Grace Abounding

The joy of marriage is God’s gift so we display Christ’s love for the church and grow in holiness. It is incumbent on every couple to see and savor God together in regular Bible study. This responsibility falls particularly on husbands to initiate. See Ephesians 5:25-27 where husbands ought to set the pace in “cleansing her with the water of the Word.”

Having trouble sitting down with your spouse and looking at a Bible passage together? Do you sit down together to do this but end up floundering? Take heart! Here are five study resources to help you get started.

1. John MacArthur Bible Study Guides
Pastor MacArthur has produced Bible study booklets that guide you through a book of the Bible. The booklets are self-contained so you read the passage listed, answer several questions , and examine the application and cross-reference passages he provides. A great start to Bible study as a couple.

Average price: $8

2. John MacArthur Passage & Theme Study Guides
Do I sound like a broken record? Another MacArthur resource? Yes. Because this one is free.  For a variety of passages and themes, Pastor MacArthur provides a study sheet of questions and helpful commentary for you to talk through together. This is similar to the above-mentioned resources except covers shorter passages.

Average price: download for free

3. Daily Devotional from R.C. Sproul and Ligonier Ministries
Christy and I occasionally print out the day’s daily devotional from R.C. Sproul. This devotional includes a few verses to look up, commentary, one question, and a suggestion for prayer. They’re totally free, and one devotional is provided for every day of the year. Click here, then scroll down to the right where it says “Daily Devotionals.”

Price: download for free

4. Kay Arthur Bible Study Guides
I’ve also used these Bible study guides that tackle a book of the Bible or theme and break it up into a daily study for several weeks to a month. Each day’s study includes a passage to read and examine and questions to dig deeper. These include a little more busy work (instructions on marking up the passage) but these extra steps teach good principles of Bible study if you take the time. For some this will float your boat more than the MacArthur studies described above.

Average price: $9

5. For the Love of God Vol 1 and Vol 2 by Don Carson $10-15 (used)
Carson gives rich theological insight as he guides his readers through reading the Bible in a year. This is less interactive in that no discussion questions are included. Readers are given four chapters a day to read. These are beneficial guides for couples that would like to experience the wide expanse of the Bible in the space of a year.

Price: $14.00

Getting Started
View these tools as training wheels to get you started in listening to God and talking to Him together. But don’t rely on “Our Daily Bread” or devotional booklets forever. Strive to learn good Bible study habits with these resources with a goal of eventually opening up the Word itself and talking through a passage jointly without devotional guides. That’s where the greatest reward will come. I offer these ideas as a good bridge. As counselor David Powlison has said about he and his wife’s spiritual relationship, “The best way we counsel each other is by reading the Bible together & taking about it.”

Have additional recommendations? Post them in the comments below.

Psalm 119:92-93 – “If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life.” (NIV)