Principles in Memorizing Scriptures

1. Memorize the theme of each verse. This would allow you to draw the particular verses from your memory when you are in need.

2. Memorize the sources as part of the verses. Recite the source both before and after the verse. Many find it most difficult to remember the source of the verses, so repeating the source would help you to memorize. It is very important to remember the sources of the verses, and it would help you to find out the verses in the Bible.

3. Let memorizing Scriptures become your lifelong habit. The most important way is to memorize stepwise and constantly. Do not memorize too many verses when you first begin, though you may feel that you can easily handle it. Persistence and consistence are the most important. Many find it memorizing two verses a week is enough.

4. Carefully and accurately memorize every verse. This is the word of God. Accurately memorizing each word would help you review them more easily, and allow you to use them with confidence.

5. Understand what you memorize. Find in the Bible the context of the verses memorized, and meditate on the passage. It is meaningless just to memorize without thinking and understanding.

6. Reviewing is the key to memorization. Many cannot remember what they have memorized, because they have not frequently review what they have memorized. Regular review can help you spontaneous remember the verses and refresh your memory. Remember to review everyday all the verses in the verse-card pocket. The secret in habit building is persistence and regularity, never allowing any exceptions.

Methods in Memorizing Scriptures

A. The First 60 Verses

1. Take two verse cards and put them in your verse-card pocket, leaving the others at home. In the first week, memorize these two verses.

2. Take two new verse cards and put them in your verse-card pocket and memorize them.

3. Every day review all the cards in your verse-card pocket.
    a. Carry this pocket with you and use any spare time to memorize and review the verses. People often wasted the spare times in waiting for people or buses or when they are walking.
    b. When memorizing a verse, do not peek at the card. Check only after memorizing. Remembering the sequence of the verses would help you not to peek at the next card.
    c. Remember to memorize the themes and the sources of the verses.
    d. It would be helpful to have someone else to help you review the verses.
    e. If you want to firmly remember a verse, not only do you have to accurately memorize the verse from the beginning, but also review this verse daily and regularly. Many tests indicate that continuous review for 7 weeks will become a long-term memory.

B. After 60 Verses

1. Take out the last 14 verses (those that you have memorized in the last 7 weeks) and put them on another side of the pocket. These verses are the "frequent review verses". Review them every day.

2. Arrange the other memorized verses according to the order of the books in the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, (excluding the last 14 verses). This will help you to have a wholesome idea to every book in the Bible. These 46 verses are the "repeated review verses".

3. Every week take two blank cards and write on them two new verses to be memorized. When you have memorized these two verse, place them with the "frequent review verses". And take two of the earliest or most familiar frequent review verse cards and put them in the "repeated review verses" pocket, arranging them in the correct order. In this way you always would have 14 verse cards in the "frequent review verses" pocket, and two more cards added each week to your "repeated review verses" pocket.

4. Divide the "repeated review verses" cards into equal portions, the amount of each portion should be somewhat you can easily memorize each day, about 15 to 30 cards. Each day take a new portion out and review. For example, if you have 46 cards, divide them into two. In two days' time you can review all the "repeated review verses". When these card go up to 60, divide them into three portions of 20 cars each. In three days' time you can review all the verses. Keep the amount of cards in each portion not more than 30.
    If it takes you 14 days to finish reviewing your "repeated review verses", that means you have already memorize 14x30 = 420 verses, which is equivalent to 4 years' memory with 2 verses each week. When you have reached such a stage, you can increase the amount of cards in each portion to 40, and finish reviewing in 2 weeks. When the cards add up to 560 (14x40), increase the amount of each portion to 50 (14x50 = 700). At this stage, it is up to you to decide whether to increase the amount of each portion or to use three weeks to finish reviewing all the verses.

C. Use of the Thematic Scripture Memory System

    This is not a closed system, and its design allows adding and editing. When you come across a verse you want to memorize during your devotion, bible study or listening to sermons, you can add it to the appropriate themes, or even add a new theme. For example, when you want to memorize a verse on the second coming of Christ, you can add a new theme to system and named it "Parousia".

Principles and Methods in Memorizing Scriptures