WHICH BIBLE IS THE BEST?
It should be obvious to both Jews and Christians that there is more than one Bible. First, we have the Jewish Bible which is basically the Old Testament. Then we have the Christian Bible which includes the Old Testament and the New Testament. That seems simple enough, but the history is much more complicated.

Looking at this comparative chart of the Old Testament, we see that all Bibles are not the same. Then, if we look at only the New Testament in English, we see that there are dozens upon dozens of Bibles, some of which are complete and some are not. These fact confirm that there is not just one Bible but that there are many Bibles.

These facts prompt these questions:

• • • Why are there so many versions?
    • Do they all say the same thing?
    • Are they all reliable translations of God’s spoken voice?
    • If they all say the same thing, and if they are all reliable translations of God’s spoken voice, why was it necessary to publish more than one version?
    • If they do not all say the same thing, and if they are not all reliable translations of God’s spoken voice, how can anyone discover which version is a reliable translation of God’s spoken voice — if such a translation actually exists.

These are difficult questions to answer. One way to proceed might be to compare several Bibles to see which one seems to best agree with our personal tastes and theological leanings. Or, some people might just go on the recommendations of trusted pastors or friends who have made evaluations based on their own tastes and theological leanings. Either way, personal opinions are the standards by which judgment is made, and that does not seem quite right. If we are serious about knowing God’s word, we need something more precise than personal opinion to guide us.

STUDY TIP: See this link for a guide to the differences in several versions of the Bible.

This challenge to find the best/perfect Bible is further complicated by the fact that the origin of all Bibles is a matter of some dispute by Bible scholars. Here are some of the esoteric topics that scholars/theologians study and discuss:

• • • • Historical criticism.
      • Source criticism
      • Form criticism
      • Redaction criticism 

AUTHOR’S NOTE: These Wikipedia articles are useful only for intellectual/scholarly studies of Bible sources. They are not useful for understanding God’s spoken word. Nevertheless, they do have value in this web page because they tell the average Bible reader that the historical sources of the Bibles they read are not all the same. This fact is important because it contradicts the popular notion that all Bibles have the same pure history and the same pure content.

It is worth noting here that any desire to consider these conflicting scholarly theories is eliminated when we consider that the only source worth investigating is God’s spoken voice. If our goal is seek God with our heart, we will not be concerned with historical facts and human theories that excite the intellectual mind.

What we have is a situation where not even Bible scholars agree on Bible origins.  If the experts can’t agree, how can non-academics decide which is the best Bible for them. They may find answers to who wrote it, when they wrote it, and why they wrote it, but these answers don’t help them compare one Bible against another. If there is are no standards for comparing Bibles, thinking people might therefore wonder if they can trust any Bible at all.

Despite these questions, people still assume that almost any Bible is still the best source for learning to know God. We might assume that this is why so many Bibles are sold. We might also assume that every Bible sold is evidence of hunger to know God.

STUDY TIP: See this link for interesting statistics about Bible sales and publishing.

But, despite heavy sales of Bibles, church attendance and Bible literacy are declining in the USA. Heavy sales might also indicate that Bibles are purchased as gifts, and we must also allow that some Bible sales are to people who already have many Bibles and are still looking for the one that will answer all their questions.

Whatever the reasons for Bible sales might be, the Bible publishing industry is willing and eager to satisfy the appetite for more Bibles. There is an ever-expanding selection of Bibles from which to choose to satisfy this appetite. For example, there are hundreds of English Bible versions. Choosing the right/best one is not an easy decision to make. Here are some of the many different ways Bibles are packaged:

• • • • • • • Size (e.g. study, pocket, thinline, slimline and trimline).
            • Type of binding (e.g. hard cover, soft cover, leather, etc.) and color.
            • Size of print (e. g. small, regular, large print etc.)
            • Pictures, maps, charts, historical timelines.
            • Study helps (e.g. notes, commentaries, footnotes, indexes, concordances, dictionaries, etc.).
            • Titles that include the names of popular preachers (e.g. Swindoll, MacArthur, Stanley, etc.).
            • Price (e.g. economy, mid-range, deluxe).
            • Study themes (e.g. recovery, family, faith and values, life principles
            • Age of reader (e.g. children, teen, family) and sex (men, women, boys girls).
            • Bibles targeted to specific religions (e.g. Catholic, Lutheran, Messianic, etc.).
            • Internet and phone apps.

If Bible readers walked by faith and not by sight, they would not place any value on any Bible packaged to appeal to natural eyes and the intellectual mind. That does not mean, however, that they do not assign any value to the Bible’s written words. They see the Bible (i.e. the law) for what it is: A tutor/guide that leads them to Christ (i.e. the anointed spirit of God) which teaches them all things by writing God’s laws on their hearts. This is the attitude of a disciple: One who learns by listening to God’s voice.

Disciples can be tutored by any Bible. They know that none of the marketing features (i.e. optional frills) of Bibles are necessary to knowing God because their focus is on listening — not on reading.

STUDY TIP: See this link for tips on how to listen while reading.

The multitude of Bible choices clearly indicates that Bible readers, publishers and authors believe that the written words are the keys to faith. They waste their time, however, if they don’t understand that faith comes by hearing — not just by reading.  Reading the Bible is good and profitable to do only if people listen to God’s voice while reading.  If they would listen while reading, any simple Bible would lead them to faith. They wouldn’t need a Bible with any of the frills that Bible publisher offer. The frills are a distraction to hearing.

It is safe to say that, in general,  Bible sales indicate that people are looking to know God by reading written words. Religion has wrongly taught them that reading the Bible will help them know God better. Bible reading is a key feature of fleshly religion because it satisfies the need to be religiously active. Religion has not taught that faith comes by hearing — but not by hearing the words of false prophets. They do not understand that the written Bible is useful only if they also listen to God’s voice while reading and only if they stop listening to the preaching, and reading the writings of false prophets.

Those who do listen to God’s voice won’t look to buy new, better Bibles. Because they understand that God’s written word and God’s spoken word are not the same thing, their focus is on listening — not on reading. For them, one Bible is as good as another. They understand God’s commands to hear, listen to, and obey his voice. He never said to only “read” his word.