[buzzoff1031]

Hello everyone. I'm glad to be here! I have allowed myself to be confused so badly. I have, like, four different bibles. One is The Evidence Bible. It's a "Comfort-able" KJV, according to them. Another is the New Spirit-Filled Life Bible. It's NKJV. Another is The Student Bible. It's KJV, but some stuff is changed. The last I have is an Old Scofield Bible my mom gave me one year for Christmas. The question is this. If one of these other KJV's changes some of the words, should it be used? For example, The Evidence Bible is supposedly KJV, but it changes thee's, thou's and what not. The NKJV of course, I've read enough on Brandon's page to realize not to use it. I don't know, it just seems like the Scofield one is...and I hate to put it this way, but...boring. Not to mention, The Evidence Bible is awesome as far as helping me share my faith. It's got stuff like scientific facts in the bible, how to witness to different faiths, Answering questions and objections...a lot of stuff. I don't know...what do you guys think? I've prayed a lot and I'm just still confused!

[Josh]

You should always stick with a real King James Bible. No words changes or stuff like that. The Bible says in Matthew 4:4 that we live by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Now, if the tips help you, I don't see anything wrond with using them. But I wouldn't use any of their notes trying to explain scripture. 1) It's always best to avoid these because they are just some mans opinion, and man is flawed.2) The Holy Spirit will guide you in understanding the Bible. 1 John 2:27 says that we need not that any man teach us. The best way to read God's Word, is by simply reading God's Word, and try to keep man's word out of it.

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with having a Bible with notes, I'm just saying it's best to stay away from the notes, and certainly stay away from "updated" versions that claim to be King James but really aren't

[Jeremy]

Thompson Chain Reference,Old Scofield,Dake all good Bibles,Study Bibles.
Still mans opinion. New Scofield was revised in 1967 by a group of men,stay away from that one. I guess the KJ wasn't interesting enough,so people bought into the new versions,more flash and charisma.
This is probably the reason why we have Duct tape Bibles.
A Plain King James Bible would be a good base,all Bible and no fluff.
Find one, use it for your base,attend a good church and forget about all this other stuff.

I agree with Josh, you need to stick with the KJV and I think you need to set aside time to focus on the Word of God without the comments of men like Ray Comfort or Scofield or anyone else. The Holy Sprit is your greatest teacher, and He can teach brother.

Now please understand; I have several modern versions in my library, I also have some great commentaries and tools like Ruckman's series. I also have many crazy religious books people have given me over the years like the Quran, Book of Mormon and so forth. I keep them all for reference and I have used them as a teacher to show Bible students the problems in them. But I do not consider any of those to be Bibles. I love Bro Ruckman, I don't agree with everything he writes, but I still learn a lot from his material.

But there comes a time when you need to come apart from ALL OF THAT and simply study God's Word in the preserved text of the KJV, (yes, including all those wonderful thee's and thou's) and ask the Holy Spirit to guide and teach you, comparing scripture with scripture. The Bible is not boring, and it may help you avoid some of that confusion that is bothering you. (1 Corinthians 14:33)

Be advised, some have accused Comfort of teaching Lordship Salvation, so you may want to do some research into that. I can certainly see the use for scientific facts and witnessing tools, and I encourage you to learn as much about those as possible. Personally, I don't want to condemn the man's work entirely, because I am not familiar enough with it, and it appears he has done some good things for the cause of Christ over the years. But his "Evidence Bible" is no replacement for the KJV, and it never will be.

Study God's Word, and trust it. Before you know it, that old KJV will burn away the confusion and clear your mind, and you will be able to memorize it better than you thought possible. Although the enemy hates it, and modern scholarship has spent millions trying to replace it, the fact remains: THE KJV IS GOD'S PRESERVED WORD!
God bless you brother as you seek the Truth.

Oh one more thing: welcome to the forum, Buzzoff!
LOL, okay that sounds like a contradiction, but welcome anyway!

[buzzoff1031]

Thanks for the advice so far. It seems as though the general consensus is that I should use the KJV that I have available in my Old Scofield, but only for the actual text, not for the notes. I can't afford a new bible now, so I'm good with Scofield right?

[George]

Originally Posted by buzzoff1031

Thanks for the advice so far. It seems as though the general consensus is that I should use the KJV that I have available in my Old Scofield, but only for the actual text, not for the notes. I can't afford a new bible now, so I'm good with Scofield right?

Aloha brother,

Right on for now. Whenever you can afford to get a new King James Bible, check out some of the Posts on this Forum in regards to the "best" Publishers, etc. (the general consensus seems to Cambridge).

My wife and I have had 2 identical King James Bibles (Publisher = Cambridge) since the middle of the 1980's and they are still in great shape today.

[Diligent]

Originally Posted by buzzoff1031

I can't afford a new bible now, so I'm good with Scofield right?

Yes. Read with all confidence that you've got God's perfect word and your final authority open right in front of you. If you do read Scofield's notes, which are not too distracting since they are clearly offset on the page (I have an Old Scofield too), just remember not to let him come between you and the Holy Spirit in understanding Scripture.

[Here Am I]

Hey Buzzoff! Glad you're here.

I have several Bibles, including a Thompson's, and my main Bible, an 'old' Scofield (King James, of course!). I used to read the references and notes, but discovered some of his comments were not correct...so I started 'correcting' them myself!

In the last eight years, as I have studied God's word, and grown in love and knowledge of Him, I have come to a point where I have ceased to even read Scofield's notes. I ignore them, in fact. But, I still use my old Scofield, and have no plans to retire it until it starts to fall apart.

BTW, I do write notes in the margins of my Bible, and highlight, circle and underline the text, extensively, as I feel led to do so. It helps me in my study, but isn't the only way to do so, as you can see by reading other posts here.

May the Lord guide you and bless you as you study His word.

[pbiwolski]

Originally Posted by Diligent

Yes. Read with all confidence that you've got God's perfect word and your final authority open right in front of you. If you do read Scofield's notes, which are not too distracting since they are clearly offset on the page (I have an Old Scofield too), just remember not to let him come between you and the Holy Spirit in understanding Scripture.

That's good advice for you, BUZZ.

I would recommend reading and studying the notes in your Old Scofield Bible. Run the references that are linked together, for it is a good start to getting a "handle" on the Book. The Scofield Study System is actually a great starter for those interested in getting into the Bible and having the Bible get into them! You'd be surprised at how many men of God started out with that particular study Bible. (It's true!)

I won't suggest that you ONLY use this means of reading/studying, but it surely is a tremendous source for learning. As you learn, you'll graduate to more than what Scofield has to offer, and rightfully so, for the man missed plenty (as the "learned" men on the site here fully know). I'd say that you can trust him about 95% of the time, but it would benefit you to cross out any remarks contrary to the printed text of the King James Bible.

Having said that, get into the Book. Read until you're "full". Study what sparks your interest, or search out any questions that arise from your reading. Go at your own pace, and stay in touch with the forum for help and encouragement.

P.S. The King James Bible is inexhaustable and supernatural! You won't get it all, but it can "get" you. One month before I left for Bible school, an alumni of the school said to me, "That Book will really clean you up." (I smiled but did not fully understand what he meant.) He was right!

[ltpage]

Hi Buzzoff! You have been given good advice. I also use the Old Scofield and rarely even look at the references, but use it because I have so many of my own notes written in it as well as underlined scripture and stuff. My grandpa preached from an Old Scofield for years, so it's good enough for me.