Reading and studying the Bible is one of the very best things that you can do in your life. Certainly, there are many translations of the Bible. However, in this post, we will talk about a Bible that is fairly unique. A chronological Bible is a type of Bible that closely attempts to follow the order of events of the Bible as they happened.
This can be helpful for readers who want to better understand the historical context surrounding certain passages. Additionally, there are several advantages to reading a chronological Bible. In this post, we hope this serves as a Chronological Bible Buying Guide and let your know why you might want to consider getting one for yourself or as a gift for others.
Although I’m a big fan of personally reading out of a well-put-together Chronological Bible, there are some disadvantages if that is your primary Bible. We will talk about those as well.
My Top Choice is the NLT Chronological Life Application Study Bible. This is not only a chronological Bible but a great study Bible that covers all types of additional information, and notes. It comes in several versions and is my favorite as a chronological study Bible. I also love it when it comes to reading some of the top Bible stories as it puts them in great context with the other scriptures.
Before we get into the pros and cons of the average chronological Bible, here are some popular ones that you may want to consider as we give our thoughts on this type of Bible.
Chronological Bible Buying Guide
There is no lack of good choices in a chronological Bible. Here are some good ones.
My favorite and the one I keep close by is the NLT Chronological Life Application Study Bible. You can get it in hardback or soft imitation leather.
- Hardcover Book
- English (Publication Language)
- 2220 Pages – 10/01/2012 (Publication Date) – Tyndale House Publishers (Publisher)
- Used Book in Good Condition
- English (Publication Language)
- 2220 Pages – 10/01/2012 (Publication Date) – Tyndale House Publishers (Publisher)
I really love to use this Bible when I’m trying to get the entire context of a particular passage. It is a very enjoyable Bible to read. This is not only a chronological Bible but a great study Bible that covers all types of additional information, and notes. It comes in several versions and is my favorite as a chronological study Bible. The Chronological Life Application Bible is also available here in the Kindle format for download.
- Hardcover Book
- Thomas Nelson (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 1664 Pages – 11/30/2021 (Publication Date) – Thomas Nelson (Publisher)
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CSB Day-by-Day Chronological Bible–soft leather-look, navy By Holman Bible Publishers |
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NIV One Year Chronological Bible, Paperback By Tyndale House |
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NLT One Year Chronological Bible, Large Print Softcover By Tyndale House |
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NKJV Chronological Study Bible, Hardcover By Thomas Nelson |
For those who love the King James Version (KJV) rather than the New King James Version (NKJV) you can find the (KJV) Chronological Life Application Study bible here.
You can also find many more options for Chronological Bibles Here.
A Chronological Bible – Helping You Understand the Sequence of Events
Here at LivingPraying.com the Bible is the most important book in the world. It’s wonderful that it’s actually the most published and best-selling book of all time. When you are thinking about buying a chronological Bible there are quite a few things to take into consideration.
We know that the Bible is not simply one large book. It is actually a collection of books, letters, and poetry written by various inspired authors over several thousand years! Each inspired writer of their portion of the Bible remained true to the overall consistency of the message.
However, since the scriptures contained within the Bible are from various times, places, and cultures, sometimes it can be difficult to grasp which events happened in their order of occurrence. The Bible isn’t always written in chronological order.
So, with 66 books in there and about 40 authors, the timeline can be a bit confusing at times. This is where a Chronological Bible comes in. A Chronological Bible attempts to weave the chapters and verses of the entire Bible together in the order in which the events occurred. It can make the history that is found in the pages of scripture come to life.
Advantages of Reading Chronological Bible
Helps you Have Better Focus on the Story Line
It will help you clear up the storyline and sequence of events in the Bible. If you are looking at the four Gospels, for instance, each one might tell various accounts of Jesus’ ministry. Have you ever wondered how the stories in the other Gospels fit in the timeline? Well, a chronological Bible will help you do that. When you are discovering and studying what you believe about Biblical theology it can be a definite help.
Helps You Connect the Various Biblical Characters To Each Other
When the scriptures are assembled in the order that they happened, you can more clearly see how major Bible characters and their stories can ver very much be related to each other. This can be especially true in the Old Testament where the writings can be related but the events may actually be hundreds of years apart.
It Can Help You In Your Comprehension of What God Is Doing in The Scriptures
God has a plan for this world and He is carrying it out even now. As you see the workings of the Triune God, (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) it can be helpful to see how each of the actions of our God work together to bring about the story of the redemption of mankind.
It Can Be a More interesting Reading Experience At Times
The Bible is an interesting and amazing book of books as it is. However, in many instances in a chronological Bible, it can be more interesting when you can immediately see the order and the context in which the events occur. Sometimes it can keep you interested for longer periods of reading.
Disadvantages of a Chronological Bible
Not So Great As Your Primary Bible
Although we encouraged you to have and read a chronological Bible as a part of your personal reading, it’s not best when you are meeting with other believers in church or other settings. If your pastor asks the congregation to turn to a particular passage or text in the Bible, you need to be able to get there quickly so you can follow along.
We would encourage you to have a good, solid translation of the Bible with the books put together in traditional form as your primary Bible. If you are new to Bible reading, you should definitely make sure that you have a good solid Bible for new believers. Then use your chronological Bible for personal reading, study, and to help you understand how events of the Bible unfolded.
Might Not Help You Learn the Books Of the Bible Genesis – Revelation
As we teach many children, it’s great to be able to name all of the books of the Bible and at least some of the main topics of each book. Being familiar with the standard order of the books of the Bible is a great help to you as you grow as a Christian and study his word.
We would encourage you to be comfortable with the standard order of the books of the Bible even if you do enjoy reading from a Chronological Bible.
You Don’t Want To Be Totally Dependent on a Chronological Bible
I love reading well researched and well-produced chronological Bible. However, the fact of the matter is that you need to know how to navigate the 66 books of the Bible very well as they are laid out in most Bibles.
I would encourage you to enjoy reading and studying a Chronological Bible. I love this NLT Chronological Life Application Study Bible that I use! I would just simply make sure that you are familiar with the layout and books of a standard Bible as well. At any point in any time you need to be able to use any Bible that might be available and, most of the time in most life situations there will probably not be a chronological Bible around.
You Need To Be Able To Get To a Scripture Passage Quickly
One of the great things that will help us in our Christian lives is to be able to know where a scripture passage is and what it says so that we can look it up in order to help others. As the 66 books are arranged in the order of Genesis – Revelation in the traditional format it is easy to get right to the chapter and verse you need – and get there quickly.
Chronological Bible Buying Guide – Wrapup
Certainly a lot of people – well, most people won’t go to the trouble of buying a chronological Bible. However, many do and think it’s worth it. I would encourage you to, however, with these things in mind:
- Don’t purchase it as your only Bible. Make sure you have a traditional 66 book layout for general Bible use. Choose an NIV, NLT, ESV, CSB, or NKJV. Use your chronological Bible for personal reading times and personal study.
- Make sure that you continue to understand the layout and the purpose of the books of the Bible in the traditional form. Although the Chronological Bibles are extremely helpful, make sure you know the layout of the traditional form as well.
- Make sure that you purchase it from reputable Bible publishers.
- Enjoy reading the Bible in the traditional book style or in the chronological style. God loves you so much and He wants to speak to you through His written word!
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