Jesus - The Antidote to the World's Poison: An inductive study of the book of Colossians by Henry Jackson III and Christina Joy Hommes is a devotional study guide for an inductive Bible study of the book of Colossians. The guide is a 344-page book priced at $15.99. There are also optional online study resources (links provided within the lessons) and a free downloadable app. Although much of the guide can be reused, there are many sections where students write in or mark answers.

The study guide is divided into eighteen lessons that guide the reader through the book of Colossians, with each lesson focusing on the study of five to seven verses. Each lesson has five sections. The first section introduces the passage and the big idea. This section also includes a story to help teach the key topic. Then, in the "Observation" section, the reader reads the passage being studied- from their Bible, printed worksheets, or on the app- marks keywords and answers comprehension questions.

These questions are in the form of fill-in-the-blank, matching, multiple-choice, or short answer. In the "Interpretation" section, students study the meaning of the overall passage by looking at the given passage and other related Bible passages. Space is provided to write responses to study questions. The "Application" section challenges the reader to think about how this passage should affect how they live their life. Finally, the "Closing" section provides a space to write down additional thoughts. At the end of each lesson, other resources and links to their website are provided.

There are three introductory sections in the guide before the first lesson begins. The first section lists objectives for the study, a summary of themes found in Colossians, and sections discussing the author, the audience, and some background about the church in Colossae. It also has two suggested passages recommended for memorization. The second section describes how to use the study guide, including the marking of keywords and thoughts about planning for the study. Finally, the third section describes the method of inductive Bible study. I found it helpful to read the entire book of Colossians and these first three sections before beginning the first lesson.

Along with the printed guide, an Inductive Bible Study App is available for free download on the App Store, Google Play, and Amazon. I downloaded it onto my phone from Google Play, but I had trouble connecting to the app multiple times. So I also downloaded the app from Amazon onto my Kindle Fire. This worked much better, and it is a handy app for Bible study. Some helpful features on the app include a selection of Bible translations, interactive study plans, markings to mark keywords in the passages, a place to write notes next to passages, etc. The app can be easily used alongside the devotional study guide. This is an excellent option for those who prefer not to mark their Bible or on printed pages. Printable pages for the books and chapters of the Bible are also available online at http://ibible.study/worksheet. These would be great for someone who prefers a hard copy to mark on and take notes on but does not want to write in their own Bible.

Overall, this devotional study guide helped me dig deeper into the key points and lessons in Colossians. The repeated readings of the verses and looking at them alongside other related passages helped me appreciate the consistency in God's Word. I also appreciated the prompt to pray before each day of study. Oh, how often I forget to pray, asking God to open my heart and mind to His Word before studying! I used this guide as an independent study, but it would make a good study for small groups or families to do together, too.

As someone who prefers discussion to short answers, I did not enjoy the matching and multiple-choice comprehension questions, even though I did appreciate that some of them required me to look back at the verses. There is no answer key for the questions (although the answers are in the Bible!), which may be helpful to know if considering this for use in a homeschool setting. One change that I would like to see is making the introduction sections and reading the whole book of Colossians the first lesson. This provided a good start for the beginning of the deeper study.

I would recommend this study guide for someone who desires to dig deep into Colossians and who enjoys or wants to try the inductive Bible study method. This may be an excellent small group study for those like me who prefer discussion to comprehension questions.

-Product review by Sarah Roth, The Old Schoolhouse® March 2022