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ESV Gospel Transformation Bible
The apostle Paul summed up his whole ministry as existing "to testify to the gospel of the grace of God" (Acts 20:24). That single-minded goal is the heartbeat of the ESV Gospel Transformation Bible. Produced out of the conviction that the Bible is a unified message of God's grace culminating in Jesus, it is a significant new tool to help readers see Christ in all of Scripture, and grace for all of life.
The Gospel Transformation Bible features all-new book introductions and gospel-illuminating notes written by a team of over 50 outstanding pastors and scholars. This specially prepared material outlines passage-by-passage God's redemptive purposes of grace that echo all through Scripture and culminate in Christ. The notes not only explain but also apply the text in a grace-centered way. Focusing on heart transformation rather than mere behavior modification, their points of application emphasize the Hows and Whys of practical application to daily living--in short, how the gospel transforms us from the inside out.
The Gospel Transformation Bible is available in a wide variety of print and digital formats. Moreover, every print edition comes with free access to the Online Gospel Transformation Bible, hosted at ESVBible.org.
The Gospel Transformation Bible will equip both new and seasoned believers with a gospel-centered reading of Scripture, enabling God's people to see that the message of the Bible is a unified one--"to testify to the gospel of the grace of God." Black letter text Double-column, paragraph format Book introductions Gospel transformation study notes Introductory essay Concordance 80,000 cross-references Free access to the Online Gospel Transformation Bible
The Gospel Transformation Bible features all-new book introductions and gospel-illuminating notes written by a team of over 50 outstanding pastors and scholars. This specially prepared material outlines passage-by-passage God's redemptive purposes of grace that echo all through Scripture and culminate in Christ. The notes not only explain but also apply the text in a grace-centered way. Focusing on heart transformation rather than mere behavior modification, their points of application emphasize the Hows and Whys of practical application to daily living--in short, how the gospel transforms us from the inside out.
The Gospel Transformation Bible is available in a wide variety of print and digital formats. Moreover, every print edition comes with free access to the Online Gospel Transformation Bible, hosted at ESVBible.org.
The Gospel Transformation Bible will equip both new and seasoned believers with a gospel-centered reading of Scripture, enabling God's people to see that the message of the Bible is a unified one--"to testify to the gospel of the grace of God." Black letter text Double-column, paragraph format Book introductions Gospel transformation study notes Introductory essay Concordance 80,000 cross-references Free access to the Online Gospel Transformation Bible
29545 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 30, 2013
174 people are currently reading
131 people want to read
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* 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
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
December 9, 2016
It took me 3 years to make it through the GTB with all the notes, but it was worth the journey. Excellent notes.
My favorite contributers were Willem VanGemeren (Gen), Michael Horton (Josh), Ray Ortlund (Prov), Graeme Goldsowrthy (Jer), Jim Hamilton (Hos, Rev), Nancy Guthrie (Mic), Frank Thielman (Matt), Scotty Smith (John), Stephen Um (2 Cor), and Kevin DeYoung (Eph).
My favorite contributers were Willem VanGemeren (Gen), Michael Horton (Josh), Ray Ortlund (Prov), Graeme Goldsowrthy (Jer), Jim Hamilton (Hos, Rev), Nancy Guthrie (Mic), Frank Thielman (Matt), Scotty Smith (John), Stephen Um (2 Cor), and Kevin DeYoung (Eph).
December 9, 2015
My goal for this year was to read this cover to cover -- finished!
December 14, 2017
Excellent. I enjoyed the gospel devotions/notes that were added - a great addition for daily Bible reading.
December 26, 2020
This Bible is the ESV version with commentary notes written by many respected contributors (both men and women) whose main goal is to see Christ and the Gospel highlighted in all of scripture. They are not study notes but rather explanatory notes. It contains a daily reading plan that leads the reader from Genesis to Revelation, following the way it has been given to us. I simply cannot recommend this Bible more highly— the Word of God and the help of trained godly people who continually hold out the overarching redemptive story of scripture! It’s a significant investment of time but one that you will never regret. It will cause you to think about God daily and what He has accomplished for us in Jesus Christ. I heartily encourage you to consider it!
October 30, 2013
The Gospel Transformation Bible is not a Study Bible, at least in the traditional sense. A team of scholars and pastors have joined together under Bryan Chappell’s and Dane Ortlund’s editorial direction to answer two questions: (1) How is the gospel evident in all of scripture? and (2) How does the gospel of grace bring about our transformation? Each of the books of the Bible have a brief introduction which describes authorship and date and how the gospel is illuminated (how it fits into the larger story of salvation). The notes on the bottom of each page, continue this dual focus on God’s larger plan of redemption and implications for our life. Sometimes the notes are as detailed (particular books have more expansive and detailed notes). Some passages are passed over without comment (i.e. certain narratives in the Old Testament historical books do not carry much comments). The reason for this is that the notes are focused and so do not attempt to untangle every difficulty in the text (like a Study Bible would).
What is the gospel that contributors describe? It is focused on Jesus’ life, death and resurrection as God’s plan of redpemption for humanity. But Jesus did not come in a vacuum. The Bible tells the story of God’s relationship to his people and the First Testament anticipates Christ’s coming. Thus the contributors to this volume, read the Bible Christologically (yet sensitively).
Some great scholars and interpreters have contributed to this Bible. Among them are Michael Horton (Joshua), V. Philips Long (1-2 Samuel), Bruce Ware (Psalms), Graeme Goldsworthy (Jeremiah, Lamentations), Bryan Chapell (Daniel), Frank Thielman (Matthew), R. Kent Huges (1-2 Timothy) and more. Because some of the scholars are more scholarly and others more pastoral, there is a lack of consistency from book to book. Each of these individual interpreters give their particular spin on the gospel implications of a passage or book, though they share a broad agreement on the gospel.
Scot Mcknight argued in The King Jesus Gospel (Zondervan 2011) that certain evangelicals have reduced the gospel to the message of personal salvation, rather than describing how Jesus fulfills the hopes of Israel. In general I would say that most of the interpreters in this volume are not guilty of McKnight’s charge. They have attended to the wider biblical story and not just the ‘order of salvation.’ However there are occasional lapses. For example, Daniel Doriani’s notes on James reduce the book’s gospel value to illustrating our inability to enact ‘true religion,’ driving us back to the grace of Christ. I would say that James carries social implications (care of widows and orphans) which make the gospel manifest. The gospel in James should not be reduced to the level of personal sin (only). But this is one example. At other points, I think the notes are brilliant and illuminating.
Another feature I appreciate about this Bible, is the use it makes of the ESV cross-reference system. Following these cross references sheds light on particular themes and I find that helpful. Purchasing the Bible in print gives you access to the Bible online (it is easier to access cross-references if you don’t have to flip through pages for every verse). This makes this a very practical choice for personal study.
In general I am pretty happy with the quality of this Bible. The notes are not always perfect (some interpreters are more perfect than others), but the inspiration of the Bible does not extend to marginal notes. I appreciate how well executed the final product is. And I absolutely loved finding Phil Long’s contribution (on Samuel). Long was my professor for two classes of Exegesis at Regent College (neither of which focused on Samuel, but because it is an area of some expertise I heard plenty of Samuel examples). From Phil I learned to read Old Testament narrative sensitive to its narrative craft, its historical value and theological import. I like having some of his practical insights in print form.
I give this Bible 4 stars and would recommend it for personal study. I am not a huge fan of ‘study Bibles,’ but the unique features and perspectives of this Bible make it a valuable contribution.
Thank you to Crossway for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
What is the gospel that contributors describe? It is focused on Jesus’ life, death and resurrection as God’s plan of redpemption for humanity. But Jesus did not come in a vacuum. The Bible tells the story of God’s relationship to his people and the First Testament anticipates Christ’s coming. Thus the contributors to this volume, read the Bible Christologically (yet sensitively).
Some great scholars and interpreters have contributed to this Bible. Among them are Michael Horton (Joshua), V. Philips Long (1-2 Samuel), Bruce Ware (Psalms), Graeme Goldsworthy (Jeremiah, Lamentations), Bryan Chapell (Daniel), Frank Thielman (Matthew), R. Kent Huges (1-2 Timothy) and more. Because some of the scholars are more scholarly and others more pastoral, there is a lack of consistency from book to book. Each of these individual interpreters give their particular spin on the gospel implications of a passage or book, though they share a broad agreement on the gospel.
Scot Mcknight argued in The King Jesus Gospel (Zondervan 2011) that certain evangelicals have reduced the gospel to the message of personal salvation, rather than describing how Jesus fulfills the hopes of Israel. In general I would say that most of the interpreters in this volume are not guilty of McKnight’s charge. They have attended to the wider biblical story and not just the ‘order of salvation.’ However there are occasional lapses. For example, Daniel Doriani’s notes on James reduce the book’s gospel value to illustrating our inability to enact ‘true religion,’ driving us back to the grace of Christ. I would say that James carries social implications (care of widows and orphans) which make the gospel manifest. The gospel in James should not be reduced to the level of personal sin (only). But this is one example. At other points, I think the notes are brilliant and illuminating.
Another feature I appreciate about this Bible, is the use it makes of the ESV cross-reference system. Following these cross references sheds light on particular themes and I find that helpful. Purchasing the Bible in print gives you access to the Bible online (it is easier to access cross-references if you don’t have to flip through pages for every verse). This makes this a very practical choice for personal study.
In general I am pretty happy with the quality of this Bible. The notes are not always perfect (some interpreters are more perfect than others), but the inspiration of the Bible does not extend to marginal notes. I appreciate how well executed the final product is. And I absolutely loved finding Phil Long’s contribution (on Samuel). Long was my professor for two classes of Exegesis at Regent College (neither of which focused on Samuel, but because it is an area of some expertise I heard plenty of Samuel examples). From Phil I learned to read Old Testament narrative sensitive to its narrative craft, its historical value and theological import. I like having some of his practical insights in print form.
I give this Bible 4 stars and would recommend it for personal study. I am not a huge fan of ‘study Bibles,’ but the unique features and perspectives of this Bible make it a valuable contribution.
Thank you to Crossway for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
August 17, 2017
Over the last year I read through this Bible and most of the footnotes. For the most part, the notes encouraged my heart to see the big picture of the Bible, to see the cross and Christ as fulfillment. Sometimes I did want more of a study Bible answer, but in those cases I would utilize another Bible or Bible dictionary. It was great to see women on the roster of contributors. Highly recommend especially for new believers!
January 2, 2019
I used this version for my 2018 RMM Bible reading plan. I really appreciated the brevity but depth of the commentary. It takes on a much higher-level view than the ESV study bible (which I also love and use often) and does a great job of explaining how every book and chapter ultimately point to Jesus Christ.
October 26, 2021
Read this Bible through from Genesis to Revelation, including all the notes, because I appreciated the theme of seeing the gospel thread throughout the whole Bible. The Bible is one Book, with a major storyline, and this version does a good job of showing the continuity, to help get a big-picture view of God's plan.
January 6, 2020
This translation is a higher reading level (grade 11 I believe) than I’m used to. But I did this for the notes, which are excellent.
January 14, 2024
Collections not only of holy scriptures but also a host of vintage and intelligible insights with brevity, anyone read it is bound to find it covetable!
October 7, 2022
Now THIS is a great Bible! As a study bible, the ESV “Gospel Transformation” edition is loaded with notes; roughly 375,000 words in addition to the bible’s 750,000 words. Therefore, it’s about 50% longer/larger as a bible. The notes are written by different contributors for each of the 66 books of the Bible and each have their own signature or flare in the use of language. The overall theme of the study notes is to show God’s grace and mercy and to reveal Jesus and the gospel message everywhere throughout the bible. In that sense, it succeeds greatly!
This was my first experience reading a study bible, but it was highly enjoyable. As the notes are tailored to the overall theme as noted above it does leave certain verses, texts, and passages otherwise unexplored. Therefore, I did still have many questions left answered once I finished reading. This isn’t a flaw of the bible nor of the commentator’s notes. There are many different study bibles out there that have different themes or areas of focus, and I look forward to trying another study bible, perhaps from David Jeremiah or John McArthur, etc.
This is a fantastic study bible in tying the Old Testament to the New and weaving Jesus throughout all 66 books, from Genesis all the way to Revelation. For those new to reading the Bible I would suggest highlighting and underlining or otherwise marking your bible. Let yourself (and others!) know you’ve read and studied this most important or all written works in the history of humanity. I frequently write stars, exclamation points, and hearts next to verses or passages that I loved, found interesting or important, as well as those I found myself terrified by or wrestling with.
Martin Luther said we need to be IN the gospel every day, because we forget it every day. This, then, is a great bible to own and to read. No matter which book you’re in, the notes continually and engagingly point us toward the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And we are infinitely better because of it!
This was my first experience reading a study bible, but it was highly enjoyable. As the notes are tailored to the overall theme as noted above it does leave certain verses, texts, and passages otherwise unexplored. Therefore, I did still have many questions left answered once I finished reading. This isn’t a flaw of the bible nor of the commentator’s notes. There are many different study bibles out there that have different themes or areas of focus, and I look forward to trying another study bible, perhaps from David Jeremiah or John McArthur, etc.
This is a fantastic study bible in tying the Old Testament to the New and weaving Jesus throughout all 66 books, from Genesis all the way to Revelation. For those new to reading the Bible I would suggest highlighting and underlining or otherwise marking your bible. Let yourself (and others!) know you’ve read and studied this most important or all written works in the history of humanity. I frequently write stars, exclamation points, and hearts next to verses or passages that I loved, found interesting or important, as well as those I found myself terrified by or wrestling with.
Martin Luther said we need to be IN the gospel every day, because we forget it every day. This, then, is a great bible to own and to read. No matter which book you’re in, the notes continually and engagingly point us toward the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And we are infinitely better because of it!
February 8, 2016
***application, heart transformation and personal spiritual growth***
What makes the ESV Gospel Transformation Bible different from other Bibles? This Bible answers the "what," "when," "why" and "how" Bible questions and puts the emphasis on the "why" and "how" in a practical way that equips readers to understand and apply God's word to their lives. The theme is the transforming power of God's love and grace that leads to personal heart transformation because of "God's transforming grace..." Acts 20:24
The 8-point font size in this crisp black letter edition is sharp and easy-to-read. The two-column layout runs across the top half of the page and features section headings in bold with the notes and reference segments along the bottom half of the page. Book introductions include author, date, outline and in some cases…Full Review: http://www.examiner.com/list/looking-...
What makes the ESV Gospel Transformation Bible different from other Bibles? This Bible answers the "what," "when," "why" and "how" Bible questions and puts the emphasis on the "why" and "how" in a practical way that equips readers to understand and apply God's word to their lives. The theme is the transforming power of God's love and grace that leads to personal heart transformation because of "God's transforming grace..." Acts 20:24
The 8-point font size in this crisp black letter edition is sharp and easy-to-read. The two-column layout runs across the top half of the page and features section headings in bold with the notes and reference segments along the bottom half of the page. Book introductions include author, date, outline and in some cases…Full Review: http://www.examiner.com/list/looking-...
December 26, 2014
I just finished reading through this over the course of the year in 2014. I highly recommend it. The ESV Bible text is accompanied by commentary pointing to Jesus, the gospel, and God's plan of redemption in practically every passage in the Bible. It makes clear that God's plan for the world in Jesus was in place from the beginning of the world. Not just the New Testament, but the Old Testament also, portrays a God who is patient, full of grace, and desires his people to trust Him by faith, not by the keeping of rules. The notes are very encouraging and enlightening.
June 29, 2019
Christ in all of Scripture, grace for all of life.
The editors had two goals in mind for this Bible:
1. enable the readers to understand that the whole Bible is a unified message of the gospel of God's grace culminating in Christ Jesus, and
2. help believers apply this good news to their everyday lives in a heart-transforming way.
I have to say that both goals have been moved forward in my life in the last 3.5 years it has taken me to read the Bible through, along with reading the footnotes by each commentator.
The editors had two goals in mind for this Bible:
1. enable the readers to understand that the whole Bible is a unified message of the gospel of God's grace culminating in Christ Jesus, and
2. help believers apply this good news to their everyday lives in a heart-transforming way.
I have to say that both goals have been moved forward in my life in the last 3.5 years it has taken me to read the Bible through, along with reading the footnotes by each commentator.
March 9, 2023
This is a fairly solid modern devotional through all of Scripture. Technically it’s a study Bible, but it has a few paragraphs of devotional thoughts for nearly every pericope of Scripture. I personally prefer old devotionals - and in comparison I found it to be a little too vague and fluffy sometimes. But it was solid as ever on the gospel - which is more than I can say about most.
Compared to other modern devotionals in the fray - this was head and shoulders above the line.
Compared to other modern devotionals in the fray - this was head and shoulders above the line.
January 15, 2015
One of the better study Bibles out there. Definitely recommend.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews