My suggestion is to use a version that you are comfortable reading. I suggest one of these three…. The King James Version (Kind of hard to understand at times and not something I would encourage a new Christian to handle at first), The New International Version (this one is a good reading bible and some what of a decent study bible, definitely a verision for those new in the faith)… but my favorite version is the New American Standard Version.
I choose the NASV simply because it is an excellent fit between the two others. Not too hard to read as the King James, yet a better study than the NIV.
Of course all my studies are put together using all the tools that come with the King James version (Concordances, Dictionaries, Lexicons, etc.) as well as the NASV.
I strongly urge you to stay away from the “Paraphrases” such as the Living Bible, The Message and other psuedo-bibles that are simply one man saying what the bible says as opposed to actually diving into the “word of God” (the venacullar terminology for “The Bible”) and read what it says about itself.
I really hope that this helps you in determining which bible is best for you.
The studies on the Spring Bible Fellowship website and podcasts are done using both King James, New King James and the New American Standard Version.
I have been told on numerous times that church leaders want informed believers, but not believers who know the truth that the bible teaches.
Why?
It’s because of control. If you control access to information, then you control the person or persons who do not have that information.
In my early Christian years (1977-80) I was part of the Church of Christ (Cambellite movement) which (like most denominations) have their little “proof-texts” to justify what they do and practice as a body of believers.
Larry Drake, who led me to Christ, encouraged me to study the bible on my own. Always warning me to accurately divide the Word.
One day I was asking him about the Apocrypha. The Apocrypha are those extra books that the Roman Catholics deem as scripture whereas the Jews and Protestants do not.
He said that knowing about them in useful, but not above knowing Jesus and what He has given us in the New Covenant, and that was only known by reading the Bible, especially the New Testament.
This was early in my walk with Christ (1977) and I have studied the bible on my own, pretty much, ever since.
I love the Word of God, I love talking about it and the one it speaks of. I love sharing what I have learned about the Lord Jesus Christ. I love teaching it. I love when other Christians love to read the Word as well. When I say “read” the Word, I mean…. dive into it. Wash in it. Let it challenge you to seek after the things of God.
And, here is the dangerous part….. knowing the Word will help build into your spirit a sort of “spiritual B. S. detector”. When you are hearing something that just doesn’t seem right or scriptural, you would tend to run to the scriptures, as a Berean, to see if what you were taught is so.
There are a lot of wacky teachings coming out of Christians that, if not put into check, could and may lead you to shipwreck your faith. Watch and pray, but do not be afraid. Many believers have lost their lives for standing up for the truth. Foxes “Book of Martyrs” are full of church history about how churches killed people who dared stand up against false teaching.
Today, you can be asked to leave the church if you stand up against some of their pet doctrines that they love more than the commandments of God. Traditions that were grown in the Old Covenant and laid on New Covenant believers such as circumcision, tithing, and things like that. Grace, all of grace.
Be not ignorant beloved. God’s people perish because of the lack of knowledge.
We are commanded to grown in grace and KNOWLEDGE. But also know that knowledge puffs up, whereas love edifies.
So learn to use your knowledge to love people. Help them come to the knowledge of the truth. Like Larry did for me, set me on a course, trusted me to the Holy Spirit, and now here I am, sharing all of this on a blog.
This week, I encourage you to get to know Jesus on your own. Let Him be the pastor of your heart. The shepherd of your soul. Let Him be all that He wants to be to you. If you do that, He will lead you to places that you may have never imagined.
Be not ignorant!