MEMORIZING THE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE

Quite a number of years ago, my first grade Sunday School teacher led our class in memorizing the books of the New Testament. Our reward, a bag of candy! Yes, please! At six years old I memorized all 27 books of the New Testament and still to this day know them in order.

The Old Testament, however, I never memorized. I guess I needed that incentive of candy! Thirty-something years later, I know the books of the Old Testament, but I only know a handful of them in order and I am ready to change that!

Why is memorizing the books of the Bible important?

Have you ever been in church and the pastor gives a Bible reference and you flip back and forth trying to find the passage only for him to be done by the time you get there? I have. It can be frustrating. But knowing where the books are located sure helps!

Knowing where the books of the Bible are can help in Bible study. All 66 books are divided into sections and when you know the sections and where they are located, it can help with studying God's Word. Memorizing the books of the Bible can help us identify Old and New Testament books as well as the organization of the books. And finally, memorizing helps to exercise your brain and your spirit.

Why should you memorizing the order of the books of the Bible in this age of Bible apps?

Yes, it's true. Bible apps are super easy! Just type in the book, chapter, and verse you want and boom! There it is! No page flipping. No memorizing. While Bible apps are convenient and even great for a quick access for let's say you're in a waiting room and want to read a few verses, they can also be a hinderance.

Using a Bible app doesn't allow for you to read the verses before and after which leads to reading a verse out of context. It also doesn't allow you to know the chapters and even books before and after the chosen verse. The Bible needs to be seen as a whole, not just a verse here and there.

For more on a physical Bible vs a Bible app, click HERE.

How can you memorize the books of the Bible?

We all memorize differently. For some, writing things over and over works. For others saying it over and over works. And for others, you need to hear it in song. No way is wrong.

Here is how I am working on memorizing the books of the Bible. The books of the Bible -New and Old Testaments- are split up into sections. I am going to take a section at a time. I will work on a section by writing it and saying it a few times each day. Once I have that section memorized, I will add the next section.

Here are the sections:

Old Testament
Law: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
History: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther
Poetry: Job, Psalm, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs
Major Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel
Minor Prophets: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micha, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi

New Testament
Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
Church History: Acts
Letters: Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude
Prophecy: Revelation

Even books I know, including the New Testament, I am going to work on. I want to be able to recite all 66 books in order without looking. I know this will help in Bible study, sitting in church, and I am excited to finally memorize all the books in order.

For a free printable of all 66 books in their sections, click HERE.

Discussion:
1) Do you know all 66 books of the Bible in order?
2) If not, would you like to join me in memorizing them?
3) What method helps you to memorize?