Recommended Resource: The MacArthur Topical Bible

[B.L.]

Greetings Friends,

Some no doubt saw "MacArthur" in the subject line and decided to pass this thread by, but for those who clicked on this if you are in need of a topical guide for the Bible I highly recommend "The MacArthur Topical Bible" (cheapest one I found is linked).

I used a gift card this week and picked one up for my birthday and have spent a day becoming acquainted with it. I am always on the lookout for valuable references for studying the Bible and this has got to be the best topical guide I've seen. I also own the Nelson's Biblical Cyclopedic Index, The Complete Topical Guide to the Bible, and Willmington's Guide to the Bible, and have others of the same genre. But the MacArthur Topical Bible stands out among them. It is a beast of a book and has nearly every topic one can think of covered in the ~1,600 pages.

Another thing I appreciate about this volume is it lists out the complete verse(s) for each scripture reference (in my preferred translation - NKJV), which saves time by not having to look up each and every verse that is referenced (as fun as that activity can be).

Some here obviously might take issue with the section on baptism and maybe the eschatological sections, but if you are willing to chew the meat and spit out the bones this has to be one of the best topical guides available today.

Be blessed my friends. This is the day the Lord has made.

 

[Wretched Man]

Greetings Friends,

Some no doubt saw "MacArthur" in the subject line and decided to pass this thread by, but for those who clicked on this if you are in need of a topical guide for the Bible I highly recommend "The MacArthur Topical Bible" (cheapest one I found is linked).

I used a gift card this week and picked one up for my birthday and have spent a day becoming acquainted with it. I am always on the lookout for valuable references for studying the Bible and this has got to be the best topical guide I've seen. I also own the Nelson's Biblical Cyclopedic Index, The Complete Topical Guide to the Bible, and Willmington's Guide to the Bible, and have others of the same genre. But the MacArthur Topical Bible stands out among them. It is a beast of a book and has nearly every topic one can think of covered in the ~1,600 pages.

Another thing I appreciate about this volume is it lists out the complete verse(s) for each scripture reference (in my preferred translation - NKJV), which saves time by not having to look up each and every verse that is referenced (as fun as that activity can be).

Some here obviously might take issue with the section on baptism and maybe the eschatological sections, but if you are willing to chew the meat and spit out the bones this has to be one of the best topical guides available today.

Be blessed my friends. This is the day the Lord has made.

His MacArthur Study Bible (ESV) has been my Bible of choice. Lots of great insight in the commentary footnotes (more so than I feel than Sproul’s Reformation study Bible), though I have to ignore about a third of them, particularly when going through the prophets and having to hear about how every other prophecy somehow proves there will be a future restoration of Israel...

Question: what’s the difference between a systematic theology book (i.e. Wayne Grudem’s which I’m currently reading) and a Topical Bible (which sounds similar)?

 

[spunky01]

Greetings Friends,

Some no doubt saw "MacArthur" in the subject line and decided to pass this thread by, but for those who clicked on this if you are in need of a topical guide for the Bible I highly recommend "The MacArthur Topical Bible" (cheapest one I found is linked).

I used a gift card this week and picked one up for my birthday and have spent a day becoming acquainted with it. I am always on the lookout for valuable references for studying the Bible and this has got to be the best topical guide I've seen. I also own the Nelson's Biblical Cyclopedic Index, The Complete Topical Guide to the Bible, and Willmington's Guide to the Bible, and have others of the same genre. But the MacArthur Topical Bible stands out among them. It is a beast of a book and has nearly every topic one can think of covered in the ~1,600 pages.

Another thing I appreciate about this volume is it lists out the complete verse(s) for each scripture reference (in my preferred translation - NKJV), which saves time by not having to look up each and every verse that is referenced (as fun as that activity can be).

Some here obviously might take issue with the section on baptism and maybe the eschatological sections, but if you are willing to chew the meat and spit out the bones this has to be one of the best topical guides available today.

Be blessed my friends. This is the day the Lord has made.

I find it useful. I actually got mine in 1999 through Grace To You by being on their mailing list to receive new free resources. Since it was the first edition the cover is the purple one. The only thing is that the pages are super thin and tear easily. Maybe the newer edition isn't like that though.

 

[B.L.]

I find it useful. I actually got mine in 1999 through Grace To You by being on their mailing list to receive new free resources. Since it was the first edition the cover is the purple one. The only thing is that the pages are super thin and tear easily. Maybe the newer edition isn't like that though.

The edition I received was published by Thomas Nelson in 2010. The paper is thick and durable kind of like a textbook. Since posting this thread earlier today I've spent some more time going through it and have had a lot of fun with it. I'm thankful it's in the NKJV since that's the translation we're using in my house. Lately I've been using some Bible workbooks with my kids that uses the ESV and the fill in the blank questions can be quite painful for them at times due to the different translation. Since switching to the NKJV it's donned on me just how few study resources are keyed to it. At any rate...veering off topic.

 

[B.L.]

His MacArthur Study Bible (ESV) has been my Bible of choice.

Last year I picked up the newly revised NKJV version that came out in the comfort print setting and it's a significant improvement over the first edition. This new second edition has been fully redesigned with updated study notes and expanded maps and charts, etc. It's quite nice. I believe the NASB is up next in 2020 and I'm sure the ESV is coming up.