Bible Study Highlighting Guide
Oftentimes when flipping through my Bible, whether at church, a study, or just being around other people, I’ll get asked if there’s any rhyme or reason to all the highlighting done inside of it. I’m pretty proud of my highlighting system because it helps me reinforce what I’m reading, and then makes it easier to reference back in the book when I’m looking for something specific later. If you’re interested in trying out a more in-depth highlighting method, or just want to organize your studying a little bit, I hope this little guide is helpful to you!
To use my method, you’ll need highlighters in the following colors: yellow, green, purple, blue, orange, and pink. My favorite set of highlighters for this is using this midline set. It’s dual sided, they don’t bleed through the pages, and the colors are a lot easier on the eyes than traditional highlighters. Any brand will work though!
I’ll use the book of 1 Peter to give some examples of what I would highlight.
Yellow: I highlight the character of God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit in yellow. For example, when the passage is talking about God, or something that he said or did. I chose yellow because it reminds me of the glory of God.
Example: 1 Peter 1:17, “Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially,”
Green: I highlight positive commands in green. For example, when Paul is commanding believers to love one another & live in unity. I chose green because this would be something that is “green-lit” or “green means go!”.
Example: 1 Peter 1:22: “Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. “
Orange: I highlight sin/sin nature/things to avoid in orange. For example, when Paul speaks about sexual immorality or negative behaviors, I would highlight these. I chose orange because it reminds me to “proceed with caution” or “avoid”.
Example: 1 Peter 2:1, “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice, and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.”
Purple: I highlight any prayers happening, or anything that I feel like would work as a prayer/be beneficial for me to pray. I used this one because it was the last one available and I had already assigned the other colors.
Blue: Redemption. Redemption is the meta-narrative of the entire Bible, so I like to highlight when I see that theme. For example, this would be talking about how we are saved, what Jesus did for us, our transformation as believers, etc. I chose blue because it sticks out to me more than the other colors.
Example: 1 Peter 2:24-25: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds, you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”
Pink: This color is my special highlighter that I use when something REALLY sticks out to me, or means a lot to me. You would use this at your own discretion! I used pink for this because it’s my favorite color.
Hopefully this small guide helps you in your study! Let me know if you end up implementing it. The highlighters that I love to use (that are pictured here) are double sided midliners, and you can order some for a super reasonable price (less than $6!) by clicking here.
