While God's word is unchanged throughout centuries of Christianity, the translations of it abound and choosing one that is right for you can become a challenge. Yet, even after that hurdle is conquered there can be other obstacles to face, like understanding what is meant by what is written, even if you choose a translation that best helps you to comprehend the text. And with those facts in mind, my review today centers on the "New Spirit filled Life Bible" found in the New International Version (NIV), recently released by Thomas Nelson Publishers with the editing assistance of Jack Hayford.
For those of you already familiar with this thorough work, the majority of the contents have remained the same. For those of you who have not seen or used an edition of it before, there is a wealth of wisdom to be found inside. The notes are compiled by a variety of church leaders from a wide spectrum of backgrounds. Among the contributors are the editor, Jack Hayford, Pastors like Lloyd Ogilive, and Bible school founders like Freda Lindsey and dozens of others Christian teachers. Some teachers contribute to small articles found within the pages under the overarching banner of "Kingdom Dynamics", with topics like The Blood of the Covenant and Traits of Spiritual Leadership. While other writers add the introductions to each book of the Bible and the notes on each chapter and verse.
The one thing that makes this Bible stand apart from several other study Bibles is that most of the contributors to the notes are from Charismatic and Pentecostal backgrounds. So, if you are from a cessationist background, you're not going to like this Bible, However, these from these particular backgrounds may enjoy it quite well. Either way, anyone can learn a lot from it's pages. I particularly like the "word wealth' sections spread randomly over key words throughout the scriptures, with their Hebrew and Greek meanings expounded upon.
In addition to the thousands of notes on the majority of the Bible verses, you can easily spend days running all of the center column references to other verses. And another great feature is the "Truth in Action" teachings at the end of the individual books of the Bible. This ties together the major highlights of the book and gives a better understanding of not only what was said, but how to apply it to your life.
I received this Bible for free through the book review program for bloggers, available at http://booklookbloggers.com and I was not required to write a positive review. While you won't agree with or maybe even like everyone who contributed to this study Bible, I personally have used a NJKV version of this Bible for many years and am glad it has been placed in an NIV format. This is a great study tool and can help many readers to grow in their knowledge of the Word of God.
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