Studying Scripture Using Word Lists

This free resource is a part of my book, Christian Character; New Testament Lists.

I believe word lists are an excellent way to study Scripture, and in this resource I’ll tell you why I believe this is true. I also include recommendations for ways to study Scripture using word lists.

Scripture contains the words God uses to communicate with us. I know this comment is so obvious it sounds silly. The Lord uses these words to tell us about himself, creation, and every aspect of life. If we want to understand these various topics, then it is important for us to immerse ourselves in the breadth of the conversation we find in Scripture about them.

Words are our primary means of communicating with each other. Most every word has a range of meaning and refers to more than one object or idea. We understand the meaning of a word based on which of the possible definitions make the most sense in the context of the sentence and conversation in which it is used.

The words used in Scripture are for the most part the ones used by people in their daily lives. Some have specific meaning for God’s people. Our translations do an amazing job of expressing the meaning of these words, but these translations lose something in translation (intentional bad joke) because no one tells us which Greek word is being used. For example, we read passages that describe prayer, but we are unaware of the type or intensity of prayer being described or where else the word occurs.

I crafted these lists so we can locate all the words that describe specific topics and all the passages in which they are used. I also include all the similar words for a topic in each list. I value knowing what words are used to describe many of the important themes in Scripture as I read different verses. Lexicons are very helpful tools, but they are often based on English or are difficult to use in locating all the words that are translated to describe specific topics line love or prayer. I hope you find these lists as valuable as I.

You’ll receive one PDF