NIV Life Application Study Bible, Third Edition

by Anonymous (Contributor)

Trusted & Treasured by Millions of Readers over 30 years, the Life Application® Study Bible Is Today’s #1–Selling Study Bible

Now it has been thoroughly updated and expanded, offering even more relevant insights for understanding and applying God’s Word to everyday life in today’s world.

Discover How You Can Apply the Bible to Your Life Today

With a fresh two-color interior design and meaningfully updated study notes and features, this Bible will help you understand God’s Word better than ever. It answers the real-life questions that you may have and provides you practical yet powerful ways to apply the Bible to your life every day.

Study the stories and teachings of the Bible with verse-by-verse commentary. Gain wisdom from people in the Bible by exploring their accomplishments and learning from their mistakes. Survey the big picture of each book through overviews, vital statistics, outlines, and timelines, and grasp difficult concepts using in-text maps, charts, and diagrams—all to help you do life God’s way, every day.

Features: (Enhanced, updated, and with new content added throughout) Now more than 10,000 Life Application® notes and features Over 100 Life Application® profiles of key Bible people Introductions and overviews for each book of the Bible More than 500 maps & charts placed for quick reference Dictionary/concordance Extensive side-column cross-reference system to facilitate deeper study Life Application® index to notes, charts, maps, and profiles Refreshed design with a second color for visual clarity 16 pages of full-color maps Quality Smyth-sewn binding—durable, made for frequent use, and lays flat when open Presentation page Single-column format Christian Worker’s Resource, a special supplement to enhance the reader’s ministry effectiveness Full text of the accurate, readable, and clear New International Version (NIV) The words of Jesus are in red letter.

Genres: Christian, Religion, Nonfiction, Christianity, Reference, Faith, Spirituality

2496 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Books can be attributed to "Anonymous" for several reasons:

* They are officially published under that name
* They are traditional stories not attributed to a specific author
* They are religious texts not generally attributed to a specific author

Books whose authorship is merely uncertain should be attributed to Unknown.

See also: Anonymous

Reviews

[Joellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned that God loves us very much that he sent Jesus as our Savior and that he wants all (everybody) to go to heaven for eternity.
God has been taking care of his people ever since they have been on this earth. he protects us and gets us through problems through prayer.
It makes God very sad to see when people don't worship him and don't obey his commandments including love one another. It makes God very sad when he sees how humans destroy their lives and the lives of others with drug wars and other wars of greed and injustice to fellow mankind.
I learned that God is very patient with all the wickedness of people and still waiting for people to come to him as their one and only God.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have the personal sized, black and white floral cover design copy of this Bible and it is gorgeous!

This is my first Bible and it will probably be the only one I ever use. I love the NLT translation first of all. I don't know why NIV is so popular. Both NLT and NIV are modern translations, but I find that NLT is much clearer in the intended meaning, whereas NIV can leave me guessing for days.

The study notes and charts are AMAZING!!! I cannot stress enough how much they have helped me. I am a born again Christian and I very much needed help understanding what I read. I also love the reading plan. I wake up every morning and use the daily reading plan to help me spend time with God. It keeps me organized and focused.

Before I got this Bible I was using a simple thinlined NIV Bible that a Christian gave me my first day at church. I tried reading it cover to cover, and failed miserably.

This Bible is my own, I connect with it, I love it, and it's easy to read. Get this Bible and read it!!!

[Nadine A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I own several bibles and bible study books but every time I decided to read the entire bìble I would eventually just go back to daily devotionals or re-read my favorite books. That is until I found this bible. The explanatory notes, short history lessons and character profiles are just a few things included in this bible that not only helps with understanding how the scriptures can be applied to our world today but It helped me stay connected through the parts I found dìffícult or boríng and I was able to systematically complete the entire book, after trying many times in the past 20 years. The only reason I give it four stars is because some of the explanations are obviously contradictory to the text. Not enough to lessen its total value but enough to note.

[Brittany Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gave up a long time ago trying to read and understand the Bible, but after reading different parts of this edition, I saw it would be completely doable!

This is the first Bible I've ever been able to comprehend. That being said, it would be great for anyone new to the faith of Christianity or even remotely interested in it, children who are of age to read, teens and adults, whoever likes info presented in a manner that doesn't make you read between the lines.

The green hardcover is of high quality. (Warning about the small font-size: 8.75; there is a Large Print Edition available if you don't want to strain your eyes or use a magnifying glass.) The footnotes and extra guidance have really helped— (I wanted to explore/study faith on my own without religious pressure or bias.) This bible is one I wish I would have found earlier in life, because I may have connected with the Christian faith more than I do now. I have not found churches or segregated religions that sit well with my heart, so my time with spiritual text is very important to me. My eyes didn't glaze over, and I was actually interested in reading this. It's not all politics, and because of all the extras, I comprehended way more on my own than having the information shared through sermon. In one ear & out the other was NOT the case with this NLT Edition.

I want to thank the Goodreads Giveaway Program, author, & publisher for the free print copy I won. It is comforting to have a bible in the house, one that I finally connect with in more ways than I ever have before. For that, I also want to say thank you. All reviews and opinions are voluntarily my own.

[john · Rating 5 out of 5]

BEST book in the history of man

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

NIV Life Application Study Bible (Anglicised) – A Beautiful Bible

The NIV Life Application Study Bible is one of the most beautiful, easy to use Bibles that is perfect for personal study or if it were to be used in group resource. The NIV Life Application as well as being in my opinion the best study Bible available, and for me one of the easiest to read as we are not forced to read passages squeezed in to columns on a page. For those that tend to complain about the use of American English this has been Anglicised, so no z where it should be s!

As someone who studied Theology and used to using a Bible but still gets brain freeze sometimes I find that this study Bible is a welcome help. As there are a number of study features that are included throughout the Bible, which helps to make the Scriptures more available for all rather keeping many of the books a mystery except for scholars.

Why a Life Application Bible? If you are attempting to read the Bible by yourself and have no access to a Priest or Pastor to advise you on how to take the Word and apply it your life there are close to 10,000 study tools to help and advice. The great thing about this Bible it has been worked on by scholars of various denominations so there is ‘political’ slant that way. This is a Bible where the Scriptures are easy to read, explained in plain English and how to apply them to your life.

There is so much to praise here with the excellent introductions to each book, with advice notes on them. There are some wonderful charts and maps, excellent cross-referencing, plus an extensive index. The integrity of this translation is intact as the NIV is regarded as the best combination of accuracy and more importantly readability.

If you are an old hand at reading the Bible, or coming to the Bible for the first time to read, study and learn I cannot recommend NIV Life Application Study Bible (Anglicised) highly enough. I have the hard back copy and find it excellent, but there are leather and other cover options available. Buy this Bible and you will have access to the Scriptures in a modern way without the scholars waffle!

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The chronological order adds a fresh through-line to the biblical narrative that is different than the canonical order. The explanations are clear, simple and easy to understand (though sometimes simply redundant in explaining verbatim what you are about to read, which loses half a star for me).
The explanation of the historical accounts between the old and new testaments really help to increase one's understanding of the AD/BC split and what exactly was happening in society during the early days. It also gave me a deeper appreciation for the truth that binds the stories.
I was specifically appreciative of the intricacy of the psalms and David's adventures, the categorization of Levitical laws and the integration of the epistles into the Acts account.
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This is a book that will keep you reading and keep your mind on the scriptures daily, even if it takes you 14 months to finish your 'bible in a year' you will gain so much. I would recommend it to anyone.

[Gloria · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Life Application Study Bible is my favorite study Bible because it has great notes to explain the scripture in a way that is easy to understand and apply it to living in today's world. I have had the NIV translation for years in a leather bound format and even though I have several different Bibles, I keep going back to this one for study. The New Living Translation is a new to me translation and I to do it. I do feel that it is good to go between different translations to get a good picture of what the scripture is saying. I just received this Bible in a Goodreads giveaway where Tyndale was giving away this Bible in a hardcover version. I went to several different passages that I love, to compare, including Romans 8 and others, and thought that the NLT was a nice translation. The notes are the same ones in my old NIV version as in this new NLT version.
Thanks to Tyndale and Goodreads for sponsoring the giveaway and for my win. I am happy to add this to my Bibles to study.

[Jonathan Derr · Rating 5 out of 5]

How could you give this book anything LESS than 5 stars? Have you ever read a book so jammed full with stories, characters, plot twists etc.? I think of this book as one of my desert island books. If I had to pick only 5 books to read for the rest of my life stuck on a desert island, this would definitely be one of them. It is absolutely packed with interesting things. It can get tedious, don't get me wrong, the slow parts are definitely a little painful to trudge though. But if you can get through them, you will be very well rewarded. Anyway, now I know why they call it the 'good book'. It's worth a read!

[Kelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the entire thing... including footnotes. Took me almost an entire year.
I'm not going to comment on the book itself. It's "The Book" and to most people those capital letters are justified, to the majority of the world they are not.
I also will not expound on my religious beliefs since they are immaterial to this commentary.
I will only comment on this particular version of this book. I was gifted this book by a very religious friend about 15 years ago. It has sat on my shelf since then. But I am an avid reader and this was a book I had never read. So after previosuly abandoning a reading attempt I started anew with a new approach.
My cover-to-cover reading didn't cut it. This time I did a "read in a year" the chronological method. This was somewhat cover-to-cover but you did jump between books and sections of books which was interesting to see how different books covered the same events. (Found this reading schedule by google search).
The commentary in this book is really why one would buy this version... to "study" the bible. I realize that putting together a publication like this must be an extremely large effort invovling many individuals. Which shows in the footnotes... some books had excellent, helpful footnotes that were more matter of fact and interpretive. Other books had footnotes that were less interrepretive but instead more "preachy" with a feeling of instilling guilt as a motivator. Clearly I favored one technique over the other... so much so that during the "preachy" footnote books I almost dreaded reading them. I will note here that I read this with more of an educational view instead of a religious view, so perhaps those reading with a different motivation will find the opposite and wish the informative footnotes were more guilt ridden...
Overall I did think this was well put together resulting in the version of this book that the multitudes of people working on it initially intended.

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

The bible is truly the greatest story ever told. It was inspired by God- 2 Timothy 3:16 and it gives us personal instruction on Godly living, righteousness, even correction. Every word of God is flawless- Proverbs 30:5

God is our refuge our shield, our strong tower in times of trouble. We are not to be anxious but in everything glorifying God the Father through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. HE did what we could not do. Made himself to be sin, to be victorious over sin, and death; whereby we can experience eternal freedom with Him. Reign with him, and it is so awesome that we are children of God and he loved us so much that he gave his only begotten Son, that we could be victorious as well!

Most amazing book I've ever read. For me this year it helped when I stopped trying to focus on the me aspects and focus on His character. Draw close to God and he will draw close to you!- James 4:8
Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God!- Romans 10:17

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

My rating of 4 stars is, of course, for the NIV Life Application notes which appear at the bottom of each page, not for the text of the Bible itself which will always get the full 5! :) I'm going to assume everyone knew that but wanted to clarify juuuust in case.

The notes range from being academic or historic commentary to applications for contemporary life, at times stretching the point a little to make it fit into a modern application. There were several places where I disagreed, even disagreed strongly, with the life application notes but for the most part they were insightful and useful. On those where I did not agree, I viewed them as an example of another person's opinion and something I could use to hone my own views.

[Kristianna Holy Cheese · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing!! It helps me everyday!!! I will always be reading this book!!!! I will never be done reading this book!! There is always something new to didcover in every chapter even if u have read it a gazzilion times I promise you!! If you start reading and studing this book you will be amazed at the stuff you learn about JESUS the one who dies for our sins and the one who loves you sooo much no mater what!!!!!

[Helen Pugsley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Alright. This isn't a review for The Bible. This is a review for this particular Bible.
This is a study bible. Being a study bible it has lots of little helpful footnotes. The target audience is teenagers (ages 13-18), so rather than being theology and a study of ancient life, it's more "Here's how the word would apply to your life child." Which is great! Other bibles like this helped me loads when I was a kid.
However, I put this bible I got for Christmas away as a kid because it was the most homophobic thing I had ever read. The footnotes. I remember seeing red because it suggested gay people repent and be saved from their homosexuality. I've done a lot more reading on the subject in my adult life, and I can tell you, people are born with their sexual preferences. I firmly believe that that is the way God willed us to be. (I am available for further discussion. Go visit my website and find the contact page.)
Thumbing through this as an adult today I find it is worse than I remember. There was a passage about the AIDS epidemic. (A study note) It said something to the affect of "God isn't using AIDS to punish gay people. But people who commit acts of homosexuality and do drugs are more likely to contract AIDS." And I quote "You wouldn't jump off a building and expect gravity not to take hold would you?" It goes on to say "That's nature. And nature is taking care of the harmful act it does to itself." So God isn't punishing gay men but They totally are? Which is it?
Just before I went to put this away my eyes fell on a footnote featuring a 14 year old boy in handcuffs on a hard bench. "I chose the homeboys over church!" He lamented. And the iron bars snapped shut behind him.
It seems like this bible is trying to use fear to control children. Which is manipulative and abusive. Really, if you want your children to resent you, your church, and the whole of christianity skew their world views like Frollo Claude did to Quasimoto and tell them the world is an awful scary place and home is the only place where they can be loved and safe. Or like Mother Gothel did to Rapunzel! Honestly, that behavior is why most of my friends left the church as adults. My solution is to educate children so they can make informed decisions and have their own relationship with Christ based on love, not fear of punishment.
"There is no fear in perfect love. Perfect love drives out all fear." 1 John 4:18

[Rf8283 · Rating 5 out of 5]

God's Word is the best & single most important book. Out of all the books in the world, this is the one I hope that everyone will take time to read. If we are as diligent in reading this as we are in all the other books of the world, our understanding, personal peace, & spiritual life will change not to mention our relationship with Jesus Christ. My prayer is that everyone who reads it will allow Him to touch them as only He can & change your life. Permanently.

John 3:16 & 17 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. For He (Jesus) came into the world not to condemn the world, but so the world through Him might be saved.

John 20:31 For these are written that you will believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, & that by believing in Him you will have eternal Life!

Dueteronomy 30:19 For this day, I call the Heavens & earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life & death, blessings & curses. Now choose Life so that you & your children may live!

[Tom Leary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read through many different study bibles in my work as a youth minister. I haven't found any to be easier to understand or have more useful information than the Life Application Study Bibles. The NLT version works well as it is generally seen as truer the the biblical text. In general the commentary does a great job giving very useful information right on the page regarding the historical activities going on during the time of the verse being referenced.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

2025: This was my second time reading the bible in a year. This time I used The Bible Recap plan and podcast… HIGHLY recommend! It’s a big commitment but I learned SO much.

2019: I used a plan from www.bible-reading.com to read the entire Bible in 2019. It’s definitely a proud moment for me. This application Bible was the perfect choice. The footnotes, maps, timelines, and summaries were super helpful!

[Brad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally finished it! It only took 6 years. :)

[Mikey · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first study bible, when I was new in my faith this study bible really assisted me in learning more about applying my faith to everyday life.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again, I read various editions of the Book in search of meaning for me...It may not be somebody's way but it's mine and I rarely invoke the creator but I believe my faith is guiding me in this..

[Beth White · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this Easter challenge of reading through the Bible throughout the period of lent. Often my greatest struggle is making it through the books of the law such as Leviticus and Numbers. Reading them so close in time to the New Testament teachings of Jesus allowed me a new perspective on God’s love within the law and His heart for His people. The Bible is an incredibly powerful book with foundations within that set the basis for how we can and should live our lives but, more importantly, the relationship we were created to have with God and the journey and long suffering He has undertaken in order to bring us back to Him. The NIV study Bible is a fantastic translation that is easy to read and does not block the reader with the terminology and language used while also unraveling the message of the words intended by their authors.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn’t have picked a better year to read the Bible cover to cover. Used a plan that was chronological, which gives new light to the Psalms. Reading it once through is not enough....I will be starting again tomorrow.

[Tobie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, so I've done many Bible studies since spring 2001, but never actually read through the entire Bible. I started my "one year through the Bible" journey in January 2010 and I'm still on the road. I love the reading plan that I have....I read a section from the Old Testament, the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs each day. I downloaded the plan from Dailyaudiobible.com (DAB) which, by the way, is a great site. Brian Hardin, from DAB, does the year through the Bible every year (since I think 2005) and the podcast of each day is available from itunes. I can't say enough good things about it. And the podcast for each day, and each year, is new for that day / year. Yes, he reads live every single day of every year. Plus there's a great on-line community at DAB and awesome prayer warriers who will pray for you if you post a prayer request. Anyway, after getting a little side-tracked, I love my NIV Life Application Study Bible. Lots of information, footnotes, etc. My sister-in-law gave me this Bible in 2001 and I love it.

[M. Chéwl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up a copy of this pocket-sized KJV recently published by Thomas Nelson, which includes the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs. It is very readable despite being smaller than an iPhone, and I have had it neatly ensconced in my coat pocket all week, taking it out every once in a while to peruse a Psalm whenever some heathen co-worker hath vexed me and sapped my mirth! This beautiful little book will follow me around for many years to come, and I will be reading it continually, imbibing these resplendent verses.

A notion expounded by Marcus Aurelius greatly appealed to me a while ago when I was immersed in the works of the Stoics - and that is, to treat their maxims as a soothing salve or a balm to use whenever your soul is in need of them. The Psalms have served this function for me personally; it brings me great comfort to utter them when on a solitary walk, as they seem to restore a sense of equanimity and peace to this invariably overwrought mind, and they help me to persevere through these chaotic times.

[Dea]

It is unlikely that I will ever truly "read" this, but will instead refer to it from time to time and read passages both greater and lesser in size as the mood strikes me. I do enjoy having a bible for reference, and this was a gift to me when I graduated high school. I am intrigued by the difference in format from the King James bible (and mildly amused that the Catholic church was not listed in the Preface among the denominations of those distinguished scholars who worked on this translation).

Any suggestions with where I should begin reading first? I have heard that Genisis is not always the best beginning. ;)

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given this version for Christmas 2009 by my Mother-in-Law, Barbara Parson, two months before she died. (I am departing from my normal practice of only listing books as "read" which I've read all the way through, because despite reading from this book regularly, I use another volume for my regular reading and study.)

The large text was a concession to my age, and my need for a Bible I could read comfortably in public.

A very good read.

[Jay Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read many versions of the Bible. I chose this version in 2005 for a Disciple course. I bought the Life Application Version. It is well footnoted and the NIV addition is easier to read. (Still like King James the best). It is the best study Bible I have ever owned and I still use it today. Now, 2021, I have read it cover to cover again. Still love it.

[Mona · Rating 5 out of 5]

The word of God can only have a five star rating.

[Aaron]

Going to need to read this one over a few more times

[David Hevia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Bible transformed my faith by applying the text to my daily life. The instruction it provides is the best tool for understanding the gospel and learning to live the Christian life.