With the influence of artificial intelligence (AI) growing, many of us have asked the question, “Can AI do it for me?” If we haven’t intentionally considered that question, we’ve at least been exposed to this new technology at some point. Now that so many digital tools are available—search engines, AI, digital Bibles, etc.—even the most technologically resistant among us may have wondered how they will impact our spiritual lives.
As small group leaders, our time is often tight. We have jobs, families, and other responsibilities, and when group time rolls around, it’s easy (and sometimes necessary) to rely on these tools more than we’d like—or more than we should.
While the impulse to use these tools may not come from the desire to cut corners in our spiritual walks, we must carefully consider how AI and other digital tools affect the spiritual exercises God has entrusted to his church.
Before getting into specifics, ask yourself:
1. How am I thinking about digital tools in my spiritual life?
2. What tools am I using most? Why?
3. What’s my posture toward technology and faith?
Consider Scripture memorization. The ancient practice of memorizing Scripture may seem important for a bygone era of Christianity. Where access to the Bible was limited by socio-economic factors or even prohibited due to political factors, Scripture memory was practical, if nothing else.
But now that we have the entire Bible in our pocket, what good is it to memorize Scripture?
In Deuteronomy 6:4–5, God’s people receive what’s known as the “Shema” (from the Hebrew word for “listen”):
“Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”
In the verses that follow, Moses reiterates how important this command was for God’s people to remember, saying, “These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your city gate” (Deut 6:6–9)
They were to remember these words and remind others of their prominence as they lived their lives. Wherever they went, whoever they were talking with, the “Shema” was to be kept front-of-mind.
That sounds a lot like Scripture memory.
Memorizing Scripture has a purpose. Committing God’s Word to memory isn’t just an exercise in recalling information. The end goal of Scripture memory is formation. We remember God’s Word to be transformed and to take action, as Jesus illustrated in the conclusion to the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 7:24–25). Unlived Scripture is an unaccepted invitation.
To experience the transformative power of God’s Word, God’s people need to remember it so vividly that it becomes part of who they are. That’s a task AI isn’t built to carry out.
Pastor Eugene Peterson puts the art of living out Scripture this way:
“Christians don't simply learn or study or use Scripture; we assimilate it, take it into our lives in such a way that it gets metabolized into acts of love, cups of cold water, missions into all the world, healing and evangelism and justice in Jesus’s name, hands raised in adoration of the Father, feet washed in company with the Son.”[1]
Christians cannot live this type of Scripture-saturated life without first knowing what Scripture says. Being conformed by Scripture involves memorizing it and living it out in a way that accessing a verse on a digital tool can never provide.
There is good news. These digital tools provide unprecedented access to Scripture for everyone who has access to them. If you’re reading this post, you have access to the entirety of God’s Word—and that’s worth celebrating.
This week, memorize a passage of Scripture. As a small group leader, it may be helpful to choose a passage you feel will serve your group this week. Consider memorizing a passage as a group for a communal experience. If you’re struggling with how exactly to do it, here are a few tips:
God’s Word is alive. It’s worth remembering and applying. By memorizing and living out the Scripture we read, we become more definitively shaped by the Bible. Regardless of the digital tools that come and go, God’s Word will remain—forming God’s people to become more like him.
[1] Eugene Peterson, Eat This Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading (Eerdmans, 2006).
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