5 Reasons to Write in Your Bible

Scared to write in your Bible? Not sure whether you want to mark its pages or not? Keep reading and learn how writing in your Bible can improve your time in Scripture.

Suggestion: Consider using a note-taking system (like this one) where you record your initial notes in a journal and only include the most important ones in your Bible’s margins.

5 REASONS TO WRITE IN YOUR BIBLE

• 1. Your Notes Will Help You to See

  Louis Agassiz, the late Harvard zoology professor, once told a student: “A pencil is one of the best eyes.” Agassiz’s point was simple—those who write see more than those who don’t. Writing tools intensify our gaze. When we take notes we’re able to move into deeper levels of observation, seeing what we previously couldn’t. Rather than juggling observations in our minds, we can collect more insights when we capture the initial ones on paper.
  
  During our weekly team Bible Study, we write out every observation we make about the passage we’re studying. We typically put these observations in journals before writing them in our Bibles. And while not all of these observations end up in our Bibles, the ones that do are often discovered after we’ve moved past the surface-level—which only happens when we write.

• 2. Your Notes Will Keep You From Distraction

  We’ve all been there—an open Bible in our lap but a mind that’s a million miles away. When we open Scripture it’s easy to become distracted, thinking about our to-do lists and weekend plans. Writing prevents distraction. When you engage your mind in the act of organizing thoughts with pen and paper you force yourself to focus, and in doing so eliminate a wandering mind.
  
  The only thing more distracting than our own thoughts are the devices we carry in our pockets. Trying to take study notes on a phone or tablet, rather than in a journal or physical Bible, makes us vulnerable to the siren call of social media, email, and text messaging. Rather than decreasing our distraction, these devices invite even more distraction. Consider leaving your phone in a different room when studying Scripture and picking up a physical writing tool instead.

• 3. Your Notes Will Engage Your Memory

  A study conducted by the University of Tokyo concluded that writing with pen and paper, as opposed to typing on a computer or phone, leads to better retention levels. In other words, when you use analog tools to capture ideas they will stick better than ones captured using digital devices. Often find yourself struggling to remember what you read earlier this morning? Take up a pencil and write—your memory will thank you later.
  
  Though tacky at times, alliteration can powerfully reinforce our ability to recall information. When studying a passage, try summarizing the main sections or themes with alliterated titles. For example, we recently summarized Psalm 51 with the words “Guilt” and “Grace,” writing them in the margins next to the psalm and thus making it easier to remember what the chapter is about for the future.

• 4. Your Notes Will Encourage Your Future Self

  What will you do when you receive difficult news? When your spiritual walk feels dry? When you no longer feel near to God? Your notes from the past can encourage you in the future. Martin Lloyd Jones once said the primary task in spiritual living is “know[ing] how to handle yourself. You have to take yourself in hand, you have to address yourself, preach to yourself, question yourself.” This self-talk, in which we battle our soul’s dismay with gospel truth, can draw from the reservoir of notes we made in previous days.
  
  Academic notes highlighting a cultural, historical, or theological feature of a passage can prove helpful in your study of Scripture. But also consider taking personal and devotional notes, ones in which you address yourself with the truths you’re seeing in God’s Word. Preach the passage to yourself by writing personalized notes. Over time these edifying thoughts will accumulate, giving you a deep reserve for future encouragement.

• 5. Your Notes Will Be Cherished By Others

  Every day at Scriptura we’re honored to restore Bibles. Often times we receive the Bibles of men and women who have passed away, sent to us by their loved ones. Those who inherit such Bibles, especially the ones containing personal notes and highlights, now own a diary of their family member’s life with God. They can thumb through the pages, looking for ways God encountered their loved ones, as they read notes written long ago.
  
  Adding the date to every note written in your Bible provides a timestamp for future generations. Doing so gives them an opportunity to connect the dots between when you took the note and your life circumstances at that time. Don’t think they’d be interested? Consider how you’d feel inheriting such a Bible from a loved one you’ve lost. Faith-filled family heirlooms can significantly impact the next generation.

Take Notes to Treasure.

Treasuring your Bible doesn’t require writing in its margins. But from our experience restoring thousands of Bibles, we’ve found a strong correlation between people who love their Bibles and the number of notes contained inside them. That’s why we believe writing in your Bible will help you treasure it more. In the end, however, deciding to mark your Bible’s pages is not the main thing—deciding to live in its pages every day is.