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The New Life Application Study Bible Review (NIV)

A review of the new Life Application Study Bible Third Edition (released 2019). Thanks to Biblegateway.com and Bible Gateway Blogger Grid for the free Bible to review.

NIV Life Application Bible Review

The Life Application Study Bible has a dear place in my heart. I remember it as clear as day I was 16 years old and newly saved. I was looking at books at Costco and saw this Bible. I was like WOW… I told my parents how wonderous this Bible was and my parents didn’t even blink an eye and put it in the basket.

My dad then went and had my name engraved in my new first-ever Bible. I read it front to back and highlighted it like crazy. It helped me gain a good foundation for understanding scripture.

I still have this Bible but it’s a little on the beaten side. It has gone with me on mission trips, retreats, camps, and 4 years of ministry school. I had to reglue Genesis back in, tape pages, and I have so many notes in it that it’s crazy. I guess I took to heart what Charles Spurgeon said…

A Bible that is falling apart is usually owned by someone who isn’t.

In short, I love this Bible. Yes, I have many other Bibles, but this one holds a special place for me. So, when I was offered to give a review from Bible Gateway Blogger Grid for the new edition I was excited!

In an interview with Ron Beers about the new Life Application Study Bible this is what is said about the difference between an older edition and a newer one.

In what ways does the Third Edition of the LASB differ from the previous editions?

Ron Beers: Approximately 30-35% of the notes and features are completely new. And about 90% of all the notes and features were edited in some way. Applications are even stronger and more insightful. The notes reflect the latest scholarship. Today’s cultural issues are directly addressed. For those who already own a Life Application Study Bible, they’ll find it worthwhile to move to this new edition. I like to compare it to a smartphone upgrade. So if you own an iPhone™ 5 or 6, for example, it still functions well. But if you upgrade to the new iPhone™ 11, it offers so many new features, greater ease of use, and much additional power that you never thought possible. You won’t be disappointed.”

Here is a little promo video about the Bible

Pros & Cons of The Life Application Study Bible (NIV)

PROS

  • 10,000 Life Application Notes* and other Gold Nuggets
  • 100+ Characters and Personality profiles
  • Intro to Each Book and Timelines
  • Lays flat
  • Tons of Maps and Charts. Full-color Maps in the back!
  • Has punch of red color
  • Dictionary/concordance in the back.
  • Cross-reference system
  • Words of Jesus in Red
  • Two bookmarks
  • Tons of different cover colors and designs to choose from
  • Great for Beginners in the Bible

The emphasis on application is a key thing about this Bible. It’s great to read the commentary … get understanding…and also know how to apply it to your own life.

CONS

  • 8.5-point type size (Not sure if they have a large font version for this edition)
  • Zondervan/Harper Collins only has this Bible in NIV and NLT. I believe Tyndal might have other translations.
  • Great for application but not for very in-depth studying. You won’t be going into the Hebrew or Greek.

As you can tell way more PROS then cons. It’s a great Bible overall. My biggest beef is the font size and translations. For reading NIV is wonderful, but there is much debate about the omission of verses between KJV and NIV. This post is reviewing the Bible not the translation so I will leave it at that. But it would be cool if Zondervan would do other translations like Amplified.

Comparison Between an Older Edition Life Application Bible and New Third Edition Life Application Bible.

Below I have provided pictures of my older edition (bought in 2000) and the new edition (released in October 2019.) Please know that my Bible is almost 20 years old and was in constant use so it’s a little weathered to perfection 😉

Comparison between two Life Application Bibles NIV - Review
Side by side NIV application Bible
Bible Timeline from Life Application Bible
Life Application Bible NIV Review - 2 Kings comparison

I hope these pictures and reviews show you a little bit of what the new Life Application Bible is like. If you would like to check out more book reviews then check out my Christian Faith section!

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