"BEHOLD, I say unto you that you shall let your time be devoted to the studying of the scriptures..." (Doctrine & Covenants 26:1)

The phrase 'scripture study' has become one of those Seminary answers; one that can safely be the answer to most gospel questions asked in Sunday School or even Primary. But do we really know how to actively study the scriptures? A good place to start, of course, is the beginning. What is scripture? In Doctrine and Covenants 68:4, the Savior said,

"And whatsoever they (the elders in the church) shall speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost shall be scripture, shall be the will of the Lord."

According to this, any talk given by a General Authority would constitute scripture in addition to our standard works.

Now that we know what scripture study is, how and when should we do it? In the November 1979 Ensign article, "Reading the Scriptures", President Howard W. Hunter said,

"We should not be haphazard in our reading but rather develop a systematic plan for study. There are some who read to a schedule of a number of pages or a set number of chapters each day or week. This may be perfectly justifiable and may be enjoyable if one is reading for pleasure, but it does not constitute meaningful study. It is better to have a set amount of time to give scriptural study each day than to have a set amount of chapters to read. Sometimes we find that the study of a single verse will occupy the whole time."

If we had the goal to read 10 pages and then stop, we would miss a wealth of knowledge that can only be found when reading footnotes and cross-referencing.

What is the difference between reading the scriptures and studying the scriptures? Reading is a very passive activity whereas studying, or searching, is an active one. To illustrate, in Doctrine and Covenants Section 90:25, we read, "Let your families be small…" with a footnote on the word "small." You can read that verse and simply go on to the next one, or you can stop and take time to look at the footnote for "small," which references Mosiah 4:27: "And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength…" This "small" footnote then creates an interesting scriptural idea.

In the King James Version of the Bible, the dictionary and topical guide span over 800 pages. This means that there are over 800 pages of reference material covering the standard works of scripture. One way of studying rather than just reading would be to pick a topic and, throughout the week, fully research it. Not sure where to start? Choose a topic that is of concern to you in your life right now (communication, teaching, or prayer for example), or start with a word that you see often in the scriptures that you would like to research, such as the word "remember," or use your Sunday School study guide (or another study guide) as a jumping-off point. Start with the topical guide and go through the scriptures listed that correspond with your word or phrase. Then do the same for the synonyms listed, all the while reading the footnotes and Bible dictionary as appropriate. Mark passages that stand out to you. Then keep a spiritual journal with your scriptures to write down impressions, or write brief notes in the margins of your scriptures, or both. We may often have spiritual impressions as we are studying, only to forget them as we go on with our day. Spiritual impressions come at specific times in our lives; under specific conditions. We need to capture them when they happen so as to build experience in our lives.

The final thing to do as we study is to pray. Joseph Smith said,

"Search the scriptures- search the revelations…and ask your Heavenly Father, in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, to manifest the truth unto you, and if you do it with an eye single to His glory nothing doubting, He will answer you by the power of His Holy Spirit. You will then know for yourselves and not for another, you will not then be dependent on man for the knowledge of God; nor will there be any room for speculation."

Delbert Stapley, in the January 1974 Ensign said,

"It is our duty to gain an appropriate witness and testimony which will change and improve our lives for good."

Not only will actively studying the scriptures help us in our lives, but it is also our duty and responsibility to study and gain the appropriate testimony of what we learn.

Reading Between the Lines

Notes: are words or short phrases that are written in the margins, top, bottom and/or side, and between the lines, usually over a word that it pertains to. These are memory triggers, short thoughts, or definitions that help me to bring the verses to life.

One of the things that fascinated me as I attended Institute classes in college, was the instructors' ability to come into a room and teach for 50 minutes using only their scriptures. So often they would pick up their scriptures and highlight a verse, bringing it to life, as they focused on one or two key words. They would add a quote from a Church leader that would open our eyes of understanding in ways that we had never thought of. I tried as often as I could to sneak a peek at the instructor's scriptures, to see what extra information he or she must have had. As I peeked I saw pages filled with notes, outlined with color, and quotes, maps and stories stuck between the pages. Over the years I have tried to add to my own scriptures with notes in the margins, quotes and color, to that they are ready to teach anyone at anytime, even if the only student that I will ever teach is myself.

When I underline or highlight a verse I color code it. Yellow is for Christ, pink is for gospel topics and dark green is for missionary work .I go on to use about 10 different colors. I developed this system by looking at the colors I wanted to use, thinking about topics that I wanted to highlight, and then putting a color with a topic. I have a master list on a sticky note inside the front cover of my Bible. Now when I look at a page I can tell what is on the page without reading it. I have found this to be very helpful when looking for that verse I know is there, but I don't have its reference. Consistency is the key; the longer you do it the more helpful it becomes.

As I read the Conference issues of the Ensign I look for modern day revelation about the ancient scriptures. When I find one that is meaningful to me, I will go to LDS.org and cut and paste that section of the talk into a document. I print out the page, cut the quotes apart, and carefully glue them into the center of the pages where the verse is located.

My scriptures may not be as insightful as my Institute instructors scriptures are, but they hold between there pages lessons I have learned.

Marking Your Scriptures

Marking scriptures is a personal choice. There are many ways and methods to mark your scriptures. You can choose a "proven" method or come up with your own. You can choose to not mark them or use several methods all at once. Below are a few examples:

-One of the earliest ways I learned to mark scriptures dealt with footnotes in the Bible. After most of the footnotes, there are abbreviations (see examples below). I learned that if you marked the abbreviations with different colors, you could more easily see points of interest, such as Joseph Smith translations. Below is a common color-coded guide for Bible footnotes.

Color marking:
Blue (HEB) Hebrew word
Green (GR) Greek word
Yellow (IE) Clarification of ideas
Orange (OR) Modern alternate word definitions
Red (JST) Joseph Smith Translation
(This method, among others, is also seen here)

-When I was in the Young Women's program, I came across a way of marking my scriptures topically. It was extensive work, but made for a wonderful reference when preparing talks! You take a list of common topics (baptism, repentance, etc) and paste the list in the cover of your scriptures. Buy a variety of colored self-sticking tabs from any office supply store (at least four colors). Using a list of related scriptures, place the colored tab on the top of the page of the scripture that matches the topic. Using a pen, note which topic and scripture you are marking. The following website gives an example of this method, as well as a topic and scripture list.

-As you come across interesting ideas in the scriptures, draw a line from a particular word or phrase to the margin and list any cross-referenced ideas or scriptural references that coincide.

-Deseret Book has several products for sale to aid in marking scriptures, such as pens, pencils, templates and guides. Check your local store or DeseretBook.com.