Scofield Bible

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HealthAndHappiness

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2022
10,233
4,284
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Almost Heaven West Virginia
#41
My problem with the Scofield Bible is that He plastered all his personal notes all through it.

He starts right off by suggesting that creation took much longer than the week the verses say it did.
That was his gap theory. I respected some pastors who agreed with his gap theory enough to spend I told hours listening to their teachings. I took every one of their " proof texts" looking for proof with an open mind. My conclusion was that they didn't have enough evidence to qualify for a theory. The belief was an attempt to merge the "scientific" belief system of Darwin's which was based on Hinduism and merge it with the Bible.
 

Nehemiah6

Senior Member
Jul 18, 2017
26,074
13,771
113
#42
My problem with the Scofield Bible is that He plastered all his personal notes all through it.
Which commentator has not presented his "personal" interpretations in any commentary? Every Christian has a duty to search out the Scriptures for themselves.

I agree with many things by many commentators, but do not agree with all their interpretations. And the same can be said for Scofield. As someone else has pointed out, the Gap Theory was false, but Scofield presented it as true. However we do not throw the baby out with the bathwater. Matthew Henry and John Gill (for example) present a Calvinistic slant to the Gospel. That does not invalidate everything else in their commentaries. Surprisingly enough John Calvin did NOT present a Calvinistic slant in his commentaries, but then turned around and did a 180 in his Institutes.
 

oyster67

Senior Member
May 24, 2014
11,887
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#43
However we do not throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Perhaps this is just my own personal problem, but I find someone else's personal notes printed right alongside the very words of God to be a distraction. The only words in my personal Bible are the verses themselves. The Written Word of God should be the Written Word of God. The Holy Spirit is the only commentator I need.
 

HealthAndHappiness

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2022
10,233
4,284
113
Almost Heaven West Virginia
#44
Perhaps this is just my own personal problem, but I find someone else's personal notes printed right alongside the very words of God to be a distraction. The only words in my personal Bible are the verses themselves. The Written Word of God should be the Written Word of God. The Holy Spirit is the only commentator I need.
I agree 😄.
I can learn from other people, like a sermon, but don't want to be interrupted while reading the Bible.

My go to day user right now is a Jack Van Impe Prophecy study Bible. What I like about it is:
1. Legible large font
2. Large margins to add my own cross references
3. The commentary is in the back out of the way where I can forget it's to there. I don't remember ever reading the com.entary since I got it last year, just the Bible part.
 

oyster67

Senior Member
May 24, 2014
11,887
8,705
113
#45
I agree 😄.
I can learn from other people, like a sermon, but don't want to be interrupted while reading the Bible.

My go to day user right now is a Jack Van Impe Prophecy study Bible. What I like about it is:
1. Legible large font
2. Large margins to add my own cross references
3. The commentary is in the back out of the way where I can forget it's to there. I don't remember ever reading the com.entary since I got it last year, just the Bible part.
I liked Jack. I watched lots of his videos. Is he still with us?

I like/need large print also. :geek:
 

HealthAndHappiness

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2022
10,233
4,284
113
Almost Heaven West Virginia
#46
I liked Jack. I watched lots of his videos. Is he still with us?

I like/need large print also. :geek:
He died a couple years ago. I just looked it up. He was 88yo.

It's hard to believe. Seems like yesterday when I was a kid listening to him and Rexella.

Oyster,
I prayed for a Bible that had those two qualities, but wasn't so big that it was bulky to carry. I went to a book sale and the Lord took me directly to it. It was brand new and just a few dollars. Quite a gift from our Father. Perfect!
Sometimes it's hard to find Giant/extra large print bibles locally unless they are huge family Bibles. I didn't know if one so small in size with all those traits until then.

https://www.ebay.com/p/119085980
 

Lanolin

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2018
23,460
7,188
113
#47
well I think if you get too deep into it (Scofield's annotations) it soon collapses on itself like a pack of cards


Better off just reading the Bible straight without all the 'helps' and comments that starts contradicting the scripture right there. lol

Its like reading a facebook page and looking at all the comments so that you soon forget what the original post was all about. Worse is when it starts descending into flame wars...which is what many commentaries start to do.
 

Everlasting-Grace

Well-known member
Dec 18, 2021
5,843
1,854
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#49
That was his gap theory. I respected some pastors who agreed with his gap theory enough to spend I told hours listening to their teachings. I took every one of their " proof texts" looking for proof with an open mind. My conclusion was that they didn't have enough evidence to qualify for a theory. The belief was an attempt to merge the "scientific" belief system of Darwin's which was based on Hinduism and merge it with the Bible.
I too was born into the gap theory. I got it from reading scofields notes from Genesis when I was a tean. I could finally answer the evolutionists and people who claimed the earth is old..

I have since rejected that theory after doing an indepth study on the flood. and what it caused. And have found answers..

as for the dispensation argument. it has been my experience that most people who are against it do not even understand what it really teaches. Keeping in mind there is a SMALL sect who hold to dispy teaching that believes in a dual covenant (law for OT, and tribulation period) in fact, there are a few in this chatroom.. they are a minority and do not represent true dispy thinking

Anyway, I still use the NKJV scofield study bible as my main bible.. I love the layout. and the cross references he gives. Its just anymore when I read the notes. I verify what is said with the bible, as I would with any study bible..
 

Everlasting-Grace

Well-known member
Dec 18, 2021
5,843
1,854
113
#50
I agree 😄.
I can learn from other people, like a sermon, but don't want to be interrupted while reading the Bible.

My go to day user right now is a Jack Van Impe Prophecy study Bible. What I like about it is:
1. Legible large font
2. Large margins to add my own cross references
3. The commentary is in the back out of the way where I can forget it's to there. I don't remember ever reading the com.entary since I got it last year, just the Bible part.
That's interesting. Maybe i have used the study bible for so long I do not even notice the notes or cross references are even there. The only time I even look at them is if I read a verse and it references another passage of scripture. I go to the cross reference to see where that passage is..

actually, anymore. I use Logos bible system or bible gateway.com for most of my study. and when I prepair a teaching it is east t cut and paste instead of type reference verses.
 

Sipsey

Well-known member
Sep 27, 2018
1,476
690
113
#51
God has always used sinners to forward his plans of redemption Noah got drunk and passed out naked , Abraham lied about his wife , Moses killed a man , David committed adultery and plotted and carried out a man’s murder to cover his adultery , Paul was involved in and approved of Stephens murder , and had set forth to destroy the church before it could be rooted in the earth but God used all of them to his glory and purpose

I’m only saying that to judge based on one’s sins isn’t a good take as far as this particular Bible goes people should make tbier own judgements on versions of the Bible can’t endorse it or deny it myself it’s just another version of scripture with a lot of editorial things which isn’t for me particularly but who am I to say it’s not valid based on someone’s rumored and prior acts ?

this guy penned over half the new testament


“This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.”
‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭1:15-16‬ ‭KJV‬‬

if God doesnt use sinners no one would ever be used by God to further his plans for us that are to give us hope and a future
You might enjoy this perspective written by this author several years back; I’ve saved it for such a moment as this; Its a little wordy, but drives a nail quite nicely:


If God Doesn't Love Hypocrites,
Who's Left to Love?

Teri Daily


Hypocrisy seems to be an inescapable part of being human. Henry David Thoreau is famous for his romantic philosophy of isolationism, self-sufficiency, and a respect for nature; but this environmentalist also accidently burned down a large portion of the woods near Concord, Massachusetts when his campfire got out of control. And, although he was a proponent of self-sufficiency, while living on Walden Pond he took his laundry home for his mother to do. 18th century thinker Jean-Jacques Rousseau is well known for a book called Emile, or On Education which contains, among other topics, parenting advice; he and his longtime partner Thérèse had five children and handed them all over to orphanages. Of course, there are the scandals that seem to surround many contemporary religious figures unable to live up to the very lifestyles they outwardly embrace—with marital infidelity, addiction to pornography, and monetary improprieties usually ending in a fall from favor. This isn’t a new problem in the religious life; after all, sixteen hundred years ago Augustine prayed, “Lord, give me chastity, but not yet.” And then there are the religious progressives who preach the importance of embracing diversity, and yet shun the people they deem “intolerant.” Hypocrisy seems to be ubiquitous; shine a strong enough light on any of us, and we, too, will wear the label “hypocrite.” We are all walking masses of contradiction.

This is what struck me as I read today’s passage from 1 Kings. The temple in Jerusalem has just been built, and the ark of the covenant is brought up from the tent that had been its dwelling place until now. A cloud fills the temple with the Lord’s presence, and then Solomon steps up in front of the altar to say a prayer of dedication. Solomon—who is full of contradictions, shortcomings, and hypocrisy. Solomon is known for his wisdom, and yet he unwisely laid on the people a heavy burden in the form of taxes and forced labor so that the temple could be built. It was a move that ultimately caused the northern tribes of Israel to break away from the southern tribes. Initially Solomon seemed merciful to his brother Adonijah who was almost made king in his place; later he had Adonijah killed, along with a whole slew of men who threatened his reign. In the prayer from today’s reading, Solomon reminds God of the covenant between God and the lineage of David, but later it will be Solomon who breaks the covenant by marrying foreign wives and worshiping their gods. This is the Solomon who prays on behalf of all of Israel.

We have a condensed version of Solomon’s prayer in our lectionary, with eleven verses cut out of the middle of the prayer. The entire prayer is actually much longer; it is full of pleas that God hear, forgive, and answer the people of Israel when they pray in the temple or in its direction. The fact that it is Solomon who boldly offers this prayer actually gives me great hope, because I, too, am full of contradictions when I pray. Let’s face it, we all are.

We are all complex creatures—part of us is fearful and part excited, part anxious and part calm, part sad and part joyful, part vengeful and part merciful. We have parts that are angry, compassionate, envious, or loving. And we bring all these parts of ourselves to our prayers. We may vocalize a prayer from one part of ourselves, but God hears the prayers that arise from every part of us. As it’s been said: “God hears all the voices that speak out of us—our vocal prayer, the prayer said in our minds, the unvoiced longing rising out of our hearts, the many voices of which we are not even conscious but which cry out eloquently.” (1) God accepts all the prayers that rise out of us, even the ones we don’t know we are praying. And this is a good thing.

Because if we waited until we were pure in our motives or singular in our intentions or knew for certain what to ask for, then we would never pray. I remind myself constantly of something Richard Foster wrote in his book Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home:

The truth of the matter is, we all come to prayer with a tangled mass of motives—altruistic and selfish, merciful and hateful, loving and bitter…. But what I have come to see is that God is big enough to receive us with all our mixture. We do not have to be bright, or pure or filled with faith, or anything. That is what grace means, and not only are we saved by grace, we live by it as well. And we pray by it. (2)

We don’t have to wait until we are devoid of hypocrisy, contradiction, or our “tangled mass of motives” to pray, because we come to prayer trusting in the goodness of God to meet us each and every time.

See, we may be complex creatures, made up of many parts and many motives, but God is simple. Not “simple” meaning that we can understand or wrap our minds around who God is; we can never do that because God is infinite. What I mean when I say God is “simple” is that God is not made up of contradictory personalities; God is the same through and through. God is constant in love, constant in mercy, constant in truth. When we approach our teenage son or daughter, we may not know in that moment if we will encounter the child who needs our help or the adult who wants to do things on their own. But when we approach God, we expect God to be the same today as yesterday, and the same tomorrow as today.

We come to prayer expecting the God we meet to be the same God who made this world and pronounced it good, the same God who created a people to bring love and light to the world, the same God who loved these people even when their motives became mixed and they lost their way, the same God who could take the painful experiences of slavery in Egypt and exile in Babylon and even death on a cross and weave them all into a larger, beautiful story of redemption and grace where everything belonged. It is to a God such as this that we offer all the contradictions, hypocrisy, and complexities of our own lives. Who else could we trust? Peter, the disciple who denied Jesus and the one on whom the Church is built, knew first-hand the contradictions within himself. He puts it plainly: “Lord, to whom else shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” In other words, only you can make us whole.

That’s why along with Peter, Solomon, and all the beloved hypocrites of God since the creation of the world, we, too, take our place before the altar of God and present our messy, contradiction-filled selves—all the many prayers that arise from us, all of our mixed motives, even the places in us of which we are completely unaware. And we trust God to weave the disparate parts into a single narrative, beautiful in its own way—into a story of life and love. We trust in the faithful simplicity of God to heal our contradictions. To whom else can we go?
 

Pilgrimshope

Well-known member
Sep 2, 2020
13,915
5,647
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#52
Yes that’s the thing we’re all on the exact same boat, and the boat is sinking in a pool of great white sharks in a feeding frenzy

it’s why we all need to go to Jesus and the gospel and learn from him because we are all sinners some hypocrites , some liars , some thieves , some adulterers , some sinful in some other way because that’s true we all have sinned and fallen short

we all need to Let the lord bring us to repentance and if we’re perfect or think we are we are never even going to consider repentance or changing our ways

he’s trying to heal us hypocrites but he can’t u til we start getting real with him and acknowledging our own hypocracy at that point he can and will use any person who’s willing he can’t use us when we are opposed to hearing and believing but he uses imperfect people to show his mercy and forebearance toward mankind to show others “ you aren’t too lost to be saved turn and come to me I will receive you flaws and all with open arms and I will love you and heal all those scars and deceptions the world caused, I will bring you home “
 

HealthAndHappiness

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2022
10,233
4,284
113
Almost Heaven West Virginia
#53
That's interesting. Maybe i have used the study bible for so long I do not even notice the notes or cross references are even there. The only time I even look at them is if I read a verse and it references another passage of scripture. I go to the cross reference to see where that passage is..

actually, anymore. I use Logos bible system or bible gateway.com for most of my study. and when I prepair a teaching it is east t cut and paste instead of type reference verses.
Do you have Jack Van Impes?
 

HealthAndHappiness

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2022
10,233
4,284
113
Almost Heaven West Virginia
#55
I too was born into the gap theory. I got it from reading scofields notes from Genesis when I was a tean. I could finally answer the evolutionists and people who claimed the earth is old..

I have since rejected that theory after doing an indepth study on the flood. and what it caused. And have found answers..

as for the dispensation argument. it has been my experience that most people who are against it do not even understand what it really teaches. Keeping in mind there is a SMALL sect who hold to dispy teaching that believes in a dual covenant (law for OT, and tribulation period) in fact, there are a few in this chatroom.. they are a minority and do not represent true dispy thinking

Anyway, I still use the NKJV scofield study bible as my main bible.. I love the layout. and the cross references he gives. Its just anymore when I read the notes. I verify what is said with the bible, as I would with any study bible..
It sounds like you are doing the work of a Berean by searching the Scriptures to see if those things are so.
There's much that I can agree with CI Scofield on too, but caution young believers on study Bibles in general. They need grounded in basics, milk and are easily persuaded until they develop discernment.

Bible layout is important to me as well.
Layout like large font that I like and margin size in a handy to carry Bible is what I like about my current user. Those are things I appreciated when the Lord answered my prayer for a new Bible that I couldn't find.
 

HealthAndHappiness

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2022
10,233
4,284
113
Almost Heaven West Virginia
#56
I have one of his books on end times. But that is all.. I am not sure if that is available in the logos system.
That's cool. I was just wondering if you were talking about the same one I have.

I don't have any contentions with dispensationalists as it's not a heresy. I was one for years. I just have a problem with multiple gospels that some have taught, not here but other places.
 

Everlasting-Grace

Well-known member
Dec 18, 2021
5,843
1,854
113
#58
That's cool. I was just wondering if you were talking about the same one I have.

I don't have any contentions with dispensationalists as it's not a heresy. I was one for years. I just have a problem with multiple gospels that some have taught, not here but other places.
yes. The dual gospel theology is in error.. and gives the dispy view a bad name.. because that is not what it (or scofield) teaches.
 
P

persistent

Guest
#59
.
Neh 8:7-8 . . Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai,
Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites,
caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their
place. So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the
sense, and caused them to understand the reading.


Well; speaking for myself-- myself alone --I would be a Bible-challenged
dunce were it not for commentators like the guys above. Lucky for me I
realized very early-on that the most unreliable Christians are self-taught
armchair experts; especially those infesting internet forums.


Eph 4:11-14 . . He is the one who gave these gifts to the church: the
apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and the teachers.
_
I resemble this remark.
 

HealthAndHappiness

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2022
10,233
4,284
113
Almost Heaven West Virginia
#60
The Scofield incorporates into the notes readings from the critical text. The image below is from the Introduction to the 1917 edition. Notice where it says: "have cleared the Greek textus receptus of minor inaccuracies." This is clearly a move into indoctrinate people to the idea that the critical text is better.

See: https://archive.org/details/scofieldreferenc0000revc/page/n7/mode/1up

This is my biggest gripe with any of the KJV study Bibles. They take the word of Westcott, Hort, etc. who were Critical Text men as "proof" of how terrible they think the KJV/ TR is. Some, you can't read five pages without some common tater saying in effect,
"This here ain't no Bible. I'M the Bible and you gotta trust me. After all, I'm the expert."

I've got more than one where I've argued with the author of the margin notes. 🙄