Bible Study Magazine—January–February 2020 Issue

Get Bible Study Magazine now by purchasing the January–February 2020 back issue for $3.95. That’s 20% off the newsstand price of $4.95!

Bible Study Magazine is a print magazine (not an emagazine) published by Lexham Press. Six times a year, Bible Study Magazine delivers tools and methods for Bible study as well as insights from respected teachers, professors, historians, and archeologists.

Read pastor profiles, author interviews, and stories of individuals whose thoughtful engagement with Scripture has shaped their thinking and defined their ministries. Bible Study Magazine reveals the impact of God’s Word in their lives—and the power of Scripture in yours.

• Feature Stories
  Discover new ways to connect the Bible with your ministry and life through in-depth interviews and articles from the biggest names in the church and biblical scholarship.
• Bible Study Tips
  Explore the Word—thoughtful and engaging authors tackle the tough passages in Scripture, explain difficult concepts, and confront complex interpretations in a way that helps the Gospel make sense in your life.
• On the Cutting Edge
  Keep up to date on the latest news in biblical research, including archaeological and historical findings.
• A New Kind of Bible Study
  Encounter God by yourself or with other believers with an ongoing Bible study in each issue.
• On Teaching
  Get advice on how to preach or teach the Bible in any setting from well-known pastors and teachers who use the Bible every day.
• Tool Box
  Learn how to effectively use the latest Bible study tools with our how-to guides.
• In the News
  Keep informed about the latest news in biblically related topics, discoveries, and events.
• Thoughts from the Ancients
  Read the Bible together with those who have come before you, and learn from the wisdom of the early church—in its own words.
• Word Studies
  Get a close-up view of the Bible! Each issue contains insights about specific words found in the Bible and tutorials on how to do word studies.
• If Only Someone Would Explain It to Me
  Enrich your understanding of the Bible with explanations of biblical and theological concepts by top scholars.
• Did You Know?
  Discover interesting facts about the place of the Bible in the contemporary and the ancient world.
• What They Don’t Tell You in Church
  See things you never noticed in biblical passages you have read dozens of times.
• Biblical Humor
  The funniest stories and the best comics related to the Bible, useful for any setting.
• Book Reviews
  Stay on top of the latest books about Bible study. Each issue contains reviews of books and commentaries to equip you in your study of God’s Word.

Heaven + Earth: N.T. Wright Sets Things Straight About the Kingdom of God

The texts that comprise the Bible are living texts—each one birthed in a very real and particular flesh-blood-and-spirit context. Helping people understand Scripture within its ancient context is the subject of N.T. Wright’s latest book, The New Testament in Its World, with Michael F. Bird (Zondervan, 2019). Wright serves as research professor of New Testament and early Christianity at St. Mary’s College at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland. Even with more than 70 books on his writer’s shelf, Wright has lost none of his passion for helping people understand the Bible better. He spoke recently with Bible Study Magazine.

Welcomed by God: Sofia Quintanilla on healing, hospitality, and discipleship

Although Quintanilla was barely a teenager when she raised her hand in a weekly service, she credits her church for fostering her faith. “By the next Sunday, they started me in a six-month baptism class.” Her weekly course didn’t just teach Quintanilla about baptism. It set a model for discipleship that continues to be a cornerstone of her ministry today.

—Jessi Strong

Speaking Grace Into Reality

The Beatitudes, Matthew 5:3–11, may be the best-known words of Jesus, besides John 3:16 and the Lord’s Prayer. But popularity is no guarantee of understanding, and many people know nothing more about the Beatitudes than to call them “the blesseds.” Understanding the form and force of biblical sentences beginning with the word “blessed” opens for us enriching vistas of Christian hope. Recognizing the role of the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount fills out the context, helping us understand and apply these words of Jesus.

—Roger L. Hahn

Forged Together in Christ

In this age of outrage, it’s easy for Christians to focus on what divides us. Sadly, the way we engage one another more often reflects a spirit of hostility—a spirit that’s more characteristic of the wider culture than the life-giving Spirit of the risen Christ. We are more prone to be critical over minor differences than to affirm the magnificent truth we hold in common.

—Ryan Griffith