Treat information on the internet with great caution.
#Scofield commentary in e sword bible free
But even if we only have one, at least a commentary is a separate book which will not carry the same danger of being perceived as 'the Bible'.Īdditionally, in the internet age, there is quick, easy and free access to a multitude of commentaries giving the average person the type of facilities which would otherwise only be found in the libraries of Bible colleges. Regarding Bible commentaries, it is better to have access to more than one. Additionally there are ‘Chain Reference’ Bibles which expand on the referencing principle by making it easier, in systematic fashion, to ‘follow a thread’ of thought, doctrine or topic through the Word of God. Most Bibles use a referencing system which points the reader to supporting or related passages of Scripture and, generally speaking, the more expensive the Bible the more comprehensive will be the cross-referencing.
Hence the advice: be very careful when using study Bibles. In a similar fashion, other study Bibles will lead the reader to a different, but no less biassed, set of conclusions. Yet it has been and continues to be highly influential in propagating a very particular view of Scripture interpretation and of end-time events. This publication has been used to support a theological position which is disputed by biblical scholars the world over. Without wishing to pinpoint any particular denomination or theological position, the issue is well illustrated in the Scofield Reference Bible. So our memories will just tell us: “I read it in the Bible.” Nevertheless, in the course of studying God’s word we will make natural recourse to the notes and, over a period of time forget – or fail to distinguish between – what we read in the Bible text and what we read in the notes. And we know how much difficulty that can cause! However, and inevitably, this added content is influenced by the particular theological position of the human author. With the best intentions of assisting the reader, the publishers of study Bibles insert a great deal of material which brings added insights and background information to the scripture texts. The memory forgets things, but it can also generate false recollections.Īnd it is here that we get to the problem with Study Bibles. And we are told that, at an individual level, if a person tells a lie often enough then that person becomes convinced they are telling the truth. Paul Goebbels, Hitler’s Minister of Propaganda came up with the Big Lie theory: A lie, repeated often enough, will end up as truth. We have forgotten or – to put it another way – wrongly remembered. However, it is only when the lost (mislaid) item appears somewhere else we discover that no matter how convinced we were, our memory has been proved to be faulty. We scour the house looking for something in the sure and certain knowledge that we know where we left it. However across the range of resources Study Bibles inevitably carry a hidden danger.įor most of us the human memory can play some strange tricks. THERE are a wide variety of books, publications and computer programmes which can assist the diligent believer to better understand the Word of God. However there is an inevitable problem when using study Bibles which is not so prevalent when using other resources. Study Bibles: danger, handle with care! We can be greatly helped but supplementary material when studying God's word.
0 kommentar(er)
