If you’re like me, you might be hesitant any time you’re offered a new way of studying the Bible. After all, you have your go-to study tools and resources. Why add another thing to your list? Here’s why – the Olive Tree Bible App includes functionality and ease-of-access that enhances…

ancient genre consolation

The church in Thessalonica faced a crisis of faith, which has generally been reconstructed as being precipitated by the interaction between their existing teaching on death and the reality of losing beloved church members. Therefore, Paul saw fit to provide encouragement through proper teaching to the church. Interestingly, Paul uses…

st Andrews expository commentary

Why would a loving God allow evil in the world? This is a common (and necessary) question often asked of Christians, often called the “problem of evil”. R.C. Sproul briefly explores this topic in his expositional commentary of Romans 8:18-27. The following is an abridged excerpt from Sproul’s Expositional Commentary…

understanding the Bible

Have you ever started reading something, only to find yourself scanning the same paragraph over and over again? Does the Bible’s length or complexity intimidate you? Do you want to dive deeper into the Word of God? If so, you’re not alone. Keep reading to find out how you can…

Wesley hymns

The modern church has a complex relationship with hymns. Some branches sing them exclusively. Others have entirely given them up in favor of contemporary worship. Maybe you only sing hymns for Easter, Good Friday, Lent, Pentecost, or special occasions like weddings and funerals. Beyond your own tradition, it’s important to…

Have you ever read the Old Testament and wondered what the references to “Asherah poles” meant? Why were they so popular? To answer these questions, we have the IVP Bible Background Commentary. Let’s see what it has to say about Asherah and her poles. The Short Answer Asherah poles were…

strong's cross references

In the past, we’ve explained the difference between a Strong’s concordance and a cross reference, but if you’re using a Strong’s tagged Bible, you can enhance your study by combining it with a cross reference. It’s very easy to do! Strong’s tagged Bibles are great for learning about the breadth…