How to Write a Big Idea Statement

“Where does this verse fit in the big story? That will be the big overarching context that will help you understand it and interpret it as well.” -Asheritah Ciuciu

When we look at verses, they all fit within paragraphs, books, and, ultimately, an overarching story of God redeeming all things through his son, Jesus Christ. Because verses are not isolated in that story but serve to further its meaning, we need to know how to summarize the big idea of a passage. The Big Idea is simply the main concept of a text in the Bible. 

Like your pastor coming up with a title for a sermon, describing the main idea of a passage in your own words will help you make sure you understand it and that you can come out of your reading with a sense of what’s important. Ready to dive in?

First, why do big ideas?

• It makes us see how verses form one unit of thought

• It helps us make sure we understand the Bible passages we read 

• It gives us a starting point from where we can apply Scripture to our lives

Big Ideas are an indispensable tool to understand the big story unfolding before our eyes. Okay, now that you know why, let’s talk about the how. 

How should we even choose what to include in a big idea? 

Each genre of the Bible will require a slightly different approach, but what’s most important is that you find a complete unit of thought. Look for logical beginnings and ends to an argument, story, poem, etc., that comprise a single cohesive thought. Connectors such as therefore and but can help you identify these sections! 

I chose Philippians 3:1-11 as my passage since it contains one unified argument. Now, identify the subject (what is the author talking about?) and the complement (what is the author saying about the subject?). Here is an example from my passage:

Subject: What should Christ’s disciples strive toward? 

Complement: Christ’s disciples should strive toward Christ as their ultimate prize. 

The subject should start with a what, when, who, where, and how question (noun), while the complement should answer the subject’s question (the verb). 

Now, all you have to do is combine the subject and complement!

What makes a sermon memorable? For me, it is clear subpoints, a memorable title, and a succinct main idea. Our big ideas should also fall into these categories, making sure they capture what’s most important about the passage while still keeping it memorable and interesting. 

To help you keep track of the main point, you can outline your subpoints from the different divisions of the passage. Here is an example of one subpoint from Philippians:

We should be cautious of people using human credentials as a way to flaunt their self-righteousness and look to Christ for true righteousness that comes through faith (Philippians 3:1-9)

Finally, here are some criteria to follow when you are evaluating your big idea statement:

• Is it a complete thought with a subject and a complement?

• Is it memorable and concise?

• Does it incorporate the main sections of your passage?

• Does it align with the original context and apply to a modern audience?

This is my big idea statement for Philippians 3:1-11:

We should strive toward Christ as our ultimate prize, renouncing self-righteousness tendencies and growing in our knowledge of who he is. 

Now it’s your turn to write a big idea statement! Let me know what you learn in the process :)