The Bible Toolbox

Calling all parents, grandparents, teachers, aunts, uncles, cousins, babysitters... anyone who has a child in their life! Books are heavily influential in our children's lives from the time they enter the world to... well, the time they leave. The Good Book Company publishes "biblical, relevant, and accessible resources that will encourage you and your church family to keep going, keep growing, and keep sharing your faith." Check out this episode for a sneak peak into some of their children's books (which, in our opinion, are beautifully illustrated and theologically rich). Even better, use the code "bibletoolbox" through January 2024 for a 25% discount!  YouTube version Website with resources Patreon

We've discussed a lot of tools since the beginning of our podcast, and today Lydia gives a brief overview of how various Bible tools have helped her understand and enjoy the Bible in her daily devotions. Website with resources Patreon YouTube

We've given you a lot of resources to use when doing a word study, but here is an example of using them to study the word "hope." We hope this episode is helpful in your quest to enjoy the Bible more! YouTube version Website with resources Patreon

"Watch and learn." Normally given to intimidate an opponent, we are going to take this advice to heart when looking at how to do a word study. Professional scholars have dedicated monstrous amounts of time and effort into creating resources that showcase the meaning, context, and nuances of words. Let's listen to them! This episode provides a one-stop shop for where to find the professionals' works. Use these resources in your next word study! Youtube video version Website with resources Patreon

“That class sounds really cool! Can I take it?” While you may not be able to attend a seminary or go to Bible college yourself, did you know there is a place to find seminary-level classes for all levels, for free online? BiblicalTraining.org is the place to check out! In this episode, we interview Dr. Bill Mounce, who explains the different features of his website and the numerous courses that are provided on it. You will also get some insights on how the courses on this website deeply impacted our own lives. We hope you will utilize this resource for your personal study or even perhaps do the courses with a group. YouTube version Website with resources Patreon

Through my (Luke) bachelor's and masters' programs at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Wheaton College, I have been introduced to countless topics and tools that are helpful exegeting a passage or diving into theology. This advanced branch of The Bible Toolbox explores resources geared towards scholars and linguists. Join me as we discuss with programmers and scholars how they are helping other scholars enjoy the Bible and furthering the Kingdom through these advanced tools.  Website with resources *Stay tuned for the new podcast. We are getting it up and running!*

We've covered tools to use when doing a word study in past episodes, and this episode is more of a caution when using those tools. We all want to derive meaning from the Bible, but we also need to treat the words appropriately and not make these common mistakes. YouTube version Website with resources Patreon

We've all heard it: nothing can beat the "agape" love of God. It is the love unique to him, and we desire it earnestly. The different kinds of love are surely examples of the Greek nuances that get lost in translation, right? If only we knew Greek, then the Bible would come to life and make so much more sense! We are here to debunk these beliefs--one, that Greek is a mysterious and deep language, and two, that there are four different types of love in the Bible. Don't believe us? Check out today's episode! YouTube version Website with resources and further reading Patreon

This week, we speak with James Cuénod, a PhD student at Wheaton College. He made ParaBible to help him search for specific word combinations in the original languages. And while many of us don't know Hebrew or Greek, we can admire his brilliance and appreciate the work he is doing for biblical scholarship. Plus, who knows, maybe ParaBible will come in handy for you! YouTube version Website with resources Patreon

"I cannot read the Bible before going to bed. It's too exciting, and I can't sleep!" If you don't listen to this episode for anything else, listen to it to catch a whiff of Rev. Dr. Instone-Brewer's intense love of and excitement for the Bible. He is using his Kingdom gifts to create STEP Bible (Scripture Tools for Every Person), a website that allows anyone to study the Bible at whichever depth they'd like-in their own language! This website is truly amazing (we did a tutorial video in episode 25), but more amazing is David's passion that exudes all the way from Cambridge. To God be the glory! (Note: it may be more helpful to watch rather than listen to this episode.) Website with resources YouTube version Patreon

"Scripture Tools for Every Person" StepBible is another awesome tool to add to your Bible study toolbox. It gives a platform to compare translations, track words across verses, search words and synonyms with the click of a button, and much more. We have found the best way to get to know this tool is to play around with it, but here is a quick scope of the website to get you started! We recommend watching this episode rather than listening to it.

We have referenced this powerhouse website in previous episodes, but we wanted to take some time and give a tour of BlueLetterBible.org, to lay out all of its key features. We hope you will discover the depths of this website and just how helpful it can be in studying the Bible. Stay tuned for an episode on how to do a word study and other frequently asked questions, but until then, play around with this awesome tool!  ​(Note: it will be helpful to watch this episode rather than listen.) YouTube video version Website with resources Patreon

Don't let this title scare you! We all run into words that puzzle us. Listen to this episode to learn three tools that can help you study words and topics in the Bible. (Note: it may be helpful to watch this episode rather than listen to it.) YouTube version Website with resources Patreon

"Under faith-seeking understanding, we can embark on all kinds of adventures." After Jesus died, resurrected, and ascended into heaven, his gospel spread like wildfire and the church grew and grew. Copies of the Gospels and Paul's letters were passed to anyone willing to listen. It's no wonder that we have over 5,000 portions of the New Testament today! But, what about the time before Jesus physically arrived on the scene? How were the Torah (the first 5 Old Testament books), history, prophecies, and other biblical literature recorded and preserved? We turn back to Dr. John Meade, who provides answers to these questions. This episode is part 2 of our conversation with Dr. Meade (part 1, episode 21, is available under "Past Episodes" or on any of our listening platforms). YouTube version Website with resources Patreon

The Old Testament is one of humanity's oldest documents, recording how God's people began and prospered by His blessing. It was carefully copied by people who wanted to ensure their audience knew what the Holy Scriptures said. And now, thousands of years later, we get to read what they wrote! Listen to part one of our conversation with Dr. John Meade on how the Old Testament was copied and how we can reconcile some differences within various versions of the text. YouTube version Website with resources Patreon