The best bible study tools are materials or resources that help bible students to study, read and understand the bible effectively.
These tools are very essential as it gives proper knowledge of a passage, lessons, historical context, and meanings.
In 2 Corinthians 3:18 (Amplified Version)
“ And all of us, as with unveiled face, [ because we] continued to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever-increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who] is the Spirit ”
As Christians, we are enjoined to be Christ-like which requires an intimate relationship with God.
This relationship can only be built through deliberate decisions and actions for the word of God.
Studying God’s word is important and a necessity because it encourages, enriches, and enhances our spiritual growth. That’s why Joshua 1:8 AMPC says;
“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shall read [and mediate on] it day and night, so that you may be careful to do [everything] in accordance with all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will be successful’’
This verse stated clearly that as believers we ought to study God’s words continuously and the is prosperity and good success.
The List of Best Bible Study Tools You Must Have
To enable you to have a proper study of the bible, we have compiled the 18 best bible study tools which will help you move into another level of encounter with God.
Bible:
This is obviously one of the best bible study tools you must have and center of the study. It contains sixty-six (66) books which are classified into new and old testaments.
The bible comes in different versions and sizes but for studying, it is advisable you get the one that has big letters, free space for jotting, marking, and references.
A good example of a study bible is Illuminated Scripture Journal and English Standard Version.
Devotional:
A devotional is the commonest tool for bible study and is available in different versions, sizes, and colors. Examples are:
- Daily Manner
- Our daily bread devotional
- Rhapsody of Realities
You can download their software for easy access. Note that devotional can also be used for quiet times and have dates for daily use.
There are pocket sizes that can be easily carried to enable the study of God’s word where you find yourself, you can go for it.
Also, some come in monthly or annual versions, whichever you are getting is not a problem, just be consistent with it.
Do not skip the prayer points included or quotes, they are part of the messages and an interesting part is, that you can study them effectively in less than 30 minutes, so do help to have a proper and complete bible with one or two devotional daily.
Bible Dictionary:
The bible was first written in Greek. It was later translated into English thereby not giving complete or right meaning to some words, phrases, and contexts.
During bible study, a good bible dictionary is needed to help give more meaning and understanding.
Examples of Greek words in the bible are;
Abba is a Chaldee word and is found in the new testament meaning “Father’’ in English (Mark 14:36, Romans 8:15, Galatians 4:6).
Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet and is used in the bible to connote God as the beginning while Omega is the last letter of the Greek alphabet which is used in the bible as the end (Revelation 21:6; 1:8). Others are:
- Agape meaning love.
- Logos means the written word of God that is found in the bible.
- Rhema is God’s word that He speaks to us. It comes in different ways including in our daily activities.
These and many more are Greek words that are found in the bible.
Bible Doctrines Book
These books contain key teaching and practices in the Christian faith but differ according to denominations and do not have any specific number. However, there are common doctrines which are:
- The Godhead (Trinity)
- Birth of Jesus
- The Resurrection
- Salvation
- Marriage/Family
- Resurrection/ Second Coming
Examples of Bible doctrines are:
- Bible Doctrine by Wayne Grudem
- Christianity 101 by Gilbert Bilezikian
- What Christians Ought to Believe by Michael F. Bird
- The Great Doctrines Of The Bible by Williams Evans
Bible Atlas
Bible Atlas is a compilation of maps that signify places where events took place in the bible.
It also gives historical backgrounds ranging from ancient times to patriarchs of old. Examples of the places mapped out in Bible Altas are:
- The Empire of David and Solomon
- Holy Mountain in Jerusalem
- Land in Canaan
- Mount Zion
Examples are S.T Joseph Atlas of the Bible by Tim Dowley, ESV Bible Atlas by John D. Currid, etc.
Commentaries:
These tools contain comments, explanations analyzes, and more meaning of the bible ranging from chapter to chapter and verses.
It gives further information or interpretation and can be used for teaching. Examples are The Bible Knowledge Commentary by John E. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, Believer’s Bible Commentary by Williams MacDonald, and Bible Commentary (kings James Version).
Concordances:
In Bible Concordance shows the alphabetical arrangement of words, phrases, and their references.
It gives easy understanding. Most times, it comes with a dictionary and can also be found at the end of the bible.
Examples are The Strongest Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the bible by James LLD, STD, Concise Topical Concordance, The New Strong’s Compact Bible Concordance, etc.
Bible Study Outlines:
As the name implies, it contains outlines or specific sermons that are used as tips during bible study or message preparation.
It is mostly used by preachers as it helps them prepare messages easily and also gives them focus while studying.
The Bible study outline is made up of ideas, topics, special messages, favorite bible verses, etc.
It is usually used by churches during bible studies to enable the audience read through and get proper knowledge of what the preacher is teaching.
It’s available in both hard and soft copies with bible references. You can check out Christain bookstores or libraries to get the following:
- Bible Study Outlines written by C.I. Scofield for foundation bible studies.
- Bible Study Guide For Beginners by Brian Gugas and many more.
Diary/Journal:
For you to have a productive bible study you have to pen down certain points or passages that speaks to you directly.
Therefore, it is important for you to get a diary or journal, anyone will go but ensure you get a size that will last longer so you can always go back to it for reference purposes.
It will profit you more if you can keep it safely as the word of God does not go out of fashion, you will always find it useful.
You can quickly go to a bookstore to get one, it’s affordable.
Pen, Pencil and Highlighter:
Whenever you mark a point while studying, it sticks to your brain and you won’t find it hard to memorize, because you will spot it anytime you come across that passage in your bible.
That is why you need pens, pencils, or highlighters to enable you to mark out these passages either by underlining, circling, or shading.
You can get any color of highlighters ranging from pink, blue, yellow, orange, green, etc. Just pick your best colors.
It can also be used for writing in your journal, besides bible verses or pages, free pages in your bible and helps you to meditate as you keep on seeing the marked verses.
Bible Apps:
They are softwares that can be installed on your computer or phone to enable you to study your bible anywhere and anytime.
This is for phone lovers who go everywhere with their phones, so you’ve got no excuse why you should not carry out your bible study.
A click on your phone will get you into an intense fellowship with God do not hesitate to download the following:
King James Version Amplified Bible (KJV):
Its feature is simple to use and makes your studying interesting.
They include daily verse notification and notes, you can highlight and store your favorite bible verses, and lastly, can be used without data.
English Standard Version (ESV):
In ESV, you can study offline except when sharing verses online, it has audio and is suitable for android and iPhones.
Bible Gateway:
DAILY BIBLE APP: This serves as a bible and devotional which is an additional advantage.
It gives you access to bible verses which you get twice daily, short messages for devotion, reading plan, index, and other bible versions and can be used offline. It’s recommended.
This is one of the best apps you can ever have on your phone and that is because, it contains over 80 translations of the bible with NIV, ESV, KJV, NLT and much more inclusive, the audio bible is available in different languages and you can access your favorite verses, together with note-taking but some of its features attracts charges.
The good news is that it saves you from downloading other bible apps and also gains access to different translations while studying, it’s a must-have.
Other bible apps are;
- YouVersion
- Faithlife Study Bible
- Blue Letter Bible
- Accordance
- Logos Bible App
Lectionary:
This is a book that contains certain bible scriptures which are compiled and read on special days or occasions.
The occasions can either be Easter, Communion, Holy Priesthood, Holy Matrimony, Funeral, Holy Confession, Mission Sunday, etc.
The lectionary is mostly used by Catholic churches but can be adopted by other denominations. Here are a few ones you can get;
- Lectionary for masses with children
- Lectionary for weekdays
- Lectionary for ritual masses.
Websites/Blogs:
There are Christain websites/blogs where you can study the bible freely without payment or restrictions. Below are their names:
Bible.Org helps you gain access to the undiluted words of God and it will interest you to know that thousands of believers visit this site to have a rich bible study filled with God’s word.
Community bible study: You can draw knowledge of God’s word from thousands of Christians all over the world by clicking on communitybiblestudy.org. Pick the age group you belong to and explore.
Chronological Bible Blog enables you to study the bible for 15 minutes daily and helps you see God for who He is by developing yourself through bible study.
Love God Greatly is specifically for women to encourage them to take God’s word seriously despite their busy schedules as wives, mothers, and workers. It is highly recommended.
My Printable Faith is recommended for women and you can connect via myprintablefaith.com. It contains wall arts, planners, etc.
Others include:
- blog.truthforlife.org
- mommysbibleblog.blogspot.com
- blog.scripturespy.com
- revivalgospelministry.com
Podcast:
This is one of the best bible study tools recommended for those who prefer audio and listening to podcasts, they are not left out. You can get access to the following Christain podcasts:
- Help Me Teach The Bible by Nancy Guthrie
- Knowing Faith by Jen Wilkin, JT English, and Kyle
English Dictionary:
This is needed to help break down ambiguous words that are found in the bible but not available in the bible dictionary.
You can get hard copies like Oxford Dictionary or Soft copies apps on your phone. So when an unknown word stares at your face, you quickly flip the pages of your dictionary to understand it better.
Youtube Channels:
This is also one of the best bible study tools. You can get helpful videos on YouTube which can teach you how to study your bible and have a fulfilled time at the feet of God.
Here are a few ones you can start with;
- How I Study My Bible
- The Bible Project
Messages:
In some cases, it is advisable to get messages which talk about the topic, verses, or passages you are studying.
You can get any of them from reputable preachers. A good example is studying the topic “Beatitude’’ (Matthew 5:3-11), the following sermons will be helpful;
The Be-Attitudes by Apostle Joshua Selman of Eternity Network.
The Beatitude by David Legge
The Beatitude: Blessed Are The Peacemakers by Joyce Meyer
You can check related sermons on whatever topic you are studying.
The above tools you’ve just read are all useful and practical tools that can help you grow in your faith not minding if you are a new believer.
So go ahead and explore as many as you can, you can equally use all.
While you do that, remember this:
“Your word I have treasured and stored in my heart, that I may not sin against you.’’
Psalms 119:11 AMPC:
For you to treasure God’s word, you have to take your bible study seriously and these tools are the best.
The verses used in this article were gotten from Amplified Bible Classic (AMPC).
What are your thoughts about these 18 best bible study tools? Please let us know if you know about other tools that should have been on this list.