Many Bibles, especially study Bibles, have headings within the text. Headings usually do a great job of summarizing the text in just a sentence. The headings can be very informative and can make the text easier to read by breaking the text into sections. Headings are especially helpful for scanning the page for a certain event or topic. If you have a Bible with wide enough margins, you can add your own custom headings.
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Chain references provide a great way to perform a topical study. Most Bibles that have references do not have chain references. Instead, they have cross references. Cross references are great, but it can get very confusing when you have to flip back and forth over the same verses over and over. Some Bibles do not have the verses linked to the reference, so there’s no easy way to know which reference will go with which portion of the verse. If your Bible has any room for writing at all, you can greatly expand the study quality of your Bible by adding your own chain reference system.
Ryan Gustason of Pentecostal Blogger has written an article on creating your own study Bible. He is using a red-letter Word document, created his own layout, and downloaded a unique font set to create his own symbol system. Ryan provides links to all the downloads you need to create your own study Bible and symbol system. You can see his article here:
Loose-leaf Bibles provide a great way to add your own notes and pages to your Bible. There are several available from Hendrickson, so at first printing your own hardly seems worth it. It comes down to what features you want in your Bible. Printing your own give you even more advantages and options. For one, if you don’t like something you’ve written or highlighted, simply print the page out again and start over. Loose-leaf Bibles are a nice way to make your own Study Bible- you can type your own notes and then print it out without having to write anything by hand.
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Bible marking is a form of inductive study and can be a great way to interact with the scriptures. Once you’ve marked in your Bible it starts to become a reflection of your study of God’s Word. It becomes personal. Over time, it becomes a companion. It becomes a valuable study Bible. No two marked Bibles are alike. Marking in your Bible is well worth the effort, but the really hard part is knowing what to mark and how.
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