Scripture Chains 101: Building Cross-Reference Networks for Come Follow Me

A scripture chain is a series of verses connected by a shared theme, doctrine, or phrase, arranged so that each verse leads to the next. The chain lets a reader follow a single idea through all volumes of scripture -- from the Old Testament through the New Testament, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price -- seeing how the same truth is expressed, developed, and deepened across thousands of years of revelation.

Scripture chains were a standard missionary study method before digital scripture tools made searching easier. But the chains that missionaries built were often shallow -- three or four verses that all said the same thing. The most valuable scripture chains are not proof-text collections but developmental sequences, where each verse adds something the previous one did not say.

What Makes a Good Scripture Chain

A strong scripture chain has a developmental arc. The idea grows, deepens, or clarifies from verse to verse rather than simply being restated. Consider a chain on "covenant faithfulness":

1. Deuteronomy 7:9 -- God keeps covenant and mercy to a thousand generations with those who love Him (establishes the basis) 2. Psalm 89:28-29 -- God's covenant with David: "my mercy will I keep for him for evermore" (personalizes it in a royal covenant) 3. Isaiah 54:10 -- "For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee" (extends it to cosmic permanence) 4. 1 Nephi 22:25 -- "He numbereth his sheep, and they are numbered unto him" (applies it to the gathering of Israel) 5. D&C 82:10 -- "I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say" (grounds it in covenant law) 6. Moroni 10:4 -- The promise of revelation to those who ask in faith (personalizes it as an individual covenant)

Each verse adds a new dimension: the basis (Deuteronomy), the personal application (Psalm 89), the cosmic permanence (Isaiah), the gathering dimension (1 Nephi), the legal structure (D&C), the individual covenant (Moroni). The chain builds an argument rather than simply repeating one.

Building Scripture Chains for Come Follow Me 2026

For Old Testament study, scripture chains have an additional value: they show participants that the Old Testament is not isolated from the rest of their scripture diet. Connecting Genesis to 2 Nephi, or Exodus to Mosiah, or Isaiah to the Doctrine and Covenants makes the ancient text feel immediately relevant.

Step 1: Choose a Doctrinal Theme

Pick a specific doctrinal idea from that week's Come Follow Me reading. Not "faith" (too broad) but "faith to act before you have all the answers" (specific enough to find verses that say something distinct). Not "repentance" but "repentance as returning home" (specific enough to use the Hebrew "shuv" thread).

Step 2: Find the Old Testament Seed

Every major doctrine has roots in the Old Testament. Begin your chain there. Use a concordance or scripture search tool to find the clearest Old Testament statement of your chosen doctrine. This verse is your chain's foundation.

Step 3: Follow the Thread Forward

Move chronologically forward: Old Testament, New Testament, Book of Mormon, D&C. At each step, ask: does this verse add something the previous verse did not say? If yes, include it. If it merely repeats, skip it.

Step 4: Test the Chain

Read the chain aloud, starting at the beginning and following through each verse. Does it tell a coherent story? Does the doctrine develop and deepen? Is the final verse a satisfying conclusion -- not just an endpoint but a culmination?

Five Starter Chains for Come Follow Me 2026

Creation and Divine Purpose: Genesis 1:1 → Abraham 3:22-24 → Moses 1:39 → 2 Nephi 2:25 → D&C 93:33-34 → Revelation 4:11. The chain moves from the fact of creation to its purpose (premortal council), to God's explicit goal (immortality and eternal life), to why mortality enables joy, to the eternal nature of matter and intelligence, to the cosmic conclusion that God's pleasure is served by his creation.

Covenant Loyalty (Hesed): Exodus 34:6-7 → Ruth 1:8 → Psalm 136:1 → Hosea 6:6 → Matthew 9:13 → Moroni 8:26. Traces God's covenant faithfulness from its definition at Sinai through human examples (Ruth), its doxological celebration (Psalm 136), its prophetic invocation against mere ritual (Hosea), its application by Christ, to its ultimate expression in charity.

The Gathering of Israel: Deuteronomy 30:3-4 → Isaiah 11:11-12 → Ezekiel 37:21-22 → 1 Nephi 22:12 → D&C 110:11 → Articles of Faith 1:10. Traces the gathering promise from Moses through Isaiah, Ezekiel, Nephi's commentary, Elias's return of keys, to our declaration of belief in the literal gathering.

The Atonement as Bearing: Leviticus 16:21 (the scapegoat) → Isaiah 53:4-5 → Mosiah 14:4-5 → Alma 7:11-12 → D&C 19:16-19. Traces the image of "bearing" sin from its ritual prototype (scapegoat) through Isaiah's prophecy, Abinadi's application, Alma's doctrinal expansion, to the Savior's own account of the experience.

Divine Presence: Exodus 33:14 → Psalm 139:7-10 → Isaiah 43:2 → Matthew 28:20 → D&C 6:32 → D&C 84:88. Traces God's promise of presence from Moses's request, through David's cosmic meditation, Isaiah's fire-and-water promise, the risen Christ's great commission, and two specific Doctrine and Covenants promises of divine accompaniment.