How I Use Logos for Seminary and Personal Bible Study
As a new Christian a few years ago, I struggled with all the normal questions related to the Bible and Jesus. I quickly relized that it was only through regular Bible study that I would get adequate and reliable answers to my questions. I began, as most do, by buying an NIV Study Bible. This was a help but I soon realized that the information in the commentary was limited and often left more questions to be answered. I decided to pursue Biblical studies more diligently and purchased a parallel Bible and some handy flip charts from the local Christian bookstore. Then I picked up a few handbooks that addressed the more challenging issues. Soon, I was overwhelmed and decided that I should take some on-line courses in theology. I ended up enrolling in Seminary in pursuit of a Masters in Ministry degree.
In my first semester of classes, I was required to buy about 8 books. They consisted of basic theology texts as well as dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a concordance. I was still clueless on how to conduct a good Bible study but I felt I was on the right tract. Half way through the first semester, I attended a World View Weekend Conference and was introduced to Logos. I was so impressed that I convinced my wife to buy the Logos Scholar Set. It was not long before I put away those clumsy books and took to the electronic format for all my studies.
It has been a little over a year and now I rely on Logos for all my Bible studies. For in-depth Scripture study I use the Surveys, Commentaries, Atlas, Dictionary, and Encyclopedias. They allow me to practice the Grammatical-Historical technique of Bible study I have learned in Seminary. I also find the Reverse-Interlinear very helpful due to my lack of knowledge of Biblical languages. In addition, I use Logos as the primary tool for teaching the College and Career Sunday-School Class at Church. Logos gives me the ability to show maps, read directly from multiple commentaries, switch translations, and answer difficult questions very quickly. All this while carrying only my laptop.
Although I am a new Christian with no previous Bible Study experience, the tools provided in Logos along with the techniques I have learned in Seminary has allowed me to tackle in-depth Biblical topics with excitement and confidence. I have the tools at my fingertips to conduct a very detailed Bible study. But more importantly, the study of scripture with the tools mentioned above has led to a life long obsession for the desire to know and apply God’s Word!
John 8:32 “and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free”