Start! The Bible for New Believers*

By Greg Laurie
Published by Thomas Nelson

Hardcover: $24.99, Leathersoft: $59.99, New Testament Edition: $7.99

Yes it’s a Bible and Yes! I chose to review it and Yes! I enjoyed using.

There is something very attractive about the design of this book. You just want to pick it up and read it, and the juxtaposition of colors was very welcoming. My favorite translation of the Bible is the King James Version, but this version (NKJV) was pretty good too.

The purpose of this Bible (as you can imagine from the title) is to introduce new believers to basic foundational truths of the Christian faith, and to guide them in their search for meaningful content and this Bible does that well. From the beginning were it talks about “The plan of salvation,”  “secrets to spiritual success,” and the notes interspersed within the scriptures under categories like “Learn,” “Know” and “Live,” to the end which gives “Essentials: What every Christian needs to know about God and Jesus” and the Topical index, you can tell that the editors really gave careful attention to what they were trying to teach. The notes were not too overwhelming or underwhelming. It was certainly helpful.

Now the not-so-good-news: My Critique

Everything was going great until I got to the “Essentials” segment and read about the “Sovereignty of God.” Anyone who has been reading this blog  for even 3 days will know by now that God does not control everything – for more discussion on that you can click here.

With that said, I do like this version of the Bible very much and I will certainly encourage everyone to purchase a few copies and give it to new believers (and some not-so-new believers).

A free download of the entire Gospel of John from Start! The Bible for New Believers and additional details are available by visiting http://www.thestartbible.com.