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Note: This feature is available in all subscription tiers.
Finding what the Bible says about a topic can be an arduous process. Take marriage as an example. In order to fully understand the New Testament concept of marriage, you’d need a solid understanding of the history of marriage in the Old Testament. Where to begin?
For an efficient way to dive into a Biblical topic, select Personal Study from the Get Started Wizard on your Dashboard and enter a topic. Instantly, you’ll see the tools you need to begin your study keyed up to your topic, including the Factbook, Topic Guide, Study Assistant, top articles, and your preferred Bible.
In the left panel, the Factbook opens to your topic. The Factbook is a great starting point for your study as it gives you a brief summary of the topic followed immediately by the Key Article which dives deeper into the topic. Further down, you’ll find additional sections including:
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Links to biblical passages that provide particular insight into our understanding of marriage (in the Key Passages section)
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Links to relevant articles in your dictionaries or Question to Ask section (depending on your topic)
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Suggestions for further reading on the topic (in the Related Topics section)
Once you’ve browsed the Factbook for an overview on the topic, read the full Key Article from the Factbook in the first column. Here, you’ll also find an article from the Dictionaries section of the Factbook. The article is linked, so it will update if you change topics in one of them.
Next, work through the Key Passages section of the Factbook using your Top Bible . This panel automatically opens to the first key passage, and each scripture reference you click opens in a separate tab.
After you have read through the information gathered in the Factbook, turn to the Topic Guide on the right tab of the left panel to see everything your Library has to say on the topic. The Topic Guide is linked to the Factbook, so changing topics in one will automatically update the other. In addition to what you’ve already seen in the Factbook, the Topic Guide includes other helpful resources, such as:
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Links to related Factbook entries
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Lists of Biblical Places, People, Events, and Things related to the topic
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Links to related Illustrations
Once you've worked through the Topic Guide, visit the top center panel to ask any questions you have about your topic in the Study Assistant.
Still need some help? The help resource in the right sidebar walks you through how to use the Personal Study layout.