No, it’s not going to make you anymore holy. And no, the more you spend on a bible does not work in correlation with how close you are to heaven. In fact, I’m convinced that someone can be taught the gospel from something as simple as those little freebie pocket-sized Gideon bibles. So then, why am I spending time and effort in writing to get you to buy a nice bible? Good question.
#1 It Will Take Care of You – As with everything else, the cheaper and lower-quality bibles tend to fall apart much easier. The phrase goes, “a bible that is falling apart usually belongs to a person who is not.” While there may be some truth in that, it could also be the case that the Bible is just a cheap, poorly bound product. The bible I currently use was around $175, but it has lasted me five years, two trips to Africa, a trip to Israel, and is my go-to bible for everything.
#2 You Will Take Care of It – I used to own a bottom of the line Ford Focus with a ton of miles. I thrashed that car through off-road mountain trails, eventually both bumpers needed gorilla tape in order to remain present, and I never took it to the carwash. I didn’t care a single bit for that car because I saw very little value in it. Don’t get me wrong, the Holy Scriptures will always have value, even in the form of free Gideon bibles. However, when you make an investment in something like a calfskin or a Cambridge bible, the chances of you forgetting it, losing it, or damaging it are far less. It will become one of your most prized possessions, and the value will steadily increase as you use it and mark in it.
#3 It Will Benefit Your Study – To me, there is almost nothing crippling to your personal study than a bible with non-existent margins. I’m not saying that margins are absolutely necessary for you and your walk with God, but they definitely help. It’s nice to be able to write personal notes next to Divine scripture. Margins allow you to reflect on the text and install that message in your heart and mind.
#4 It Will Energize Your Zeal – There’s something about having a good quality bible that changes the game. Growing up, I used to have one of those little “devo” bibles. It was good but the gospels of Matthew and Luke were falling out and the front cover was forever curled up because I left it in my parents car on a hot summer day. The day I spent some real money on a nicer bible, I couldn’t help but be excited to crack it open and study. I became excited to take it everywhere – the coffee shop, school, the library, etc.
#5 What Else Will You Spend Money On? – I remember standing in Mardel with a bible in hand. I looked at the $174.99 price tag and cringed. I finally came to my senses after realizing that I was upset about spending a man-made monetary note on a divine library that would bring me closer to my God – perhaps there is nothing more worthy of your wages. Put it this way: A good cappuccino will run around $4-5. If you do that daily, you’re sitting around $1680/year. Grant it, maybe not every day is a cappuccino day, so take $700 away. That’s still $980 per year. My current bible has lasted me five years and is still going strong – in comparison that’s roughly $35 per year for a bible (almost 3% of coffee expenses!). I feel like if there’s one thing you can get away with spending money on, a bible is among the top of that list.
Let me be the first to encourage you if you don’t already own a nice bible – find one. You don’t even have to spend over $100 to do so. A nice, quality bound, genuine leather bible can be had for around $40-$50. There are great bibles out there that include good study tips, wide and extra wide margins, single column, verse-by-verse, and all sorts of good stuff. A quality bible will become one of your very best companions in this life.
Tyler King