A Note on Cross-Referencing

H.M. Coker

7 Oct, 2023

A Note on Cross-Referencing

Cross-referencing is when you take another passage of Scripture and use it to explain, define, or broaden your understanding of the passage you are studying. Scripture is the best interpreter of Scripture because no Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation for no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20-21).  (See “A Note on Interpretation and Application”).  Learning to cross-reference is an important tool in Bible study, but there is a danger to cross-referencing, especially when following someone else’s cross-referencing trail: it is the danger of taking a passage out of context.  Here are three tips to get the most out of cross-referencing and avoid the “out of context” menace:

  1. Using Cross-Referencing Tools:  Many study Bibles put common cross-references in the margin or footnotes for you, which direct you to another passage of Scripture that addresses the same topic.  Bible Studies (like my “A Study of Philippians”) will also do this, and it can be very helpful; but when using cross-references provided by someone else, always read the passage in context for yourself (don’t assume the study writer did this and got it right).  If the cross-reference is from a book of the Bible you are familiar with, then you may just need to read a few verses before and after the one you are looking at.  If it is from a book of the Bible you have never studied for yourself, then you may need to read the entire chapter or even the entire book in order to get the accurate context of the cross-reference. 
  2. Keeping a Topical Cross-Reference Journal:  Another way to cross-reference is to keep your own topical cross-reference journal.  My mom has a blue notebook that she keeps by her sitting chair.  Each page has a different subject header like “Suffering,” “Joy,” and “Predestination.”  As she studies the Bible for herself, book by book, she records references that address each topic.  If while studying she has questions regarding a specific topic, she takes out her book and looks for all the other passages she has studied regarding it.  
  3. Creating Your Own Marginal Cross-Reference Notes:  When studying a book of the Bible, write in the margins any correlating references of other books of the Bible you have studied.  These marginal cross-references are similar to those found in many study Bibles.  However, by creating your own, as you study whole books, you are less likely to take the verses out of context.  This is because you are using verses from books you have personally studied and taken the time to interpret accurately, to the best of your ability. 

Let’s Practice the three methods:

Philippians 1:29 says, “For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in Him but also suffer for His sake.”

  1. Using Cross-Referencing Tools:  If you have a study Bible, look up Philippians 1:29.  Does your Bible provide any cross-references for this passage?  My Bible1 gives me Acts 14:22. Look up that passage and read it in context.
  2. Keeping a Topical Cross-Reference Journal:  If you did “A Study of 2 Timothy“, then you wrote a topical list of everything you learned about suffering from the book of 2 Timothy.  So, you have already begun a topical cross-reference journal on “suffering,” and you can now add to it what you have learned in Philippians 1:29 regarding suffering.
  3. Creating Your Own Marginal Cross-Reference Notes:  What was the last book of the Bible you studied?  If you did “A Study of 2 Timothy,” did you notice any passages in Philippians that directly correlate with passages in 2 Timothy?  Review your notes from 2 Timothy and then slowly read through the book of Philippians and in the margins write the references to any correlations.  For example, beside Philippians 1:29 I wrote “CR: 2 Timothy 1:8,3:12.”  Do you see the domino effect here?  As you study more and more books of the Bible, your marginal cross-reference notes will grow and grow.  Right now, you can write cross-references between 2 Timothy and Philippians.  Whatever book you study next you will be able to add cross-references between all three books and so on and so forth.  Isn’t that wonderful!
  1. The New Inductive Study Bible, 1916–1916. Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2000.

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