I posted earlier about my possible conversion to the English Standard Version instead of the New King James Version. Well, I went to Mardel Christian Store in Arlington, TX and bought the ESV Reformation Study Bible after spending close to an hour in the store. I sat down and compared the three study bibles available in ESV: The Scofield Study Bible, The ESV Literary Study Bible, and The Reformation Study Bible.

When I opened the Literary Study Bible I found it to be poorly designed oversimplified for a study bible. Basically th ebible consisted of ivory pages with black letters and small grey boxes with some notes in it throughout. Immediately I put the Literary Study Bible back on the shelf and began comparing the Scofield and RSB.

I must say I liked the Scofield much more than I thought I would, and it was a slim margin between the Scofield and the RSB. I chose the Reformation Study Bible for a few reasons and I hope my comparisons will help someone else as the internet does not have much to offer in terms of opening the RSB and seeing what is inside.

What The RSB Lacks

I will first explore what I believe are strengths in study Bibles like the Thompson Chain and Scofield that I believe to be a weakness in the Reformation Study Bible. The RSB lacks a topical index which is immensely helpful when writing sermons or quickly approaching a subject not easily found in the concordance. The RSB also lacks some heavier charts that a Thompson Chain or Open Bible would bring. One of the largest reasons for my hesitation with the RSB is that it does not have the red letters that make it so easy to distinguish the words of Jesus. 

Above: Would normally be red letter

Above: RSB goes from Revelation to Concordance, no topical index

What I like about the RSB!

The three negatives I wrote about above are easy to get through after I realized the positives about the RSB. First off it’s a beautiful Bible in genuine leather with a great layout. As I was realizing that this Bible did not have red letters for the words of Jesus, I looked down and saw what I enjoyed the most about this Bible. The nicely formatted boxes or tables with information pertinent to the context at hand, much like the Spirit-Filled, Life-Application, Scofield, and Open Bible.

I also liked how the maps are embedded within the text and also has an index of the maps at the front of the Bible. The Reformation Study Bible also lays out the simple Theological notes from each book of the Bible right in the front. I like the summary page(s) for each book of the Bible as it is more illustrated and laid out than say the Thompson Chain or Scofield, much like the Open Bible.

Above: RSB has embedded maps within the text

Above: The Reformation Study Bible has great book summaries

Much like the Scofield, the Reformation Study Bible has a plethora of notes at the footer of each page. I chose the RSB over the Scofield because of the multiple author contribution aspect versus Scofield’s study notes. Besides I consider R.C. Sproul one of my favorite teachers of God’s Word who is still alive.

Above: The RSB has great notes in the footer

Pentecostal Reflection

The one factor that I have to always take into consideration is the stand each study bible takes on Acts 2, and the RSB did not take a solid Southern Baptist Convention stand on the outpouring of the Holy Spirit nor did it take an Assemblies of God position either. The notes on the subject were not those of avoidance but the notes clearly stayed down the middle, where the Scofield seemed to skip the subject entirely.

Obviously the strongest study bible for a pentecostal would be the Spirit-Filled with Dr. Jack Hayford, if one were looking for pentecostal theology to be the prominent theme throughout his or her Bible. Unfortunately the Spirit-Filled Study Bible does not come in ESV anyway. 

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I have been using New King James Bibles for the last 6 years or so, and have enjoyed the translation as a study alternate to the King James Bible. I thought I possibly sunk my teeth into the best bible version overall in the New King James, but it seems that a new version has crept into my devotional life and it has grown on me in a pwerful way.

The English Standard Version is the version I enjoy reading for my daily reading plan through QuickVerse White Edition. I also enjoy Max McClean’s audio version of the BIble and he has recorded it in the ESV for some obvious reasons, including the great flow and eloquence the ESV is written in. According to the ESV website, they took into consideration making a literal translation while considering differences in grammar, idiom, and syntax.

I personally am considering making a complete change over to the ESV from the New King James Bible. My church right now uses NKJV so that is the reason why I am a little hesitant to make the choice, but ESV has done a great job. As a pastor I have been using a Thompson Chain Reference Bible for over 9 years and did not see any reason to change, but with my new-found adoration for the English Standard Version I may have no choice. I love the Thompson Chain Reference Bibles but the publishers do not have an ESV in the works

In my search for a good ESV Study Bible I could only find about three study Bibles, the Scofield, The ESV Study Bible, and the ESV Reformation Study Bible. After researching editors, multiple websites, blogs, and comments from other theologians, I believe my next bible purchase will be the ESV Reformation Study Bible. The Reformation Study Bible’s main contributor is Dr. RC Sproul. Here is a quote from Christianbooks.com:

I have selected a few items for anyone who is interested in ESV products:

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