Expert: Thurman C. Petty, Jr. - 12/12/2007

Question
Which study Bible would you recommend from the following: life application, ryrie, or scofield? (I didn't list nelson's since I already have that one)

Answer
Dear Steve,

Thanks for your question.

I've heard that Nelson's is good. I'm not acquainted with Life Application or Ryrie, but I would recommend against Scofield--it has it's own agenda which works against really finding Bible truth.

You might find it more helpful to look for a good Bible study guide, or book of Bible lessons. You could begin, I suppose, with the 40 Bible lessons on my web site www.PettyPress.com. I've spent a lifetime studying Scripture and the Bible lessons are the cream off the top of what I've learned.

In the 18 books I've written (all of them on the site) you'll find a couple in which I've delved deeply into specific Bible teachings. "Quest for the Super Leader," for example, is a comparison of the life of Jesus with the Old Testament prophecies pointing to the coming of Messiah. "When the Devil Goes to Jail" is an in depth study of the events surrounding the millennium, as revealed in Scripture.

Actually, with a good concordance and a good Bible (KJV or NIV) you can find out a great deal yourself. It just takes patience, dilligence, and most importantly, prayer. For the only way you can really know the truth is to ask the God of truth to reveal it to you. The Holy Spirit felt that the truth was worth revealing to the prophets, and He feels it's just as important to reveal it to you from the writings of the prophets. All you have to do is ask.

You can get a big concordance like Strongs, or Youngs, that help you find the original words in Hebrew or Greek, but they can become formidable and discourage a Bible student. I recommend a simple text-finder like Crudens, or Walkers, either of which you should be able to find in a Christian book store, and shouldn't cost very much. Make sure it says "complete" on the cover or title page.

There are simple rules to Bible study, and if you'd like to learn them I'd be happy to teach you. Just write me.

Thanks again for your question.

Thurman C. Petty, Jr.
Thurman@PettyPress.com