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Blog / How to Boost Your Bible Study with The Reformation Study Bible for Free on Bible Gateway

How to Boost Your Bible Study with The Reformation Study Bible for Free on Bible Gateway

Martin Luther’s famous act of defiance against what he perceived to be unbiblical trends and practices within the church is traditionally considered the start of the Reformation. Luther wasn’t the first or only “reformer,” but his actions catalyzed what we call the Protestant Reformation. The spirit of the Reformation is alive and well today, and Christians from all traditions can learn much from the Reformation’s emphasis on the authority and transforming power of the Bible.

bible-setMuch Reformation-inspired study material has been published over the years, but if you’re looking to incorporate the spirit of the Reformation into your Bible reading and study, one of the best modern resources at your disposal is The Reformation Study Bible, which collects thousands of Bible study notes and insights from more than 50 distinguished Bible scholars.

And did you know that The Reformation Study Bible is available completely free online at Bible Gateway?

All of the study notes from The Reformation Study Bible are available to freely read right alongside Scripture at Bible Gateway. It’s an amazing way to get answers to difficult questions, or insight into difficult-to-understand Bible verses. And did we mention it’s free? Here’s how to access The Reformation Study Bible!

1. Look up a Bible passage.

Look up any Bible passage on Bible Gateway that you want to read and study. For example, John 3.

2. Open the Study Tab.

Associated with Scripture text, look for the STUDY tab. It looks like this:

Bible study tab, open

There are numerous resources listed in that tab! Many of them are part of our Bible Gateway Plus service, and require that you have a Bible Gateway Plus membership to use. However, The Reformation Study Bible is completely free and can be used by anyone.

3. Locate The Reformation Study Bible in the Study Bibles section.

Scroll through the Study Bibles list:

Study Bibles section

You’ll see all the study Bibles available on Bible Gateway. One of these is the Reformation Study Bible; scroll down until you see it:

Reformation Study Bible

For John 3, we see there The Reformation Study Bible has 22 study notes available!

Once you’ve located The Reformation Study Bible in the list, simply click or tap on its name.

4. Enjoy reading The Reformation Study Bible notes alongside the Bible text.

Once you’ve selected The Reformation Study Bible, the panel displays the individual study notes available for the Bible passage you’re reading (in our example, John 3). Each note is listed by the verse(s) it corresponds to. For example, a listing of John 3:2 means there is a study note available that talks about John 3:2.

To see The Reformation Study Bible note for a particular verse, click or tap the verse reference in the Study This panel. Doing so displays the study note for you to read. Depending on the verse, the study note may be very brief or very long, or somewhere in between. This is what it looks like to have The Reformation Study Bible study notes open alongside John 3:2 (click to enlarge):

john32expanded-small

The words and phrases in bold are the specific parts of the verse that are being discussed. You can use the back-arrow above and to the left of the note to go back to the full list of study notes. The two left and right arrows below the study note will navigate to the previous and next study notes respectively.

That’s it! With just a few extra clicks, you can add an incredible study resource to your Bible reading. The Reformation Study Bible is usable alongside any Bible translation on Bible Gateway. The next time you find yourself stumped by a Bible passage or confused about what it means, open The Reformation Study Bible and let it shed some light onto what you’re reading!

The Reformation Study Bible is made freely available on Bible Gateway by the generosity of Ligonier Ministries. For more information about Ligonier and The Reformation Study Bible, see our interview with its editor R.C. Sproul. While The Reformation Study Bible is available free online at Bible Gateway, you can also buy a print copy in the Bible Gateway Store.

Filed under Bible Study