Just the Bible, Please - Continued

A commenter wrote in response to my earlier post “Just the Bible, Please”:

At what point do you think a "Study Bible" becomes a "niche bible"? i.e., is the ESV Study Bible actually a "niche bible"? What about the Reformation or MacArthur Study Bibles?

Christopher,
Your question is a good one. There are some differences between study Bibles and the niche Bibles I referred to in the post, but there are also parallels.

The primary difference is that study Bibles are not highlighting a particular theme, but commenting on the whole Bible, seeking simply to explain the text. Niche Bibles can elevate a genuine biblical theme out of proportion, skew the text to support the theme, or just make the Bible a lifestyle product.

However, a study Bible can become a niche Bible of sorts when their commentary reflects a very particular or narrowly defined perspective. Thus, you can get Reformed theology study Bibles and Pentecostal study Bibles and Dispensational study Bibles (which also happen to include some of the most popular one-man study Bibles, such as Scofield, Ryrie, and MacArthur).

I tend to think that the more broadly based commentaries are somewhat less problematic here, such as the ESV Study Bible, NIV Study Bible, NLT Study Bible, Life Application Study Bible, etc. But even here, of course, the theology has to come down somewhere, which is why I prefer the ESV Study Bible over the others for the quality of its notes (and others will gladly choose MacArthur over, say, the NLT Study Bible, for the same reason).

Here's where the critiques of the niche Bibles included in my original post also apply to Study Bibles. Even if the notes are largely accurate and helpful, it might just be better to put them all in a separate volume and call it a commentary. Anytime you put uninspired (i.e., non-scriptural) text in the same hard copy of the Bible, you run the risk of people equating the notes with Scripture. What you gain in convenience, you may lose in the exclusive authority of Scripture.

Even though I use and recommend the ESV Study Bible, I have disagreed with a few points it makes in my study through Matthew. The notes, like sermons, are human interpretations of Scripture. I want you to wrestle with my sermons and with the commentary of others, letting the text of Scripture stand as the authority. And, please, please, don’t bring your Study Bible to church and compare what the preacher or Sunday School teacher says with your notes. Focus on the text!

Study Bibles can also produce lazy readers. When it only takes a glance to get “the answer” to a confusing or perplexing text, it allows us to forego really wrestling with it. We need to re-read, think, pray, check cross-references, and so on to get to the meaning. Sometimes, we will need the help of a wise and faithful commentator, but going immediately to the notes of a study Bible or commentary is like never taking off the training wheels of your bicycle.

Conclusion: A good Study Bible is helpful, but I would recommend using it as the reference tool that it is meant to be. It may be fine at times to use it in devotional reading, but I would recommend sticking to a regular Bible and go to the Study Bible only after wrestling with the text on your own.