I love books with a ton of Bible verse references. The more verse references, the better.
While listening to the Thinking Fellows podcast episode, “The Reformation: Conclusions“, they touched on how Lutherans are great for basing their doctrine on Scripture alone.
At the 22:44 mark, one of the guys said,
When was the last time you looked through the Formula? The Formula is kinda like that [has a lot of Scripture references]. The Formula is crazy. The Solid Declaration version is crazy for that. You'll get positive explanations of doctrine. But it's just LACED with Scriptures. It's just LACED with Scriptures. It's reputations are just laced with Scripture. It's very much like that.
My rough count, there are 458 verse references in the The Solid Declaration of the Formula of Concord.
Verse count by section in the The Solid Declaration of the Formula of Concord
- Preface: 2 verses
- Rule and Norm: 5 verses
- Original Sin: 15 verses
- Free Will: 91 verses
- The Righteousness of Faith: 29 verses
- Good Works: 36 verses
- Law and Gospel: 40 verses
- The Third Use of the Law: 24 verses
- The Holy Supper: 26 verses
- The Person of Christ: 50 verses
- Christ’s Descent into Hell: 0 verses
- Election: 148 verses
- Church Rites, Commonly Called Adiaphora: 16 verses
- Other Sects: 0 verses
I’d like to take the Formula of Concord, and re-lay it out with the actual Scripture verses in the margins. Not just the reference, but the actual verse.
In fact, so the verse doesn’t get plucked out of context, I’d like to take the entire chapter, and put that in the margin. Within the chapter, I’d highlight the verse that is referenced.
If there are 458 verses, does that mean my booklet would have 458 chapters? That would be quite a bit! There are 1,189 chapters in the entire Bible! But of the 458 verses, there are 185 unique chapters. Ok, that’s a little more reasonable.
Of course, entire chapters would not fit into a margin, so maybe the left side pages would be the Formula of Concord. The right side pages would be the full chapters of the Bible. The resulting layout would end up having lots of blank pages on either side. Sometimes you’ll have lots of Formula text with no Bible verses on the right. And many times you’ll have pages and pages of Bible chapters, but nothing on the left. Which is fine. That leaves plenty of space for notes.
And then once I’m done laying this out, I’ll got into my wide-margin bible, and look up every single verse referenced in the Formula of Concord, and I’ll make a little note next to the verse. Identifying where in the Formula this this verse is referenced. That would be cool to be reading along in my Bible, and then seeing that a particular verse is used in the Formula.
For those who’d like to see the full verse reference list by section, here it is:
- Preface
Acts 15, 1-29
1 Cor. 15, 12 - Rule and Norm
1 Tim. 3
2 Tim. 3:16
Titus 1:9
John 10:12
Jer. 15:19 - Original Sin
Rom. 5:12ff
Eph. 2:3
Gen. 6:5
Gen. 8:21
Deut. 32:6
Is. 45:11, 54:5, 64:8
Acts 17:25
Rev. 4:11
Job 10:8-12
Ps. 139:14-16
Eccl. 12:7
Acts 17:28
Heb. 2:14
1 John 1:7
Matt. 1:21
Ps. 90 - Free Will
John 8:34
Eph. 2:2
2 Tim. 2:26
Rom. 1:19ff
1 Cor. 2:14
1 Cor. 1:21
Eph. 4:17f
Matt. 13:11ff
Luke 8:18
Rom. 3:11, 12
Eph. 5:8
Acts 26:18
John 1:5
Eph. 2:1, 5
Col. 2:13
2 Cor. 3:5
Rom. 3:12
John 8:37
John 1:5
1 Cor. 2:14
Rom. 8:7
Phil. 2:13
Eph. 1:17
Col. 1:9
Phil. 1:9
Gen. 8:22
Jer. 17:9
Gal. 5:17
Rom. 7:14
Luke 24:45
Acts 16:14
Phil. 2:13
Acts 5:31
2 Tim. 2:25
Phil. 1:29
Eph. 2:8
John 6:29
Deut. 29:4
Matt. 13:15
Titus 3:5, 6
Ezek. 11:19
Deut. 30:6
Ps. 51:10
Eph. 2:10
2 Cor. 5:17
Gal. 6:15
Jas. 1:17
John 6:44
Matt. 11:27
1 Cor. 12:3
John 15:5
2 Cor. 3:5
1 Cor. 4:7
Rom. 7:23
Phil. 2:13
Eph. 2:10
Ezek. 33:11
John 3:16
1 Cor. 1:21
Acts 10:5, 6
Rom. 10:17
John 17:17, 20
Matt. 17:5
Gal. 4:6
2 Cor. 2:14ff, 3:5ff
Matt. 23:37
Acts 7:51
Ps. 51:10
Eph. 2:5
Rom. 7:22
Rom. 8:14
Ps. 110:4
Rom. 7:22f
Gal. 5:17
2 Cor. 6:1
2 Cor. 6:1
1 Cor. 3:9
1 Cor. 15:10
2 Cor. 6:16
Gal. 3:27
John 8:36
1 Cor. 2:14
2 Cor. 3:5
Eph. 4:22
Gal. 5:17
1 Pet. 2:11
Rom. 7:23
John 8:34
Rom. 6:16
Rom. 7:25 - The Righteousness of Faith
Rom. 3:28
Rom. 4:5
Eph. 2:8-9
Rom. 3:28
Rom. 4:5
Rom. 5:19
Rom. 5:18
Phil. 3:9
Prov. 17:15
Is. 5:23
Rom. 8:33
Titus 3:5
Eph. 2:5
Rom. 1:17
Hab. 2:4
Rom. 4:6ff
1 John 3:14
Rom. 3:28
Rom. 4:3
Gen. 15:6
Heb. 11:8
Rom. 4:1ff
Ps. 32:1
James 2:20
Rom. 3:28
Rom. 4:6
Rom. 5:19
1 John 1:7
Hab. 2:4
Rom. 1:17 - Good Works
Eph. 2:10
Matt. 7:18
Rom. 14:23
Rom. 13:5
1 Cor. 9:9
Acts 5:29
John 15:12
1 John 4:21
2 Cor. 9:7
Philemon 14
1 Pet. 5:2
Ps. 110:3
Ps. 54:6
2 Cor. 9:7
Rom. 6:17
2 Cor. 9:7
Rom. 7:22f
1 Cor. 9:27
Gal. 5:24
Rom. 8:13
Rom. 4:6
Matt. 24:13
Heb. 3:6-14
1 Cor. 6:9
Gal. 5:21
Eph. 5:5
Rom. 8:13
Col. 3:6
2 Pet. 1:10
Rom. 5:2
Rom. 11:20
Col. 1:22
1 Pet. 1:5, 9
2 Tim. 1:13
Phil. 3:7ff
Phil. 1:20 - Law and Gospel
Mark 1:1
Mark 16:15
Luke 24:46, 47
Acts 20:21
Mark 1:15
Luke 13:5
Luke 15:7
Mark 1:15
Acts 20:21
Luke 24:46-47
Luke 4:18
2 Cor. 7:10
Matt. 5:21ff
Rom. 7:14
Rom 1:18
2 Cor. 3:14f
2 Cor. 3:16
John 16:8
Is. 28:21
John 16:8
John 16:8
Rom. 3:20
Rom. 7:7
Rom. 4:25
2 Cor. 5:21
1 Cor. 1:30
2 Cor. 3:7
Rom. 1:16
1 Cor. 1:18
Gal. 3:2
Rom. 1:20f
Gen. 3:15
Gen. 22:18
Ps. 110:1
Is. 49:6
Luke 2:32
Is. 53:5
Gal. 3:24
Rom. 10:4
2 Cor. 3:7ff - The Third Use of the Law
Ps. 1:2
119:1
1 Tim. 1:9
Rom. 7:18ff
Gal. 5:17
Ps. 119:71
1 Cor. 9:27
Heb. 12:8
Gal. 3:14
Rom. 12:2
Eph. 2:10
Rom. 8:2
Rom. 7:23
1 Cor. 9:21
1 Cor. 9:27
Rom. 7:18, 19
Deut. 12:8, 28, 32
1 Cor. 4:4
Rom. 13:9
Rom. 7:7ff
Ps. 119:32
Ps. 143:2
1 Pet. 2:5
Heb. 11:4ff - The Holy Supper
1 Cor. 10:16
John 1:14
Col 2:9
Acts 10:38
2 Cor. 5:19
Luke 21:33
Matt. 28:18
Matt. 26:26
Mark 14:22
Luke 22:19
1 Cor. 11:24
1 Cor. 10:16
1 Cor. 11:27
John 6:54
Matt. 11:28
Matt. 9:12
2 Cor. 12:9
Rom. 14:1
Rom 14:3
John 3:15f
Mark 9:24
Gen. 1:28
1 Cor. 10:16
1 Cor. 10:16
1 Tim. 6:15
Acts 3:21 - The Person of Christ
Rom. 9:5
Eph. 1:21
Phil. 2:7
Eph. 4:10
Ps. 8:1
Ps 8:6
Ps 93:1f
Zech. 9:10
Mark 16:20
Col. 2:9
1 Pet. 1:12
1 Tim. 3:16
2 Pet. 1:4
Rom. 1:3
1 Pet. 3:18
1 Pet 4.1″
Luke 24:26
Jas. 1:17
John 5:27
John 6:39
Matt. 28:18
Dan. 7:14
John 3:35
13:3
Matt. 11:27
Eph. 1:22
Heb. 2:8
1 Cor. 15:27
John 1:3
John 5:21f
John 6.39f
1 John 1:7
John 6:48-58
John 17:24
Matt. 28:18
John 13:3
Col. 2:9
Heb. 2:7f
Ps. 8:6
1 Cor. 15:27
Col. 2:3
Is. 11:2
Is 61:1
Matt. 18:20
Matt. 28:20
Matt. 11:27
Matt. 28:18
Rom. 1:4
John 17:10
2 Cor. 10:5 - Christ’s Descent into Hell
- Election
Matt. 10:29
Ps. 139:16
Is. 37:28
Eph. 1:4
Eph 1:5
Hos. 13:9
Ps. 5:4
Matt. 16:18
John 10:28
Acts 13:48
Eph. 1:4
Is. 14:27
Rom. 9:19
2 Tim. 3:16
Rom. 15:4
Eph. 1:13
1 Cor. 1:7
2 Tim. 3:16
Eph. 1:14
John 15:3
Eph. 1:13
John 10:27f
2 Thess. 2:13f
Rom. 8:29f
Eph. 1:4f
Matt. 22:1ff
Eph. 1:4
Eph. 1:9ff
2 Tim. 1:9f
Rom. 8:29f
Luke 24:47
2 Cor. 5:20
Matt. 22:2ff
Matt. 20:3ff
Luke 24:47
John 3:16
John 1:29
John 6:51
1 John 1:7
1 John 2.2
Matt. 11:28
Rom. 11:32
2 Pet. 3:9
Rom. 10:12
Rom. 3:22
John 6:40
Luke 24:47
Mark 16:15
2 Cor. 3:8
Rom. 1:16
John 10:27f
Eph. 1:11
Eph 1:13
Rom. 8:25
Matt. 5:6
Rom. 8:16
Rom 8:26
1 Cor. 1:9
Phil. 1:6
1 Pet. 5:10
2 Pet. 3:9
Heb. 3:2
Luke 13:24
Ps. 5:9
12:2f
Matt. 22:6
Acts 13:46
Heb. 4:2
Heb 4:7
Acts 7:51
Luke 14:18
Mark 16:16
Matt. 7:22
Matt 22:12
Rom. 9:31
Matt. 22:3ff
Matt. 23:37
Luke 8:13
Phil. 1:6
2 Pet. 2:10
2 Pet 2:20
Eph. 4:30
Heb. 10:26
Luke 11:25
Rom. 9:11
2 Tim. 1:9
John 10:28
Rom. 8:28
Rom 8:39
Rom. 8:28
Rom 8:29
Rom 8:35
Rom 8:38
Rom 8:39
Rom. 9:24
Rom 9:25
Luke 7:30
Luke 14:24
Matt. 20:16
Luke 8:8
Luke 8:18
Rom. 11:33ff
Acts 1:7
Rom. 11:22ff
Acts 13:46
Hos. 13:9
Rom. 9:20
Rom. 11:33f
Eph. 1:4f
Matt. 17:6
Matt. 11:28
John 16:14
John 14:6
John 10:9
Mark 1:15
John 6:40
John 6:37
Rom. 10:17
Matt. 11:28
Luke 11:11ff
Rom. 8:16
Ps. 31:22
Jer. 3:1
John 6:44
Rom. 9:22f
Rom. 6:23
Ezek. 33:11
2 Pet. 3:9
Ezek. 18:23
Ezek 33:11
2 Tim. 2:21
2 Pet. 2:20
Luke 11:25f
Heb. 10:29
Ex. 9:16
Rom. 9:17
2 Pet. 3:9
Ezek. 33:11
Eph. 1:5f
Rom. 9:11ff
Gen. 25:23
Mal. 1:2f
John 10:28
2 Tim. 2:19
Rom. 15:4 - Other Sects