Jesus said…“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples
and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32
So just how much truth do you need to know, to be set free? Amy and I were talking about discipleship the other day, and she brought up the idea that there are certain passages of Scripture every believer should commit to memory, others that we ought to be very familiar with, and still others we should at least know where to find. In addition, we should also have a basic familiarity with the Bible’s Big story from Genesis to Revelation as God shows us His will and what He has done for us and for our Salvation.
That conversation got me to thinking. What verses of Scripture would I want you, as members of Rockport, to know by heart? I can think of many. I would certainly want to start with passages that point to Jesus and the Gospel. Rom 3:23 comes to mind “For all have sinned and fallen short of the Gospel,” along with Rom 6:23, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” To that I might add Rom 5:8 “But God shows his love for us in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” and Rom 10:9, “If you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart God raised him from the dead, you shall be saved.” These would be a good start, and certainly more could be added, like Eph 2:8-9, “For it is by grace you are saved, through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
I would also want you to memorize key passages that speak to the Christian life. Romans 12:1-2 about “being transformed by the renewing of your mind” would be high on my list, as would 1 John 4:7-8 where we are instructed how to love one another. And I wouldn’t want you to forget John 1:9 where we are assured that “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
These would be a good start! What passages would you add?
Pastor Scott Lee