SoulBread

A Bible Education Without the Tuition

A few years ago, I found myself extremely frustrated.

As with everyone else, COVID changed a lot for me. I realized that my relationship with God outside of church wasn’t what I hoped it was. I also found that my Bible reading skills were not what I thought they were. I thought I knew how to read the Bible and get the most out of it. I did my devotional reading, and I could tell you the books of the Bible, quote some important verses, and generally tell you where things where, but I didn’t feel like I had a good grasp on everything it offered – and to be honest I didn’t know where to start. I felt overwhelmed, so I didn’t try to tackle the problem.

I am a person who needs context and a process. I want to know why. I want to know how. I like to watch behind the scenes stuff on YouTube more than the actual show. If I am going to play a video game, I want to know the lore and will read the fiction books so I understand the character (Halo, anyone?). If you know the Real Colors personality test, I am a Gold/Green. In terms of Enneagram, I am 5 wing 6. Everything about me is process oriented and wanting to know the why and how, with a lot of logic and intuition thrown in.

I came to the realization that I had never thrown the full weight of this need for context and process behind my study of the Bible – even though I have been “in the church and saved” since I was 3 years old. I had always just listened to the preacher, read the Bible for what it said in the words, and gone about my day.

Obviously, I had not gone to Seminary or Bible School out of High School – I graduated from a normal University – so I did not learn any of the things they did in their normal course and curriculum. After much thought and prayer on the matter, I felt led to go back to school and get a Master’s Degree in Biblical Exposition from Liberty University. I chose their program because I could do it 100% online, they have a good reputation, and their tuition is lower than almost everyone else.

Overall it was a good experience, and if you have any questions about it I would be happy to answer them.

The point of this article however is this: for those of you in a similar situation that I was, who are frustrated and want more of the Bible, now that I have found a path forward and finished my degree, I wanted to share those resources with you. If you don’t want to spend the money on tuition, I am going to show you everything I read and learned, plus many more valuable resources I have accumulated along the way. You don’t have to be scared or overwhelmed – the Bible is a beautiful book and the journey through it is wonderful, fascinating, sometimes confusing (why are there conflicting accounts of the same stories?), and ultimately triumphant. So here are a bunch of resources, divided into different categories. These will take you a long way into understanding what you are reading in the Bible, as well as what’s going on inside, outside, and around the people of God at the same time.

Bible Software

Logos Bible Software (use this link to save some money) is an amazing and powerful tool for Bible study. It almost requires a college degree to fully utilize, but once you do, it is invaluable. Not only is it a powerful tool for searching and studying the Bible, but also where you can purchase your complete library of Bible resource books (everything I will be listing here, in digital form, can be found and purchased in Logos). It integrates seamlessly across PC, Mac, Tablets, Phones, etc. You can access your stuff anywhere.

They have recently integrated an internal form of AI that is utilized for searching your library (I currently have over 3,100 books, so it’s a lot to search) and the results are spectacular. Anyways, I’m nerding out. Here we go.

How We Got The Bible (The Process)

Reader Friendly

  1. Scribes and Scripture – The Amazing Story of How We Got the Bible – John D Meade & Peter J. Gurry

A Bit More Dense

  1. The Canon of Scripture – F.F. Bruce
  2. The Books and the Parchments: The Original Languages, the Canon, Transmission, and How We Got Our English Bible – F.F. Bruce
  3. New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? – F.F. Bruce
  4. Understanding Biblical Criticism – F.F. Bruce
  5. Canon Revisited: Establishing the Origins and Authority of the New Testament Books – Michael J. Kruger

How To Study The Bible (Hermeneutics)

  1. Grasping God’s Word: A Hands-On Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible – J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays
  2. Introduction to Biblical Interpretation – William Klein, Craig Blomberg, and Robert L. Hubbard, Jr.
  3. A Basic Guide to Interpreting the Bible: Playing by the Rules – Robert H. Stein
  4. Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible – R. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O’Brien

This is actually a PhD level book, but great if you want more:

  1. Inductive Bible Study: Observation, Interpretation, and Application Through the Lenses of History, Literature, and Theology – Richard Alan Fuhr, Jr. and Andreas J. Köstenberger

Biblical History

There are many books you could put here and spend a lifetime studying – these are just a couple by F.F. Bruce that are not super long.

  1. Israel and the Nations: The History of Israel from the Exodus to the Fall of the Second Temple – F.F. Bruce
  2. New Testament History – F.F. Bruce

If you want something more robust:

  1. The Works of Josephus: New Updated Edition – Flavius Josephus, William Whiston

The Old Testament (General Background Commentary)

These types of commentaries are typically just one book, giving background information throughout the entire Old Testament, whether in sections or as a whole. They will comment on individual books but will also give information that completes the picture of what is going on in the world around the Bible.

  1. Handbook on the Pentateuch – Victor P. Hamilton
  2. The Pentateuch: Life in the Presence of God – Gary Edward Schnittjer and Mark Strauss
  3. Handbook on the Historical Books – Victor P. Hamilton
  4. Handbook on the Prophets – Robert Chisholm, Jr.
  5. Handbook on the Wisdom Books and Psalms – Daniel J. Estes
  6. An Introduction to the Old Testament – Raymond B. Dillard and Tremper Longman III
  7. The IVP Bible Background Commentary – John Walton, Victor Matthews, and Mark Chavalas

Old Testament Commentary Series (Individual Books)

These recommendations are based on personal experience and use, however, you can also find these recommendations and others from http://www.bestcommentaries.com. You will find these associated with individual books of the Old Testament, for example, NICOT Genesis, and typically devote an entire book to only one book in the Bible, will giving a verse-by-verse commentary/explanation.  

  1. New International Commentary on the Old Testament (NICOT) Series
  2. The NIV Application Commentary (NIVAC) Series
  3. The New American Commentary (NAC) Series

The New Testament (General Background Commentaries)

These types of commentaries give a lot of background information throughout the entire New Testament, whether in sections or as a whole. They will comment on individual books but will also give information that completes the picture of what is going on in the world around the Bible.

  1. Encountering the New Testament: A Historical and Theological Survey – Walter A. Elwell & Robert W. Yarbrough
  2. Jesus and the Gospels: An Introduction and Survey – Craig L. Blomberg
  3. From Pentecost to Patmos – Craig L. Blomberg
  4. The New Testament in Its World: An Introduction to the History, Literature, and Theology of the First Christians – N.T. Wright and Michael F. Bird (also available in video lessons)
  5. The IVP Bible Background: New Testament – Craig Keener
  6. An Introduction to the New Testament – D.A. Carson and Douglas Moo

New Testament Commentary Series (Individual Books)

These recommendations are based on personal experience and use, however, you can also find these recommendations and others from http://www.bestcommentaries.com. You will find these associated with individual books of the New Testament, for example, NICNT Matthew, and typically devote an entire book to only one book in the Bible, giving a verse-by-verse commentary/explanation..

  1. New International Commentary on the New Testament (NICNT) Series
  2. Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC) Series
  3. The New American Commentary (NAC) Series
  4. The NIV Application Commentary (NIVAC) Series

Highly technical but indispensable!

  1. New International Greek Testament Commentary (NIGTC) Series

New Testament Development of Old Testament Themes

These are a combination of commentaries and resource books on an interesting topic that I had not considered prior to my studies. However, it is a profound topic that is important and impacts more of the Bible than most people are aware!

  1. Handbook on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament – G.K. Beale
  2. Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament – G.K. Beale and D.A. Carson
  3. Old Testament Use of the Old Testament: A Book-by-Book Guide – Gary Edward Schnittjer
  4. The New Testament Development of Old Testament Themes – F.F. Bruce
  5. Paul and Scripture: Studying the New Testament Use of the Old Testament – Steve Moyise

New Testament Resources

These are miscellaneous resources on Paul and the New Testament that were incredibly helpful and informative.

  1. Thinking Through Paul: An Introduction to His Life, Letters, and Theology – Bruce W. Longenecker and Todd D. Still
  2. The Acts of the Apostles: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary – Ben Witherington III
  3. Paul: Apostle of the Free Spirit – F.F. Bruce
  4. Paul: A Biography – N.T. Wright

Systematic Theology

For those who want to delve a little deeper into the beliefs of Christendom, these books on the systematic beliefs will take you there. For my Pentecostal/Apostolic friends, there is not much available in that specific vein. They have not delved too deeply into academics, although there are a few very respected authors (Here’s a fantastic article on some of the best ones that I use often), but I did find one book for you!

  1. Christian Theology – Millard J. Erickson
  2. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine – Wayne Grudem
  3. Foundations of Pentecostal Theology – Guy Duffield and Nathaniel Van Cleave

Apologetics

Again, there are tons of resources in this area. These are just a couple college level books that will get you started:

  1. Stand Firm: Apologetics and the Brilliance of the Gospel – Paul Gould
  2. Christian Apologetics: An Anthology of Primary Sources – Chad Meister and Khaldoun Sweis
  3. The God Conversation: Using Illustrations to Explain Your Faith – J.P. Moreland and Tim Muehlhoff

Homiletics (Preaching/Writing a Sermon)

  1. 12 Essential Skills for Great Preaching: Second Edition – Wayne McDill
  2. Teaching the Next Generations: A Comprehensive Guide for Teaching Christian Formation – Terry Linhart
  3. Creative Bible Teaching – Lawrence Richards and Gary Bredfeldt

Biblical Languages

These will take a bit more work and dedication. Just reading through a book won’t be enough to learn the language for most people, it requires taking a class and practice. The good news is you can still do that without paying full college tuition to do so (although the online classes below do cost roughly $300). The coursework that I did involved books and online lectures, along with coursework – and I will list all of it below.

Video Classes in Greek and Hebrew

You can find the same courses in Greek and Hebrew I took in grad school here: http://www.biblemesh.com

Biblical Greek (Books and Materials)

  1. Basics of Biblical Greek – Bill Mounce – When it comes to Seminary and college classrooms, Bill Mounce is pretty much it for Biblical Greek. You can find ALL of his stuff here: Bill Mounce
  2. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Literature, 3rd ed. (BDAG) – Affectionately known as the BDAG, this is the standard of excellence for Greek translation and study in the New Testament. This is far more practical in Logos than in print, in my opinion, considering the cost and ease of use.
  3. English Grammar to Ace New Testament Greek – Samuel Lamerson

Biblical Hebrew (Books and Materials)

  1. Basics of Biblical Hebrew – Miles Van Pelt
  2. English Grammar to Ace Biblical Hebrew – Miles Van Pelt
  3. Brown-Drivers-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon (BDB) – Similar to the BDAG, for ease of use, the Logos version makes more sense. However, cost is not as prohibitive for this one.

Bible Dictionary

Always need a good one of these!

  1. Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words – Bill Mounce

And there you have it! There are of course many, many more resources out there, but this is a good place to start. If you never move past these, you’ll have a great knowledge base with which to continue reading the Bible. For some of you, this may be simply a springboard into a deeper and more detailed study of what the Bible has to offer. There is no limit to how deep you can go, and that’s one of the many beautiful aspects of the Bible we have been given.

Thanks for following along. If you have any suggestions or questions, please let me know!

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