Every Christian needs to learn everything possible about the God he or she serves. The best way to accomplish this goal is to read and study the Bible. While reading will, by itself, go a long way toward teaching the precepts of God, studying will aid in a deeper understanding. There are many ways to study the Bible, and different believers will have different ways they prefer to study. One study method is the verse by verse study.
The tools needed for a verse by verse Bible study are the same as those for most study methods. It is necessary, of course, to have a Bible. A study Bible may be helpful but is not required; any Bible will do. This is the only tool that is absolutely not optional. Other things that may be helpful include cross references, an exhaustive concordance, a Bible dictionary, a Bible encyclopedia, and word study books. It is also good to have a notebook or binder with paper and something to write with.
The first thing you will want to do is decide where to start. Whether you want to go verse by verse through the entire Bible or just select one chapter, write the passage reference(s) at the top of a page in your notebook. Under that, paraphrase the first verse in your own words, with the goal of an accurate representation of the verse as you understand it. Write it without looking at other sources, if possible, so that the paraphrase will be your own words and not someone else’s.
If you are doing several verses at a time, continue this process with each verse you are studying, leaving space between verses (or a different page for each verse), until you have paraphrased all the verses you are planning to study at this time.
As you are writing out your paraphrase of all the verses you plan to study, write down any questions that arise in your mind in the process. If you find answers to these during the current study, add those to the questions. If you have further (or other) observations, write them down, too. It is a good plan to leave space between verses for this additional content. Consider making a specific space for Questions, Answers, and Observations (labeled as such) either in columns or rows, to make it easier to get back to them later.
See if there are cross references for each verse. If a verse has more than one associated reference, label each one to indicate the concept, word, or phrase that is referenced in the other verse(s).
Make a note of any insights you discover during the previous steps of this study.
Consider how each verse can apply to your own personal life. If there is not a specific application for a verse, note an inspirational or devotional thought that correlates with the content of the verse for a later study.
One thing about a verse by verse study is that you can easily follow the natural progression from one topic to another based on the verses that relate to the verses with which you begin.
For a simpler beginning, some of the resources that are available for using in this type of study are listed below.
Bibles
KJV Standard Size Thumb Index
This Bible has a burgundy faux leather cover and a thumb index to aid in quickly finding the books. An attached ribbon bookmark allows readers to pick up where they left off easily. A topical Scripture verse finder is also included.
Every Man’s Bible NLT
This New Living Translation Bible has study notes on topics that particularly affect men, wrapped in a leatherlike brown cover.
NIV Beautiful Word Bible
This Bible offers wide margins, some of which are blank and some have full-color art. 500 illustrated verses are spread throughout the book.
Holy Bible English Standard Version
This ESV Bible is set up in a single-column format with wide margins to allow for note-taking and journaling. It is a durable book and has a sewn binding and a ribbon marker.
ESV Study Bible
This personal sized study Bible is full of study notes, maps, and illustrations, along with other reference material. It also includes access to the online version of this study Bible free when purchasing a print version.
Reference Books
HarperCollins Bible Dictionary
This updated and revised edition is the most accessible and complete Bible study guide available. It contains over 4,000 entries to aid people in getting the most out of Bible study.
The Popular Cyclopedia of Biblical Literature (Kindle)
This digital book contains six volumes with over 2,000 entries and over 300 illustrations. Its table of contents and index at the end aid in finding things.
6” x 9” Blank Lined Notebook
“I am BLESSED” is emblazoned on the front of this convenient sized notebook. It contains 120 pages and would be ideal for Bible study use.
8.5” x 11” Blank Lined Notebook
Pink and white stripes are dotted with gold polka dots around a framed gold “notes” title on the front. The 100 pages inside are just waiting for notes, and the larger size gives plenty of room for all the study notes you have.
GTL 10 Piece Inductive Bible Study Pen/Pencil Set
This set includes a mechanical pencil, three 0.7mm fine tip pens in red, blue, and black, and six 1.0mm highlighter colored pens in yellow, orange, pink, bright blue, green, and violet. The mechanical pencil and fine tip pens also include screen stylus ends.
Sakura Pigma Micron Pen Set
This six-pen set contains black, red, blue, green, brown, and purple fine line pens, with a .25mm point size. The archival ink is pH neutral and will work nicely for notetaking in notebooks and Bibles.
Of course, these items are only suggestions, and there may be other resources that you prefer that aid you better in your Bible study efforts. The most important thing about Bible study is that you do it, regardless of what resources you have or do not have.