How To Memorize Scripture

Schedule for Monthly Reading

 

You

 

 

 

1. Select The Particular Version you wish to memorize. Use it exclusively when teaching from the Bible. Use the same Bible so that your verses are always at the same place on the page.

(or quoting)
New Testament

 

 

 

 

2. Find Someone To Memorize With You - your spouse, a preacher, or any other friend. Its better whenever two people memorize, then recite to each other at scheduled times. Two people can maintain goals easier by keeping each other on schedule.

Day

       1

       2

Scriptures

Luke 1   -  5

Luke 6  – 11

Minutes

27

34

 

Can*

Memorize

the

NEW

 

 

3. Memorize A Few Verses Each Day. Preview the chapter, then assign certain passages for each day of the week. Carry a pocket New Testament. Memorize during small bits of time.

3

4

5

Luke 12 – 18

Luke 19 – 24

Acts   1 –   7

29

31

28

 

 

 

 

4. Study Each Chapter The Week You Memorize It. Check the meaning of any difficult words or phrases. Understand each idea within the context of its verse, chapter and book.

6

7

8

Acts   8 – 14

Acts 15 – 21

Acts 22 – 28

31

31

29

 

 

 

 

5. Visualize the Benefits that a memorization of the New Testament will have on your effectiveness as a teacher of God’s word. Keep such benefits before you always.

9

10

11

1, 2 Timothy, Titus

Ephesians, Philippians

Hebrews

24

26

35

 

 

 

 

 

12

Mark  1    5

20

 

TESTAMENT!

 

 

 

How To Remember What You’ve Memorized

 

13

Mark  6    9

Mark 10 – 16

20

32

 

 

 

 

1. Take Advantage of “Dead Time. Recite to yourself what you’ve already learned, whenever walking, standing in line, waiting in offices, driving, etc. Most people have an hour of more of such time each day.

14

15

16

1, 2 Peter, Colossians

Romans  1 – 11

Romans 12 – 16

1, 2 Thessalonians

31
35

13

14

 

 

*If you can memorize

 

 

2. When once a chapter has been memorized, Recite That Chapter To Yourself once a day the week thereafter, then once a week the month thereafter, then once a month for the rest of your life. (See Schedule For Monthly Reading of the New Testament.)

17

18

19

20

1 Corinthians   1 – 10

1 Corinthians 11 – 16

2 Corinthians

James, Galatians

27
20
30
27

 

4 to 6 verses every day and remember them, then you can memorize the New Testament in

 

 

 

3. When once a chapter has been memorized, Write That Chapter And Check It For Accuracy once per week for the month thereafter, then once per year for as long as you think necessary to maintain your accuracy. (This amounts to a chapter a day, Monday through Friday, throughout the year.)

21

22

23

24

25

Matthew  1     9

Matthew 10 – 14

Matthew 15 – 22

Matthew 23 – 28

Phil, Jude, 1, 2, 3 John

29
26
27
30

20

 

five years.

 

 

“All scripture is given by the inspiration of God ... that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

- 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

 

 

How Much Time Will This Take?

26

John   1 – 6

29

 

 

 

 

27

John  7 – 12

31

 

 

 

 

That depends upon your memorization ability. However, even if you do not have a photographic memory, if you are intelligent enough, for example, to have graduated from high school, if you use your “dead time” wisely, it should not take more than an hour per day. Can you think of a better or more worthwhile use of your study time?

28

John 13 – 21

34

 

 

 

29

Revelation   1 – 11

26

 

 

30

Revelation 12 – 22

 _29

 

 

 

Total Reading Time ….…….

875

 

 

 

Average Daily Time ………..

29

Familiarize Yourself with the
New Testament
by reading it
once each month.

 

 

Benefits Derived From Memorizing Scripture

(1) Better knowledge and understanding of scripture. (2) Personal enrichment and guidance from God. (3) Potentially increased faith.   (4) Improved ability to overcome temptations. (5) Greater ability to serve by teaching, counseling, refuting error, exhorting, etc.

Note: Whenever a month has 31 days, Mark 1 - 9 may be read in two days, with the exception that since February has only 28 days, January and March must each give a day to February.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Plan For Memorizing The New Testament In 5 Years

 

Rationale for This Plan

 

 

 

Memorize one chapter per week in this order.  Start anytime.

 

1. New Testament books whose total chapters equal the number of weeks

 

 

 

 

 

 

Average

English

Average

Percent

 

in the year are placed together in annual units.

 

 

 

Books

Chapters

Verses

 Verses Chapter 

Words (KJV)

Words in Verse

of New Testament

 

2. Certain books, because they may be grouped as separate units, are intentionally placed together. These are . . .

 

 

Year I Average

4.06 verses daily

28.42 verses weekly

 

·         Ministerial Letters Since this plan was originally designed primarily

 

 

 

  1.

1 Timothy

  6

   113

18.33

  2,269

20.08

    1.42

 

for preachers, it is appropriate that the memorization of New

 

 

 

  2.

2 Timothy

  4

     83

20.75

  1,703

20.52

    1.04

 

Testament books began with 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus.

 

 

 

  3.

Titus

  3

     46

15.33

     921

20.02

      .58

 

·        Books by the same author  - e.g. John, Luke, and Peter. (Books by 
Paul are the exception). Inasmuch as Mark’s gospel is thought to be
the “gospel according to Peter,” it is appropriate that it be memorized
along with 1 & 2 Peter.

3. Some books, because of their similarity, are intentionally separated

 

 

 

  4.

Ephesians

  6

   155

25.83

  3,039

19.61

    1.95

 

 

 

 

  5.

Philippians

  4

   104

26.00

  2,002

19.25

    1.31

 

 

 

 

  6.

Hebrews

13

   303

23.30

  6,913

22.82

    3.81

 

 

 

 

  7.

Mark

16

   678

42.38

15,171

22.38

  8.52

 

 

 

 

Summary

 

52

1,482

28.50

32,018

21.60

  18.63

 

from one another to facilitate easier memorization and to give a more

 

 

Year II Average

3.47 verses daily

24.29 verses weekly

 

even spread of subject matter. These are . . .

 

 

  8.

1 Peter

  5

   105

21.00

  2,482

23.64

    1.32

 

·         The Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John. “The gospel according to Paul,” Romans, is placed in the year that a biographical gospel is not included.

·         Epistles on “Law and Gospel” – Romans, Galatians and Hebrews.

·         Paul’s twin prison letters – Ephesians and Colossians.

4. Notice: Most chapters in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Acts of

 

 

  9.

2 Peter

  3

     61

20.33

  1,559

25.56

      .77

 

 

 

10.

Colossians

  4

     95

23.75

  1,998

21.03

    1.19

 

 

 

11.

Romans

16

   433

27.06

  9,447

21.82

    5.44

 

 

 

12.

1 Thessalonians

5

     89

17.80

  1,857

20.87

    1.12

 

 

 

13.

2 Thessalonians

3

     47

15.67

  1,042

22.17

      .59

 

 

 

14.

1 Corinthians

16

   437

27.31

  9,489

21.72

  5.49

 

Apostles have more than the average number of verses to be memorized
each week. Therefore, whenever chapters in other books have less verses

 

 

Summary

 

52

1,267

24.37

27,874

22.00

  15.92

 

 

Year III Average

4.34 verses daily

30.38 verses weekly

 

than the required weekly averages for that year, you’ll need to advance

 

 

15.

2 Corinthians

13

   257

19.77

 6,092

23.70

    3.23

 

your memorizing schedule beyond those chapters in order to complete
the memorization schedule within the year.

5. Since length of chapters within Luke and Acts are generally in excess of
the five-year weekly averages, you may wish to take two weeks for memorizing most chapters in these books. However, this will extend your

 

 

16.

James

  5

   108

21.60

2,309

21.38

    1.36

 

 

 

17.

Galations

  6

   149

24.83

3,098

20.80

    1.87

 

 

 

18.

Matthew

28

1,071

38.25

23,684

22.11

13.46

 

 

 

Summary

 

52

1,585

30.48

35,183

22.20

  19.92

 

 

Year IV Average

4.01 verses daily

28.07 verses weekly

 

memorization schedule to six years rather than five.

 

 

19.

Philemon

  1

     25

25.00

     445

17.80

      .31

 

6. Of course, each person may design his own plan to correlate with his preaching, Bible class teaching materials, or personal studies. Or, in the absence of pre-developed plans, preachers may find it advantageous to
plan expository sermons to correlate with their memorization schedules.

 

 

20.

Jude

  1

     25

25.00

     613

24.52

      .31

 

 

 

21.

1 John

  5

   105

21.00

  2,523

24.03

    1.32

 

 

 

22.

2 John

  1

     13

13.00

     303

23.31

      .16

 

 

 

23.

3 John

  1

     14

14.00

     299

21.36

      .18

 

7. If after trying this schedule for a reasonable period of time, you cannot
keep up the pace, then you should design your own schedule for
memorizing the New Testament. Concentrate on retaining what you have already learned, then add to it as you can. Take 10 or 12 years, if

 

 

24.

John

21

   879

41.86

 19,099

21.63

   11.05

 

 

 

25.

Revelation

22

   404

18.36

12,000

29.70

  5.08

 

 

 

Summary

 

52

1,465

28.17

 35,282

24.08

   18.41

 

 

Year V Average

5.91 verses daily

41.37 verses weekly

 

needed, but don’t quit!

 

 

26.

Luke

24

1,151

47.96

  25,944

22.54

   14.46

 

Monthly Reading Schedule

The schedule for reading the New Testament follows the schedule for quoting the New Testament with the exception that the gospel of Luke and Acts of Apostles are placed first in the monthly reading but last in the

 

 

27.

Acts

28

1,007

35.96

24,250

24.08

 12.66

 

 

 

Summary

 

52

2,158

41.50

  50,194

23.26

   27.12

 

 

 

Total

260

7,957

30.60

180,551

22.69

100.00%

 

 

 

Five Year Average

4.37 verses daily

30.6 verses weekly

 

memorization schedule. Times required for reading scripture selections
were determined by oral readings, rounded out to the nearest full minute.

 

 

Copyright © 1994, by author, Robert L. Waggoner, Revised: August, 2001. Permission is granted for duplication and non-profit distribution of this material whenever unaltered.

 

 

 

 

Character Traits Needed for Memorizing the New Testament

 

 

 

A Strong Desire

Self-discipline

Persistence