Inductive Bible Study Basics for Logos: Cross-Referencing & Historical Background

Dr. John Fallahee opens the webinar by emphasizing two foundational resources for cross-referencing and historical context: The New Treasure of Scripture Knowledge (with over 500,000 verse-by-verse cross-references) and the IVP Background Commentary (including its Old Testament counterpart). These tools help users practice "Scripture interpreting Scripture" by grounding interpretations in the original audience's context—such as noting Moses' recipients lacked New Testament knowledge. Symbolic markers in The New Treasure, like stars for Davidic prophecy or checkmarks for significant cross-references, provide quick visual cues for connections.

Using Romans 8:28–30 as a practical example, Dr. Fallahee demonstrates the "Power Lookup" tool (accessed via the main menu’s grid icon, typing "power," and selecting "Power Lookup"). He shows how to link it to a Bible through the three-dot menu and ensure selections filter results properly. The "Explorer" tool (Tools > Explore > Passage) displays cross-references in a collapsible format, including non-canonical works like Judith. To prevent dynamic updates, he duplicates a Bible, sends hyperlinks to the duplicate, and arranges both side-by-side—keeping one fixed while the other jumps to cross-references.

He introduces the "Passage Guide" (main menu > "passage" > "Passage Guide"), advising users to collapse all sections first to manage information. Key features include "Parallel Passages" (e.g., feeding of the 5,000 across all Gospels) and "Cross References," which list relevant books in the user’s library. Creating a "Passage List" (Documents > New > Passage List) allows adding verses via clipboard or typing references (e.g., "Jeremiah 12.4"), then organizing them with headings (right-click > "Heading Above/Below"). Drag-and-drop moves cross-references between sections, and verses are added by direct reference entry.

Dr. Fallahee also walks through a custom guide template for streamlined cross-referencing. Users download it via Docs > Public (search "webinar cross-referencing"), add it to guides, and set "05 Cross-Referencing" as the sole setting in Collections > Settings. This consolidates cross-references, parallel passages, and concordance data into one interface. For passages like Matthew 27 (crucifixion), the guide reveals extensive Old Testament connections. Additionally, he highlights a "Collection" of premium cross-reference books (e.g., New American Seal Exhaustive Concordance, Practical Word Studies) for targeted searches on topics like "providence" or "predestination," enabling efficient, contextually grounded study.

To manage multiple resources efficiently, Dr. Fallahee demonstrates adjusting layouts—changing from vertical to horizontal parallel text alignment for readability, then reverting to vertical when using more than two or three resources. Practical tips include saving custom resource lists, right-clicking to open resource tabs in floating windows, and docking tabs to maintain position. The segment closes with a prayer on cross-referencing as a means of Scripture interpreting Scripture, cautioning against present-day biases and encouraging God-honoring study methods. The webinar ends with thanks to attendees and a promise to continue the series in future sessions.