Scripture Memorization

[Brother John]

My family is getting ready to embark on the life long journey of Scripture memorization. Can any PBers give some advice? What are the best methods? Does anyone have a reformed (Presbyterian) outline of key verses to memorize by topic? My boys are 3-1/2 an 1-1/2 can I or should I expect them to be able to memorize anything yet? Looking forward to reading yalls posts.

 

[JohnGill]

My family is getting ready to embark on the life long journey of Scripture memorization. Can any PBers give some advice? What are the best methods? Does anyone have a reformed (Presbyterian) outline of key verses to memorize by topic? My boys are 3-1/2 an 1-1/2 can I or should I expect them to be able to memorize anything yet? Looking forward to reading yalls posts.

Reformation Heritage Books has some resources as does the Founders (SBC) Group. Founders Ministries | Home

I would also recommend any variant of the WSC for children with the scripture verses.

 

[Wannabee]

As a follow-up to the above recommendations, and probably inherent in those resources, I would recommend a clear purpose in memorization, rather than somewhat random verses. Any memorization is great. But building a systematic thought process in your children is priceless. For example, in order for them to understand salvation.
Verses on who God is first - sets the standard
Verses on who man is second - reveals the dilemma
Verses on who Christ is - reveals God's love and the solution to man's dilemma
Verses on repentance - what should our reaction be to the above verses? A decision is called for.

Just some suggestions. I think Sarah (sjonee) has a really good outline for this, if I remember right.

 

[BobVigneault]

Our family just loves the scriptures set to music at Forever Grateful Music. We enjoy the music and of course can't help but memorize the scripture. We have 'Refuge and Strength' and 'The Word of the Cross'. The majority of the cds contain the ESV version.

 

[smhbbag]

This will probably be more helpful for adults and older children, but I love my pastor's booklet "An Approach to Extended Memorization of Scripture."

First Baptist Church

 

[Scott1]

All of God's Word is good to memorize.

One way is to take each letter of the alphabet, find an attribute of God that begins with that letter, and then find and memorize the verse that describes God in that way. Not only does this help you to pray (in the "adoration" sense), but it confirms attributes of our God.

For example,

A Almighty (Genesis 17:1)
B Beginning and the End (Revelation 21:6)
C Creator (Genesis 1:1)

While I use other translations, such as the NIV and more-and-more ESV, I memorize in KJV. Perhaps it is because that is what I memorized as a child and many of those verses have stayed with me.

You can also use this as one approach to family worship. Everyone can participate. Someone recites the verse and then do a Bible study on that attribute.

It is amazing how many times God brings back to mind His true attributes- those revealed by the Holy Spirit speaking through Scripture.

 

[APuritansMind]

This will probably be more helpful for adults and older children, but I love my pastor's booklet "An Approach to Extended Memorization of Scripture."

First Baptist Church

Jeremy, I enjoyed Dr. Davis' booklet as well. I picked it up at an annual conference we have in Virginia. Dr. Davis and Dr. Tom Nettles preached two sermons each on the topic of Doctrine. We all were blessed by the sermons. The following link will take anyone who is interested in hearing them:

SermonAudio.com - Providence Baptist Church

 

[BJClark]

BobVigneault;

]Our family just loves the scriptures set to music

Blev3rd

My boys are 3-1/2 an 1-1/2 can I or should I expect them to be able to memorize anything yet?

Yes, you can expect them to memorize many things, just listen to them repeat after you, even things you really don't want them repeating..

 

[CNJ]

The Ten Commandments

Christ's Two Great Commandments

I you study the simplified Westminster Confessions or some other creed you can learn a verse that related to each one as you study each one.

Check Sunday School and home school publishers for age appropriate verses would be one idea.

My church doesn't have programs for children, but I do love how the parents at my church instruct their own children. They know creeds and the commandments and even the preschoolers say these along with the adults in the worship service.

 

[smhbbag]

Jeremy, I enjoyed Dr. Davis' booklet as well. I picked it up at an annual conference we have in Virginia. Dr. Davis and Dr. Tom Nettles preached two sermons each on the topic of Doctrine. We all were blessed by the sermons. The following link will take anyone who is interested in hearing them:

SermonAudio.com - Providence Baptist Church

I had to do a triple-take on this, as he has spoken frequently at Providence Baptist Church in Raleigh, NC. I'm now regretting not having driven up for that conference.

My eyes lit up at the link, thinking it was his audio from the Founders' Conference at PBC in Raleigh in '02.

That weekend conference quite literally changed my life, and I would love to go back and listen to the audio. Though, I have never thought to look for it.

At that point, I was looking for a new church (my church was heading down the road of female leadership, post-modernism, etc). I knew of the Doctrines of Grace, though in a pretty Arminian though sympathetic way. My youth pastor was a not-so-undercover Calvinist and was in the process of being relieved of his duties because of that fact. I knew of his dedication to the scriptures above all, and he invited me to this conference.

The picture of the greatness, bigness, and benevolent sovereignty of God that weekend transformed my entire view of who God is. The conference began on a Friday, and by mid-day Saturday I could not possibly remember what it was like to have viewed God as so small, reactive, and weak only the day before.

The subject of the conference was "The Doctrine of Man." And, amazingly to me, that meant the speakers primarily dwelt on the majesty of God, contrasting creature with Creator.

After Dr. Davis' sermon, my decision on a new church was pretty much settled. I would sit under this man's preaching. I listened to Dever, Whitney, and Piper after him, but I could not get Dr. Davis' sermon from the previous night out of my head. So, I visited the next Sunday and Wednesday, already knowing that I would attend despite the drive.

I am glad you enjoyed hearing him. I may be interested in attending one of these conferences in the future. We drive through Suffolk a few times per year (having learned well that going 46 in a 45 is most emphatically NOT o.k. there ) to visit my in-laws in Norfolk. It would make a nice excuse for a trip. Is it usually in November?

 

[APuritansMind]

This year's forum will be held at Jefferson Park Baptist Church on September 25th and 26th in Charlottesville, VA. Derek Thomas and Conrad Mbewe will be preaching. Dr. Pipa and Dr. Bruce Ware preached last year. You can hear the sermons on the previously posted link. Here's a link to the forum site: http://www.jpbc.org/ef.html

I apologize for the short reply, but I'm away from my computer for the weekend and using my Blackberry.

 

[kalawine]

Our family just loves the scriptures set to music at Forever Grateful Music. We enjoy the music and of course can't help but memorize the scripture. We have 'Refuge and Strength' and 'The Word of the Cross'. The majority of the cds contain the ESV version.

Thanks Bob! Those prices are not bad either.

 

[Mindaboo]

When my kids were younger we memorized AWANA verses, that kind of gave me the guidance I needed. I was a new Christian and didn't know where to start. We also sang a lot of scripture that were put to songs. When my oldest turned four I worked on the Apostle's Creed and the Nicene Creed and she still knows them by heart. I taught her those because we were reciting those during worship and I wanted her to be able to participate.

Now my kids are older and we have memorized Ephesians 6, Psalm 1, John 1:1-7, and we work on the WSC every day, and are currently working on Isaiah 53, the whole thing. The best way I found is to read it three or four times have them repeat it and do it every day. I spend almost an hour and a half on this everyday. It is how we start our school day. One thing that has encouraged my kids more than anything else is that I am memorizing too. They each get a turn at testing me during the week.

My 15 year old has a lot of God's Word hidden in her heart, and she remembers all of it. She was three when we started attending church. Do it while their minds aren't cluttered with everything else. They are able to memorize amazing amounts of scripture while they are little and are able to retain it when they are older. And my 15 year old memorizes very quickly to this day. I was never taught to memorize and it takes me a lot longer. I am thankful that we did AWANA for as long as we did, that was what got me started on memorizing with my kids. It is well worth the time and effort.

 

[Rich Koster]

Working with teens and children in the past, I have found that we have to make sure that they understand the scripture they are memorizing. This may take more effort (depending on age and vocabulary available), but it is critical to the purpose.

 

[JBaldwin]

I agree with those who've said you need a purpose in memorizing. I think there is great value in memorizing small chunks of scripture. The first thing I remember learning was Psalm 100 at age 5.

 

[Duncan]

Working with teens and children in the past, I have found that we have to make sure that they understand the scripture they are memorizing. This may take more effort (depending on age and vocabulary available), but it is critical to the purpose.

I agree totally to show that scripture is very practical in our daily lives, explaining what the outworking of the verse or passage can be is very important. Romans 8:28 being a classic example.

 

[LeeJUk]

well to memorize some verses that would help me throughout my day I used a method that someone who was finding it hard to memorize scripture used and it worked for him.

1) Get a small bit of card, on the back write book, chapt. verse and on the front write the verse out.

2) Read 3 words of that verse for example (this is the 1st verse I memorized)

Rom 6:11
So you must also consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus

So I constantly repeated "so you must, "so you must"... till i got it down, then the next three words "also consider yourselves".... then I joined the 2 "so you must also consider yourselves" repeated this several times then bit by bit added 3 words on to it till I had the whole verse and then when I had the whole verses I said that about 100 or so times in one day and typed it out several times too. I would also recommend saying after a while (book)1:1 or so says "....verse you were memorizing" so then you link the verse to the book chpt and verse in your mind and then you can say to someone well in romans 6:11 it says "...." and they can check it out for themselves later.

3) After you have it memorized lets say in the afternoon, later that night repeat it several times 50 or so perhaps not as much as it took the first time, just the verse over and over again because its possible to forget things very easily a short time after you've learned of them, for example you sit in a lecture and walk out forgetting all/most of it.

Then the next day repeat it lets say 25 times, then for the rest of the week 10 times perhaps. Just to keep it fresh and then it should be so embedded in your memory, just coming back to it once a day eventually once a week or just whenever will be enough to retain it or even without doing that perhaps you'll retain it.

Hope this helped.

God bless.

 

[Theognome]

My method was this- Read a book out loud with a tape recorder running (yeah, this was awhile ago when tapes were still in vogue) and then play it back during the work commute until it got stuck in my brain.

Theognome

 

[AThornquist]

I think I need to learn how to teach little kids to memorize Scripture. I was a leader in AWANA last year and made a little girl cry while trying to memorize John 3:16. Oh yeah, and I made a little boy cry while talking about hell and the need for a savior. Or or or maybe it was the Spirit convicting them? *sigh*