Purchasing my last Bible
The Bibles on my shelves tell in part the story of my personal walk with the Lord. There is the 3-inch thick Parallel Bible with four translations that I used through high school. Then there is the well-worn, duct-taped spine, two-inch-thick Bible I used throughout most of college. I do not know why I opted for such big Bibles back then. Next to this Bible is the much thinner (Ultrathin Reference Edition) Bible I used for some of my college years and into my seminary days. It does not have as much duct tape applied, but it is all the same, held together, both on the outside and the inside, with applications of tape. Duct tape is the poor man’s rebinding. In all three of these Bibles are margin notes that reference particular times when God was moving in my life. In all three there are highlighted scripture verses that God has used to comfort, convict, and challenge me. And all three hold a special place in my heart because they were a significant part of my life in their respective seasons.
With each of these Bibles, I set them aside and began to use the next one because I preferred to use a different size or typeset. Or, in the case of the last two, they were becoming greatly worn, with pages falling out. Time and wear had limited their ability to keep up with the rigors of accompanying me through life and ministry.
In 2001 I was given a new Bible as a gift at my ordination service. And though I hold special all the other Bibles I have used, this one is the most treasured to me. For the last 20 years, I have preached from this Bible. In it are markings from twenty years of study, devotion, and preaching. Many of the pages show the evidence of turning pages with my thumb. This Bible does not have duct tape applied, but it has been professionally rebound. Some of the pages have been repaired with scotch tape at the top, repairing the damage left by the paperclips I once used to affix my sermon notes to the opposing page from the text I planned to preach. The Bible has been used to preach from pulpits in Texas, South Carolina, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Georgia, and Mexico. It has been used in church worship services, home bible studies, student retreats, Sunday school classes, weddings, and funerals. It has been used on college campuses, high schools, middle schools, elementary schools, and even for a preschool chapel service (my most challenging audience to date!) Frankly, I have no desire to ever change Bibles again. Some of the non-scripture text pages in the front and back have long detached from the binding. And now, some of the pages of scripture have also worn loose of the binding. But even still, with gentle care, this wonderful copy of God’s word can still be used.
But things do change.
The one thing that all these Bibles have in common is that they are the New American Standard translation (1977). I started using the NASB in high school as my main study Bible. I appreciated the formatting used such as italics to indicate words that are not found in the original text, or small caps in the New Testament to indicate Old Testament quotations or asterisks that indicated a historical present tense Greek verb that is translated as an English past tense. As a college and seminary student studying Greek, I very much appreciated how close the translation stayed to the original. The NASB I received in 2001 was the 1977 edition of the translation. The Lockman Foundation did a limited revision in 1995 and an updated revision in 2020. And the result is that most of the people who hear me preach each week do not have and cannot easily purchase a Bible that is the same as the translation I preach from.
This and the deteriorating condition of my current Bible caused me to start to think about purchasing a new preaching Bible. And with this also came the consideration of changing translations. I have used the English Standard Version for several years for personal Bible study and thought that if I ever did buy a new preaching Bible, this would be the translation I would switch to. So, for a while now, the translation question was settled for me but finding an ESV Bible that was most similar to my current Bible in printing and layout, along with not wanting to let go of my current preaching Bible slowed the process considerably.
But several weeks ago, after much consideration and good-old-fashion dragging my feet, I purchased a new ESV preaching Bible. The church then purchased new ESV pew Bibles for the sanctuary. There is no going back now. My current preaching Bible lasted me twenty years. If this new Bible lasts as long and the Lord gives me as many years, I will be 66 years old. At that point, as much as I do not like to change such things, I do not think I will be buying a new Bible. New Bibles are nice, but old and worn Bibles are much better! This one, I hope – as my granddad often said – will do me out.
FYI: The old NASB 1995 pew Bibles that were replaced are available free to anyone desiring them. We will have them available in the sanctuary so for Central Baptist folks feel free to grab as many as you want. Use them for your own study or give them to another who needs a Bible. If you are not local to Waycross or a member of Central Baptist Church but have a need for these Bibles feel free to stop by and get as many as you need.
