A Bakers Dozen Bible Verses Every Child Should Know

This a collection of verses we feel every child should memorize to help ground them in the essential truths of the Christian faith.

1) Why do we memorize Bible verses? Our first verse answer this question:

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness" - 2 Timothy 3:16

The Bible is full of truth about God, ourselves, and the world. When we memorize the Bible we will have these truths in our hearts so as to not forget or be swayed by false teachings.

The first section of verses are about the three persons of God that make up the Trinity. The Trinity is three distinct persons in one God. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit, all make up the Trinity and are all equally God.

2) God the Father

"Yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live." - 1 Corinthians 8:6

God is Father of all creation, and he is our Father when we believe in Jesus Christ.

3) God the Son

"No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known." - John 1:18

4) God the Holy Spirit

"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you." - John 16-17

The second section are verses about salvation. We need salvation because all people have sinned against God. That means to do something that goes against his goodness, it keeps us separated from him and leads us to death. But God comes down as Jesus Christ to die a horrible death in our place, but he rises again and has victory over death. When we believe in Jesus the Holy Spirit comes to be in us and we can have a relationship with God again.

The memory verses are:

5) Our need for salvation

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" - Romans 3:23

6) God coming to save us

"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

7) Jesus died and rose again for us

"For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living." - Romans 14:9

8) How we are saved

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." - 1 John 1:9

9) What it means to be saved

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." -Romans 8:38-39

Our final section is what it means to follow God. Our Christian life should look different from the life of an unbeliever, these verses are ones to remember about new life in Christ.

10) Focusing on the things of God

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." - Philippians 4:8-9

11) Listen to God's direction

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him and he will make your paths straight." - Proverbs 3:5-6

13) The Great Commission

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20

13) Bonus: One of my personal favorite passages to summarize the truth of God's love for us is Ephesians 2:1-10 says it this way

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

From May 2nd to July 28th 2021 we'll be focusing on a different verse each week and using various strategies to memorize these verses ourselves. You can follow our efforts on social media @towersoflight.