Tracing a Biblical Theme Through a Text
Hearing a teacher trace the contours of a biblical theme through Scripture can be deeply moving. The theme illustrates a facet of the gospel in a vibrant and relatable way, while tying the Bible together. It’s like a thread that pulls you into the tapestry of God’s work.
However, when we sit down to study a specific text ourselves, identifying biblical themes can suddenly seem daunting.
Today our aim is to give you a place to begin as you look for a biblical theme in a text.
What is a biblical theme? It's is a pattern through the Bible, like stepping stones we hop along that lead us to a destination. A true biblical theme always leads us to the the redemptive work of God in Jesus Christ.
You've seen them. Like shepherds: Shepherds that God uses, God being a shepherd, the prediction of a coming shepherd from God, and the arrival of the Good Shepherd--Jesus!
So, how do we find one in the passage in front of us?
First, we read and re-read our text. Read the whole book, if you can!
While we read, we do the interpretative work.
Simultaneously, we look for threads of the biblical themes God is weaving through our passage by asking these questions:
What are repeated or important words?
What are repeated concepts or actions? (sometimes there are multiple words for the same concept, like sabbath and rest)
What is God doing here that he does elsewhere?
What are places, traditions, or descriptions that seem to matter?
As we read through the text, we pay attention to that which is prominent. Ask if any of the answers from the previous questions are themes that run through the Bible and lead us to the gospel.
Be careful. Our themes cannot be too broad or the theme is never defined. We cannot trace a theme of “God” or “people” or “salvation” and find the thread. Examples of themes could be redeemer, seed, light, blood, and sacrifices.
Second, we use the storyline of the Bible to see where our passage lies within its unfolding. Where is our passage in the story?
Is it before or after God gave the covenant of Moses at Mt. Sinai?
Is it before or after God promised David a son who would reign on his throne forever?
Consider how the place on the timeline helps us see what is being revealed to the people about God’s plan. (If this step sounds confusing or scary, don’t worry. We have Learn It/Give It workshops and lessons on this subject as well as book recommendations)
Thirdwe’re going to find other passages that talk about the concept we suspect is a theme. How does this concept develop through the Bible’s narrative? Helpful hints:
Start by using the cross references in our Bible’s margins
A good concordance can aid us in this process significantly
Brainstorm ideas of where you think the Bible talks about the theme
Use websites to search like Blue Letter Bible or Bible Gateway
As you find other passages with this concept, consider what you learn more about that topic. What picture is it painting for us?
Finally, consider how this theme ties to the work of Jesus.
Does Jesus fulfill this concept, like the reality compared to a shadow?
Is Jesus the epitome of God’s working in that way?
Does Jesus speak of this theme or does an apostle refer to it when describing Christ’s work?
This is the fruit of your work! It’s how we see small things like feasts, bread, misuse of power, and a shepherd point us to how we get grace from God through Jesus.
After we have done our own study, we can also glean the wisdom of our brothers and sisters who have spent years studying these texts in helpful commentaries.
As we unearth themes in our passage, we can see the common pitfall of studying a text while ignoring the biblical themes. If we focus too much on just the near context, we have blinders on, and miss the larger tapestry of what God is doing throughout the whole story.
But recognizing biblical themes causes us to marvel at our God who uses the world he has made to give us themes in His Word to display his glory.
We are so happy to provide this free resource to you.
For further training, check out our
Courses -short video courses you can do at your own pace.
Cohorts - virtual training with a group of other women over 7 weeks to hone and grow your teaching skills.
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