Customer Reviews

NIV Fruit of the Spirit Bible, The

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This is an excellent resource for a devotional and study bible. contains a fabulous concordance and a year's worth of daily devotions relating to the fruits of the spirit. A must for someone who wants to commit a year on growing in the fruits of the spirit

All through the Bible the fruit of the spirit are highlighted and commented on, giving insight into how the people in the Bible became holy, and what we can do. There are character studies giving fruit of the spirit insights in the person's life, and Fruit of the Spirit mini-studies throughout the pages. There are cross-references in the margin. It is a wonderful way to build you up on your most Holy Faith, as we are told in Jude. The comments make the circumstances of life come alive with opportunity for bearing fruit.

I purchased the softcover years ago, and the binding wore out. This is unlike any other devotional bible I had, so I had to replace it. It offers several ways to study the Word with a focus on the 9 fruit presented in Galatians 5:22-23. Topical studies, weekly studies, devotional studies, footnotes and contextual studies are all included in this Bible. I don't mind that it only comes in the NIV translation, but would have liked to see other versions before it went out of print.

This is NOT for hardcore fundamentalists, literalists or extremely conservative students, as some of the inspirational quotes are in the form of poems and philosophical tie-ins (more commonly found in Christian books). However, being a student of the Word for over 20 years, I find many of the side note excerpts in this Bible are very inspiring, and do not distort the original meaning of the text or add irrelevant and distorted conclusions about passages. Even if you skip the occassional side notes, there is a study system that will help you navigate the Bible with a topical study on each of the Fruit expressions.

Here is the breakdown of features;

There is a study system with 52, 5-day studies; one for each week of the year. Do not be mislead to think that this is going to take you through the entire Bible, it just covers selections and principles relating to the fruit topic.

Inspirational Notes (side not excerpts I mentioned); these are creative forms of devotionals that you will find. They are helpful in sharing a modern perspective on the passage and how it relates to fruitful living.

Character profiles- Biblical characters are examined with relation to their fruitful or fruitless living.

Introductions- Historical context, authors and themes are discussed at the beginning of each book.

Christ Articles- Several articles are written based on Jesus' teachings on the Fruit of the Spirit. Articles are also written based on Paul's teachings.

Side column cross references are added (the margins are not large enough for notetaking)

Concordance and Index- Over 150 pages in the concordance, which is a lot for most Bibles (plus it is in smaller print than the text, so there is a lot of information and references that can help if you don't have access to an exhaustive concordance). The topical index makes it easier to find other studies if you want to read ahead or find out what the Bible says about prayer, for example.

This is one of my favorite topical study Bibles, and everyone who has read it (seasoned believers, the curious and new believers) has been pleasantly surprised and enlightened by the studies and resources. I did the best I could to share what one could expect, but it is one that you will have to experience for yourself. Too bad it is no longer in print, it is also a fabulous gift.