I just thought of another reason why when studying the Bible in a group it is important to go verse by verse.

Think of the one person in any Bible study that always causes trouble. Chances are you are thinking of that person that just doesn't get the truths of Scripture and always has other interpretations and always "just wants to love people and accept them where they are at."

There is really no way of refuting them if you are studying a book or just having a discussion, but when you study God's Word verse by verse you can point to Scripture and prove the error of their thoughts. The burden then goes off the facilitator or the group and puts it on God's Word which we can't argue. This won't solve all problems but I think it will help in many circumstances.