The Bible Toolbox

Don't let this title scare you! We all run into words that puzzle us. Listen to this episode to learn three tools that can help you study words and topics in the Bible. (Note: it may be helpful to watch this episode rather than listen to it.) YouTube version Website with resources Patreon

"Under faith-seeking understanding, we can embark on all kinds of adventures." After Jesus died, resurrected, and ascended into heaven, his gospel spread like wildfire and the church grew and grew. Copies of the Gospels and Paul's letters were passed to anyone willing to listen. It's no wonder that we have over 5,000 portions of the New Testament today! But, what about the time b...

The Old Testament is one of humanity's oldest documents, recording how God's people began and prospered by His blessing. It was carefully copied by people who wanted to ensure their audience knew what the Holy Scriptures said. And now, thousands of years later, we get to read what they wrote! Listen to part one of our conversation with Dr. John Meade on how the Old Testament was copied and...

How do we know the New Testament is reliable? If there are so many manuscripts, each with their own mistakes and nuances, does our Bible contain what the authors actually wrote? Can I trust my Bible? On this episode, we ask these questions and more to Dr. Peter Gurry, a leading scholar on biblical manuscripts at Phoenix Seminary. Take comfort as you listen to Dr. Gurry's explanation of why we can,...

Calling all visual learners! BibleProject is an animation studio that produces free videos and podcasts on many biblical topics--book summaries, word studies, thematic overviews, and much more! Their mission is to "help people experience the Bible as a unified story that leads to Jesus." This resource is fit for all ages and purposes, and is best learned by exploring their website or YouTube chann...

What do Biblical studies and bamboo have to do with one another? The answer may surprise you! Rob Bradshaw is a scholar, programmer, librarian, and a forest-loving guy who has created a super-website for all your online resource needs. Check out this walk-through of one of his websites, BiblicalStudies.org.uk. Thank you, Rob, for your tireless effort in making available thousands of articles, book...

After listening to our last episode, you may be feeling overwhelmed at all of the commentary options. Well, have no fear--Dr. Nijay Gupta is here to help! Dr. Gupta, on top of writing a couple commentaries himself, is the author of The New Testament Commentary Guide. It was a privilege speaking with someone who has directly impacted the world of Biblical commentaries. Listen along as we broaden ou...

Commentaries are another tool to help you enjoy and understand the Bible. Are you new to using commentaries, or you are looking to find the perfect one? Listen to this week's episode to learn more!   YouTube version: https://youtu.be/0StEuleh4po Website with resources: http://www.thebibletoolbox.com/past-episodes/episode-16-how-to-find-and-use-commentaries Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/the...

We can't thank you enough for the support you've shown The Bible Toolbox since we began in August! In this episode, we recap where we've been and where we are headed, as well as resources to include on your Christmas list this year. ​We hope you continue enjoying The Bible Toolbox! Website with resources: https://www.thebibletoolbox.com/past-episodes/episode-15-2022-in-review   YouTube versio...

"I’ve written the book God put me on earth to write for his church."   ​At The Bible Toolbox, our goal is to help you enjoy the Bible through the tools that scholars and programmers have created for you. We are thrilled to introduce this tool to you all--it is truly a tool that will help you enjoy the Bible. This book, Savoring Scripture: A Six-Step Guide to Studying the Bible, bridges the ga...

Have you ever wondered what happened in between the Old Testament and the New Testament? 400 years of silence does not mean life simply stopped. Much happened in that time period, though it is not recorded in our Biblical canon today. However, the collection of books called the Apocrypha give us insight into this time period. If they are not in our Protestant canon, why do they matter? Should Chri...

"If we don't use the opportunities we have been given, then we have squandered our opportunities to disciple people at any age or stage of their life." Teresa Roberts has dedicated her life to instructing and practicing quality teaching. Why does it matter? What does good teaching look like? Listen to this episode for an inspirational lesson on engaging and being intentional with your audience, wh...

The author. The text itself. And you, the reader. Each of these parts of a text come packed full of intentions, biases, purposes, and levels of engagement. If this is the case, how do we interpret what we are reading accurately? In this episode, we offer some tips on how to engage the Bible in a way that remains true to what the author intended. Interpreting the Bible can seem like a daunting task...

In some capacity, we are all responsible for teaching the Bible--formally as a minister, a Sunday school teacher, a parent teaching children, evangelizing, teaching yourself while reading the Word, etc. But, how do we do fulfill this responsibility? Today's episode provides a launching point to answer that question. This episode lays out the different ways to teach the Bible; upcoming lessons will...

While we were on the topic of study Bibles, we reached out to Hampton Keathley for a special reason--he is the co-founder of Bible.org, which houses the NET Bible translation. You may be wondering how a Bible translation made its way into a series on study Bibles. Listen to this episode to learn about an impressively transparent Bible translation and explore a couple of resources deep in Bible stu...

"I love studying the Bible!" Andy Naselli's joy exuded in this interview on his perspective on the NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible. Dr. Naselli was the assistant editor of the study Bible, and in this episode he helps us understand the important qualities it contains and how to read it properly. We hope you "catch" the enjoyment of reading the Bible and that this tool can be of use to you! Websi...

The Bible was not written in a bubble-- Abraham, Moses, David, and every other mentioned and unmentioned person that lived in ancient times was part of and influenced by their culture. However, we often forget about the impact this Near Eastern culture had on the Bible. The Bible was written FOR us, but it was not written TO us. It was written to people who think like Babylonians, who interact wit...

We learned in episode 3 about the importance of having a quality Bible translation, but what happens when you come to a passage or verse that confuses you? What do you do then? Reading the verse in another translation would be a helpful first step. But, if you are still stuck or would like more information, a study Bible can be another helpful tool. In this episode, we discuss what a study Bible i...

Mark Strauss is another passionate man who has dedicated his entire life to studying and translating the Bible. He joined the NIV Bible translation committee in 2005 and was later asked to serve as the vice chair. He is also a professor of New Testament at Bethel University. Mark offers candid conversation and a desire to adequately translate the word of God. Video version: https://youtu.be/UUdsBG...

Countless men and women have dedicated their lives to studying and translating the Bible. Leland Ryken is one of them. He has studied and taught the Bible as classical literature for over half a century! His accomplishments and knowledge led him to be the English stylist on the ESV Bible translation committee. We had the privilege of interviewing him about his experience on the translation committ...

We are immensely blessed to have the Bible accessible to us in so many forms and varieties. But, have you ever wondered why so many Bible translations exist? Walk with us through 3 major differences in Bible translations and how to utilize each one in your study.  In this episode, we walk through a PowerPoint presentation. For access to this presentation, along with the video equivalent and o...

The Bible can be a daunting book. It's big, there are a lot of words, it's the center and go-to point of Christianity... not to mention it is God's inspired Word preserved for us through the ages. Rightfully so, this book carries a lot of weight. How, then, should we approach it? With fear? With the assumption that we won't understand what we read? With expectation to have the Spirit speak to us a...

Want to know what the most important and helpful tool is to study your Bible? Luke and Lydia discuss it in this episode! Check out more of our episodes and our YouTube channel at https://thebibletoolbox.weebly.com/

Visit us at our website: https://thebibletoolbox.weebly.com Watch this episode on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/tpGOVGEFSXk More info to come on how to support us!