The Bible is the Christian's most precious resource. It contains all the necessary instructions for a believer to come into right relationship with God and to live a victorious life. The Bible is not, however, available to everyone. In some countries it is in short supply, so much so, that Bibles are ripped up into sections and shared around. In some countries it is illegal to possess one. And the time is coming when Bibles will be illegal in even those countries where it may be freely printed and distributed today.
The Hebrews used to memorise their Bibles because they simply weren't available to the ordinary man and woman in the street. They became quite expert at this in time. The time will be coming (and has already come to some countries) where memorising parts of the Bible may be essential to preserving God's Word. We know this will be so in the time of massive persecution before Christ's return known as the Great Tribulation.
We want to start encouraging you to memorise parts of the Bible, and especially those parts which will enable you to witness to others and live the Christian life in the difficult times ahead. You will find this invaluable even if you have a Bible. Jesus quoted the Bible from memory and astonished the Torah-teachers of His day. Paul quoted memorised verses too (he wasn't quite so good and had a tendency to paraphrase, but he got the message across nonetheless). Whether you are good at memorising or not, this is an exercise that will bless you personally and your ministry.
It is up to you to choose which Bible version to memorise. We recommend the King James Version (KJV) for accuracy and the New International Version (NIV) for readability. We have chosen the latter here. May God bless your reading and memorising!
I. GOD'S LOVE
1. "For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him" (John 3:16-17).
2. "Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, he gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12).
3. "My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of My hand" (John 10:27-28).
4. "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love" (1 John 4:7-8).
5. "God presented Him [Christ] as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in His blood. He did this to demonstrate His justice, because in His forbearance He had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished" (Romans 3:25).
6. "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:8-9).
II: SIMPLE SALVATION
7. "But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, ourifies us from all sin" (1 John 1:7).
8. "But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5).
9. "Whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything" (1 John 3:20).
10. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17)
11. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).
12. "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselvesbe burdened again by a yoke of slavery" (Galatians 5:1).
13. "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:36).
14. "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid" (John 14:27).
III: BE IN GOD'S WORD
15. "These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up" (Deuteronomy 6:6-7).
16. "If you hold to My teachings, you are really My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:31-32).
17. "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8).
18. "The spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life" (John 6:63).
19. "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and self-discipline" (2 Timothy 1:7)
20. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and he will make your paths straight" (Proverbs 3:5-6).
21. "If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will find it" (Matthew 16:24-25)
