New Testament Doctrinal Mastery Passages: All 24, with a Free Way to Memorize Them

Seminary students studying the New Testament learn 24 doctrinal mastery passages. One of the official goals of doctrinal mastery is "being able to remember and locate the doctrinal mastery scripture passages and memorize the key scripture phrases." Knowing where a passage lives, and having its words ready when you need them, turns a list into something a young person can actually use.

This guide lists all 24 New Testament passages with their key phrases. Then it shows three free games that help students, families and teachers learn them, with screenshots of each one.

All 24 New Testament doctrinal mastery passages

These are the passages and key phrases from the Church's Doctrinal Mastery Core Document. The New Testament seminary teacher manual refers to them as "the 24 New Testament doctrinal mastery passages."

Passage	Key phrase
Matthew 5:14–16	"Let your light so shine before men."
Matthew 11:28–30	"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
Matthew 16:15–19	Jesus said, "I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom."
Matthew 22:36–39	"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God. … Thou shalt love thy neighbour."
Luke 2:10–12	"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."
Luke 22:19–20	Jesus Christ commanded, partake of the sacrament "in remembrance of me."
Luke 24:36–39	"For a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have."
John 3:5	"Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."
John 3:16	"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son."
John 7:17	"If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine."
John 17:3	"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ."
1 Corinthians 6:19–20	"Your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost."
1 Corinthians 11:11	"Neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord."
1 Corinthians 15:20–22	"As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."
1 Corinthians 15:40–42	In the Resurrection, there are three degrees of glory.
Ephesians 1:10	"In the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ."
Ephesians 2:19–20	The Church is "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone."
2 Thessalonians 2:1–3	"The day of Christ … shall not come, except there come a falling away first."
2 Timothy 3:15–17	"The holy scriptures … are able to make thee wise unto salvation."
Hebrews 12:9	Heavenly Father is "the Father of spirits."
James 1:5–6	"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God."
James 2:17–18	"Faith, if it hath not works, is dead."
1 Peter 4:6	"The gospel [was] preached also to them that are dead."
Revelation 20:12	"And the dead were judged … according to their works."

A tip for parents: pick one passage a week and post its key phrase on the fridge or bathroom mirror. Twenty-four weeks covers the list with time to spare.

Why games help with memorization

Rereading a passage feels productive, but recalling it does more. In a well-known review, psychologists Henry Roediger and Jeffrey Karpicke found that "tests enhance later retention more than additional study of the material." In one of their experiments, students who only restudied forgot 56% of what they had recalled, while students who were repeatedly tested forgot just 13%.

A good scripture game is a low-pressure test. Each round asks your memory to find the passage, finish the phrase or match the reference. And it's fun enough that students want another round.

Scripture Chase: race to find the passage

Scripture Chase: New Testament updates the classic scripture chase. Everyone needs a Bible, either paper or an app. The game shows a clue for one of the 24 passages, everyone races to find it, and you tap who got there first.

There are three kinds of clues, so the same passages stay fresh:

• Key phrase: the words themselves, such as "Let your light so shine before men." This is best for beginners.
• Story: what is happening in the passage. Students have to remember the context.
• Doctrine: the truth the passage teaches. This is the hardest, and the most useful in real life.

Each game picks 10 of the 24 passages at random. Tap Reveal the passage to show the reference and a link to read it, then tap the team that found it first, or Nobody this time. Team names save on your device for next time.

Classroom tip: start with key-phrase clues in September. Switch to story clues once students know the references, and save doctrine clues for review weeks.

Line upon Line: memorize the key phrases

Line upon Line is a two-minute daily memorization game that covers the doctrinal mastery passages for all four seminary courses, including the New Testament. It takes a passage from "read it" to "say it from memory" in small steps, removing a few more words each time.

It works on a student's own phone for daily practice, and there's a class mode for the projector. We wrote a full guide in Doctrinal Mastery Memorization with Line upon Line.

Seminary Showdown: review as a class

For teachers, Seminary Showdown is a weekly class review game for the projector, and students can join on their phones. Doctrinal mastery questions are worth double points, which keeps the 24 passages in front of the class all year.

Read how teachers use it in Seminary Showdown: A Free Seminary Review Game, or see all of our free seminary games for teachers.

A 10-minute family routine

1. Pick the passage of the week from the table above.
2. Read it together and ask, "What does this teach about Heavenly Father or Jesus Christ?"
3. Practice it in Line upon Line for two minutes each day.
4. On Sunday, play Scripture Chase with every passage you've learned so far.

Seminary students who do this at home walk into class already knowing the passages. Parents usually learn them too.

Questions students and parents ask

How many doctrinal mastery passages are there in the New Testament?

There are 24. Each of the four seminary courses (Old Testament, New Testament, Book of Mormon, and Doctrine and Covenants) has 24, for 96 in all.

Do I need to memorize the whole passage?

Seminary focuses on the key phrase and on being able to find the passage. Many students learn whole verses as well, and Line upon Line can help with either.

Can I play Scripture Chase with the Gospel Library app?

Yes. The game works with a paper Bible or the Gospel Library app. Some classes have everyone use the same format to keep it fair.

Is this an official seminary resource?

No. These games are made independently by Weak Things. They are not affiliated with or endorsed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or Seminaries and Institutes. Always use your teacher's materials and the official Doctrinal Mastery Core Document.

Keep reading

• Come, Follow Me 2027: Free New Testament Games for Every Week
• A Daily Scripture Puzzle Like Wordle: Meet Verse Quest
• Doctrine and Covenants Games