P1 Growing up into spiritual maturity

Colossians 1:3-4 "We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints."


Introduction & Illustration:
I can recall growing up as a boy and receiving in my first grade year a little pine tree to plant in our yard. I asked my parents if we could plant the little tree near a big bush toward the back of the house. I felt in my little six year old mind that the bush would protect the little tree from getting dried out by the sun. Over the next ten years that little tree hardly grew. We knew something was wrong and that it was contrary to nature for a ten year old tree to be basically no different from a first year sapling. We discovered that the big bush was sapping up all of its nutrients and as the bush grew, the shade prevented the tree from getting the necessary sunlight. We decided to move the tree to another part of the yard that was adjacent to a creek that ran alongside our property. My mother had developed an interest in cultivating roses and aided me in staking the nearly dead little tree. We fed it all kinds of plant food and within 3 years the tree doubled in size and in 3 more years quickly grew to maturity. That little tree was designed by God to grow and mature, and it required nutrients, sunlight and our involvement in making sure it would maximize what it was created to do – grow!


Disciples of Jesus Christ are given in their new nature the inherent desire to want to mature in their faith. Ephesians 2:8-9 for example says: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; ⁹ not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Most people will readily quote that text, however very few consider 2:10 which explains why God regenerates sinners to saving faith in the first place: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” To not engage in spiritual maturity is contrary to the Christian’s nature. In today’s post we want to begin considering the subject of “Growing up into spiritual maturity” out of Colossians 1:1-12.

 
Point of Application:
If you remember nothing else from this post today, the one thought that God would have us to understand from Colossians 1:1-12 would be this: Your calling as a Christian is to grow up into spiritual maturity.

More tomorrow....

How will it all end? Looking once again at Jesus' parable of the tares

Matthew 13:24 Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.

Introduction:

Today's post features another look at Jesus' Parable of the Tares.  Scripture is certainly amazing in how one can study the same passage time and time again and come away with an insight they never saw before. In my library are hundreds of books. I have read many of those books, some old, some small. Each time I have read a given book, I think on it and then put it on my shelf.  Those books, though precious to me, are mostly one time reads. Their meaning can be exhausted and summarized. However the Bible is so different, so unique.  I have been studying God's book for over two decades and I can tell you that each time I go to it, I find something new.  It is inexhaustible. Its words are God's words. No other book - no matter how lofty in its language or strong in its argumentation can match the Bible. So it is with this Parable of the Tares. Previously I have written on this remarkable parable and so I will simply list the links to those posts for the reader's reference:

1. http://pastormahlon.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-main-point-of-jesus-parable-of.html


2. http://pastormahlon.blogspot.com/2014/06/jesus-parable-of-tares-presented-and.html



Some interesting traits to note about the Parable of the Tares
Out of the more than fifty parables that Jesus tells in the four Gospels, the "Parable of the Tares" is only found here in Matthew. As we noted in the last post on the parable of the tares, Jesus is giving us a view of the Kingdom from God's vantage point. In the closely related "parable of the Sower" in Matthew 13:1-23, Jesus is giving the hearers a view of the Kingdom from a ground level human perspective. 






When we look specifically at the "Parable of the Tares", we find another interesting characteristic. In both Jesus telling of the parable in Matthew 13:24-30 and His explanation of it in 13:36-43, we find roughly seven verses of material featuring Jesus' teaching.  In each section, we have three main areas of focus: "The Sowers", "The Seed" and then "The Harvest". In the telling of the parable, Jesus devotes three verses (24,25,28) to the sowers, three verses to the two types of seed (26,27,29) and one verse to the harvest (30). Yet in Jesus' explanation of the parable in 13:36-43, we discover the opposite pattern: two verses for the sowers (37,39), one verse for the seed (38) and four and one-half verses dedicated to the harvest (39-43). Truly the end, the outcome, defines what goes on in the present age.  

The interpretation of the parable hinges on how everyone relates to the sowers.  
The two sowers
The whole Parable of the Tares centers around the sowers and the other details in how they relate to them.  It must be noted that though this parable is called "the parable of the tares", the "tares" and the "seed" are so defined by their relationship to the two sowers. The tares are those who by nature are "sons of disobedience". Paul writes for example in Ephesians 2:2 "in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience." The unbelieving Pharisees are described by Jesus as having the Devil for their father in John 8:44. In contrast, the children of the Kingdom have been "born again" and have the new nature. (John 1:3; 1 Peter 1:3). 

Two sowers and two seeds
Clearly the seeds are so defined by their relationship to the sowers. Now even though their are two sowers, the two are not equal.  After all, "The Sower", the Son of Man, owns the field or the world.  Furthermore, the "Enemy" will be cast into the lake of fire at the end of the age along with the tares. 

In seeing how the seeds relate to the sowers, then truly the harvest is determined by the prevailing of the Sower, Jesus Christ.  With wheat and tares growing together, and the Spirit of God regenerating some of those tares through His Sovereign work and the evangelistic influence of the wheat, the same Sovereignty that guarantees the final harvest of souls is the same Sovereign Lord who gives tares the opportunity to hear the Gospel.  He through the testimony of the wheat urges those tares to be converted to wheat before the end of the harvest. Commentator Herbert Lockyer notes: "This is why He has sown you where you live and labor. As one bought with a price and born of His Spirit, and a new creation in Him and an heir of eternal life, He expects you to bear fruit in the corner of the field of this world, in which He has sowed you."

The one Sower and one final harvest
With the tares and wheat's respective relationship to the sowers shown, we now turn lastly to how the harvest relates to the sowers. Matthew 13:39-43 gives us a very important point about which sower is running the harvest - The Son of Man.  Notice that once we cross the thresh-hold of Matthew 13:39, the age has ended and now all things are in the hands of the Son of Man.  The Son of Man "sends for His angels" in 13:41 to gather out of "His" Kingdom the tares so to speak.  The power and authority of judgment is in the Son's hands in 13:42. Then the final state of the "wheat" is guaranteed. Interestingly all those "wheat" that the Son planted made it and did not "deconvert" into tares. Most commentators have noted that God alone can convert a tare into wheat.  

Final thoughts
So as one can see, the entirety of the parable hangs generally upon the two sowers, and ultimately upon the One sower who owns the field - the Lord Jesus Christ. The question is: in what way are you related to Him? 

God's Gospel Lamp

Isaiah 42:6-7 “I am the Lord, I have called You in righteousness,I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You, And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the nations, 7 To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the dungeon and those who dwell in darkness from the prison."

Introduction:

Often times when we read passages in the New Testament, we can very easily rush over the many Old Testament scriptures that are quoted.  Case in point is Paul's sermon to the Jews at Pisidia in Acts 13:17-43 and then a second statement that he makes a week later in Acts 13:44-52.  Paul's two messages are very powerful and sweeping in their coverage and presentation of the Gospel. Both are anchored to two Old Testament references that give us a clue to interpreting and applying the whole of Acts 13:17-52 to our lives. I'm titling this post: "God's Gospel Lamp" in light of what we read in the two main Old Testament references of Habakkuk 1:5 in Acts 13:41 and Isaiah 42:6 in Acts 13:47. 

How we find God's Gospel lamp being referred to by Paul in his statements in Acts 13.

In Paul's first sermon of Acts 13:17-43, Paul is linking together all of redemptive history to the Person and work of Jesus Christ. As he draws that first sermon to a close, he mentions Habakkuk 1:5 in Acts 13:41 - "Therefore take heed, so that the thing spoken of in the Prophets may not come upon you: 41 ‘Behold, you scoffers, and marvel, and perish;
For I am accomplishing a work in your days, A work which you will never believe, though someone should describe it to you.’” Why would Paul quote this passage? The prophet Habakkuk had ministered some 600 years before Christ in a spiritually dark Southern Kingdom of Judah. Times were so bad that at the opening of his prophecy, Habakkuk cries out to God: "Why?" God's response to Habakkuk's complaints over the wickedness of his nation was that He was going to Divinely send an even more wicked nation, the Babylonians, to discipline His people.  Such news is described by God in the terms we find being quoted by Paul. In other words, how God was going to bring about His redemptive purposes was going to be unexpected. Habakkuk writes in Habakkuk 2:1 "I will stand on my guard post and station myself on the rampart; And I will keep watch to see what He will speak to me,
And how I may reply when I am reproved."  In other words, the prophet was going to await until God showed Him the light of His purposes - which of course He would.  God's Gospel lamp was shining in Habakkuk's day, and Paul's usage of Habakkuk's prophecy in Acts 13:41 indicates that the Gospel Lamp was shining brightly in the place Paul was preaching.

The second text we find is Paul's quotation of Isaiah 42:6 in Acts 13:47 - "For so the Lord has commanded us,
‘I have placed You as a light for the Gentiles, That You may bring salvation to the end of the earth.’”  Isaiah had written some 150 years prior to Habakkuk. In Isaiah's prophecy of Isaiah 42 we see a prediction made of the "Servant of the Lord", the coming Messiah - whom of course is identified in the New Testament as Jesus Christ. The Servant of the Lord is the light in Isaiah 42:6 and now Paul is saying in Acts 13:47 that Jesus, the "The Light of the World" is in a sense going to shine through Him to bring forth the light of the Gospel.  Again, God's Gospel lamp burned brightly in the prophetic statements of Isaiah and burns brightly is the apostolic statements of Paul. 


Point of Application: You and I as Jesus' disciples are to carry forth God's Gospel lamp.

How we see God's Gospel lamp shining forth in Paul's two sermons

Having focused our attention on the two key Old Testament texts that show God's Gospel lamp, we can now briefly consider three ways in which God's Gospel lamp is shining forth in the two sermons and sections of Acts 13:17-43 and 13:44-52.

1. The Gospel lamp is revealed in the scriptures. Acts 13:17-22, 47

I won't take time to unfurl the grandeur of the many scriptures referred to by Paul.  Lets just say for now Paul traces virtually every era of redemptive history from Abraham in Genesis, through Moses, through the Judges, through the united Kingdoms of Saul and David, to the days of Jesus.  The scriptures unfold for us the Gospel lamp. 

2. The Gospel lamp is Jesus Christ. Acts 13:23-37

As Paul delivers his two sermons, the focal point of both is none other than Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Light of the world (John 8:12) and the lamp Who reveals God fully and completely (Hebrews 1:1-2; Revelation 21:23). The lamp that the prophets saw in faint outline through the telescope of prophecy shines brilliantly in the New Testament age. Jesus' virgin birth, incarnation, life, death, burial, resurrection and ascension occupies the fulcrum upon which history and eternity pivots. Jesus Christ is the Gospel lamp, Who is revealed in the scriptures, and thus...

3. God's Gospel lamp is carried forth by Christians. Acts 13:44-52

As Paul preached the Gospel, the light of the glory of Jesus Christ shined brightly.  The mystery of God's Sovereign elective purposes (so deemed by the Baptist Faith & Message 2000) and man's sure choice of rejecting the Gospel are set side by side in the text.  On the one hand, Sovereign grace alone explains why the crowd believed the Gospel in Acts 13:48 - "When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed." When Sovereign grace attended the preaching of the Gospel, the Gentiles freely and genuinely believed and were saved. Yet, Paul indicates that those who rejected the Gospel did so of their own accord. The Gospel lamp is God's lamp. All who respond do so because of Sovereign grace working in their hearts.  All who reject do so because of their own decision. As Paul says in Acts 13:46 - "since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life...". 

What the Lord told Paul in Acts 13:47 can be applied to us as disciples of Jesus today.  2 Corinthians 5:20-21 (20)"Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." 1 Peter 2:9 "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." Would it be that you and I as believers in Christ carry forth God's Gospel lamp, the Lord Jesus Christ, by shining forth His Gospel through the scriptures. 

 

P3 Still more key scriptures for Biblical spiritual maturity

Jude 20-21 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.

Introduction:

Yesterday we explored the key scriptures we find in the Book of Colossians for understanding spiritual maturity.  In today's post we conclude our explorations by noting some further scriptures in the remainder of the New Testament. Like yesterday, the key passages that will be listed are not meant to be an exhaustive list, but more so a "representative" list. 

1. 1 Timothy 4:7-8 "But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; 8 for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come."

One of the themes you will find in studying the subject of spiritual maturity is the closely related theme of spiritual discipline.  One of the myth's associated with spiritual maturity is that it is easy and passive.  Scripture uniformly tells us that spiritual maturity requires discipline, and yet is immensely rewarding.  Often times the Apostle Paul will use the metaphor of physical training to get his readers to see how spiritual maturity operates and functions. Christians need constant usage and exercise of their spiritual muscles in order to deal with life and life victoriously for the Master. 

2. Hebrews 5:13-14 "For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant.14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil."

How I can recall the years when all four of our children were growing up as infants and toddlers.  Some of the things they did then were worthy of postings on facebook.  However if they were to do some of those same things now, I would be concerned. Why? Because as older children and adolescent teenagers, we naturally expect them to be exercising some discernment and hopefully making progress in their physical, emotional and mental development.  In the spiritual realm the principles are no different, which is why the writer of Hebrews employs such imagery as that of infants and growing children.

3. Hebrews 6:1-3 "Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 of instruction about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. 3 And this we will do, if God permits."

The book of Hebrews is chocked full of passages that speak on the subject of spiritual maturity.  Too often Christians complain about doctrine, and yet without doctrine, we cannot know what we are to believe and live. Doctrine is the pearl necklace of the great lady - the church. We certainly ought to be grounded enough to know the essential truths of scripture, and then at some point move onto further truths. I find it interesting that the writer inserts the closing phrase "if God permits", reminding us of the boundaries in which spiritual growth occurs - namely God's Sovereign will.

4. Hebrews 12:1-2 "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

In this text we see the author and finisher of faith, the Lord Jesus Christ. The imagery employed here is the athletic imagery, much like what we see in 1 Timothy 4:7-8.  Here we see runners in an Olympic style race running for the glory of the Emperor. When the runners would run, they looked to the box seats where the Emperor sat to draw strength and inspiration.  If they got their eyes off of the Emperor and got to focusing on the cheers of the crowds, they could get lost in the moment and lose stride. Certainly the witnesses are vital, however it is Jesus who is the finish line, the Emperor for Whom we run the Christian race. 

5. Hebrews 13:20-21 "Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, 21 equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen."

In-as-much spiritual maturity is an activity on our part, without the preserving grace of the Lord working in us and through us, we will not have the necessary desire to want to grow.  As a friend of mine used to tell me: "God takes our 'have-tos' and turns them into 'I-want-to's". 

6. Jude 20-21 "But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life."

Jude 20-21 gives us one of the clearest definitions in the Bible on what it means to pursue after spiritual maturity. Truly "building ourselves up in the most holy faith" captures the heart of what it means to be spiritual mature. 

Closing thoughts
Adrian Rogers gives this illustration from his book: "What Every Christian Ought to Know", page 248, on the subject of spiritual maturity: "A cathedral in England was destroyed by German bombs during World War II. Some students helped to rebuild it. A statue of Jesus in the Cathedral had been damaged. The students pieced it together, but the hands had been destroyed beyond retrieval. Rather than replace the hands, they placed a plaque beneath the statue that read, 'Christ has no hands but ours.' There is a great truth to that. May God help you to find a place of service and let your hands be His hands.As we bring all of this to a conclusion, remember that you are to grow with what you have learned." 

P2 More key scriptures for Biblical spiritual maturity

Jude 20-21 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.

Introduction:

Yesterday we began exploring key scriptures we find in the Bible for understanding spiritual maturity.  We looked at Deuteronomy 7:1-26; 1 Corinthians 9:25-27 and Ephesians 4:11-16 to discover that spiritual maturity happens in progression, requires the ministry of the local church and entails the Christian's cooperation with the Holy Spirit.  In today's post we continue in our explorations. Like yesterday, the key passages that will be listed are not meant to be an exhaustive list, but more so a "representative" list. The unique trait of today's post is getting the opportunity to see the theme of spiritual maturity developed in one Bible book - which in this case is the book of Colossians.  

1. Colossians 1:3-4 "We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints."

The book of Colossians is all about finding our fulfillment in the supremacy of Jesus Christ. He is enough, period. In this passage we find the two-fold focus of spiritual maturity: faith in Jesus Christ and love for the saints.

2. Colossians 1:10-11  "so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously." 

The underlined words in this text speak to the very subject of spiritual maturity. Nearly fifty times we find reference to walking with God in the scriptures.  All of the tributaries that flow from that stream (bearing fruit, growing, etc) find their source in Jesus Christ.

3. Colossians 2:6-7 "Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude."

This text here continues on the theme of Colossians 1:10-11.  The book of Colossians, along with the book of Hebrews, are two books in the New Testament that deal specifically with finding one's fulfillment and maturity in the supremacy of Jesus Christ.

4. Colossians 3:16  "Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God."

This particular passage is significant in that the word "word" could be taken to either refer to the written word - the Bible, or the living word - Jesus Christ. One of the hallmarks of spiritual maturity is in making one's life a palatial dwelling place for the Lord and His word. The more central the Bible becomes to our everyday thoughts and lives, the more likely we are growing in spiritual maturity.

5. Colossians 4:17 Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.

Spiritual maturity not only has to do with how we relate to the Lord and how we take care of ourselves but also in how we relate to other people.  "Making the most" of every opportunity means that even in the most extreme circumstances, we take what we have and use it for the glory of God. Over time we discover that if anyone wants to be Godly in Christ Jesus, they should expect to suffer. (see 2 Timothy 3:12) 

More tomorrow...

P1 Key scriptures for Biblical spiritual maturity

Jude 20-21 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.

Introduction:

In today's post we want to begin understanding the places to go in the scriptures when trying to understand the concept of Christian spiritual maturity. The key passages that will be listed today are not meant to be an exhaustive list, but more so a "representative" list. The Biblical vision for spiritual growth in relationship with God is too often neglected. Below we will simply list the passages below with minimal commentary so as to encourage readers to look at them, study through them and draw their own conclusions.  After all, a mark of spiritual maturity is being able to dig out and apply the truth of God's Word to your own life so as to be a blessing to others.

1. Deuteronomy 7:21-23  You shall not dread them, for the Lord your God is in your midst, a great and awesome God. 22 The Lord your God will clear away these nations before you little by little; you will not be able to put an end to them quickly, for the wild beasts would grow too numerous for you. 23 But the Lord your God will deliver them before you, and will throw them into great confusion until they are destroyed." 

So why is it that when a person is converted to Christ in saving faith that the Lord does not rid them of sin, rid them of difficulty and grant them a life of ease? Because we need to experience what it is like to have victory in Jesus, depend upon the Lord and strive for Him against the left-over remnants of sin. This passage in the Old Testament reminds us of the progressive nature of spiritual growth - our sanctification. The Handbook of Bible Application, page 409, notes about this passage: "Moses told the Israelites that God would destroy Israel's enemies, but not all at once. God had the power to destroy those nations instantly, but He chose to do it in stages. In the same way and in the same power, God could miraculously and instantaneously change your life. Usually, however, He chooses to help you gradually, teaching you one lesson at a time." Such a concept is not just an Old Testament or just a New Testament idea, but is found throughout the scriptures in both testaments. Maturity in spiritual matters occurs with the Lord, in the Lord and He in us. 

2. 1 Corinthians 9:25-27 "Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; 27 but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified."

This passage on spiritual maturity also reminds us that in-as-much as spiritual maturity is a progressive work of the Holy Spirit in and through us, it also is an active work on our part in cooperation with Him. The call to spiritual maturity is likened here to a spiritual athletic competition. 

3. Ephesians 4:11-13 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.

Biblical spiritual maturity cannot be conceived of apart from fellowship and interaction with God's people. The Lord has given pastors and the local church family for the sake of growing saints unto spiritual maturity and for the sake of reaching the world to make more disciples. All sermons, programs and efforts of any local church ought to use these two criteria when understanding how they are to be glorify Jesus Christ in service to God's people and people in the community. 

More tomorrow.....

Free great websites on resources for studying the Bible at all levels

Acts 8:34 “The eunuch answered Philip and said, “Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or of someone else?” (NASB)


Introduction:
Whenever you begin to study the scriptures, resources are important. Not only must the student of scripture have access to good resources, but also know where to look to find them. Often when it comes to purchasing Bible study tools such as commentaries, concordances, Bible Dictionaries and Bible Encyclopedias, the cost can be high and at times out of reach. Whether you are a faithful Bible student, a Sunday School Teacher, a Pastor, a Bible translator or a scholar of the original languages, today’s post is about alerting you to a few of the great websites and resources on the web that are excellent, reliable, accurate and free!

1. http://www.biblegateway.com/

This website contains numerous English translations, original language texts, commentaries and Bible dictionaries. If you are a Sunday School teacher or Pastor, this is the website for you.

2. http://biblehub.com/

This site is much like biblegateway, only it includes numerous church history resources, more study tools, more original language resources and more English translations. This is a wonderful site for all students of the Bible, teachers, pastors and scholars alike.

3. http://www.biblia.com/

This site is an excellent one because you can download free resources onto your computer and smart phone.   It includes among other things the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge – the most comprehensive cross referencing tool available.

4. https://www.logos.com/

The Logos software has been a standard for years in the world of electronic resources for the study of the scriptures. Whenever you go in this site you can download a free app for your smart phone or computer that will link both together. Other resources are available for free or at reduced cost. This site and biblia.com are interconnected and compatible with one another.  The numerous English translations, commentaries and Bible study helps make this site hard to beat!


5. http://biblewebapp.com/study/
and http://www.stepbible.org/#!__/0/passage/0/SBLG/Mat/GU/__/1/passage/0/ESV/Mat 1/NHVUG


These two sites are amazing in how they are able to get the Bible student into contact with either the original languages of the Bible or cross references. Whenever you pull up either site, you will see the original language of the scriptures on the one side and the English text on the other. Brushing the cursor over any word will show you where that word is found in either the original language text or the English text.  Even if you are not interested in the original languages, the cross references and available commentaries make these two websites well worth your time.




Closing thoughts:
I know there may be other sites that I did not mention (such as You Version, Cadre Bible) that can be equally as valuable, however the goal of today's post was to alert readers to the possibilities. You as a reader have the choice in determining which Bible software fits your needs. I always caution people when using online material to double check their sources, being that whatever the computer gives you is only as good as what was put into it (the old adage "garbage in/garbage out). However the above sites have been found by this blogger and others to be very reliable. I hope you find those sites to be helpful in your study of God’s Word. They are a blessing to me and in today’s information age, quite edifying!