Dr Gene Getz

[Louann Mauffray]

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, Copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible, Holman CSB, and HCSB are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

The interior of the Life Essentials Study Bible was designed and typeset by 2Krogh AS, Hjbjerg, Denmark. Proofreading of the HCSB text and study notes was provided by Peachtree Editorial Services, Peachtree City, Georgia, USA.

Gene Getz is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute and holds a BA degree from Rocky Mountain College, an MA degree from Wheaton Graduate School, and a PhD from New York University. Since 1956, Dr. Getz has served on the faculty at Moody Bible Institute and Dallas Theological Seminary. In 1973 he became a church planting pastor in Dallas, TX and launched the Fellowship Bible Church movement. He now serves as Pastor Emeritus at Chase Oaks Church in Plano, TX, President of the Center for Church Renewal, and host of a daily radio program called Renewal, which is heard on the Moody Radio Network as well as satellite radio. Gene has authored over 60 books, and because of his emphasis on supracultural principles from Scripture, these books have been translated and published in many different languages.

Since I have had the unique privilege of being the author of the material in this Life Essentials Study Bible, it's also my grateful privilege to acknowledge those who have encouraged and assisted me.

Ed Blum, who served as the executive editor of the HCSB and who graciously read all of my commentaries, offered helpful suggestions, and subsequently wrote the Foreword to this Study Bible.

Iva Morelli, who served as my executive assistant during most of the seven years it took to research, write, and teach the 1,500 principles included in this Life Essentials Study Bible. Iva brought to this project unmatched computer skills as well as editorial and artistic capabilities.

David Powers, who, as my Renewal Radio producer, has also directed all the videotaping of my teaching sessions and has faithfully edited the QR code segments included in this first ever multimedia study Bible.

Finally, I want to thank all those who participated in my live audience. Among these people is my prize student-my wonderful wife, Elaine-who week after week and year after year listened to my presentations and offered encouraging feedback, and who continues to be my faithful companion in praying for all who use this Bible to discover Principles to Live By.

It is a pleasure to write a foreword to this very useful and practical Study Bible which includes succinct commentaries on 1,500 Principles to Live By from Genesis to Revelation. I have read all of the material in the original manuscript and I do not know of another application Bible that offers its scope, thoroughness, and accuracy.

I've known Dr. Gene Getz for over 40 years. We both taught at Dallas Theological Seminary during the same time period and both started churches in the Dallas area. At least twelve Fellowship churches owe their foundation to him in the Dallas area and hundreds of churches throughout the United States and the world trace their beginnings back to Gene's landmark book Sharpening the Focus of the Church.

Gene has authored over 60 books that have been translated into multiple languages. His ability to discover supracultural principles from the biblical text has enabled missionaries and nationals to translate his scriptural studies for use in a number of cultural situations.

Gene has also had an extensive radio and media ministry for many years. In fact, as he prepared these principles, he taught and videotaped all of the material in this Bible which is now available on the internet.

This project is the fruit of Gene's lifelong ministry and the focus of the last seven years of dedicated research, writing, and teaching. The detailedIntroduction which follows explains how this Bible can be used in a variety of settings. Gene's skill in producing studies that can be used in various cultures has set the stage for this Life Essentials Study Bible to be used around the world.

The fact that Gene is the sole author of this vast work insures a unified viewpoint and his skill in interpreting the Bible accurately and yet focusing on principles helps bridge the gap between various Evangelical viewpoints regarding God's overall redemptive plan that unfolds from the total biblical story. Furthermore, his training, philosophy of ministry, and his experience as professor, pastor, and author guarantees its usefulness.

In many respects, the Life Essentials Study Bible is a product of my lifelong ministry-as professor, pastor, and author. More specifically, it represents seven years of intensive research, writing, and teaching. After passing my pastoral leadership baton to my successor, I devoted the majority of my time to this exciting project. Though a rigorous process, it has been a highlight in my years of serving the Lord Jesus Christ.

To keep my research and writing schedule on target, each week I taught these Principles to Live By to a faithful group of people. Their positive response kept me motivated and encouraged. Furthermore, this process challenged me to interpret Scripture accurately, communicate God's message clearly, and apply these principles realistically.

My goal was to take a fresh look at the entire biblical story, covering every sentence and paragraph from Genesis to Revelation. I determined not to copy any material I had written previously but to create a fresh presentation of biblical truth. As a result, I discovered 1,500 biblical Principles to Live By that I believe teach the Holy Spirit's supernatural message flowing throughout God's written revelation.

You can personally participate in this learning experience by watching videos of these teaching sessions. You can visit the Web site, LifeEssentialsStudyBible.com, and navigate to the principle you want to study. Or you can use a QR code application on your smartphone to read the code included in the Bible with each principle. This will take you to the Web site and allow you to watch the video for that principle.

I've defined a biblical principle as"a supracultural truth that can and should be applied at any moment in history and in every cultural situation." In other words, these biblical truths are not limited by time, geography, or various societal dynamics. They reflect the will of God as revealed throughout His Divine Revelation for all human beings.

As you read and study, I trust you'll sense that I've attempted to articulate these principles so they are based on the actual intent of the authors of Scripture. A commentary accompanies each principle to explain the basic meaning of each specific biblical text in the light of the immediate context. Furthermore, these principles represent the total biblical narrative and unfold a unified redemptive story that enables all of us to live in the will of God.

To avoid interpreting this approach to Bible study as being in any way legalistic or humanistic, it's important to understand that all of these principles are based on the very important assumption that we can only fulfill our human responsibility in applying biblical truth by relying on God's strength and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. In fact, many principles make direct reference to the vertical dimension of the Christian life (human-to-God) that enables us to apply these truths at the horizontal level (human-to-human).

By God's design, many portions of the biblical story contain powerful, divine repetition. This is most obvious in the Old Testament historical and prophetic books, in the four Gospels, and in the New Testament letters. Consequently, God's supernatural restatements are also reflected in the 1,500 principles that emerge from Genesis to Revelation.

In many instances, however, the same biblical events yield principles that are distinct. For example, the four Gospel writers all included the story of Jesus multiplying the loaves and fish and feeding thousands. Yet, three of these accounts give us three different Principles to Live By. This in itself is a verification of the divine inspiration of Scripture.

Because of God's divine repetition, there are also events in the biblical story that produce either identical or very similar principles. In these instances, you are referred to these sections of Scripture by means of cross references. For example, in 1 Kings the prophet Micaiah refused to compromise the truth when King Ahab asked him what would happen when he went into battle. Because this prophet told the truth, Ahab put him in prison. The supracultural principle from this account is clear (1Kg 22:13-40, page 469):

In addition to over 900 cross references associated with similar repetitious sections of Scripture, there are over 3,100 cross references within the principle commentary sections themselves. Together these cross references total over 4,000, revealing the interconnections and divine unity in the 1,500 principles from Genesis to Revelation.

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