Life Application Bible Notes

Copyright © 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Database © 2008 WORD search Corp.

Why the Life Application Study Bible Is Unique

Have you ever opened your Bible and asked the following:

• What does this passage really mean?

• How does it apply to my life?

• Why does some of the Bible seem irrelevant?

• What do these ancient cultures have to do with today?

• I love God; why can’t I understand what he is saying to me through his Word?

• What’s going on in the lives of these Bible people?

Many Christians do not read the Bible regularly. Why? Because in the pressures of daily living, they cannot find a connection between the timeless principles of Scripture and the ever-present problems of day-by-day living.

God urges us to apply his Word (Isaiah 42:23; 1 Corinthians 10:11; 2 Thessalonians 3:4), but too often we stop at accumulating Bible knowledge. This is why the Life Application Study Bible was developed—to show how to put into practice what we have learned.

Applying God’s Word is a vital part of one’s relationship with God; it is the evidence that we are obeying him. The difficulty in applying the Bible is not with the Bible itself, but with the reader’s inability to bridge the gap between the past and present, the conceptual and practical. When we don’t or can’t do this, spiritual dryness, shallowness, and indifference are the results.

The words of Scripture itself cry out to us, “Don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves” (James 1:22). The Life Application Study Bible does just that. Developed by an interdenominational team of pastors, scholars, family counselors, and a national organization dedicated to promoting God’s Word and spreading the gospel, the Life Application Study Bible took many years to complete, and all the work was reviewed by several renowned theologians under the directorship of Dr. Kenneth Kantzer.

The Life Application Study Bible does what a good resource Bible should—it helps you understand the context of a passage, gives important background and historical information, explains difficult words and phrases, and helps you see the interrelationships within Scripture. But it does much more. The Life Application Study Bible goes deeper into God’s Word, helping you discover the timeless truth being communicated, see the relevance for your life, and make a personal application. While some study Bibles attempt application, over 75% of this Bible is application-oriented. The notes answer the questions, “So what?” and “What does this passage mean to me, my family, my friends, my job, my neighborhood, my church, my country?”

Imagine reading a familiar passage of Scripture and gaining fresh insight, as if it were the first time you had ever read it. How much richer your life would be if you left each Bible reading with a new perspective and a small change for the better. A small change every day adds up to ...