The NEW Spirit Filled Life Bible in the New King James version.
The NKJV translation is a winner. It is easy to understand and suitable for devotion as well as in depth study. I reads at a 7th grade level. I favor the NKJV since it brings out the differences between the different NT manuscripts.
Review of the study Bible notes and articles.
Let me preface my review by saying that I am not what a lot of people would label as a “charismatic.” Technically I would consider myself a charismatic since I definitely believe in the workings of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Yet, at the same time I’m cautious because I have seen spiritual gifts misused and abused within the church. In the words of Mark Driscoll I would classify myself as a charismatic with a seatbelt.
I thought the Spirit Filled Life Bible provided well-balanced view of what it means to be a charismatic. I felt totally unthreatened by Paul Walker’s statement, “No Biblically oriented Charismatic ever views a non-Charismatic as ‘less saved’ or less spiritual than himself.”
I made a point to go to Bible passages that “Charismatics” love to go to and found an obvious charismatic slant, but found nothing that I would be willing to fall on my sword over. Though I was not sure what to believe about the study note found in 1 Corinthians 12:30, “…Do all speak with tongues?” The study note: Not everyone will manifest the gift of tongues in public worship. Yet, in private devotion everyone is encouraged to express themselves through their spiritual language (see 14:5-8)
In addition to study notes at the bottom of the text there are several other study note tools:
– Kingdom Dynamics: forty-one themes and timeless topics that are reinforced throughout the Bible.
– Word Wealth: Detailed, easy to understand definitions of over 550 important terms.
– Truth in Action: Basically applications in chart form
– In Text Maps
– Practical Articles: In the back of the Bible are a number of Pentecostal/Charismatic articles on a wide range of subjects including evangelism and witnessing.
– Concordance
– Color Maps
Overall, the study Bible is good especially for those with a Pentecostal/Charismatic leaning. It is not a Bible I would personally choose, but not a Bible I would discourage someone to buy. I would’ve been happier with thicker pages and bigger print.
**I received this Bible at no cost in exchange for a non-biased review of it’s contents by Thomas Nelson Publishers.