Bible Study Recommendations

Posted by Christine Pack

photo credit: agent_mikejohnson via photopin cc

When I was newly saved, one of my new Christian friends told me: "Get into a Bible study, and when you are done, get into another one, and keep going." I asked her for how long, and she said, "The rest of your life." What great counsel this was! Learning about God takes a lifetime, and we can also study the Bible for years and years and years, and never fully plumb its depths. It is an amazing book, supernatural in wisdom and power and scope. So don't delay......roll up your sleeves, and get started today. With Amazon Prime (or even plain old Amazon), you can receive your new Bible study in just a few days. So here are my recommendations for getting started:

 Precepts Bible Studies (Inductive) 

I have learned so much in my Christian walk from doing Precepts studies. This verse by verse method of Bible study, also known as the Inductive Bible Study Method, is for both men and women. I like doing Precepts because I'm a visual learner, and this method forces you to slow down and take your time. I also like the marking up method used in Precepts (a Precepts marking card is shown, right). In fact, before I even discovered Precepts, I had developed my own sort of marking system. Now, after having done Precepts for so long, my system for marking is something of a combination of the Precepts method and my own marking system.

Kay Arthur is probably the most well-known of Precepts Bible teachers for women. I know that there are some concerns about Kay Arthur, and I share those concerns, but on the whole, the Precepts method itself is sound. This Bible study method majors on teaching Christians how to understand, interpret and apply scripture, verse by verse, chapter by chapter. You can't go wrong when you're sticking with straight Bible.

Precepts studies are available here.

Precepts studies for children are available here.

Precept Austin is available here. Precept Austin is an online resource for those using the precepts Bible study method.

 Alistair Begg / Truth For Life 

Alistair Begg is one of my favorite pastors to listen to. Perhaps it's his charming Scottish brogue that lulls me into thoughts of green meadows, bagpipes and tartan woolens. Nah, I think it's the way he preaches through God's word with such commitment and passion. His lessons are rich, and yet so accessible that my sons (11 and 13) can understand and take in what he's teaching. You can download or listen to Alistair Begg's sermons here.

 R.C. Sproul / Ligonier 

Dr. R.C. Sproul of Ligonier has also done an overview of the entire Bible, entitled "Dust to Glory" that I am working my way through now. It is excellent. You can begin listening to that series here. And Dr. Sproul, being a Presbyterian, is near and dear to my heart because my own father, who witnessed to me for ten years, is a Presbyterian (PCA) elder. Having grown up Presbyterian (though I no longer am), I have a soft spot for the Presbyterian church, even though it (like very denomination) has its issues. I still know every verse of the hymns I grew up singing at First Presbyterian in Marietta, GA. God bless the Presbys.


 Systematic Theology 

Don't be intimidated by the term "Systematic Theology." This form of Bible study is simply a way of organizing the Bible into categories in order to be able to study it in a systematic way. You can learn systematic theology through this teaching series by Pastor Ryan Habbena:

Intro and Theology Proper | Christology | Pneumatology | Bibliology | Soteriology, pt1 | Soteriology, pt2 | Soteriology, pt3 | Theories and Extent of the Atonement | Israel and the Church | Eschatology


 Additional Resources 

Fighter Verses (a scripture memory resource)

Seeds Family Worship: A Recommended Resource

Sons of Korah: A Recommended Resource

Shai Linne: A Recommended Resource

A Few Thoughts On Christian Music


 Online Hymns Resources 

Sermon Audio Hymns

The Hymnary

The OPC Online Hymnal

The Lordship Salvation Controversy

By Justin Edwards, airō blog, reprinted with permission

Lordship salvation continues to be a controversial topic in evangelicalism.  The battleground tends to take place mostly, it seems, in dispensational circles where easy-believism or “free grace” theology has firmly taken root.  Opponents range from those who believe the “sole requirement” for salvation is an intellectual assent to the facts about Jesus and His death, burial, and resurrection to those who might consider themselves to be in the middle between the “extreme” of lordship salvation and the extreme of easy-believism.  Such is the case for Caryl Matrisciana of Caryl Productions, a “middle ground” proponent who hates lordship salvation and hates the doctrines of grace, otherwise known as Calvinism.

In Caryl’s newsletter for September 11, 2011 titled Repentance and Lordship Salvation, Brenda Nickel exemplifies this “middle ground” camp with its strawmen of Calvinism and lordship salvation and its common inconsistencies, gross misconceptions, misrepresentations, and, quite frankly, ignorance.  As Nickel’s article is such a mess of absurdity, I’d like to stick to a few brief points about her words regarding lordship salvation before I issue you, the reader, a challenge.  She writes:

"While it is true that real faith fully turns to God and yearns to please Him by obeying, no one can make promises of obedience in exchange for salvation…"

Ms. Nickel, your statement above provides evidence you believe in lordship salvation because you have just agreed with proponents of lordship salvation, who teach nothing more or less than what you have stated.  The second part of your statement is irrelevant to reality – obedience is merely the necessary fruit of saving, repentant faith.

Nickel continues:

"According to the Bible, which Mark Cahill [insert - please see Mark Cahill - Sad and Shocking News] takes his teachings from, repentance is surrender to God and turning from sin1, “And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost..… and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God” (1 Thess 1:6,9). Repentance is a forsaking of sin to present the body, soul and spirit as a living sacrifice to Christ for the furtherance of His kingdom2 (Ro 12:1)…Fully surrendering to God and turning away from sin doesn’t guarantee a person won’t sin, but reveals a deep desire not to sin and to be united with the Lord (2 Cor 5:9)…"

Fully surrender? Forsaking sin? Turning away from idols to serve God? Ms. Nickel, you believe in lordship salvation.

Lastly, Ms. Nickel points out:

"Repentance is a full turning to God by faith that is willing to turn from sin, albeit imperfectly. Lordship salvation insinuates a person can’t know they’re saved until they provide a lifetime of proof through obedience."

Fully turning from sin to God, Ms. Nickel?  Here in these two sentences you show you believe in lordship salvation yet also show your ignorance of it.  I know full well that I am saved by the grace of God and I’d like to explain to you and every reader how this is the case, despite your gross misrepresentation of lordship salvation.

A few months ago I embarked on a short journey to refute many of Brenda Nickel’s familiar arguments against lordship salvation in a series titled, What Is Wrong with NON-Lordship Salvation?  As many of you follow the Bible Prophecy Blog, you may recognize the title as it was a rebuttal to Dr. Andy Woods’ article titled, What Is Wrong with Lordship Salvation?  Over the next week I will be posting each article here on the Christian Research Network as an effort to reach out to the many readers who have been caught in the crossfire of this controversy.  I am aware of much of your confusion as you may have submitted to supposed teachers who claim to own the market on truth from the “middle ground” island they have constructed in their minds.  I was once a part of this island until God showed me through His Word there is no middle ground, so I understand where you are.

The challenge is this:  let’s go through these issues in a calm, rational manner examining what the Lord Jesus Christ has revealed through the Word of God.  Perhaps you have not been able to ask questions in the environment in which you fellowship because of the extreme bias and hatred toward Calvinism and lordship salvation.  Perhaps you are only directed to other biased sources and have no opportunity to discuss material from proponents of lordship salvation due to risk of excommunication.

Whether you are opposed to lordship salvation, are confused on the matter, or quietly embrace it and desire to learn more about it, I invite you to a study and discussion in an open forum.  As each article is linked from CRN, just head over to airō to post your comments under the appropriate article.  Just be sure to leave the strawmen at the door (if you own any) and bring your Bible.  This is a time to learn, study, and grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, doing so in humility and love for the brethren.

Here is the first article by way of introduction:  What Is Wrong with NON-Lordship Salvation – Part 1.

"These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so." (Acts 17:11)