Ever since I became a believer in Christ, I’ve deeply desired to know God through His holy Word. This long-life pursuit helped me discover spiritual disciplines like biblical meditation, memorization, and inductive study. Lately, I’ve been practicing Scripture writing as a new discipline.
My initial purpose for writing Bible verses was to memorize them; writing the text helps me focus on it, which makes me memorize faster. These results motivated me to take up Scripture writing as a separate discipline, which has been a blessing.
In this post, I want to share the basics and benefits of Scripture writing and some tips and resources to get started.
What is Scripture Writing?
As the title implies, Scripture writing is simply copying large portions of the Bible by hand. It is a method of engaging the Bible that helps us reflect on the meaning and significance of the text.
It is a spiritual discipline you can do alone during your quiet time or with others.
Why Should Christians Practice Scripture Writing?
Scripture writing provides many excellent benefits to believers, but its biblical precedent is the chief reason to do it. To be clear, the Bible nowhere commands us to write Scripture. Nevertheless, it sets a compelling precedent to motivate us to take up our pens and write.
After God delivered the Israelites from Egypt and led them to the promised land, He instructed them to live according to His will. One of these instructions concerned the future kings of Israel. Deuteronomy 17:18 says: “And when he [king of Israel] sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests.”
Not only did God command the king of Israel to have a personal copy of the law, but he was to get it by writing it himself. He had to copy it by hand so God’s law would be etched on his heart.
Verse 19 says, “And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them.”
The king of Israel had a high calling. He represented God to the people and ensured they kept God’s commands. Hence, it was crucial he knew God’s law and followed it. Christians today have a similar calling: we are the ambassadors of Christ, the salt and light of the earth. Therefore, like the king of Israel, we also must know God’s Word and have it in our hearts.
Now, you may wonder if Scripture writing is necessary today. Is it not enough to have a printed Bible and read it daily? It is certainly enough! As stated earlier, the Bible does not command us to write Scripture. Furthermore, this instruction was explicitly for the kings of Israel.
Nevertheless, I believe Scripture writing is still worth doing. God could have required kings to get written copies of the law to read, but He wanted them to hand-copy the law themselves. And if God prescribed it, there is merit to the practice, and we should seriously consider it.
Benefits of Writing Scripture
It helps us retain the Bible.
Writing by hand increases our retention. This is scientifically proven. According to a 2010 study in Washington, handwriting notes improve students’ memory of the lesson compared to typing or listening only. Students also better understood the material when they wrote their notes.
It helps us focus on the words.
Writing by hand is a slow process that allows us to mull over what we are writing. Every time I study a biblical text, I begin by writing it verse by verse before studying it. Writing the text by hand always helps me focus and grasp its meaning. When reading Scripture, especially large portions, it is easy to pass over some words and miss crucial little details. Scripture writing helps avoid that.
It encourages meditation
Meditation is probably the most excellent way of absorbing God’s Word. It is a practice highly recommended in Scripture with many benefits (See A Beginner’s Guide to Biblical Meditation). Meditation is a natural outcome of writing Scripture. After writing verses by hand and focusing on them, you will naturally ponder the text’s meaning and dwell on its implications for your life.
It reduces anxiety
Studies have also shown that the practice of writing can be soothing. If that is true, writing out God’s promises will give us peace tenfold.
It is engaging
Writing Scripture allows us to absorb Scripture in a new, creative way, which can brighten our Bible study.
How to get started
Getting started with writing Scripture is relatively easy. You only need a notebook, pens and your Bible.
When and where
The best place and time to write Scripture is whenever and wherever works best for you. I suggest choosing a time and place when interruptions and distractions are minimal. I do my Scripture writing early in the morning during my daily devotion.
What to write
There are two main approaches to Scripture writing. You can do it topically or book by book. In the topical approach, you select a theme, such as forgiveness, and write all Bible verses about forgiveness. Whereas with the book-by-book process, you pick a book of the Bible and write it verse by verse and chapter by chapter. There is no wrong approach, but I recommend the book-by-book process. With Bible intake, whether reading, memorizing, meditating, or writing, I always recommend going book by book. Book-by-book allows us to read the whole counsel of God (not just our favorite part), and it guards against reading Scripture out of context.
How
Start small and slow. Scripture writing is not about how many verses you can write in a day but how much you can gain from God’s Word. So take time to think about each word you write. Focus on learning the Word of truth, ponder the verses as you write them, and enjoy the process.
Helpful Resources for Scripture Writing
The only tools you need are pens, a notebook, and, of course, your Bible. Though you can use any notebook to write Scripture, I recommend using Journibles. Journibles are journals created for writing Scripture and are named after journals and the Bible. With this journal, you write Bible verses on the right and on the left, thoughts and meditation. The journals come with a durable hardcover and two ribbon markers. I have a bunch of these journals, and I love them. If you start Scripture writing, consider using a Journible.
Conclusion
Scripture writing is a valuable tool that can help you grow spiritually. As with other spiritual disciplines, what matters is not the finish line but the journey. The goal of Scripture writing is not merely writing Bible verses but writing God’s Word on our hearts for holiness. What will it profit to write the entire Bible by hand but learn nothing from it?
