You may be surprised!
The reality is that you really don’t need very many supplies to get started with a good Bible Study. Actually, you can get started with just an online Bible app.
But first let’s talk about the importance of Bible Study.
I think that this is one of the things that I MOST want to get out into the world.
You NEED to spend time with God in studying His word. Can you be a Christian and not study the Bible? Sure, but your relationship with God will suffer. Just like any other relationship, there needs to be time invested in the relationship. You must share in the things that they love. Know all about them. You will find it hard to deepen your relationship with God unless you get to know Him. And this can’t be some secondhand knowledge that you may get from a preacher or a preacher’s book.
“Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” Joshua 1:8
No, we must go to the book that God wrote. The love letter that He wrote for you. So that you would know Him more. So that you would know His love for you. His plans for you. So that you can truly know who you are. And also so that you can understand who He is. His righteousness, holiness, and justice. You must learn that He can’t be around sin at all, and that you are a sinner. That you are deserving of death. But also see the crimson thread of Christ and His blood shed so that you could be pardoned, and deemed righteous.
It is beautiful, and you miss so very much of this if you only ever listen to what someone else studied in the Bible.
It is kinda like I tell my son about YouTube.
“Son, it is so great that you are learning and watching all of these amazing things on YouTube, but do you not see that you are watching someone else experience life, while you sit around and not experience life?”
It is great that you are learning about the Bible, but don’t you realize that you are watching someone else experience a deeper relationship with God, while you and not?
I hope that this encourages you to start your own Study of the Word of God. If it does, but you are not sure where to start, I have a full series on YouTube, where I walk your through how to get started. Then make sure that you don’t just watch, but then go grab your Bible and get started!
My Top Supplies for Bible Study
Bible
Of course, the first thing that you are going to need is a Bible. For Bible Study, I suggest grabbing a Bible that is Word for Word translated. And preferably not KJV or NKJV, they are written in Old English and can be very hard to understand for beginners.
I use the NASB95. The reason that I like this Bible so much is because it has lot’s of Cross References. I love looking these up and I like the extra information. Some of the app where you can read this version do not have all of the references, so be careful when choosing. Logos has linked references with in their NASB version, and this is the one that I use the most. You can also check this one out on Amazon. This is the Inductive Study NASB and it has a lot of information in it to help you get started.
Something to Write on
When I study, I write out the entire chapter and then mark all of those Cross References that I was talking about a minute ago.
So, for that I make my own notebook with 28lb paper. I print lines on the paper, you can find this free printable on the FREEBIES page. And then bind the pages together. You can have this done for pretty cheap at an office supply store.
Yay! Pens and Colored Pencils!
I do a lot of marking with my study and then I love to decorate my notes with different colors as well. So, I definitely like to have some fun pens and colored pencils on hand. You can use whichever ones you like the best, but here are a few of my favorites.
I also really like adding a little bit more color with some white, gold and silver pens like these:
Stickers and Printables
Another thing that I love to use is all different kinds of stickers and printables. Here are some fun ones from my shop.
You can also find lots of FREEBIES all over the internet. You can check out my FREEBIES page to find this month’s FREE printables. Or you can head over to some of the Facebook groups who offer FREE printables each month.
Bible Journaling Ministries even has a 10 Day FREE Bible Journaling Course that you can take that will give you some fun FREE printables! And she offers a free printable each month!
Prayerful Planner is also a wonderful planner company that provides a FREE printable each month. And they are always soooooo pretty!!!
As for stickers, I like to get a lot of bang for my buck, so I usually go for the larger sets of stickers. Here are a few of my GoTo sticker sets.
My pages start looking pretty colorful and crazy by the time that I get done, but it is part of what helps me to learn. The creative aspect also motivates me. Your do not have to look like this, if this is not how you prefer to study, but if you do like it and want to learn, I have lots of videos on my YouTube Channel showing you how to work through the Inductive Study Method as well as Bible Study for Beginners.
Make sure to check out my recent post. We are starting to study the book of Romans and there are lots of FREEBIES that will be coming out throughout the year.
and last but not least….
A Good Commentary!
A good commnetary by a person that you trust, them and their doctrine, is espally important. There is a lot that we do not know when it comes to studying the Bible. And a good commnetary will help you to grasp all of the different aspects of the verses that you are studying. Like, what the verses meant to those reading them at the time that they were written. And how they do or do not apply to us today.
Very rarely do I ever study a Scripture passage that I do not grab a commentary to check and see what it says about the verses. I think it is just good practice.
My all time favorite Commentary are the ones by David Guzik. You can find them for FREE on Blue Letter Bible (which is also free). Or you can purchase them from Amazon for the Kindle or in physical form. He goes line by line and I just love this. You can also see that he has done his research, because he is constantly quoting other Bible Scholars.
Another one that I have just started using that I really like is The Bible Knowledge Commentary. This one comes in 2 books, one for the Old Testament and one for the New. I like this because it is just two purchases, or if you get them as a set, just one. Whereas with Guzik’s you have to by them by the book, though I think some of the smaller books are grouped together.
When you are buying books, make sure to check out places like ThriftBooks where you can get used books for super cheap!
What are your favorite Bible Study Supplies? Let me know in the comments below!
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