Stay in the Text

Explore freely. Keep coming back to what Scripture actually says.

The Margin will sometimes ask you to imagine, create, question, investigate or reflect. Those tools are meant to help you engage Scripture—not add things to it.

Pay attention to the difference between:

What does the text say?

What do I think it means?

What do I feel about it?

What questions do I still have?

Those aren’t always the same thing.

Use context. Read what comes before and after. Compare Scripture with Scripture. Use reliable study resources when needed. And be willing to change an assumption when the text doesn’t support it.

Curiosity belongs in Bible Study.

So does humility.