Olive Tree Staff, Author at Olive Tree Blog

App Tips

Do Your Daily Reading With Audio Bibles!

The Bible was written to be read aloud! If you’ve never taken the time to listen to the Bible, it can be a completely different experience than reading the written Word. Especially if you have a busy morning, turning on an Audio Bible daily can help you breathe, focus, and…

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New Testament

Getting to the Core of the Gospel

The gospel truly is the Good News. The gospel’s power has influenced communities, cultures, and nations throughout history. One way we can resist the devil’s attacks is to go back to the basics. If you’re looking for solid teaching on biblical concepts like the gospel, Romans is a great place…

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Bible Study Tips

How to Cite an eBook or Bible in an Academic Paper

A common misunderstanding about electronic resources is that they cannot be used in an academic setting due to lack of page numbers. In fact, MLA, APA, and Chicago all include instruction on how to provide citations for ebooks. The below information has been fact-checked, although we recommend that you speak…

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Old Testament

The Essence of Covenant Theology

When studying the Word, it can be easy to lose sight of what a word, verse, chapter, or book is really about. In Deuteronomy 6, Moses instructs the people of Israel about their actions in the promised land. Within this speech, he touches on something that reveals the heart of…

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Old Testament

A God Who Sings Over Us

When you think of God, what human analogies pop up in your mind? A Father with His children? A Painter with a canvas? A… singer? In Zephaniah, the Bible gives us this image of a God who sings over us. Let’s explore the meaning of this beautiful imagery. The Lord your God…

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Bible Study Tips

Using a Strong’s Tagged Bible with a Concordance

God created us with an innate ability to look for patterns and organize information. It’s no wonder then that we have applied this gift to the Word. Concordances and Bibles tagged with Strong’s numbers represent countless hours of organization and study, and once you learn how to use these tools…

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Bible Study Tips

The Value of Systematic Theology

“Systematic theology is any study that answers the question, ‘What does the whole Bible teach us today?’ about any given topic.” —Wayne Grudem Everyone is a theologian! Everyone has beliefs about God, what saves them, and how they should live. What makes Systematic Theology special is the way it considers…

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Commentaries

Review: Baylor Handbooks

We are pleased to re-introduce two scholarly series with added volumes from Baylor University Press, the Baylor Handbook on the Greek New Testament and the Baylor Handbook on the Hebrew Old Testament. Similarly, individual volumes in the series have titles like Galatians: A Handbook on the Greek Text, and Amos:…

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Topical

Big Questions From the Book of Job

If you’re like me, the Bible can sometimes leave you with more questions than answers. The book of Job is one such book. There is something so emotional, so human about Job’s experience of loss, suffering, and questioning. Job, like us, did not have the answers he wanted. For me,…

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Historical

Jewish Customs in the Bible

The Bible reminds me of a museum full of masterful oil paintings. Each painting (book) has things in the background, the foreground, different textures and details; some elements might be hard to interpret on first glance. Because we are not the original audience, it can be extremely enlightening to ask…

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