I’ll begin by saying that I am not reviewing the translation of the bible itself (NKJV), which is my favorite of all bible translation, but instead I want to focus on the content itself added throughout the pages of this bible. I have read many bibles of all sorts from cover to cover and I’ve never come across a bible like the New Spirit-Filled Life Bible by Jack W. Hayford.
I have to make another disclaimer and that is I am neither a Pentecostal nor a Charismatic, nor do I hold the belief of speaking in tongues. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I ordered this bible and to be honest I approached it with some skepticism that I would like/agree with the added information inside. I was gladly proven wrong when I opened it and began reading the added content throughout.
I mentioned that I do not believe in speaking in tongues and was worried that this would be a rather large theme that the authors would pound in, but on the contrary other than two “Kingdom Dynamics” sections inserted in Acts 2:4-13 and 1 Cor. 12:10 I found little mention of the gift of tongues inserted inside the bible. Of course at the very end of the bible the authors go much deeper into spiritual gifts, especially the gift of tongues, but I felt that because it is at the very end I did not feel like the authors were pushing their belief on me and could have easily ignored these sections if I wanted to.
So why did I enjoy this bible so much and recommend it to anyone I know? Well I like the fact that it takes the things mentioned in the bible as literal facts. What I mean by that is take Genesis 1-3 for example, in the “Personal Application” section preceding Genesis it specifically mentions that these chapters should be taken as actual history, not some allegory. I love that, considering the last study bible I read, in it’s preceding to the book of Genesis it said the exact opposite stating that chapters 1-3 of Genesis should not be taken literally as science today disproves the literal creation story –- I was outraged.
I’ve already mentioned the “Personal Application” part preceding each book but I also loved the “Christ Revealed” and “Holy Spirit At Work” also preceding each book of the bible. It truly opened my eyes to see things as I have not understood or saw them before. Eye opening and profound many times, I loved these sections and have never seen them in other bibles.
This bible has simple but easy to understand charts, timelines, study notes, truth-in-action charts which allow you to see a particular truths in each book and the actions we can take to walk in the way of that truth. There are also “Kingdom Dynamics” boxes, as I’ve already mentioned, all throughout the bible also offering incredible wisdom and insight that I have not thought of before on my own. I know I’ve had a lot to say about this bible but one of my most favorite features is the “Word Wealth” boxes throughout the bible which take words from the bible and using Strong’s concordance discuss he word and its real Hebrew/Greek meanings. I always love to get to the bottom, the actual meaning of things and this feature in the bible allows me to do just that. I love it!
There are simply to many features that I love about this bible, and true I do not agree with all the interpretations, beliefs held by the authors, or all the study notes but those are honest beliefs and interpretations of Pentecostal/ Charismatic denominations and just because they do not fall into what I have been taught does not make them wrong or this bible any less holy than one that does not include these beliefs. I highly respect the Pentecostal/ Charismatic people and am very grateful for this bible. I was able to learn much about their beliefs and respect them very much.
Having said all this, I recommend this bible to everyone, study it, learn from it, and although I especially recommend this bible to Pentecostal/ Charismatic believers, I see no reasons why other denominations cannot also read, enjoy, learn, and grow deeper in whatever their beliefs are using this bible.
I want to thank Thomas Nelson for providing me with this copy of the bible for an honest review. God bless you all.
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