From the day Crossway published it seventeen years ago, the ESV Study Bible (ESVSB) has remained the best secondary resource available to everyday Bible students. Obviously, the Bible itself is the top primary resource. As a secondary resource, however, the ESVSB is unmatched. I hope that every growing disciple in our church has one at their fingertips!

Here are ten reasons I think so highly of the ESVSB over other study Bibles available today:

All interpretive tools are under one cover. In addition to reading the biblical text itself, Bible students can use additional tools to understand the text's original languages, history, cultural, and literary background. Tools include cross-references, variant translation notes, commentary, concordance, book introductions, helpful charts, timelines, and maps.
Book introductions. Every book contains an invaluable introduction to the author, date, situation, themes, outline, and more.
Biblical Theology tools. These help readers understand how individual sections are related to the overarching biblical storyline. The “History of Salvation in the OT” section shows how every chapter in the Old Testament points to Christ. The “OT Passages Cited in the NT” section shows how the New Testament uses the Old.
Timelines. These helpful timelines include the History of the OT and NT, the Kings of Israel and Judah correlated with prophets, Jesus' life, and more.
Articles. These articles cover a variety of topics, including an Overview of biblical doctrine, an Overview of biblical ethics, an Interpretation of the Bible, the Canon of Scripture, an Overview of Christian Sects, an Overview of Religious Cults, and more.
Healthy doctrinal perspective. The introduction describes this perspective as classic evangelical theology in the historical stream of the Reformation with confidence in the complete truthfulness of the Bible.
Written by a large team of respected evangelical scholars from various backgrounds, this collaborative effort strengthens the content by avoiding blind spots and biases of individual writers.
Commentary focused on accurate observation and sound interpretation. The commentary notes aim to help the reader understand the text accurately. The Spirt-illuminated reader, then, must make proper application.
Digital access with additional free and paid resources. There are a host of digital resources available, some free, some paid, on the ESV website.
English Standard Version translation. The ESV is one of the best, highly respected, "essentially literal" translations available today.

In the interest of balance, here are a few critiques of the ESVSB:

Not Exclusively Baptist. This is not a concern, but it is something to be aware of. All churches, including ours, are more precise than the ESVSB in areas such as the ordinances and the doctrine of the church .
Neutral on controversial doctrines. For example, it even-handedly presents three millennial views. Realize the ESVSB’s purpose. When required, look elsewhere for resources that will assist in greater doctrinal precision.
Size. It is a thick, heavy book. My suggestion is to use this one at your study spot at home and bring a lighter “reading” Bible to church gatherings.

We stock copies of the ESVSB in our bookstall. Five more were delivered today! (We make no profit—we're just trying to get good resources into your hands.)

For His Glory,

Pastor Thomas

New! Book of the Quarter & Bookstall

In an effort to get great books into your hands, we are introducing the book of the quarter and Bookstall! Each quarter, we will feature a solid book by a respected author that will help you grow in knowing the Lord. I’ll author a book review to inspire you to pick up a copy and read.

The book of the quarter and other resources will be available in our new Bookstall! We completed this room last year but have delayed developing it. We aim to steadily expand the resources in the room to keep good books in your hands. The Bookstall is located on the first floor near the library and mothers’ room. Check it out soon!

Embodied: Living as Whole People in a Fractured World by Gregg R. Allison

260 pages, Baker Books, 2021

$15 in the Crestview Bookstall

The spring book of the quarter is Embodied by Dr. Gregg R. Allison, a professor of Christian theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and an elder of Sojourn Carlisle Church in Louisville, Kentucky.

How important is your body to a life of discipleship? Our physical body is integral to everything we do in life. When you sing, read the Bible, and pray, you do so in a body. When you go to work and serve your family, you do so in a body. When you love others and share the gospel, you do so in a body. So long as our body is functioning correctly, we tend to overlook it. But, when injury, illness, and death are nearby, we become quite conscious of the body.

In Embodied, Allison leads us to consider the vital role that one’s body plays in discipleship. Developing a biblical understanding of embodiment addresses many contemporary issues: personhood, gender dysphoria, sexuality, body image, exercise, diet, health and wellness, obesity, body modification, clothing, and burial/cremation.

Allison contends that American culture and the church are under the devastating influence of a type of neo-Gnosticism. Gnosticism is an ancient heresy that views spiritual, immaterial realities as inherently good and the physical and material as inherently evil. The result of this influence is that believers and churches disregard and even disparage the human body. For example, we pursue spiritual disciplines like worship and prayer because they strengthen the soul. But do we also consider how our physical bodies enable us to serve the Lord? Do we also give attention to how adequate diet, exercise, and sleep support our bodies to practice these disciplines? These are the kinds of probing questions Allison raises throughout this book.

I found Embodied biblically grounded, insightful, and practical. Allison guides us to root our theology of human embodiment in Scripture. I found the book filled with many surprising insights featuring a topic that Christians too often neglect. Each chapter is intensely practical, addressing questions such as sexuality, transgenderism, adequate & excessive exercise, wellness, modest clothing, and even tattoos. The last chapter, "The Future Body," details the believer’s hope in the resurrection of the body and the eternal joy of glorified embodiment with the Lord.

Who should read Embodied? Though this is a book of theology, this book is easy for almost anyone to read. Each chapter is organized efficiently and introduced with a thought-provoking question, statement of the big idea, and application question. It is a book for everyday believers who desire to grasp the Bible’s teaching about embodiment. Parents should be aware that portions of the book address both holy and divergent sexuality (with tact and modesty), which may not be suitable for some readers.

Allison’s closing declaration is one to ponder: “As God the Son was embodied and is re-embodied, so too we are embodied and will be re-embodied. The proper state of human existence —both then and now—is embodiment” (260). May our discipleship and future hope include appreciating the Lord’s design for our bodies.

For His Glory,

Pastor Thomas

Reasons I Love the ESV Study Bible (By Thomas Hill)

Book Review: Embodied (By Thomas Hill)