Jean's Bible Study Topics of the New Testament

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ABOUT JEAN'S TOPICAL BIBLE CONCORDANCE

 the glossary

The main body of the text is arranged to show interrelationships between topics within eighteen relevant chapters.  Consequently, the topics are not organized alphabetically; rather, you must use the glossary to look up the subjects.  The following is is an example of how to look up the topic: Holiness of God in the glossary.  We start by finding Holy in the glossary on page 132k. The page number beside the main topic means that it is the most comprehensive and most relevant topic on the list pertaining to Holiness.  Beneath it are a number of options that may or may not suit your interest. They are: 

                                    Holy 132k -- See also: Predestination

                                                Blind to the holiness of God  169b

                                                DO NOT GIVE [WHAT IS] HOLY TO DOGS  222b

                                                Garments of holiness  113g

                                                Holy conduct  92l

                                                Holy of holies  139j,224l

                                                HOLY SACRIFICE  188k

                                                Reject opportunity to be holy  145i

                                                Unholy sacrifice  173e

                                                What God cleanses becomes holy  103b

Notice that every page number is followed by a letter where that topic can be referenced in the main text.  If you go to the topic Holy on page 132k, you will see the column of letters down the left margin of the page.  You can look down that column and see the letter "k" beside the topic Holiness.  The letter after the page number plots the topic on the page so you can find it easier. Notice that some of these entries are in uppercase letters, some are in italics and the rest are in normal print.  Each print style means something about the magnitude of the subject: 

This helps to choose the topic based on your depth of interest.  For instance you might not want to pick a major topic if you only wanted to prepare for a single Bible study, but you might if you intended to conduct an entire series on a subject. 

    Key verses

The main body of the text is oriented in outline fashion so that the "B" before the word Holiness is part of Roman Numeral I, Your body is the temple of God, at the top of page 133. Between them is: A) Holy Spirit is in God's people, with further outline entries and a host of references below them.

I) Your body is the temple of God

        B) HOLINESS  1 PET 1-14,15

This kind of outline format automatically places the topic in context to create implications between topics without using a lot of words that would only get in the way. Notice too that 1Pet 1-14,15 is beside the topic.  This means it is a key verse, designed to typify and define the topic, so if someone were to study or just do a quick overview of the subject, looking up the key verse would be a good place to start. 

the index

The index is a unique and useful dimension of the program.  It is designed to perform the opposite function of the glossary.  That is, instead of combining ideas, it dissects the verses to show each part individually within the framework of the main body, making it a cross reference instrument. 

The index is organized according to the books, chapters, and verses of the Bible.  It is designed to look up verses, citing every place they are used in the main text.  The index builds a list of relevant topics that pertain to a portion of Scripture, while the main text automatically places those topics in proper context according to the outline format. You can now study Scripture in light of the rest of the Bible, as opposed to studying isolated verses. 

  But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do." NIV

1Pet 1,13-17

· (4b) Responsible to advocate God’s cause Ø Being accountable to the Judgment of God

· (92l) Kingdom Ø The narrow way Ø Our holy conduct along the narrow way

Page 4b -- Falls appropriately in the responsibility chapter under Accountability (key verse Lk 12-48), Being accountable to the Judgment of God.  When you read 1 Pet 1-14,15 again, it fits. God holds us accountable to His holiness.  We could turn this entry into a Bible study in itself, but wait there is more!

 Do you see how the index breaks down the verses into their respective topics? After reviewing each entry, you can splice them together to form a single statement about 1Pet 1-14,15 and perhaps learn something about it.  Here is the rest of the references that we derived from the index:

                         1Pet 1,14-22

                        (42h) Judgment / Satan destroyed / Transformed / Conform to the purity of Christ

                         1Pet 1,14-18

                        (133k) Temple / Your body is the temple of God / Holiness / Having an awareness of 

                        God’s holiness / The fear of God makes us aware of His holiness                

                         1Pet 1,14-17

               (33i) Gift of God / God is our Father / Children need to obey their Father

               (192j) Die to self (Process of substitution) / Turn from sin to God / Repent /

               Stop practicing sin / Stop sinning

                         1Pet 1,14-16

                        (22f) Sin / Lust (craving pleasure) / Fleshly desire

 Conclusion: Splicing these topics together we can get -- 'God transforms our hearts as we conform to His purity and become aware that our bodies are a holy temple of the Lord.  Therefore, being the children of God, we are to repent from our fleshly desires and lust which is the definition of sin.'

 Besides being able to derive a statement about the verse(s), we have also accumulated dozens of Scripture verses that are in one way or another related to 1Pet 1-14,15.  This is an excellent way to support a doctrinal thesis or discover themes running throughout the New Testament, or just a good way to learn a little more about a verse that interests you.

 Using these tools:  The glossary, the index and the key verses, we can experience the deep mysteries of the Bible unfolding in a flood of revelation and wisdom that have never availed themselves so readily through any other method or tool. 

Project THEORY

 We have all examined the Scriptures ourselves and have heard countless sermons on nearly every subject imaginable, yet most of us are still unsure about how it all connects to form one big picture and hence have yet to make sense of what we have heard and learned about the Bible.  This undertaking is one of the most successful efforts ever made to splice together all the topics of the New Testament and to display them in proper context to present an accurate paradigm of God's truth, so that even those who are not familiar with the Bible can read it and understand it.

 I designed this ambitious project for my own personal use starting in 1990 because I wanted a custom designed resource tool for topical studies.  As I was working on it, I realized it was something that other people could use too.  I arranged the topics in ways that I have heard ministers preach in sermons, making it a very useful tool for pastors.  Lay people can also benefit from it because of its simple format that avails itself to whatever spiritual level the user desires.  A new thirst for personal study is emerging, bringing with it a heightened market for Christian literature, particularly of reference works.  In addition there are more lay ministers taking the pulpit today than ever before as a result of a home-church trend that is sweeping the nation.  These are Christian groups that meet in homes in numbers usually up to fifteen per household, normally sanctioned by a church as an extension of its ministry.  This instrument would be ideal for leaders of such meetings too.

 This vision takes all 5,861 subjects of the concordance  and combines them into eighteen chapters.  The result is that the outline treats the topics as concepts by integrating them into an entire system of thought to show how they relate to other subjects.  It was assembled purely by an inductive approach as opposed to the deductive approach. The inductive method is superior because it is predisposed to breaking away from the limitations of a pre-established mind-set and seeks to construct an objective view of the truth without relying on any old schools of thought for its premise.

The Bible teaches that Jesus is the word of God.  As you construct His word in your heart and organize His truth in your mind, God will build His kingdom in your heart.  This mission is what I hope and pray for God to do in His people, and I believe this project will help us achieve that goal.