Many people enjoy memorizing verses that help them feel good, or that can serve as encouragement to them or others, or to get them through difficult times in their lives. I would agree that picking verses along those lines is a good idea. But before going there, I would like to present to you what I think are the best Bible verses to memorize.
As professor of Mathematics, I always encouraged my students to go back to first principles, to go back to the basics, or to the foundation. The Bible has become a “go to” book for many people and although it “works” as resource, many who use it, may not even understand the main purpose of its message. I would like to encourage you to memorize verses that I would consider to be “first principles” or the “foundation” of the Bibles message.
Book Report Analogy
When doing book reports, we are often asked to write a summary of the book we are studying. The purpose of the summary is to put in as few words as possible a clear description of the content, or the theme, or the purpose of the book.
When it comes to the Bible, the first verses I would recommend you to memorize are summary verses. Verses that describe what the Bible is all about. While it is true that verses in the Bible can give comfort, provide direction, and a whole spectrum of other helps, it is beneficial to focus firstly on its main message. It is worth memorizing what the “book” is all about.
The Main Theme
If you want to find out what the Bible is all about, I encourage you to go through the following posts. You will be able to get a bird’s eye view of what the Bible’s message really is.
What is the Bible: One BIG book? or a LIBRARY of books?
What is the Bible: The Old Testament
What is the Bible: The New Testament
Here is a summary of the Bibles message:
- Mankind is separated from God because of sin
- Judgment has been pronounced by God against sin
- God offers salvation to anyone who believes Him
- Man must make a choice whether to believe or not believe
Top Ten Verses to Memorize – Foundation
Using the main theme of the Bible as the topic for this list, here are my top ten verses you should memorize. Once you know them, you will have a good understanding of the message the Bible presents.
As you can see, there is a good mix of some short verses and some longer ones. There is one verse from the Old Testament to go along with those from the New Testament. The New Testament verses tend to be a little more direct and somewhat easier to understand.
- John 3:16
- “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
- John 3:36
- “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”
- Romans 5:8
- “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
- Romans 6:23
- “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
- 2 Corinthians 5:2
- “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
- Ephesians 2:8-9 (2for1 combo pack)
- “For by grace you
have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is
the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
- “For by grace you
- 1 Timothy 1:15
- “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save
sinners, of whom I am the foremost.”
- “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save
- 1 Timothy 2:5-6 (2for1 combo pack)
- “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.”
- 1 Peter 3:18
- “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,”
- Isaiah 53:6
- “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
The Bible Revolves Around Jesus Christ
Everything else the Bible speaks about revolves around the Gospel Theme. As you study the Bible and understand its message, you will start to see how the entire Old Testament points towards the cross and the death of Jesus Christ. You will start to see how the Gospels focus on the journey of Christ, starting from His birth to His end which is the cross and His death. You will start to see how the rest of the New Testament points backwards to the cross and the death of Jesus Christ. You will start to see how eternity will be focused on the cross and the death of Jesus Christ.
When you continue memorizing other verses, they will build upon the solid foundation established through these verses. The Creator desires that everyone comes to a knowledge of the truth and from Genesis to Revelation, Jesus Christ is presented as the truth.
Here is a bonus verse for you that I will include in another top ten verse list in another post. “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”” John 14:6. The Bible is not about me, it’s about Jesus Christ.
Action Point:
- Print the list of ten verses that deal with the main Theme of the Bible.
- For tips and tricks to memorizing verses review this post
- Visit the link here: Best Way to Memorize Bible Verses: Tips and Tricks for lasting Benefits
Hi Mitch. Many thanks for sharing and explaining how the bible is written. I read it from cover to cover twice when I was young but did not have the awareness at that time to understand it as you currently do. What I do understand now is that the way back to eternal life for us is to attain a state of ‘Christ Consciousness.’ As I understand things, Jesus said ‘all these things I have done you can do also and more,’ or words to that effect. Jesus never claimed to be different to us or superior to us but encouraged us to ‘follow his way of being’ which is living a pure life where beliefs, thoughts, words, and actions are in perfect alignment, and this will lead us home to our creator.
What do you think?
Kind regards,
Andrew
Hi Andrew,
Thank you for sharing your experience of reading the Bible when you were young.
I think you might be referring to John 14:12 where Jesus said to his disciples “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.”
About following His way of being, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11:1 “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”
The life of Christ was certainly exemplary and one worth imitating, it is, however, His death that has value for us in terms of eternity.
I leave you with this thought as to how we can be lead home to our creator:
“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God,” 1 Peter 3:18
Keep on your quest and thanks for stopping by.