If you’re seeking a way to bump your personal bible studying to new places, I’d like to recommend the website BibleArc.com. The site is on online tool designed to help you use a method known as “arcing”–a kind of bible study which helps you “trace the flow” of a text.
Here is a quote about studying the bible this way, which when I read it, sent me (as well) to learn to study in a whole new way:
The point of seeing propositions in relationship is not merely to elucidate the meaning of each proposition, but also to help us grasp the flow of an author’s argument. It was a life-changing revelation to me when I discovered that Paul, for example, did not merely make a collection of divine pronouncements, but that he argued. This meant, for me, a whole new approach to Bible reading.
No longer did I just read or memorize verses.
I sought also to understand and memorize arguments. This involved finding the main point of each literary unit and then seeing how each proposition fit together to unfold and support the main point.
I don’t use arcing, and haven’t after initially learning it and using it for a little while. But the way of thinking and reading it taught me has been invaluable, and in that sense I use the thinking behind arcing every time I read the bible.
BibleArc has also now added modules to teach another method known as phrasing. Phrasing may be the best thing for you to start with if you’re just beginning, since it is much simpler and easier to master.
Here’s a quote about it:
Phrasing is a flexible and easy-to-use Bible study tool that allows you to visually trace a passage’s argument: simply indent to subordinate. The Biblearc phrasing feature has all sorts of mark-up features from arrows to relationship comments to Dot Notes.
Here’s a few videos for you to check it out:
1. Introduction to Biblearc’s Phrasing Module
2. Phrasing module: 50 features in 2 minutes
3. Demonstration Using English (with Brian Tabb)