Thessalonian Faith

Study Tools

“Various surveys in different cultures, over the past half century, have determined that the number one predictor of a person’s spiritual health is the regular practice of personal Bible reading.
Nothing else comes close.”

– – George H. Guthrie,
A Short Guide to Reading the Bible Better
(Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing, 2022), 7.

Resources
for Studying
The Bible

Links to Amazon.com, Logos.com and other sources are offered as a convenience to the Bible student for the purposes of product descriptions and price comparisons.  Their use here does not constitute agreement with or indorsement of their philosophies, policies, practices, theology, products or services. Some of these resources can also be found at and are available from other sources (except online study tools, and Logos products which are only available from Logos.com and other Faithlife websites).

Be sure to compare products and prices to make sure you are getting what you need and for the best price. Purchase only those books that you can understand and will use.

Table of Contents

  1. Study Skills
  2. Recommended Study Resources:
    1. Bible Translations
    2. Bible Commentaries
    3. Study Bibles
    4. Bible Study Software
    5. Additional Study Aids
    6. Key Online Resources
    7. Online Bible Courses
    8. More Online Resources

Please reports errors, typos or broken links to tim@thessalonianfaith.org. 

Study Skills

Segmentation

R3 Bible Study Process

Three Critical Questions

Recommended Study Resources:

Bible Translations

  • Formal1: Berean Standard Bible, A completely new English translation of the Holy Bible based on the best available manuscripts and sources. (This is the default translation used on this website and the lessons associated with it.) [YouVersion] [Kindle] [Logos] [Print] [Free Downloads] [Bible Hub]
  • Formal: New American Standard Bible, 2020 edition. The New American Standard Bible has been widely embraced as the gold standard among word-for-word translations. Provides a clear understanding of God’s Word through updated English. [Amazon] [Kindle] [Logos] [Publisher] [Blue Letter Bible]
  • Functional2: New Living Translation. A balance of readability and authority, it is easy to understand, and accurate to the original Greek and Hebrew text. [Amazon] [Kindle] [Logos] [Bible Hub] [Blue Letter Bible]
  • Extended3: Word Come Alive.  A translation of the New Testament that expresses the sense of the original text in contemporary, natural English [About]. Makes a great commentary. [Logos] [Publisher]
  • Specialty: Translation for Translators. A specialty translation that makes implied information explicit in the text for readers, students, and translators of the Bible. [About] [Logos] [Android App] [Downloads]

Bible Commentaries

A fresh approach to Bible study, connecting great wisdom with your life today:

A thorough yet easy-to-read one-volume commentary that turns complicated theology into practical understanding:

Study Bibles

  • English Standard Version (ESV) Study Bible Includes notes, maps, illustrations, charts, timelines, articles, and introductions. [Amazon = Get this large print version – their fonts are small] [Logos = Study notes only; works with any Bible translation in Logos]
  • Faithlife Study Bible Your guide to the ancient world of the Old and New Testaments with study notes, articles, media, and infographics. Included with many other great resources in the Free Edition of Logos Bible Software.  [About]

Bible Study Software

  • Logos Bible Software [About] [Get Free Edition] (Includes many good study tools and resources. Additional tools and other resources are available for purchase or subscription.) 

Additional Study Aids

(Listed in order of usefulness, unless there is a specific need to obtain one out of order.)

  • A notebook/journal for taking notes from sermons, at Bible studies and your own study of the Bible. (There is a note taking system built into Logos.)
  • Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary [Amazon] [Logos] 
  • Talk Thru the Bible (An outline and overview of every book in the Bible, plus other study resources.) [Amazon] [Logos]
  • Dictionary of Bible Themes (Topical cross references and outlines) [Kindle Edition] [Logos]
  • New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Jerome Smith) (Cross references to related passages in the Bible) [Amazon] [Logos]
  • Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know [Amazon] [Logos] 

Key Online Resources

A network of sites with a shared mission: to glorify God and reach people for Christ by providing biblical answers to spiritually related questions.

  • Got Questions (Answers to YOUR questions about God, Jesus, the Bible, or theology. Just type in your question and it will list several articles related to your question.)
    • Didn’t find what you are looking for? Try SeekFind.
  • Compelling Truth (A topical resource for believers growing in their faith and for seekers exploring the truth of Christianity)
  • BibleRef.com (A commentary on books of the Bible and their passages. Just type in the Bible reference and it will provide a commentary on that verse.)
  • Logos Web App. (Logos Bible Software on a website.)

Online Bible Courses

Blue Letter Bible Institute (Free online basic and intermediate courses)

DTS Global Institute (Free online intermediate and advanced courses)

More Online Resources

Expedition Bible (Video studies of the Bible and its lands by an Bible archaeologist.)

BibleProject (Video overviews of Bible books and topics)

Our Daily Bread Ministries

Blue Letter Bible 

Desiring God, Look at the Book Labs

Others:

Footnotes:

  1. Formal Equivalence translations prioritizes the linguistic structure of the original text including sentence structure and word order. These translations help Bible students see how the original Hebrew and Greek expressed the Bible’s message. ↩︎
  2. Functional Equivalence translations prioritize the message of the original text using words and grammar readers can relate to and understand. These translations provide clarity providing the opportunity to understand how the message was received by the original readers. ↩︎
  3. Extended translation Bibles integrate contextually-related information within the Bible text to make its message more understandable. It expresses the sense of the original text in contemporary, natural English for a fresh, clear, thought-provoking translation. ↩︎