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Making Your Mark
For a fresh study of a lengthy passage or short book of the Bible, consider the colorful approach of a manuscript study.
Begin
by typing the biblical text double- or triple-spaced with huge margins,
without any verse markings, chapter designations, paragraphs, or notes.
If you have Bible software, this first step is a quick one. Or you
could go online to one of several places that provide complete texts in
several versions (like BibleGateway.com). Then again, the act of typing
out the manuscript yourself is a good beginning to the study. Once the
passage is printed out, you are free to mark it with abandon.
- Read the entire text three or four times. This can be spread out over a few days. Begin highlighting repeated words or phrases.
As you continue reading, mark themes, commands, key phrases, and so on.
Use one color to circle repetitive words; another color to underline a
key theme; put boxes around a secondary theme; use black circles for
commands. You could put orange boxes around descriptions of God’s
character or the character of the author. In 2 Timothy, for instance,
you could note Paul’s character—he was a finisher, he wasn’t ashamed of
the Gospel, he endured suffering, and so forth.
Other treasures to note are comparisons and contrasts, cause and effect statements, key people, and statements of purpose.- Read through the text again and make notes. Jot down cross-references and observations, look up definitions, connect related ideas, and write down your questions.
- Read a commentary or reference book.
Gather cultural or historical background. Write in the margins any
insights you gain from this research. Record any answers to your
questions.
- Without looking at the original text, put in your own paragraph breaks.
Sometimes we are so locked into the chapter and verse divisions that we
miss the crucial flow of thought from the end of one chapter to the
beginning of another.
- Ask the Lord, “How do You want me to respond to this passage?”
The purpose of all the coloring and underlining is personal change. You
might know God’s personal message to you right off, having spent days
or weeks on the study. Or you might need to let the study roll around
in your head and heart for a few more days. Once you know what God
wants to teach you, write it down. Then share it with a friend—that’s
for accountability.
To use
this process in a group, copy the same manuscript for each person in
the group and number the lines on each page. Because you are working
without chapter and verse numbers, you’ll need some way to direct each
other within the text.
This kind of hands-on involvement with a text impresses it deeply on your brain and in your heart.
By Sue Kline. From Discipleship Journal’s Best Bible Study Methods compiled by Melissa Munro and Judith Couchman, copyright 2002. Used with permission of NavPress, www.navpress.com. All rights reserved.
