There are many good study Bibles available today. These are Bibles which have notes that give helpful interesting and interesting information about the Bible text. However, these extra study notes sometimes are used to teach false doctrines. For example, the Scofield Study Bible has notes which are designed to teach the false doctrine of premillennialism. Because some men twist the Scriptures to their own destruction (2 Peter 3:16), they use the notes in study Bibles to convert other people to their false ways.

An example of such is the Thomas Nelson King James Study Bible which was published in 1989. There are several comments in the study notes that teach error. In Mark 16:15-16, Jesus gave the Great Commission: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” The study notes for verse 16 states: “Only faith, not baptism, is essential for salvation, as the omission of baptism from the last clause shows” (Nelson Study Bible, page 1530).

This passage teaches exactly what it says: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.” The study notes contain false doctrine. Many people will be misled by this. They will be led to think that the Bible actually teaches one does not have to be baptized to be saved.

One should be very careful when he uses study notes which are found in some Bibles. They can be very helpful, but one must always remember that the study notes are not part of the inspired Word of God. They are only some man’s comments upon the Word. They can be misleading, false, and therefore dangerous to one’s soul. The same thing is true of books and commentaries written by men. It is the Word of God which is our standard, authority and guide, not the opinions and comments of men. Use study aids, but use them wisely, and reject anything that is not in harmony with the teaching of God’s Word.