Memorization

I became a believer in my early high school years with not much of a church background before then.

My first bible, a NASB Reference bible (it was new back then) and my first study bible was a New Scofield KJV.

The summer of my junior year I moved to Pennsylvania and spent a long quiet summer painting the interior of an old civil war era factory.

My goal, a verse a day, five a week.

I used a conservative bible college's statement of faith to start me out.
The memoriztion verses became the foundation for my theology.


I never matched that rate ever again but still manage to memorize swatches once a year.

I memorize in a conglomeration of different versions.

Rob

 

Memorization is great, but we have to memorize the context, too, if we're going to recall them and use them faithfully.

 

I always figured it was best to know the book and chapter but not necessarily the verse "address". And as I get older- about 5-10 years behind Dr. Bob- I'm doing good if I can remember those (book and chapter).

I find it humorous when I am criticized for not quoting exactly. Most of the time those that criticize me could not quote the first chapter of John if their life depended upon it.

 

My Pastor has also memorized thousands of verses from the KJV1769. He uses the NASB (New American Standard Bible) in the pulpit. If he comes across a hard to understand word or phrase, he will quote the KJV to help explain it.

 

The KJV doesn't do a lot to explain the NASB - they are basically the same style of translation, although the NASB is more accurate.

 

I have memorized scores of verses, and I find it easier to memorize them from the KJV cuz it's not in my everyday language & therefore they stand out to me more than the common language does. I could always remember HOF football player Alex Wojciechowicz' name easier than, say, Billy Shaw's.

I remember the MEANING of many verses more than the exact words as rendered in a particular version.

 

A very astute point. That is why it is so important to UNDERSTAND the Bible- in whatever translation it is you choose to use.

 

You speak the truth.

 

You at least have to know the context. Many of the verses we quote we are aware of the context, but we know if quoted out of context they can be misleading.

I agree with Dr. Bob, however. I have memorized thousands of verses.
The principle in memorization is "If you don't use it, you lose it."
When I was younger I committed to memory the books of: I John, Ephesians, James, and Romans, as well as hundreds of other verses and passages. Most of the first chapter of James I can still quote, but only because I review it every so often. The other books I am very familiar with, but I can't quote them word for word, not any more.

Proper memorization requires review and plenty of it. I don't have the time to review entire books of Scripture, and therefore I cannot quote them anymore. But I am very familiar with those Scriptures when someone preaches out of them.

 

Start memorizing Scripture when you're young. As I've gotten older, it gets harder as my brain starts to fade and......


....what was I talking about? :laugh:

 

Tom, I know what you mean. I am so glad that Dr. Bob started a thread on memorization I kept meaning to start one myself, but I would forget too.

 

Hello everyone

This thread kind of reveals the problem of not having a single authoritative Bible in what ever language you may speak.

The whole point of memorizing Scripture is being able to recall “exactly” what God said in his Word.

The idea of saying you have memorized a verse or passage, but then admitting that you only know the point the passage is making, defeats the whole purpose of memorization.
--------------------------------------------------
The Words of Scripture are what were inspired, not the points or the messages.

God’s Word is supernatural, therefore it says “more” than what it actually says.
This is why we can be reading a passage, they we may have studied 100's of times before and see things in a passage for the first time.

When “we” lower God’s Word to the level of “ideas” or “thoughts” instead of “inspired Words”, we rob it of the ability change our lives as we continue to study it.

 

This is just so much poppycock. And that's putting it nicely. Try it again when YOU hit your 50's or 60's.

 

I believe stilllearning made a very good point and for you to dismiss it as poppycock shows very bad judgment on your part.

 

Which is precisely why we should memorize scripture in Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic only.

When I was young, the KJV was what was available to me. Thus, when I'm digging verses out of dusty corners of my brain, I need a KJV concordance handy, because that's how much is remembered.

My kids are memorizing from the NIV. I'm fairly certain they'll have to do the same when they're older (have an NIV concordance handy).

I'm working on memorizing the Book of Romans (I'm about 1/3 of the way there). I'm doing so from the NIV. No worries...other than memorizing is slower work now than it was 30 years ago.

 

You have the right to be just as wrong as he is. That's my judgment.

Let me ask you this since you seem to know everything-

Is it wrong to teach a child to memorize a portion of a verse Scripture?

Many children memorize only the last portion of 1 John 4:8-

He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

Is it wrong because they cannot quote the entire verse?

Would it be wrong for them to memorize-

"He that does not love does not know God, for God is love."

Honestly now?

 

The English words, the punctuation, spelling, grammar, verse and chapter divisions are not necessarily inspired.

Insofar as those things are true to the originals, they are inspired.