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I have been writing notes in my Bible for well over 7 years. I believe there are great benefits to writing in your Bible. I have two main Bibles. A wide margin Cambridge in the KJV and the Thompson Chain-Reference Bible in the NASB by Zondervan. I write in both Bibles and use them daily for personal reading and devotional time alone with God. In this short blog post, I will give you my view on the importance of writing in your Bible. Some Christian people hold the view that it is not right to write in your Bible. I disagree with that position; we worship the God of the Word and love His Word. We must not worship the book, but the Word alone. There is nothing “holy” about the pages and ink of the Bible. God has given us His Word to learn from and to love. Those who feel uncomfortable about writing in the Bible may want to get a good notebook and write in that instead.
I started this post by stating that I have been writing in my Bible for over 5 years. In fact, I started writing in my Cambridge wide margin on June 22nd, 2021, on the same day I brought the Bible from the Cambridge University Press Bookshop when I visited Cambridge and in my Thompson Chain-Reference in March 2023. My original Bible that I started taking notes in was lost in 2020. That Bible was used almost every day for over 7 years and when I carelessly lost on a train journey I was very upset as that Bible had hundreds of notes and a prayer diary. I am telling you this because it is looking back now, I think it would have been a good idea to have a back-up such as one Bible for carrying around with you and one for home use only.
Here are four reasons why I write in my Bible.
1. A personal reflection on the text.
I read my Bible and reflect on what I’ve read. I make notes on the passages that have comforted me, encouraged me, and rebuked me. This way I can keep a record and look back on those passages that I’ve been most blessed by.
2. Summaries
When I read through a passage of Scripture, I tend to make comments and record my thoughts on the overall teaching of the passage. Writing in my Bible also slows me down and gives me time to think about the passage. I also write down my own cross-references and study resources. In a way, I make my own study Bible as I read the text.
3. Questions and Answers.
When I do not understand a passage, I write a question in the margin and seek to find the answer. When I have found the answer, I will write it down. This way I can look back on what I have learned. Another good reason is to have a record of your spiritual growth. I will also look up passages in various commentaries and jot down the commentator’s view.
4. Family Heirloom
Your thoughts in your Bible will make a great gift to pass down to your children and grandchildren. When you leave this world, your family will be able to look up a passage from Scripture and read what you thought. They will be able to see what you learned and how God blessed you. Your love and passion for the things of God will be able to be read by your family once you are no longer around to tell them. This point is even more important to me now I am married. I hope one day to pass my Bible on to my children.
These are the main reasons why I write in my Bibles. There are of course other benefits to writing in your Bible, but I just wanted to give you the main reasons why I do so. You do not have to spend a great deal of money on a wide-margin Bible to write notes. There are cheap and just as good options on the market today, for example, a journaling Bible is a good choice. Make your notes personal and truthful.
I started this post by stating that I have been writing in my Bible for over 5 years. In fact, I started writing in my Cambridge wide margin on June 22nd, 2021, on the same day I brought the Bible from the Cambridge University Press Bookshop when I visited Cambridge and in my Thompson Chain-Reference in March 2023. My original Bible that I started taking notes in was lost in 2020. That Bible was used almost every day for over 7 years and when I carelessly lost on a train journey I was very upset as that Bible had hundreds of notes and a prayer diary. I am telling you this because it is looking back now, I think it would have been a good idea to have a back-up such as one Bible for carrying around with you and one for home use only.
Here are four reasons why I write in my Bible.
1. A personal reflection on the text.
I read my Bible and reflect on what I’ve read. I make notes on the passages that have comforted me, encouraged me, and rebuked me. This way I can keep a record and look back on those passages that I’ve been most blessed by.
2. Summaries
When I read through a passage of Scripture, I tend to make comments and record my thoughts on the overall teaching of the passage. Writing in my Bible also slows me down and gives me time to think about the passage. I also write down my own cross-references and study resources. In a way, I make my own study Bible as I read the text.
3. Questions and Answers.
When I do not understand a passage, I write a question in the margin and seek to find the answer. When I have found the answer, I will write it down. This way I can look back on what I have learned. Another good reason is to have a record of your spiritual growth. I will also look up passages in various commentaries and jot down the commentator’s view.
4. Family Heirloom
Your thoughts in your Bible will make a great gift to pass down to your children and grandchildren. When you leave this world, your family will be able to look up a passage from Scripture and read what you thought. They will be able to see what you learned and how God blessed you. Your love and passion for the things of God will be able to be read by your family once you are no longer around to tell them. This point is even more important to me now I am married. I hope one day to pass my Bible on to my children.
These are the main reasons why I write in my Bibles. There are of course other benefits to writing in your Bible, but I just wanted to give you the main reasons why I do so. You do not have to spend a great deal of money on a wide-margin Bible to write notes. There are cheap and just as good options on the market today, for example, a journaling Bible is a good choice. Make your notes personal and truthful.
