Customer Reviews

NIV Life In the Spirit Study Bible, Indexed

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Before I was a pastor, I led worship on Saturday nights for a prayer meeting. The man who led the prayer meeting was Wes Adams, who was the associate editor of this Study Bible. At the time Donald Stamps had finished most of the notes, which were written while he was serving as a missionary in South America. Both of these scholars possess(ed) a fire for Jesus. I heard Wes (Dr. Adams) pray every Saturday night for the lost...for those who need a touch from Jesus...for revival to come to America....and to the nations. He has a heart of gold...and he is a scholar. A scholar on fire for the Lord.

This study bible is different from other study bibles. The notes are full of practical points that are excellent for personal living...for preaching in sermons...and yet are being written from an anointed scholarly vantage point.

I found after going into the ministry that I often will find a great applicable point in the notes of this study bible that will challenge me and our congregation to seek the Lord more.

I don't agree with every point in this study bible...but I can say that the overall tone of it is written not from an office in a seminary, but from the knees of a missionary scholar in the field. For this alone, one should keep a copy of this study bible handy. If you can only get one study bible, then I would get this one. I have access to dozens of study bibles and this one has stayed on my desk, in my book bag or in my hand for years. It's just one of the very best. (Now in 2011 I echo what I wrote in 2006. This study Bible has come with us to Taiwan where we now live. It's still our favorite. Also the Life Application Study Bible is helpful in my view).

As far as versions go...it's only available in NIV or KJV. I would recommend also getting an English Standard Version, and compare those with the NIV text for this.

I hope you decide to buy a copy of this study bible. Get a leather bound if you can afford it. They last for a long time and are worth the extra money.

I read the reviews of the Full Life Study Bible and felt I had to respond, especially to the woman from Georgia's view that this study Bible is filled with "hate."

This study Bible reflects the work of a Pentecostal missionary, the late Donald Stamps. Various other Pentecostal scholars also worked on the study Bible including prestigious scholars such as Dr. Stanley Horton, Dr. French Arrington, and Dr. Robert Shank.

My only complaints against the Full Life is that the notes were written by one man so they are not as plentiful as say the NIV Study Bible. I also would favor a more literal translation such as the NASB or the NKJV then the NIV although I am not opposed to the NIV. The study notes reflect the theology of the classical Pentecostal movement. For a more charismatic study Bible see the Spirit-Filled Study Bible published by Thomas Nelson and edited by Dr. Jack Hayford.

I enjoyed this Bible. I have been looking for a Bible that contained the pentecostal/charismatic notes. It also helps me understand the Arminian theological perspectives on different passages of the Bible.
This study Bible has great articles like "The ministry leadership gift for the church", "Election and predestination", "sanctification", etc...
This study Bible does emphasize holiness. But do not misunderstand this study Bible as a "legalistic" study bible. This Bible does not emphasize that good deeds grants you salvation. But it does emphasize how Christians should live in a dark world and how we are to be a light.
I do recommend this if you are looking for a study Bible with pentecostal/charismatic/amrinian perspectives.

I recommend this bible to everyone! I have never enjoyed reading the bible more than I do now. I can't put this bible down because it is so informative. Donald Stamps wrote the commentary notes which are so educational and easy to understand. I have never learned so much before until purchasing this bible. This is an excellent teaching bible. A pastor's wife recommended this bible and told me the story regarding Donald Stamps. He was dying of cancer when he was writing the notes for this bible. He had one book left, Malachi. He asked the Lord to please help him finish the notes for the last book in the OT before he died. God bless his soul and thank you God the notes are completed. There are also numerous articles written, and maps along with the study notes. Spirit-filled christians you don't want to pass this one up!

Excellent resource, insightful commentary and study notes. Covers topics that some won't touch. Highly recommended.

After having read some of the reviews given to this Bible, I was concerned about the issue of mercy and grace. Paul teaches us that grace can be taken as far as holiness can be lived. The articles that are found here really urge you toward holy living. It has to be recognized that even though we are free from the law, God hates sin. We cannot go forward and press into the throneroom of grace without a right heart. The Bible helped me recognize that God accepts me despite my sin, but at the same time requires me to press on in holiness. I would recommend it to anyone that wants to be blessed by the Pentecostal/Charismatic theologians of the twentieth century. I have had many of these men as professors one time or another, and even with their hard stance on holy living their love is beyond compare.

This Bible is excellent for anyone who REALLY wants to study the Word of God. The detailed information is very easy to understand and digest. I've learned so much and it has already been a blessing to my ministry.

Historically, it seems that the most thorough, scholarly study Bibles come from cessationist backgrounds, whether it be the superb NASB MacArthur Study Bible or the venerable The Criswell Study Bible: Authorized King James version of Southern Baptist fame. Pentecostal Bibles, by contrast, seem more wrapped about application and "cheerleading" than theology, as evidenced in Jack Hayford's New Spirit-Filled Life Bible: Kingdom Equipping Through the Power of the Word (Bible Nkjv).

This study Bible, the fruit of work among varied Pentecostal thinkers including South American missionary Donald C. Stamps, is not only the best Pentecostal Bible out there, but one of the finest study Bibles I've ever seen. Stamps somehow manages to maintain a strong theological and doctrinal focus while simultaneously communicating an eager expectancy that God can and does work powerfully and miraculously on earth. Balancing these elements represents a tremendous accomplishment, although it probably goes without saying that the commentary's Arminian Pentecostal doctrinal bent may not sit as well with those of the cessationist or Reformed traditions.

The component parts of the Bible are really impressive. The NIV translation is accompanied by a litany of cross-references and thematic symbols for ease of reading and inductive study. The commentary is very thorough and is complemented by numerous in-text explanations of the Greek or Hebrew in question. There are literally dozens of articles sprinkled throughout the Bible, too, covering topics that range from those of Pentecostal interest (gifts of the Spirit and healing, for example), to those of more general evangelical interest, such as faith and grace, the end times, Israel, and apostasy. (Of interest to some may be the article dealing with riches and poverty, which is a rather pointed rebuke of the "prosperity gospel" endemic to the modern Word of Faith movement.) Rounding things out are the requisite charts and graphs as well as a robust concordance courtesy of well-known concordance writer John Kohlenberger III.

Overall, this is a superb Bible and is easily recommended to both classical Pentecostals and other evangelicals looking to add a different perspective to their study Bible library. As always, the leather is the better value if you're looking to hold onto the Bible for a long time.

I have about 8 Study Bibles in my library including John MacArthur's, but this one, really is a superb addition to anyone seeking a Charismatic/Pentecostal emphasis on the Holy Scriptures, without the nonsense of what goes on in these churches these days. The subject matter, such as the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, Individual Apostasy, Effective Praying, False teachers, Election and Predestination really are superb articles with a thoroughly Biblical grounding. I have come out of the Charismatic church during the last 5 years, but this Bible made me nostalgic for the purity of the New Testament church in spite of its early errors, the church then was enthusiastic and vital and ALIVE in Christ Jesus.
I would thoroughly recommend this study Bible to anyone, even of a non-Charismatic inclination, to buy one whilst they are still available!

This is by far the best study Bible in print. I am an Assemblies of God pastor and have been blessed with knowing the story of Donald Stamps. He was an Assemblies of God missionary to Brazil who was totally in love with the Lord and His Word. He saw that the pastors there needed a study Bible in their language, but also one with Pentecostal notes. Most of our pastors in other parts of the world don't have any kind of Christian resource library. For this reason Life Publishers and the Bible Alliance of the Assemblies of God is getting this Bible (an entire library in one Bible) into the hands of pastors around the world. One thing that stands out with this Bible is that it follows the rule that you take the Bible literal unless the Scriptures indicate otherwise. The other rule that it follows is that you take all doctrine from Scripture, taken in context, compares to other passages of Scripture. This is truly the Bible you want if you want to live a "Life in the Spirit."