Book Review: Start! The Bible for New Believers (NKJV)

I recently received a copy of Start! The Bible for New Believers (New King James Version) through BookSneeze. If you’ve been following my blog, you probably already know that BookSneeze is a program that provides free books to bloggers in exchange for honest reviews.

The Start! Bible, edited by Greg Laurie, is specifically designed for new Christians and it has some great features, including introductions for every chapter and small sections titled Live, Learn, Know, and Grow throughout. As described on the back cover: Live messages focus on various aspects of salvation, Learn notes provide mini-commentaries on key passages for spiritual growth, Know articles expose the core beliefs of Christians, and Grow entries reveal the key disciplines of the Christian life. I found that these sections really enhanced the Bible reading experience and helped me to have a better understanding of the scriptures. Additionally, Start! begins with a short section about the plan of salvation, followed by Greg Laurie’s “Secrets to Spiritual Success”, both of which would be quite useful to a beginner and great refreshers for those of us who are not new to the faith. Rounding out the special features is, of course, an extensive topical index.

The language of the New King James Version is easier to understand than that of the old English found in KJV, although personally I still prefer the New International Version. However, aside from my own personal translation preferences, I think this really is a great Bible. As I hinted at earlier, despite being aimed at new believers Start! could also be quite useful to the seasoned Christian looking for a fresh perspective. The structure is similar to that of the NIV Study Bible, but it provides new insight in its chapter introductions and offers a lot of great hints on how to apply Biblical principles to your life in the Live, Learn, Know, and Grow messages. Whether you’re just starting out on your walk with Jesus or you’ve been getting to know Him for years, this Bible is definitely worth checking out.