study Bible.’
Is this a good thing? On one hand, scholarly notes can make the truths of the Bible more accessible to believers. There’s great value in seeing the text in its full literary, historical, and theological context. Like “iron sharpening iron,” we all benefit when we can benefit from the knowledge of fellow Christians, especially those with gifts for study and teaching.
On the other hand, it is not uncommon for study Bibles to contain more notes than biblical text. For example, the current edition of the Life Application Study Bible is 3,264 pages! It is common to get so distracted by all the extra resources that we end up losing track of God’s actual word. In the process, we read more about the Bible than we do the Bible itself.
The hyper-specific study Bibles carry a greater danger. If each of us is reading a narrowly tailored version of Scripture—a woman’s Bible, a teen’s Bible, a teacher’s Bible, a butcher, baker, candlestick maker’s Bible—we can see God’s word as our “own personal Jesus.” God’s word is for God’s people as a whole, together, not just individuals living atomistic lives.
In A Practical Guide to Culture, Brett Kunkle and I provide principles for how to read the Bible. In it, I suggest only reading study notes after the text of the Bible itself. Why? It's a simple posture that puts first things first. While tools such as commentaries and scholarly aids can get us closer to the Word, they’re not an end in and of themselves.
We also suggest reading it together with others. This is primarily a task given to the Church but, too often, space that could be given to hearing together the Word of God is given instead to extended music and preaching. Though both are very good things, it is again a matter of putting first things first.
The Bible speaks to the redemptive power of God’s Word throughout the Old and New Testaments. The Prophet Isaiah proclaimed that God’s Word will not “return empty,” and will “accomplish that which I purpose” (Isaiah 55:11). The Prophet Jeremiah said he loved God’s Words so much he “ate” them, and they consisted of his “joy and . . . heart’s delight” (Jeremiah 15:16).
Throughout Scripture, we are told it was through God’s Word that the world was created (Genesis 1:3-4, 6-7, 9), that creation is sustained (Hebrews 1:3), that new life is imparted (1 Peter 1:23), that spiritual growth takes place (Isaiah 55:10-11), that Satan is defeated (Ephesians 6:17), and that judgment is delivered (John 12:48). In other words, God’s Word is not just a book of helpful teachings. It is a book that defines reality and transforms people, cultures, and nations.
The Bible is a book, but it is not just a book. It is the revealed truth of God, the self-revelation of the Creator of the universe by which He explains His world and His work within it to bring life and salvation.
So, in the words of St. Augustine, “take up and read.” Enjoy the gifts and blessings that Study Bibles provide, but read His Word first. After all, His Word provides the Story of the world and frames all of reality under the rule and reign of Christ. And because It culminates in the person and work of Jesus the Christ, our redeemer, it is good news.