Worth Every Penny

MacArthur Study Bible ON SALE NOW!






Christmas is a great time of year. According to an article I read the other day:

"Christmas generates about $435 billion worth of economic activity each year in the United States alone. But how much does the average family spend on Christmas? 2005 statistics show that the average New Zealand family spends $900. In England 43% of parents spend between $189 and 378 per child and 24% between $378 and $945. In the United States the average American will spend about $750 dollars on gifts and accessories. So for a family with two adults that is a total of $1500."

Perhaps the worst thing about all of this is that most of the items are here today and gone tomorrow. I know we will be fortunate if our children’s toys make it intact to the New Year.
An enduring gift you could give yourself or others is the MacArthur Study Bible.

Below is the description from the publisher.

"The MacArthur Study Bible is not designed to fit lifestyles, but to transform lives. This landmark study Bible brings together over 35 years of Bible study from popular Bible teacher John MacArthur, and provides extensive study helps to aid readers in understanding and teaching Scripture. It includes 20,000 study notes, an extensive concordance and an index to key Bible doctrines, multiple time lines, numerous charts, over 50 Bible maps, an outline of Systematic Theology, and more."

Some of the reasons I like this Study Bible:

1. NKJV is my primary Bible version. Most of my written work uses NKJV as the text.


2. NKJV is a literal Bible version that is very readable.


3. MacArthur Study Bible is the best study Bible. It is has extensive notes and it is written from a theological perspective that is consistent with reformed Baptists who distinguish between Israel and the church.


4. The reading of the NKJV sounds familiar to the KJV and will be an easy transition for someone that grew up using the KJV.


5. NKJV clarifies archaic words and phrases of the KJV and it minimizes the need for explanation of out of date words and phrases.


6. My Hebrew professor, James Price was the NKJV OT editor. He is brilliant humble servant of God.


7. The NKJV includes footnotes in its apparatus to reference variant readings that are included in most modern translations.

Brief history of the NKJV from Wikipedia:

"The NKJV translation project, which was conceived by Arthur Farstad, was inaugurated in 1975 with two meetings (Nashville and Chicago) of 68 interested persons, most of them prominent Baptists but also including some conservative Presbyterians. The men who were invited to these meetings prepared the guidelines for the NKJV. The New Testament was published in 1979, the Psalms in 1980, and the full NKJV Bible in 1982.

The aim of its translators was to update the vocabulary and grammar of the King James Version, while preserving the classic style and beauty of the 1611 version. Although it uses substantially the same Hebrew and Greek texts as the original KJV, it indicates where more commonly accepted manuscripts differ."

Below is the publisher’s brief statement on the NKJV:

"When considering the important factors in choosing a Bible translation — accuracy, beauty, and ease of understanding — the choice is clear. Only the New King James Version offers precision and clarity without sacrificing readability. For a Bible that is both beautifully worded and trustworthy, ideal for study, teaching, personal reading, and congregational use, the NKJV has been selected by more than 25 million customers since its release, and is the preferred translation of thousands of today's most prominent Christian leaders."