Scripture Memorization

Definition and Meaning

Scripture memorization is the devotional practice of learning passages of the Bible by heart. In Korean churches, the key verses selected for memorization are commonly called yojeol (要節, "key verses"). Memorized passages range from a single verse to an entire chapter or a lengthy passage. The practice is more than a memory exercise; its purpose is to put the memorized Word to use in meditation, prayer, and evangelism.

Biblical and Historical Background

Psalm 119:11, "Thy word have I hid in mine heart," is frequently cited as a basis for memorization. Deuteronomy 6:6–7, which commands that God's words be kept in the heart and taught to one's children, is also often mentioned. Another commonly cited example is the account in Matthew 4, where Jesus answers the temptations in the wilderness with verses from Deuteronomy.

Judaism had a tradition of reciting the Shema, which begins at Deuteronomy 6:4, every day. The early church and monastic communities continued the custom of praying the Psalms from memory. After the Reformation, Protestant instruction came to include the memorization of Bible verses alongside catechisms (manuals of instruction in the faith arranged in question-and-answer form) such as the Heidelberg Catechism. In the twentieth century, the American mission organization The Navigators is credited with popularizing a method of memorizing verses arranged by topic.

Practice in Korean Churches

• Sunday school: In Sunday school and Vacation Bible School, a memory verse is assigned each week. Memorization contests are sometimes held by individual churches or at the level of the presbytery or district.
• Church bulletins and small groups: Many churches print a "memory verse of the week" in the church bulletin or have members memorize verses together in cell groups and small group meetings.
• Discipleship training and mission organizations: Discipleship training programs often include memorization assignments. Campus mission organizations such as Korea Campus Crusade for Christ, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship Korea, and The Navigators have also long used memory-verse cards in their training.
• Creeds and prayers: The Apostles' Creed, the Lord's Prayer, and the Ten Commandments are among the most widely memorized texts, because many churches confess or recite them together during worship.

Denominations show no marked differences of position on the value of memorization itself. The degree of emphasis varies more by individual church and organization than by denomination. Some Presbyterian churches teach catechism memorization alongside Scripture memorization. In churches that emphasize liturgy (fixed forms of worship), such as the Anglican Church of Korea, memorization tends to occur naturally through the repeated use of the psalms and prayers of the prayer book.

Memorization is generally based on the New Korean Revised Version. However, some people memorize from other Bible translations, such as the New Korean Standard Version, so groups memorizing together often agree on a translation in advance.