Should You Memorize Scripture Word for Word?
Scripture memory isn't easy for everyone.
We all have those friends who can seemingly rattle off any verse or even an entire chapter without blinking—and it seems like they have an unlimited supply of Scripture at the ready.
It's infuriating, but in the weird kind of motivationally encouraging way.
There are really two basic responses when we find ourselves in those moments of amazement. We can be inspired to do more ourselves and dive in, or we can think, "I'll never be able to do that, so I won't even try."
We may not explicity have that thought, but our responses and actions will likely reflect one attitude or the other.
As humans, we're often wired such that if we can't do something perfectly, then we're not going to bother doing it at all. But what if we broke down that barrier?
Why Should We Memorize?
Perfection often gets in the way. In fact, it's such an epidemic to following through on goals that Jon Acuff wrote an awesome book about it a few years ago.
It can be easy to take the same mentality when it comes to Scripture memory. If we can't rattle off the entirety of Romans 8 like John Piper, is it worth even doing anything?
I would argue that it totally is. The point of Scripture memory isn't necessarily to be able to perfectly recite the Word on command like a robot. The purpose is to internalize it so that we may be transformed by it.
You see this in the popular Scripture memory verse, Psalm 119:11: "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you."
Why did the Psalmist hide the Word in his heart? That he might not sin.
First and foremost, the purpose is a transformation of our heart. We seek to be changed and molded by Scripture.
Obviously, the more precise we are with our memory and internalization, the better off we'll be, but the idea is that we're internalizing the truths of Scripture—not necessarily the exact syntax and grammar.
My point is this: don't beat yourself up if you find it difficult to memorize word-for-word. Sometimes it's okay just have the main point down and reflect on that.
In fact, the more you reflect on capturing the theme of the passage, you may find that over time you have the verse or verses memorized without even trying.
Should We Memorize Perfectly?
Is it okay to just memorize thought-for-thought rather than word-for-word?
Some of the more conservative and strict among us may say it must be word-for-word. I think if you're going to err on one side or the other, precision is obviously preferred.
But the truth is, Scripture doesn't give us a lot of instruction for how to internalize Scripture, only that we should. What we can learn is from the examples we see in Scripture of the Word being quoted.
In the New Testament you'll find a great many quotes and references to Old Testament passages (and one time in the New Testament that another New Testament passage is quoted as Scripture). The exact number is difficult to identify, simply because you must consider how indirect the reference should be before no longer being considered a reference.
Either way, the number of fairly direct references numbers in the hundreds by all counts. In fact, almost 1 in 20 verses in the New Testament are a reference to an Old Testament passage.
Here's the fascinating kicker: many of these are paraphrases or otherwise modified references. No, the New Testament authors didn't seek to cripple or bend the message of the Old Testament to fit their narrative.
On the contrary, they sought to bring clarity and togetherness to the entire story of God's redemptive plan. Many of the Old Testament quotations in the book of Acts are used this way.
If you find yourself struggling to get a verse down perfectly—don't stress. Internalize the message and the theme for a start, and you'll find yourself with a significant repository of Scripture before you know it.
Steps to Thoughtful Memory
Here are a few ideas about what to do next:
Grab an index card, journal, notebook, or your favorite note-taking app
Write the verse or passage references you'd like to memorize
For example, if I wanted to focus on the goodness of Scripture as found in Psalm 19, I might write Psalm 19:7-11
Write a brief summary of the passage in a way that is easy to understand and internalize.
For Psalm 19:7-11, I might write, "The Bible is perfect, the Bible is accurate, the Bible is correct, the Bible is good, and the fear of the Lord makes me clean. The Bible is the most important thing, more than money or pleasure or anything else in this life and focusing on the Bible will help keep me pure."
Read the passage and your summary a few times every day and you'll start to find that truth internalized in your heart and soul. You'll find that those words stick out to you even more, and if you ever need to know where to find a passage about the importance of Scripture, you'll be able to remember that, in Psalm 19:7, the Bible is perfect.
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