The Color Pencil Bible Method
Orientation
The false assumption that understanding Scripture requires scholarly expertise or complex arguments obscures the light God promises to all believers.
- God's Word is accessible to every believer, not just the learned.
- Complexity in approach can hide truth, while simplicity reveals it.
- The goal is not intellectual conquest but letting the Word enter and illuminate.
The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple. (Psalm 119:130)
— Psalm 119:130
Clarification
The 'simple' in Scripture refers not to intellectual deficiency but to those free from convoluted arguments, focused on the text's clarity.
- Simplicity is single-mindedness, not stupidity.
- Rushing through Scripture or worrying about quantity obscures true perception.
- The method is a tool for meditative engagement, not a replacement for the Spirit's work.
For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty. (1 Corinthians 1:26-27)
— 1 Corinthians 1:26-27
Structure
Biblical understanding flows from the entrance of God's words, which gives light, a principle fulfilled as we engage the text with a receptive, meditative posture.
- The cause-effect chain is clear: God's words enter, then light and understanding follow.
- This aligns with Pauline categories where revelation is received, not achieved.
- The method visually organizes themes (Father, Christ, Spirit, blessings) to help the text speak for itself.
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16)
— 2 Timothy 3:16
Weight-Bearing Prose
The theological assertion is that illumination comes from the entrance of God’s words (Psalm 119:130), not from human expertise. This aligns with the Pauline principle that spiritual understanding is revealed by the Spirit (1 Cor 2:10-14). The natural man cannot receive the things of the Spirit, but the believer has the mind of Christ. The Color Pencil Method is a practical means to facilitate this ‘entrance’ by slowing down reading and forcing visual engagement with key themes: God the Father, Christ and His blood, the Spirit, blessings, the Church, and the negative realities of flesh and law. This is not about adding to Scripture but creating space for the Scripture to perform its own work. The counter-position—that deep understanding requires scholarly complexity—is rejected as it places a veil over the text and denies the sufficiency of Scripture and the Spirit’s work to illuminate every believer. The method’s value is in its posture: receptive, meditative, and focused on what is written, allowing divine patterns in the epistles to become apparent.
Integration
Your understanding of God’s Word does not depend on your effort or intellectual prowess. It rests on the promise that His words give light as they enter you. Christ is your wisdom and your righteousness. This method is merely a tool to help you be still and receive what He has already provided in His Word. There is no pressure to advance or achieve a certain level of insight. The assurance is in the promise itself: the entrance of His words gives light. Whether you use colors or simply read slowly, the goal is the same—to let Christ, revealed in Scripture, be your portion. Rest in this. Your inheritance is to know Him, and He is faithful to reveal Himself through His Word. This is your birthright, secured by His finished work, not your reading technique.