Why Haven’t More Christians Been Taught How to Study Their Bibles?

Dear Christian Friend,

It’s a sad but true fact. Many Christians are frustrated when they open their Bibles. So many passages in God’s Word seem confusing or difficult.

I know, because I have often felt that way too. And so did my father, Wayne Jackson.

But if he had a gift it was this. When he found a difficult passage, like a dog with a bone, he refused to let go of it until he had plumbed its depths to discover the truth. In doing so, he was able to share with others the vast riches of God’s word—both in his teaching and writing.

One of his favorite things to write about were these little nuggets of gold in the Sacred Text. In his monthly paper, the Christian Courier, he maintained a column of Notes from the Margin of My Bible. Later, those margin notes and others were combined in a book under the same name.

How It All Began

Here’s how my father described the evolution of this book:

I was immersed into Jesus Christ on September 18, 1954, in my senior year of high school.

It wasn’t long before I became a serious student of the sacred Scriptures. I had a small Testament that I carried to school and would memorize passages while waiting for the school bus on those crisp Tennessee mornings. On March 19, 1956, my dear mother gave me a copy of the American Standard Version of the Bible.

For more than sixty years, I used that Bible. It looks pitiful. The cover is cracked. The pages, yellow with age, are torn and taped, and many are loose. But above all, it is a marked Bible.

From the very beginning, I started underlining, circling, drawing arrows, entering cross-references, making notes, and writing in the names of books where helpful material could be found. There are hundreds of these “notes in the margin of my Bible.”

I continued studying this way for all these years. When I look at some of the older notes, I am a bit embarrassed and thank the Author that I have grown in my knowledge.

Several years ago, I started writing a small monthly column in the Christian Courier, amplifying these notes. The book is a compilation of many of those columns, as well as others that never were published in that journal.

I am grateful to know that many Christians take these notes and use them as aids in personal study. May God help us all to become better students of His Word. The future of the church depends on it.

—Wayne Jackson, 1993

And many have been blessed by God’s Word through this book.

Finally, This Favorite Book From Wayne Jackson Is Back In Print

Wayne Jackson’s Notes from the Margin of My Bible has been out of print for almost two decades. The files were long lost in a computer that died decades ago. The printer who produced the volume was no longer in business.

Those who still wanted a copy for their edification or to give as a gift to someone they loved were resigned to hunting for used copies on eBay or Amazon, often without success or only to be disappointed at someone charging an outrageous cost of sometimes $300 or more.

Frequently I was asked if I’d thought about reprinting it. Yes, but the economics just didn’t make sense. The time and cost associated with reproducing the content of the book, almost by hand, just made it difficult.

But because I’ve received so many requests for this book in the last several years, I reconsidered. The result is a handsome, limited-edition printing of his Notes from the Margin of My Bible.

And … if I don’t say so myself, it is the most beautiful edition of this great treasure of biblical knowledge. From the professionally designed dust jacket to the deep blue cloth hardback covering, to the tightly bound Smythe-sewn case, to the easy-to-read typography. The quality of this printing is truly justice for this tool.

You will be proud to have this book sitting on your desk or beside your favorite reading chair … always at hand for reference or just a moment or two of Bible study.

Like so many others, you will enjoy perusing the pages of Old and New Testament notes. Perhaps you will use Wayne’s margin notes to inscribe your own notes in the margin of your Bible. Meaningful notes that animate God’s word in your mind and bring the minute details to life.

Will this book change your life? No one can say that for certain. But if it helps you in some small way to be more excited about the Word of the Lord, to motivate you to dig deeper into the Wisdom of God, to embed in your mind meaningful highlights of the Scriptures, then this book will have done its job.

LIMITED EDITION

This printing was made possible because of the generous support from those who believe in our labor in the gospel. As a result, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to reprint it ever again. However, you can get your copy today before this limited edition expires.

Order today online.