BST Quick Tips: Staying on Topic

After you read through the Bible a few times, try something different: Go through the Bible to discover what God says on specific topics.

Reading the Bible straight through is something we hope you're doing on a regular basis. But one way to add to your understanding is to seek out what Scripture says on specific ideas, people, doctrines, or themes and to see how they develop throughout the Bible.

Don't let this idea intimidate you. Just start by thinking up topics you'd like to explore and writing them down. If you're not sure, pick a book of the Bible, start reading, and write down any topics you'd like to explore further (for example, miracles, grace, Abraham, or promises). If you're pressed for time, we have a list of topics ready to go.

Once you've got your list, head over to our collection of free Bible concordances. These books give you an alphabetical list of words and phrases you'd read in Scripture. For each entry, you'll find where that word appears in the Bible as a listing of verses. To see what we mean, pick one of the concordances (a popular one is Strong's Exhaustive Concordance), type your topic in the search box or find it from the alphabetical list (depending on which concordance you use), and start studying. Check out this listing for faith to see what it's like.

The easiest way to study these verses is by opening each entry in a new tab on your browser. We also recommend that you study them in context by clicking the "full chapter" button on the navigation bar above the reading pane. That will help you understand where this verse appears and how it relates.

Use these tips to read your way through the Bible based on topics and see how God's plan unfolds.