1, 2, & 3 John Bible Study Book Review

This is the first time I have reviewed a bible study so please bear with me.  When Tyndale sent the notice out for this review, I was intrigued.  I love the books of 1, 2 and 3 John and was interested to see what this bible study would cover.  This study is really neat in what all it has with it.  The book is in two parts: the text used with all kinds of study notes and the study itself.

The first part includes:
*  complete text of 1, 2, and 3 John in the New Living Translation
*  study notes that cover background, history, geography, and culture that are easy to understand
*  application notes to help you apply God's word to your life
*  Charts, maps, and profiles of Bible people that present biblical truths in unique and helpful ways.  These are taken from the Life Application Study Bible.

The second part of the study has:
*  thirteen lessons to stimulate thought, discussion, and practical life application
*  study questions arranged for group or individual use
*  lots of space to write your answers
*  special application questions at the end of each lesson to help you map out your personal action plan.

I loved having the text, notes and study guide all in one place.  There have been studies I've done in the past that used a different bible translation than the one I use all the time.  Having the translation the study used right at my fingertips was nice.  I also liked the fact that I didn't have to carry a separate study bible with me when I wanted to work in it.  It was so nice grabbing one small book instead of two (one being my very thick study bible) to work on in the school car line.  The questions were thought provoking and helped me understand the text and what John was trying to convey to his readers.  When you were told to read a certain portion of scripture that covered the next set of questions, it also showed you what notes to read and refer to when they were used.  The personal questions showed me how my life has often gotten off track and my focus off God and His love for others.  It also gave me inspiration to make necessary changed to get my life and focus back where it should be: on God and His purposes.

There were a few downsides that I encountered with this study.  When I first started using it, the portion with the scripture was a little confusing.  It is set up like a study bible, with the notes for a particular verse at the bottom of the page and other references at the beginning to the book.  Quite often, there were more notes and references on the page than scripture.  But, after using it a couple of times, I was able to use it with ease and find my place.  Also, the print was smaller than I am used to in a bible study book.  Sometimes I had to read the section I was working on a couple of times because I kept losing my place.  The book is only 75 pages total.  The study would still be awesome if they made the script a little bigger and added a few pages to compensate. 

All in all, I loved this study and look forward to reviewing more in the future.


This book was provided by Tyndale House Publishers for review.  The thoughts here are all my own and I was not compensated for them or asked to provide a positive review.