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Announcing: ESV Giveaway

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Through August 10, when you download the Faithlife Study Bible for iOS, Android, or Kindle Fire, you’ll get the ESV—free!

Thanks to a partnership with Crossway Books, the ESV will be included with all new downloads of the FSB between July 24 and August 10.

Now you can apply the FSB’s study power and convenience to one of the most universally loved modern English translations, free. Download the FSB right now to get started!

What if I already have the FSB?

Current FSB users can get the ESV, too. Just open your app sometime between July 24 and August 10 and it’ll be unlocked for you. (There may be a slight delay on downloading; we ask for your patience.) If you can’t download the ESV after more than 24 hours, give us a call. We don’t want you to miss out!

What if I already have the ESV?

If you own a Logos base package or you’ve purchased the ESV independently, you’ve already been enjoying this translation for some time now. So help your friends get their free copies! Use the share buttons at the top of this post to tell everyone you know about the ESV giveaway.

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Quote of the Week: B. B. Warfield

BB Warfield

 

“He who begins by seeking God within himself may end by confusing himself with God.” —B. B. Warfield

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A student of Charles Hodge’s, B. B. Warfield (1851–1921) is best known as an ardent defender of Reformed theology. Even if you don’t agree with all he believed, in this quote, he seems to have found a universal truth.

If you’d like to hear more of what Warfield had to say, Logos offers a wide selection of his works. You’ll find this quote and many others in 1,500 Quotations for Preachers, with Slides.

Visit Blog.Faithlife.com every Tuesday for an inspirational, thought-provoking quote from a Christian leader, historical figure, or scholar.

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3 Tools Every Serious Bible Scholar Should Have

The Faithlife Study Bible offers free mobile resources that help you understand the Bible, but if you want to do more detailed study, look no further than Logos 5.

Clause Search connects pronouns and phrases with the people and things they refer to. You can find what you’re looking for across translations and languages.

When you study the Bible in English alone, you inevitably miss some details. The original languages offer rich nuance that even the best translations fail to fully represent. Luckily, with the Exegetical Guide, you can read the Bible for its intended meaning—without learning Greek or Hebrew.

One of Logos 5’s most talked-about features gives you an overview of the entire biblical story. Understand context and accurately interpret Scripture with Timeline.

Get these three tools and many more when you upgrade to Logos 5. You’ll get your biggest discount when you upgrade using the Custom Upgrade Discount Calculator. Act now to take advantage of the best discounts of the year!

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Principles > Rules

law Rules require obedience. Principles require contemplation.

Rules demand enforcement. Principles demand example.

Rules are for only for the wicked, keeping them in check (1 Timothy 1:9), but principles are universal.

Rules are written for specific situations. Rules are brittle. Outside their original contexts, rules break easily.

Principles are timeless, remaining relevant and providing stability through the centuries.

Principles are more difficult yet more rewarding than rules. They’re all throughout Scripture, but you’ll have to look hard to find them. If you see an imperative repeated, rephrased, and modeled, you’re probably looking at a principle. Let’s use the Sabbath as an example:

  • God set an example in creation, modeling the Sabbath for all generations to come (Genesis 2:2–3).
  • He taught it to Israel through Moses (Exodus 20:8–11).
  • Jesus explained it further (Mark 2:27).

The rule of Sabbath mandated that no work be done on the first day of the week.

The principle of Sabbath invites us to set aside a day to rest and reconnect with God.

Whenever you find an imperative in Scripture, search for the principle that supports it. Ask yourself: Why did God command this? What is he trying to teach me?

What are your favorite scriptural principles, and where do you find them? Let us know in comments.

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Quote of the Week: A. W. Pink

AW Pink

It is not the absence of sin but the grieving over it which distinguishes the child of God from empty professors

—A. W. Pink

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Arthur Pink impacted many people with his passionate preaching—but even more with his writing. His books, booklets, and pamphlets, posthumously circulated, made him one of the most influential spiritual leaders of his generation.

If you’d like to hear more of what Pink had to say, Logos offers a wide selection of his works. You’ll find this quote and many others in 1,500 Quotations for Preachers, with Slides.

Visit Blog.Faithlife.com every Tuesday for an inspirational, thought-provoking quote from a Christian leader, historical figure, or scholar.

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Hope vs. Optimism

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“You’re a pessimist.”

“No, I’m a realist.”

I’ve heard my dad, a pastor with several decades of ministry experience, respond to that criticism several hundred times. About half of them were leveled, with a smirk, by my mother. I’m clearly my father’s son, because last week someone said the same thing about me. I bet you can guess how I responded.

My father and I aren’t particularly optimistic, but we’re both quite hopeful. While our culture has blurred the lines between these two terms, they’re different things—and the distinction matters.

Optimism, a vaguely positive sentiment, gets spread indiscriminately over hardship. Optimism ignores the facts, and tries to feel good anyway. Optimism says, “Cheer up.” A mind-over-matter affair, optimism defies common sense.

Hope surveys all the facts, acknowledges them, and chooses to look past the circumstances to something larger. Hope hears the hardest questions, and believes there must be an answer even if it happens to be elusive at the moment. Hope doesn’t try to feel good; in fact, sometimes hope is painful. But hope can be confident where optimism wavers. Hope is hard-earned; you can’t get it if you keep your head in the sand. (Click to tweet) Hope is available only to those willing to wrestle with pain, injustice, and other difficult realities.

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Discover Scripture’s promises of hope, like Psalm 91. While you’re there, create an account to join our digital faith community and share your hope with others.

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What I Learned about Sin from Benjamin Franklin

Sin is not harmful because it’s forbidden. It’s forbidden because it’s harmful.
—Benjamin Franklin

benjamin-franklinGod wants you to enjoy your life, so he has pointed out things around you that will harm you. He’s called these things sin. Avoid them and you can avoid lots of pain and hardship.

Unfortunately, Satan works hard to convince us that that’s not true. Just as with Eve in the garden of Eden, Satan tries to get us to believe that, for some reason, God wants to keep us from the most enjoyable things on earth.

Who will you believe?

Of course, the choice never seems that simple. Satan, a master of deception, always clouds the issue. That’s why it’s important for us to saturate ourselves with the truth of Scripture. In the past, this was much harder than it is today.

Technology like the Faithlife app puts not only the Scripture itself but also a huge collection of study resources at your fingertips, all the time. Take a minute today to read through Romans 6. Tune in to the voice of God, and drown out the confusion.

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Can I Throw Away My Bible?

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God’s plan of redemption stands at the center of Scripture, so if you’re already engaged in a relationship with God, you can ignore the Bible—right?

Wrong.

Here are three reasons why:

  1. Relationship

    God values relationship so highly that he made it the only ticket to genuine joy, peace, and eternity. Communication is vital to relationship. In order to deepen our relationship with God, we must communicate with him, and that means listening to his heart as recorded in Scripture.

    Lack of communication limits the growth of any relationship, and a lack of consistent Bible reading limits growth in our relationship with God. To throw away the Bible after salvation is like getting married and then refusing to speak to your spouse—absurd.

  2. Refreshment

    The Word of God refreshes us as we read it. After all, Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Remaining in God’s Word keeps us healthy.

    On every page, it refreshes us with grace, love, humility, courage, and more. Without these reminders, life would seem meaningless; with them, it’s an invitation into God’s ultimate story.

  3. Learning

    The Bible enables a lifetime of learning about God. We’ll never fully understand his magnitude, power, and character, but that’s no reason to stop trying.

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Serious Bible study is easier with serious Bible study software. The Faithlife Study Bible is a great place to start, but if you’d like to study in greater detail, Logos 5 is for you. Its powerful, intuitive tools and vast libraries are the perfect way to expand your understanding of Scripture. Visit Logos.com/Logos5 to learn more.

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Quote of the Week: G. Campbell Morgan

G Campbell Morgan

We work far more harm to our age by tepid character than by open denial of Christ.

—G. Campbell Morgan

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A close friend of Charles Spurgeon’s, G. Campbell Morgan ministered for many years at Westminster Chapel. He spoke these words about his own generation, but they still ring true today.

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If you like this Quote of the Week, we have good news: there’s a lot more where that came from. 1,500 Quotations for Preachers with Slides will help you find precisely the right words for any occasion.

Visit Blog.Faithlife.com every Tuesday for an inspirational, thought-provoking quote from a Christian leader, historical figure, or scholar.

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Love Faithlife? Write a Review.

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The Faithlife Study Bible is all about community—Community Notes and reading plans are better when more people use them. That means that the more people find the FSB, the better it’ll be for you. And app stores like Google Play, iTunes, and Amazon give precedence to apps with positive reviews.

So if you love the Faithlife Study Bible, write a review to tell the world. Be specific, and be honest. If we can improve on something, we want to hear about it, but if you love the Faithlife Study Bible, help others discover it by writing a positive review.

Help more people find Faithlife—take a minute to go review the Faithlife Study Bible: Google Play | iTunes | Amazon