Customer Reviews

John (Life Application Bible Studies (NLT))

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4 star:		(3)
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The gospel of John is not a simple book, therefore interpreters of the text have their work cut out for them. The authors of this text have done a fine job of fleshing out the meaning of the scriptures. For example, many times within John, Jesus is described as the Son of God, the Lamb of God, the Light of God, the Mesiah, etc., and Christ's own words include difficult to understand quotes such as "I am". The man/spirit duality is discussed at length and with different perspectives to illuminate and clarify this difficult situation.

The book uses three different methods of organization to the text. The bulk of the text includes quotes rom the Bible, followed by interpretive text. I found the majority of these sections to be very well written and logical, if a bit wordy at times. There are also boxes placed inbetween the above text that are marked with the tree logo used on this entire series of study books. These boxes of text tend to be more personal, asking the reader to consider their own thoughts, motives, practices and goals in life. These sections were the least valuable to me personally.

The third method of organization is the use of tables of information, often with supporting scripture cited. These sections compare and contrast many of the associated issues. Throughout the book, when scripture is cited, it is labeled with the version (such as New King James Version = NKJV) that is being quoted. The book also includes a few maps that help one track the travels of Jesus and his deciples during his ministry on up until his crucifixion and beyond. Very well written overall and an interesting, thought-provoking read.

This book was very well written and organized. I loved being able to glance down at the bottom of each page and have a cross reference and explaination for each individual verse. The commentary was clear, concise, and easy to understand, and the book got off to a great start with it's introduction. I look forward to studying other books in this series

I have used other books of the Bible, Life Application commentaries, and they are excellent. This one on John, The Beloved, is fabulous. I love the difference in John's eye witness account of Jesus, from the other three gospel writers. It is a great help for books of the Bible studies.

This is a single book from the Life Application Bible, not separate commentary. If you own the L.A.B., you already have exactly what's in this publication. If you're not sure you want to invest in a Life Application Bible study Bible, this would make a great introduction for you.

This book is very helpful with my bible study of John. It is quite a bit of reading, but has some very good life applications in it.

Fairly solid commentary describing how to apply God's word to your life. Logically laid out and easy to understand. This is one of my favorite commentary series.

We are using this book to assist us in a Jr High girls bible study on the book of John and really like it. Lots of details and is easy to use. We like the questions and how it makes the girl's (and us) think about how the scripture applies to their lives and how to make the Word real to them.

This slim study guide features the complete text and study notes from the New Living Translation of the Book of John. I was pleasantly surprised when I first opened the book and realized what a wealth of information it contained. Since John's Gospel was the first I read after becoming a Christian it has always held a special place in my heart. It has also always been set apart from the "Synoptic Gospels" and can present a variety of challenges in study. The authors of this Bible study did a great job presenting the proper balance of Scripture, interpretation and application. Each of the thirteen chapters in this study each has sections that encourage the reader to reflect on the passage and respond with action. I found this to be the most valuable aspect of the guide considering Bible study is only useful if applied to the student's life.

Although I didn't get the opportunity to use this book in a small group setting, I believe it would be of great use for a group of eight to ten people who are looking for the chance to dive into the Gospel of John.

It should be noted that this study guide is a reprint of the guide that can be found in the Life Application Bible (New Living Translation) and is not meant to supplement that text in anyway. After reviewing this guide; however, I am now considering up Life Application Bible to add to my library.

Note: This review was completed as part of the Tyndale Blog Network and a complimentary copy of the guide was provided to me for review.

This book has multiple parts. Before you get to the Bible study, which starts on page 63, there are several sections that help you get get the most from an "application" study as well as a section introducing the NLT.There are time allotments for 60 and 90 minute studies.

Pages 3-62 are the book of John from the NLT with notes making this a one stop Bible study.

There are 13 chapters, and each chapter has sections labeled:

* Reflect on your life
* Read the passage
* Realize the principle
* Respond to the message
* Resolve to take action
* More for studying other themes in this section

Nice, compact Bible study.

I would have liked to have had this book last year when I was teaching the Life of Christ to teens. Some of the questions were excellent, like In what ways does God prune a fruitful believer? What kind of pruning experience have you had over the past few months? (p107) Or What changes might you make in your life to reflect more clearly Christ's divine authority over your life? (p83) All in all, this is a very good little study. I think it would be much, much better as a group study verses individual.

There is no question that the Gospel of John is a highly theological book. John's treatment of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are quite unique when compared to the Synoptics. The writers of the notes on the text leave no doubt in the reader's mind-Jesus is indeed God and man, without separation or division in nature. They state:

"When Jesus was conceived, God became a man. He was not part man and part God; he was completely human and completely divine...The two most common errors people make about Jesus are to minimize his humanity or to minimize his divinity. Jesus is both God and man" - p. 7

Expectedly, this view carries throughout the study guide.

The notes that occupy roughly half the page through most of the book give more-detailed information on verses that either make important theological claims or refer to historical and/or cultural events and customs that might be unfamiliar to modern readers. These notes also offer commentary on verses throughout and seek to make application to the reader's modern context.

One of the features more prominent in this volume are the character profiles. Given that John wrote a narrative, it is characteristically smattered with accounts of different people and their interactions with Jesus. These profiles provide a variety of information such as strengths and accomplishments, lessons from his/her life, vital statistics, and key verses in which they are addressed or mentioned. The important people in John's Gospel profiled are John the Baptist, Nicodemus, Lazarus, Caiaphas, Mary Magdalene, John, and Thomas.

The one downside to this volume (and likely others in the series) are the occasional clichés that find their way into the notes. For example, on page 11 in Nicodemus' character profile, the authors state "God specializes in finding and changing people we consider out of reach." While this statement is true, it just seems a little simplistic.

That minor criticism aside, I would, as with the previously-reviewed Hebrews volume, recommend this study of John, especially to those who study in small groups or privately and do not have the time for more lengthy treatments of this most glorious Gospel.