Outline
One of the most helpful ways to more deeply understand scripture is to create an outline.
Think back to when you wrote school papers. You would often start with an outline where you'd identify your thesis at the top, and then determine the major sections or ideas you would cover to support your thesis. For each section, you would continue to add backing ideas and evidences until you had a cohesive structure. The outline was the skeleton of the paper.
Here, you will be doing the reverse, by taking a completed product, and breaking it down to its essential components. Carefully read through the selection portion, look for the overarching ideas, and see how the parts fit together. The outline can span anything from a few verses to several chapters or even a whole book.
If you are outlining a sermon, you can have at the top a one-line summary of the sermon, and then nested below that, a few headings that define the major sections of the sermon. This exercise will force you to read closely to understand the author's position. You can continue to drill down in the outline, creating headings and nested sections as far is helpful to understanding the message or narrative. You will see natural groupings, supporting sections and arguments.
As you complete the outline, observe how it changes your understanding of the passage. Use the outline to inspire additional questions about the specifics of the passage. During the rest of your study, it will be helpful to refer back to the outline for context and to see how specific pieces fit into a cohesive whole.
Examples
This is example an example of a thorough outline; not every outline needs to be as detailed.
Mosiah 2
├── The people prepare to hear King Benjamin (1-8)
│ ├── Mosiah sends notice to whole land for people to come to temple (1)
│ ├── Many people come (2)
│ ├── The people prepare sacrifices (3-4)
│ │ ├── They sacrifice the firstlings of flocks (3)
│ │ └── The purposes of their sacrifices (3-4)
│ │ ├── Fulfill the Law of Moses (3)
│ │ └── Give thanks to the Lord for the following reasons: (4)
│ │ ├── He brought them from Jerusalem
│ │ ├── He delivered them from enemies
│ │ ├── He appointed just men to be teachers
│ │ └── He appointed a just man to be king
│ │ ├── Benjamin established peace in the land of Zarahemla
│ │ └── Benjamin taught them to keep God's Law
│ │ ├── God's law let them rejoice
│ │ └── God's law caused them to be filled with love toward God and all men
│ ├── They gathered in families at the temple (5-6)
│ │ ├── They pitch tents around the temple (5)
│ │ ├── A family consists of a man, his wife, children, their children; the whole tree (5)
│ │ ├── The families are separate from each other (5)
│ │ └── They pitch tent doors toward temple to hear King Benjamin (6)
│ └── King Benjamin addresses problem of people not able to hear his words (7-8)
│ ├── There were too many people to teach them all in the temple (7)
│ ├── He had a tower built to let people hear (7)
│ └── Still not all people could hear, so he had words written and distributed (8)
└── King Benjamin teaches the people (9-41)
├── He describes his purpose for speaking to them (9-10)
│ └── He makes the following requests of the people so they may understand the mysteries of God:
│ ├── Not to "trifle" with words
│ ├── Not to fear him
│ ├── To hearken to him
│ ├── To open their ears to hear
│ └── To open hearts to understand
├── Review of King Benjamin as ruler (10-16)
│ ├── He thinks himself a mortal man, subject to physical & mental illness (10-11)
│ ├── He was chosen to be King (11)
│ │ ├── Chosen by people
│ │ ├── Consecrated by his father
│ │ ├── Suffered by Lord to be King
│ │ └── Preserved by Lord's power
│ └── He engages in humble service (11-16)
│ ├── He doesn't seek riches (12)
│ ├── He hasn't enslaved the people (13)
│ ├── He doesn't encourage wickedness (13)
│ ├── He teaches God's law (13)
│ ├── He works for self-sustainment (14)
│ ├── He doesn't burden people with taxes (14)
│ ├── He doesn't boast of self (15-16)
│ └── He has a clear conscience of service of God and man (15-16)
├── Service toward God and Man (17-19)
│ ├── Understanding service is wisdom (17)
│ ├── Service to man = service to God (17)
│ ├── Men should serve each other (18)
│ └── Rulers are meant to serve (19)
├── Gratitude toward God (19-21)
│ ├── If we should be grateful for good mortal rulers, we should be very grateful to God (19)
│ ├── We should give all thanks & praise to God with all power (20)
│ ├── Benjamin gives the following reasons to be grateful to God (20-21):
│ │ ├── He created us
│ │ ├── He has preserved us
│ │ │ ├── He lends us breath
│ │ │ ├── He lets us live, move, and exercise free will
│ │ │ └── He supports us in every moment
│ │ ├── He has caused us to rejoice
│ │ └── He has allowed us to live in peace
│ └── No matter how much we serve Him, we are unprofitable servants (21)
├── Obedience to God (22-24)
│ ├── Obedience is the only requirement He has (22)
│ ├── If the people are obedient, they will prosper in land (22)
│ │ ├── God does not break His promises
│ │ └── If a person is obedient, He will bless & prosper them
│ └── Benjamin gives the following reasons for obedience (23-24):
│ ├── We are indebted to Him (23)
│ │ ├── He created us
│ │ └── He granted us our lives
│ ├── He requires "it" [obedience] of us (24)
│ └── He blesses us for obedience (24)
│ ├── We are still in debt
│ └── We cannot boast
├── Nature of man (25-26)
│ ├── Man is less than dust of earth
│ ├── Man was created from dust
│ ├── The dust belongs to the Creator
│ └── Even kings (e.g., King Benjamin) are dust
├── Benjamin fulfills his responsibility (27-28)
│ ├── He has walked with a clear conscience in his service (27)
│ ├── He is blameless for the people in judgment (27-28)
│ ├── He may die in peace (28)
│ └── His spirit may join heavenly choirs to praise a just God (28)
├── Benjamin appoints Mosiah as king (29-31)
│ ├── Benjamin's frame trembles, though the Lord supports him (29)
│ ├── The Lord commanded that Mosiah be made king (30)
│ ├── The people have kept Benjamin's and his father's commandments (31)
│ │ ├── They have prospered
│ │ └── They've been protected from enemies
│ └── They people should also keep Mosiah's (truly God's) commandments (31)
│ ├── They will prosper
│ └── They will be protected from enemies
├── Benjamin gives warning against sin (32-40)
│ ├── They people should avoid contentions (32)
│ ├── They should avoid obeying the evil spirit, and not repenting (32-33)
│ │ ├── If not, they drink damnation to soul
│ │ └── If not, they receive "everlasting punishment"
│ ├── Benjamin outlines dangers of sinning against knowledge (33-37)
│ │ ├── Benjamin describes the things the people have been taught (34-35)
│ │ │ ├── They are indebted to God to render to Him all they have and all they are
│ │ │ ├── They've been taught the words of scripture of prophets down from Lehi
│ │ │ └── They've been taught everything else the "fathers" have said until then
│ │ │ ├── The fathers said what the Lord commanded
│ │ │ └── The teachings are just & true
│ │ └── Benjamin explains consequences of transgressing against knowledge and teachings (36-37)
│ │ ├── He who does this withdraws himself from the Spirit (36)
│ │ │ └── It has no place in him to guide him to be: blessed, prospered, and preserved
│ │ ├── He is in open rebellion against God (37)
│ │ ├── He becomes an enemy to righteousness (37)
│ │ └── The Lord has no place in him, as He doesn't dwell in unholy temples (37)
│ ├── Benjamin explains what happens if one doesn't repent and dies an enemy to God (38-39)
│ │ ├── The demands of justice bring own guilt to his immortal soul (38)
│ │ │ ├── The guilt causes him to shrink before Lord
│ │ │ └── His breast is filled with: guilt, pain, and anguish, like an unquenchable fire
│ │ ├── Mercy has no claim on him (39)
│ │ └── His doom is never-ending torment (39)
│ └── Benjamin's call to remember the awful state of sinners (40)
└── Benjamin describes the happiness of the righteous (41)
├── Benjamin explains the state of those who keep the commandments
│ ├── They are blessed In all things: temporal and spiritual
│ └── They are happy
└── Benjamin describes the rewards for the faithful
├── They are received to Heaven
├── They dwell with God
└── They have never-ending happiness
Backlinks
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Overview / How I Study / Deep Reading
- The order of these guidelines is not fully prescriptive, but they were organized intentionally. After beginning with the initial Outline Strategy, which sets up the structure for the subsequent strategies, it proceeds with the lower-level (relating to words, phrases, and grammar) followed by the higher-level (including patterns and themes). Feel free to use what works for you.