How to Memorize Scripture

The first time I heard of Scripture memorization, I panicked. I had just finished graduate school, and I could still remember those interminable nights I spent cramming notes into an exhausted brain. Reliving a similar experience did not entice me. Perhaps you can relate.

Many Christians don’t discipline themselves to memorize God’s word. It could be because they dread it as I did, or a host of other reasons like having a lousy memory, lacking time, etc.

But these excuses pale compared to the excellent benefits of memorizing Scripture. Chuck Swindoll said, “I know of no other single practice in the Christian life more rewarding, practically speaking than memorizing Scripture.” And Charles Spurgeon said, “The Bible in the memory is better than the Bible in the bookcase.”

Here are a few reasons seasoned saints have devoted themselves to the noble and ancient art of Scripture memorization.

The Bible says so

God expects us to remember His Word. Deuteronomy 6:6-9 says, “bind them [God’s words] as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.” Proverbs 7:2-3 says, “write them [God’s commandments] on the tablet of your hearts.” Colossians 3:16 says to “let the word of Christ dwell richly in you.” And the list goes on.

 It empowers us against sin

The sword of the Spirit, which is God’s word, is our only offensive weapon against the forces of evil (Ephesians 6:17). The Holy Spirit will help us recall it when need be (John 14:26), but we must first store it in our hearts. That is why the psalmist said, “I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11). Jesus illustrated it when He used Scripture alone to rip apart Satan’s lies.

It prepares us for evangelism and apologetics

God calls all believers to share the gospel (Matthew 28:19-20) and defend the faith (1 Peter 3:15). We do that using the Bible because faith comes by hearing the word of Christ (Romans 10:17). Memorizing Scripture makes us always prepared to share or defend the gospel to others.

It enables us to meditate more

Memorizing Scripture frees us to meditate on the Word of God anywhere and anytime. It also increases the frequency. We can ponder on God’s words in those brief moments of the day when we can’t open our Bibles, such as cooking, driving, working out, waiting in line. And Psalm 1 says blessed are those who delight in the law of the Lord and meditate on it day and night.

It fuels our prayers

Praying God’s words back to him is a powerful means of prayer that many saints have practiced throughout history. And having Scriptures in your memory can help you pray them and without interruption. Moreover, you can do it anywhere and anytime.

It helps in our fellowship

Sometimes we must provide counsel, encouragement, and comfort to others. Colossians 4:6 says, “let your speech always be gracious seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” Storing God’s Word in our hearts helps us always have the right words as the occasion calls for it.

The 5R Method

Now that you know why you should memorize Scripture let’s tackle how. I memorize Bible verses using the 5R method. I came up with this framework from the SQ3R method that I used to study for tests in school. It’s effortless and effective.

But before you begin, relax. Have confidence that you can do it. No one’s memory is too bad to memorize Scripture (unless you have a medical condition). God never calls us to anything without equipping us for it.

Read

First, read the Scripture you want to memorize slowly and make sure you understand the meaning. If you are not familiar with the verse, read it in context, check out notes in the study Bible, or both. Read it several times until you get the meaning.

Rewrite

Write the verses precisely as it appears. Write it in chunks and focus on the section you are copying. Handwriting a text improves learning and memorization.

Recite

Read the Scripture out loud. Studies have shown that speaking a text out loud improves memory retention.

Recall

Cover your notes and try to recall the text by heart by writing, reciting, or both. If you get stuck, try your best to remember or venture a guess before you sneak a peek. Repeat this step until you can recall the text word for word at least five times in a row.

Review

Last, you need to review the verse and review it strategically. Your first review should be within an hour because that’s when we forget. Then review it a few more times during the day but space it well. Review it again the next day, once should be enough. Afterward, increase the interval to two days, three days, etc. (2022 edit: for better retention, i review verses everyday for atleast a week before moving to two days. I stay at each interval for at least a week or two before increasing the interval. My max  review interval is once a month.)

When the brain sees that you return to this information frequently, it will know it’s important and will move it to the long-term memory. The spaced review will also prevent the Scriptures from fading away. Keep increasing the interval until you reach an annual review (you can change the maximum if you want.) I use Bible Memory App (formerly Scripture typer), which has an excellent incremental built-in review system.

How I memorize entire books of the Bible

As it is better to study the Bible book by book, it is also better to memorize Scripture that way. It sounds daunting, I know, but don’t panic. This too you can do. If you can remember the lyrics to a hundred songs, you can memorize an entire book of the Bible. All you need is discipline and commitment.

When I first memorized Scripture, I didn’t start with individual verses. I began with the epistle of James. Call me over-ambitious. And since then, I have also memorized 1 John, 2 John, and 3 John. I am not saying it to brag but to encourage you. I don’t have a photographic memory. And if I can do it, so can you.

What helped me memorize all these books was pairing them with my Psalm Bible Study Method. I studied the same portion of Scripture (about 6-10 verses) over five days with this method. Since I read, studied, and meditated on these Scriptures for days, I memorized most of them without even trying! I only worked on one or two verses a day (short epistles) and used the 5R method to learn them. Doing it that way made it easy and fast to remember Scriptures. Give it a try!

(2022 edit: I now also read the book I intend to memorize every day for 30 days and meditate on it before memorizing it. It has been helping me a lot while memorizing the book of John.

Additional tips 

Plan

As the saying goes, “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Decide in advance which Scripture you will memorize, how long you will take, how many verses per day, etc. If possible, get an accountability partner.

Use spiral-bound index cards notebook

Write the verse (s) you are memorizing on bound index cards. You can carry them in your purse or pocket and use them to review Scriptures throughout the day.

Write the first letters on your wrist

I saw a lady on Instagram who writes the first letter of the words from the text she is memorizing on her wrist. For instance, for Isaiah 53:5, she wrote bhwpfotahcfoi. She also puts it on a screen lock for additional reminders. (2022 edit: I use the first letter method on spiral-bound index cards and always carry them with me.)

Post it around your house

You can also put Scriptures all over your house, so you can remember to review them. If you do that, make sure you change Scriptures often or only put references. Spaced repetition is more effective for long-term memory.

Sing the verses

There is something about a melody that helps us remember words. It is evidenced by how we recall lyrics to a song we haven’t listened to in ages. If you know songs with the Scripture, learn them. Otherwise, pick a melody you like and just replace the lyrics with Scriptures.

Memorize perfectly

Do your best to memorize the Scriptures word for word, dot for dot. It’s better to aim for excellence and to fail than aim for mediocrity and to succeed.

Stick to one Bible version

If possible, try to do all your memorization in one translation, especially if you memorizing sizeable amounts of Scriptures. It will avoid confusion. Also, this is subjective, but I recommend using a word-for-word translation such as the NKJV/KJV, ESB, and NASB.

Remember the reference of the verses

When I memorized James, my first colossal mistake was not reviewing when I finished the book. The second one was not learning the references. I could recite James verbatim in its entirety but couldn’t say a random verse. Don’t be like me; drill in the verse numbers too. (2022 edit: I don’t bother with verse numbers anymore, especially for long books. I am currently memorizing the gospel of John, and keeping track of the verses was unnecessary extra work. “It is written,” is enough for me.)

Be humble

Remember that the ultimate goal of memorizing Scripture is not to brag or feel like a first-class Christian. Instead, it is to grow in our grace and knowledge of Christ and conform to His glorious image.

Other helpful resources

Books

1. An Approach to Extended Memorization of Scripture – Andrew Davis
2. A Call to Scripture Memory – Susan Heck
3. His Word in My Heart: Memorizing Scripture for a Closer Walk With God– Janet Pope
4. 100 Verses Every Everyone Should Know by Heart – Robert J. Morgan

Ministries

1. Bible Memory Goal
2. Scripture Memory Fellowship
3. Melodically Memorizing

Blog posts

1. Resources for Memorizing Scripture – Redeeming Productivity
2. Hiding God’s Word in our Hearts: The Ins and Outs of Scripture Memory – Glenna marshall

The Word of God can be in the mind without being in the heart; but it cannot be in the heart without first being in the mind.

R.C. Sproul

If you are ready to memorize Scripture but don’t know where to start, don’t fret. Next week I will post a ton of crucial Scriptures broken down by categories. I will work on memorizing these Scriptures over the summer. So if you want an accountability partner, send me an email.

  Grace and peace to you!