What The Bible Says

What Does The Bible Say About Friendship?

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What Does The Bible Say About Friendship?

What Does The Bible Say About Friendship? Genuine friendship is God’s gift for us. There is much joy that comes with keeping company with friends. Without friends, life becomes a lonely, boring, and bitter road to walk all alone. However, not all friends are worth our time and trust. While others are worth dying to keep, others are there to lead us into regret, sorrow, bitterness, and tears. Such people are more likely to bring our downfall and ruin our relationship with God. This creates need for everyone to learn the qualities of a genuine or true friend. Without these qualities at hand, we are more likely to roam around with the wrong people in the name of friends. It is at this point that God intervenes out of his love for us.

Truth be told, God is concerned about the people keeping us company. It is in this light that he revealed the Best Bible Verses On Friendship that are full of wisdom and knowledge on who is worth taking as companion and offering your trust. Without these, the process of surrounding ourselves with true friends will be a nightmare. The whole aspect of genuine friendship might feel daunting or unnecessary for those who consider themselves friendly to all. Whatever the case, you must be honest to yourself and have a clear look into your friendship relationships. After looking, you must decide whether to maintain them or let them go. Deciding early on who is a true friend and who is not a true friend will save you from many sorrows. For deciding, you must first know for sure which friendship is worth keeping and which you should turn your back on.

What Does The Bible Say About Friendship?

Biblical qualities of a good friend to consider in choosing your companions

1. True friends love at all times – Proverbs 17:17

Proverbs 17:17 – “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” Love is a powerful language of the heart that encourages, excites, and gives meaning and fun to friendship relationships. These priceless treasures are the desires of many but a reality to few. Loving friendships are rare these days as many are out for their personal interests and profits. Such ego creates room for friendship without love. And behold, friendship without love is not different from tunnels without light at the end and ships without sails. Genuine love is what holds and binds true friendship together, even during uncertain and hard times. It is so powerful that it overcomes the challenges of life and maintains its participants together. Unfortunately, not all friends are loving – some friends only stick around when things are going well. Immediately things turn the other way round, such friends disappear.

As pointed out by the best Bible verses about friendship, friends that are out for their personal interest will say the right words at the right time and they will exhibit the qualities of a loving friend as long as things keep moving well, and immediately you encounter hard times and can no longer meet their expectations and demands, their love becomes a thing of the past. Always keep in mind that a good friend will love you in all circumstances and at all times. Genuine friends are not out for opportunities to excuse themselves from expressing their love to you. They are rather more into looking for opportunities to further express their love to you. Genuine love will always pass the test of time and trials. Loyal and loving friends will succeed in your test and won’t remain angry for long but find ways to improve on the relationship.

2. Good friends respect you and your qualities – Philippians 2:3

Philippians 2:3 – “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.” A good friend is one who respects your personality and values your qualities. Such a friend won’t disregard your feelings and treat them as if they did not matter. It is advisable not to lower your standards for the accommodation of friends that do not respect you. Such friends are more likely to lead you astray and kill the ethical values within you. If a friend is not willing to respect you, then it is as good as saying goodbye to the friendship. Respect is one of the best qualities of a good friend.

3. Good friends exercise wisdom – Proverbs 13:20

Proverbs 13:20 – “Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.” From the Bible verses on Friendship, we are advised to walk with the wise so that we can in-turn become wise or grow in wisdom. Embracing the companion of fools will soon lead you into sorrow and long lasting regrets. It is with this in mind that we say that good friendship exercises wisdom. Although this Biblical verse is not a call for you to indiscriminately disassociate yourself from friends you perceive to lack knowledge, it is a call for you to take precautions not to follow them into their unwise plans. However, you can help by cultivating some sound value into their lives. If they are willing to learn and move ahead, then we’ll say the relationship is excising wisdom. It is worth continuing if they are willing to learn from their mistakes.

4. Creditable friends inspire strong values in you – 1 Corinthians 15:33

1 Corinthians 15:33 – “Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” It is without doubt that commendable friends inspire and promote the growth of strong values within you. There is major and wise proverb that says “You and known by the friends that you keep“. This verse from Apostle Paul comes in to reinforce the same wisdom. Good friendship inspires and brings out the best from you while bad friendship corrupts the good morals within you. Go for virtues friends who will instill sound values in you. Going the other way round will definitely lead to your downfall in one way or the other.

5. Good friends make sacrifices for you – John 15:13

John 15:13 – “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” A true or genuine friend is one who knows the importance of sacrifices in strengthening a relationship to last. The Bible verses on friendship point Jesus Christ as the greatest example of a friend. Sacrifice is a fundamental quality for a genuine friendship relationship that will last long. Friendships without sacrifices are those that come without commitment. It is without doubt that such relationships won’t last long. In 1 Samuel 18:4, we read about the genuine friendship that existed between David and Jonathan, the King’s son. The king hated David and had made plans to kill him, but his son, Jonathan, out of the love and respect he had for his friendship with David did not hesitate to endanger his life by informing David. Christ did even more for us.

6. True Friends are supportive and reliable – Proverbs 18:24

Proverbs 18:24 – “There are ‘friends’ who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.” Brethren, let no one deceive you that true friendship does not come with reliability and support. It is one of the most important qualities of a good friend. Bible verses about friendship point to the fact that good friendships create bonds that go deeper than brotherly blood relationships. Loyal friends will always be by your side to support and encourage you in hard times. In their supportive nature, they’ll gracefully correct you when you are wrong. They’ll also popup to congratulate you for your achievements.

7. Honorable friends preserve secrets and stay away from gossips – Proverbs 16:28

Proverbs 16:28 – “A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends.” An honorable friend is one who knows how to keep secrets. Such a person won’t engage into gossips to disclose what he/she knows about you. A friend who gossips is like a thorn in the flesh of those keeping him/her as their companion. In such cases, the friendship relationship becomes a horrible nightmare. Among the qualities of a good friend, the ability to keep secrets is one that can’t be omitted. This is highly supported by the Bible verses on friendship. Note that praiseworthy friends do not gossip. Such friend are out to speak facts and only facts. If they are not sure about something, they maintain their silence. In addition, they also remain silent about the things which you do not want the public to know.

8. Faithful friends put up with our shortcomings and support us – Galatians 6:2

Galatians 6:2 – “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Most friendship relationships have their own share of troubles. That is, they also face their own ups and downs. That’s why you should not take trouble in a relationship as an excuse to say goodbye. You have to learn and practice tolerance as well as forgiveness. The notions of tolerance and forgiveness can’t be omitted from our list of qualities of a good friend. At times troubles come not to destroy the relationship but to strengthen it in one way or the other. In most cases, it has been noticed that after a period of ups and downs in a relationship, the individuals become more committed and reassured of their sincerity.

What The Bible Says About Friendship

Group 1 – What The Bible Says About Friendship

Proverbs 17:17 – “friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.”

Romans 12:10 – “Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another.”

John 13:34 – “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this will all know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.“

John 15:13 – “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”

1 Peter 5:14 – “Greet one another with a kiss of love.”

Proverbs 17:17 – “A friend loveth at all times.”

1 Samuel 23:16-18 – “And Jonathan Saul’s son arose, and went to David into the wood, and strengthened his hand in God.”

2 Samuel 10:2 – “Then said David, I will shew kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father shewed kindness unto me. And David sent to comfort him by the hand of his servants for his father. And David’s servants came into the land of the children of Ammon.“

Proverb 22:24-25 – “Don’t befriend angry people or associate with hot-tempered people, or you will learn to be like them and endanger your soul.”

Proverbs 19:24 – “There are friends who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.”

Group 2 – What The Bible Says About Friendship

Philippians 2:20 – “For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state.”

1 Samuel 18:1 – “And it came to pass when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.”

2 Samuel 9:1-13 – “And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”

1 Samuel 18:20 – “And Michal Saul’s daughter loved David: and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him.”

2 Samuel 1:17-27 – “And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son.”

Proverbs 17:17 – “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 – “Two [are] better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.”

James 4:4 – “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever, therefore, will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”

John 15:13 – “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.“

2 Peter 3:9 – “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

Group 3 – What The Bible Says About Friendship

Daniel 2:49 – “Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel [sat] in the gate of the king.”

1 John 1:1 – “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:“

2 Kings 9:16 – “So Jehu rode in a chariot, and went to Jezreel; for Joram lay there. And Ahaziah king of Judah was come down to see Joram.”

Deuteronomy 10:17 – “For the LORD your God [is] God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward:”

Proverbs 27:17 – “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.”

Proverbs 11:13 – “A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.”

Acts 2:42 – “And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.“

John 19:26 – “When Jesus, therefore, saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!”

Amos 2:4 – “Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away [the punishment] thereof; because they have despised the law of the LORD, and have not kept his commandments, and their lies caused them to err, after the which their fathers have walked:”

Colossians 3:1 – “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.”

Group 4 – What The Bible Says About Friendship

2 Samuel 17:1-22 – “Moreover Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Let me now choose out twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David this night.”

Proverbs 27:14 – “He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it shall be counted a curse to him.”

Matthew 18:20 – “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

John 7:37 – “In the last day, that great [day] of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.”

Mark 16:16 – “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”

1 John 2:6 – “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.”

Psalms 88:18 – “Lover and friend hast thou put far from me, [and] mine acquaintance into darkness.”

Job 2:11-13 – “Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him.”

2 Samuel 15:32-37 – “And it came to pass, that [when] David was come to the top [of the mount], where he worshipped God, behold, Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat rent, and earth upon his head.”

Group 5 – What The Bible Says About Friendship

1 John 2:10 – “He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.”

Ecclesiastes 4:9 – “Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor.”

John 15:13 – “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”

Proverbs 27:10 – “Do not forsake your own friend or your father’s friend.”

1 Peter 5:14 – “Greet one another with a kiss of love.”

1 Peter 3:8 – “Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous.”

1 Peter 4:8 – And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”

1 John 2:10 – “He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.”

Ecclesiastes 4:9 – “Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor.”

1 John 3:7 – “Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.”

Acts 23:16 – “And when Paul’s sister’s son heard of their lying in wait, he went and entered into the castle, and told Paul.”

Philippians 2:19 – “But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state.”

Romans 16:4 – “Who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles.”

Group 6 – What Does The Bible Say About Friendship?

Proverbs 17:17 – “A friend loves at all times.”

Romans 12:10 – “Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another.”

Romans 13:8 – “Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.”

John 13:34 – “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this will all know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

1 John 3:10-12 – “For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.”

1 John 3:14 – “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren.”

Hebrews 13:1 – “Let brotherly love continue.”

1 John 4:7-8 – “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

1 John 4:11 – “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

1 Thessalonians 3:12 – “And may the Lord make you increase and about in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you.”

Proverbs 18:24 – “A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

1 John 4:12 – “If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.”

Group 7 – What Does The Bible Say About Friendship?

Luke 6:27 – “But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,”

Proverbs 15:18 – “A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but [he that is] slow to anger appeaseth strife.”

Proverbs 15:1 – “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.”

1 Peter 3:9 – “Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.”

Mark 11:25 – “And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

Luke 6:37 – “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:”

Colossians 3:21 – “Fathers, provoke not your children [to anger], lest they be discouraged.”

Proverbs 22:6 – “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 – “And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: (Read More…)”

Exodus 34:7 – “Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear [the guilty]; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth [generation].”

Ephesians 4:31 – “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice.”

Ephesians 4:32 – “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

Group 8 – What Does The Bible Say About Friendship?

Proverb 22:24-25 – “Don’t befriend angry people or associate with hot-tempered people, or you will learn to be like them and endanger your soul.”

Psalm 119:63 – “I am a friend to anyone who fears you – anyone who obeys your commandments.”

1 John 1:7 – “But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.”

John 15:13 – “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

Proverbs 27:6 – “Faithful are the wounds of a friend.”

James 4:4 – “Whosoever, therefore, will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”

Proverbs 13:24 – “He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.”

Proverbs 27:6  – “Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy.”

Galatians 6:2 – “Share each other’s troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ.”

Proverbs 22:11 – “Whoever loves a pure heart and gracious speech will have the king as a friend.”

John 15:14-15 – “You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends since I have told you everything the Father told me.”

Proverbs 28:9 – “The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.”

Proverbs 19:24 – “There are friends who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.”

Group 9 – What Does The Bible Say About Friendship?

John 15:13 – “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”

Proverbs 27:17 – “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.“

Proverbs 17:17 – “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 – “Two are better than one because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!”

Proverbs 28:17 – “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.”

Proverbs 13:20 – “He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.”

John 15:12-15 – “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”

Proverbs 27:5-6 – “Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.”

Proverbs 18:24 – “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

Group 10 – What Does The Bible Say About Friendship?

Proverbs 12:26 – “A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.”

John 15:15 – “No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.”

Proverbs 12:26 – “The righteous is a guide to his neighbour, But the way of the wicked leads them astray.“

Proverbs 22:24-25 – “Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared.”

John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”

Proverbs 17:17 – “A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.”

Proverbs 18:24 – “There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.”

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What The Bible Says

What Does The Bible Say About Freedom?

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What Does The Bible Say About Freedom?

What Does The Bible Say About Freedom? It is without doubt that everyone seeks freedom. In the West, freedom is perceived as the highest virtue. Hence, everyone who feels oppressed is in an active search of this virtue. However, freedom in Christ is not necessarily the same as Financial Freedom or Political Freedom. For sure, financial freedom is a term which many are verse with. In a simple language, financial freedom as defined by the world is a state of well-being where a person no longer worries about money related issues. It is also linked to what is known as Debt Freedom, a state where you no longer suffer from credit card debts, family debts, or go after credit card loans no guarantor.

Today, many are struggling to obtain political freedom or financial freedom. For more info on the financial aspect of this subject matter, read our write-up on Achieving Financial Freedom God’s Way. However, just as we previously mentioned, Freedom in Christ is different from the perception that we have about political freedom and financial or debt freedom. The notion the world has about freedom is that it is something worth fighting for by all the oppressed. However, we can say without doubt that some of the most oppressed people in history have had complete freedom in Jesus Christ. According to the Holy Scriptures, no one is actually free. A glance at Romans 6 in our Bibles portray Apostle Paul explaining that we are all slaves. That is, we are either slaves to sin or righteousness.

What Does The Bible Say About Freedom?

What does the Scriptures say about Freedom

In bringing elements of answers to what the scriptures say about freedom, we’ll base ourselves on Romans 6. Apostle Paul clearly tells us in this scripture that no one is free. That is, you are either a slave to sin or righteousness just as we previously mentioned. Note here that all those who are slaves to sin cannot free themselves. However, once we are freed from the penalty and power of sin through the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made on the Cross at Calvary, we become a different kind of slave. That is, we become slaves of righteousness through Christ. It is in this new kind of slavery that we find Complete Peace and Genuine Freedom that never ends. To partake in the slavery of righteousness that leads to Eternal Life, you must Sincerely Repent and start obeying the Key Teachings of Jesus Christ.

Although the message in Romans 6 seems to be a contradiction of what the world might perceive as freedom, the only genuine freedom in Christ is offered to those who are His slaves. It is unfortunate that slavery has come to mean degradation, inequality, and hardship before the eyes of those in the world. However, this is not how Christ applies it to His followers. Unlike what the world believes, the Biblical paradigm is the true freedom of the slave of Christ who benefits from true peace and joy, the fruits of genuine freedom. It is in this light that we hereby write to present what the Bible says about freedom in Jesus Christ.

Christian Freedom as portrayed by the New Testament

The word doulos occurs 124 times in the New Testament and means “bondslave with no ownership rights of his own” or “Someone who belongs to another.” It is unfortunate to point out that most modern Bible versions, including the King James Version, most often translate this word as “Bond-servant” or “Servant.” But as we know, a servant is one who works for wages, and who, by virtue of his/her work, is absolutely owed something by his master. On the other hand, the Christian or believer has nothing to offer to Christ for the forgiveness of his sins. Still on what the Bible says about freedom, you should note that as followers of Christ, He completely owns us given that He purchased us by shedding His own blood on the Cross at Calvary.

All Christians have been purchased with the blood of Jesus Christ and are now His possession. In simple terms, we’ve not been hired by Christ but we fully belong to Him as pointed out by Apostle Paul in Romans 8:9 and 1 Corinthians 7:4. Hence, “slave” as the most proper translation for the word “doulos.” Far from being oppressed as the world might think, the slave of Christ is absolutely free. All those who come to the Son of God, Jesus Christ, are completely set free from the power and bondage of sin. Remember the words of Jesus Christ in John 8:6 – “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” Every Christian can now say together with Apostle Paul in Romans 8:2 – “Through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”

Jesus Christ as the Truth, Resurrection, and Life

Today, we know the truth and the truth has set us free (John 8:32). Let’s further support this message by reading from John 11:25 – “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the Resurrection and the Life. The one who believes in me will live, even though the die;‘” Paradoxically, our bondage in Christ is one that gives us the right to become sons and daughters of God Almighty and heirs of His Kingdom (Galatians 4:1-7). As heirs of God’s Kingdom, we’ve been destined to Eternal Life which is His special gift to all who welcome His beloved Son and remain faithful to His teachings. This inheritance is a privilege beyond any earthly treasure we could ever get in touch with. On the other hand, those in bondage or slavery to sin are destined to condemnation in the Lake of Fire for all times.

One might want to know why many Christians are still living as if they were in bondage? The issue here is that we often rebel against our Master, failing to obey His teachings and rather embracing our old lifestyles. Doing these things is holding on to sins which once bound us to Satan as our master. Since our new nature in Christ is still living in the old fleshly nature, we are still likely to be tempted and drawn towards sin. Apostle Paul tells the Ephesians to “Put off” the old self together with its deceit and corruption in order to “Put On” the new self with its righteousness through Christ. In simple terms, we’ve been called to put off lying and put on truthfulness. In the same light of what the Bible says about freedom, we’ve been called to put of stealing and put on work and usefulness.

Our Crucifixion with Christ

Through Jesus Christ on the Cross, we’ve all been set free from the bondage of sin. It is unfortunate that we often put the chains back on because part of us loves the old life. It is important to understand here that we’ve been crucified with Jesus Christ (Galatians 2;20). Furthermore, it is also important to understand that we’ve been born again as new creatures in Him (2 Corinthians 5:17). The Christian faith is one of death to self and rising to “walk in the newness of life in Christ.” Inline with what the Bible says about freedom, this new life that we are talking about is highly characterized by thoughts of the one who saved us from the power of sin and its wages, death. In addition, it is not about thoughts of our old selves which were fueled by wickedness and evil.

When we are always thinking about ourselves instead of Christ and indulging our flesh into committing those sins which Christ delivered us from, we are really carrying around a corpse that is full of rottenness and death. However, Christ did not leave us alone but allowed a companion in the person of the Holy Spirit. Today, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can experience a renewal of mind which buries the wicked, evil, and sinful desires of the old self. The Holy Spirit is our main source of strength in doing what God wants. That’s why Christ said that the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truths. As revealed by the Bible Verses About Strength, the Holy Spirit provides us with the necessary strength to overcome the desire to return to the old life of sin.

4 Things the Bible says about Freedom

1. For thousands of years people have been searching for it

The quest for genuine freedom is a theme which we can easily find throughout the Bible from the Book of Genesis to Revelation. Not very long after God’s creation, humanity gave up freedom thereby choosing to rebel against God. This is what we refer to in theology as the “Fall of Man.” After the fall of man, the perfect freedom that God installed in the Garden of Eden was gone thereby living long-term spiritual and physical consequences. In the Old Testament, we are told how God’s people lose their freedom time and again as different empires overtook them (Exodus). In most cases, the lose of physical freedom was linked to the people’s disobedience and rebellion especially when they turned to false gods. It was due to the fall of man that God promised to send His beloved Son to restore True Freedom.

2. Jesus Christ is God’s solution to restore true freedom

When Christ began His earthly ministry, God was before Him and manifested in many ways and through many people as an indication that Christ was the promised Son who was to restore the freedom which was lost due to the fall of man or humanity. Jesus Christ Himself announced that He was the one whom God’s people had been waiting for many years. He did this by reading a Scripture from Prophet Isaiah and then telling the people that He is the accomplishment of the prophecy.

Let’s support our message by reading from Luke 4:17-21 – “And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,    because he has anointed me    to proclaim good news to the poor.He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives    and recovering of sight to the blind,    to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down, And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing’”

3. Jesus Christ came to free us from Sin, Death, and anything that enslaves us

The Christian faith is based on the core teaching that out of an immeasurable, unfailing, and unconditional love, God send His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to preach the message ofrepentancefrom sin that leads to eternal life. Let’s support this message by reading from John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Christ came with the Good News of God. This good news holds that through faith in Christ or by believing in Christ, we are freed from death which is the punishment we all deserve for having sinned against God. Believing has to do with welcoming and obeying the Key teachings of Jesus Christ. We can not talk of having welcomed Christ without loving Him. And loving Him is materialized through our obedience to His teachings.

4. God has given us the freedom to choose our own path

This point has been written to call our attention to the fact that God created human beings and not robots. He allows each and everyone the possibility to choose from Eternal Life in His Kingdom or Eternal Condemnation in the Lake of Fire. Let’s support this message by reading from Sirach 15:16-18 – “He has placed before you fire and water:    stretch out your hand for whichever you wish. Before a man[a] are life and death,    and whichever he chooses will be given to him. For great is the wisdom of the Lord;    he is mighty in power and sees everything;”

What The Bible Says About Freedom

Psalm 119:45 – “I will walk about in freedom,for I have sought out your precepts.”

John 8:36 – “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

1 Corinthians 6:12 – “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything.”

Galatians 5:13 – “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.”

2 Corinthians 3:17 – “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

Galatians 5:1 – “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

1 Peter 2:16 – “Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves.”

Psalm 34:19 – “The righteous person may have many troubles,but the Lord delivers him from them all.”

John 8:31-32 – “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.””

Isaiah 61:1 – “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,because the Lord has anointed meto proclaim good news to the poor.He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.”

Group 1 – What The Bible Says About Freedom

Romans 6:15 – “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means!”

Romans 6:22 – “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.”

Romans 8:1-2 – “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.”

Luke 4:18 – “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,because he has anointed meto proclaim good news to the poor.He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind,to set the oppressed free.”

Psalm 97:10 – “Let those who love the Lord hate evil,for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.”

Psalm 79:9 – “Help us, God our Savior,for the glory of your name;deliver us and forgive our sins for your name’s sake.“

Acts 13:38-39 – “Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses.”

Psalm 68:6 – “God sets the lonely in families,he leads out the prisoners with singing;but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.”

James 1:25 – “But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.”

Group 2 – What The Bible Says About Freedom

John 8:36 – “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

1 Peter 2:16 – “Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.”

John 8:32 – “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

2 Corinthians 3:17 – “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

Galatians 5:1 – “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”

Galatians 5:13 – “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”

Psalm 119:45 – “And I shall walk in a wide place, for I have sought your precepts.”

James 1:25 – “But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”

Isaiah 61:1 – “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;”

Romans 6:22 – “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.”

Group 2 – What The Bible Says About Freedom

Psalm 118:5 – “Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free.”

Romans 8:1-4 – “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

2 Timothy 1:7 – “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

1 Corinthians 6:12 – “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be enslaved by anything.”

Luke 4:18-19 – “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Romans 6:18 – “And, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.”

Galatians 2:4 – “Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery—”

Group 4 – What The Bible Says About Freedom

Galatians 5:1-26 – “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. …”

Romans 8:21 – “That the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.”

Romans 8:2 – “For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”

Ephesians 3:12 – “In whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.”

Colossians 1:22 – “He has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,”

Luke 4:18 – “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,”

Galatians 5:13-14 – “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.””

Group 5 – What The Bible Says About Freedom In Jesus Christ

Ephesians 3:12 – “In whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.”

Romans 8:15 – “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”“

Romans 8:1-2 – “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”

Hebrews 2:14-15 – “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.”

Romans 8:1 – “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

John 10:10 – “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

Acts 13:38-39 – “Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.”

1 Corinthians 10:23 – “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up.”

Galatians 3:22 – “But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.”

Group 6 – What The Bible Says About Freedom In Jesus Christ

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Hebrews 9:15 – “Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.”

Isaiah 58:6-7 – “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?”

Psalm 23:1-6 – “A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul, He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. …”

Psalm 91:14-15 – “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.“

Group 7 – What Does The Bible Say About Freedom?

Romans 14:1-23 – “As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. …”

1 Corinthians 9:19 – “For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.”

Romans 6:14 – “For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.”

Galatians 3:13 – “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—”

2 Peter 2:19 – “They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.”

Acts 15:10 – “Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?”

Group 8 – What Does The Bible Say About Freedom?

John 8:32-36 – “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

1 Corinthians 8:9 – “But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.”

2 Peter 2:9 – “Then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment,”

Galatians 3:1-29 – “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— …”

Revelation 1:1 – “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,”

Group 9 – What Does The Bible Say About Freedom In Jesus Christ?

1 Peter 1:1-25 – “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. ...”

Romans 6:7 – “For one who has died has been set free from sin.”

Proverbs 22:7 – “The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender.”

John 8:31-32 – So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “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 3:16-17 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

Group 10 – What Does The Bible Say About Freedom In Jesus Christ?

2 Corinthians 3:1-18 – “Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you, or from you? You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, …”

Isaiah 61:1-11 – “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified. They shall build up the ancient ruins, they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. …”

Group 11 – What Does The Bible Say About Freedom In Jesus Christ?

1 Corinthians 8:1-13 – “Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God. Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— …”

Romans 6:7 – “For one who has died has been set free from sin.”

Romans 7:6 – “But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.”

John 14:6 – Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Romans 8:20-21 – “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.”

1 Corinthians 7:22 – “For he who was called in the Lord as a slave is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a slave of Christ.”

Group 12 – What Does The Bible Say About Freedom In Jesus Christ?

John 8:31-36 – “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. …”

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

James 2:12 – “So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty.”

Galatians 5:18 – “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”

Galatians 5:17 – “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.”

Acts 17:10-11 – “The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.”

Group 13 – What Does The Bible Say About Freedom In Jesus Christ?

Galatians 2:20 – “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

1 Corinthians 16:13 – “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.”

Jeremiah 34:17 – “Therefore, thus says the Lord: You have not obeyed me by proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother and to his neighbor; behold, I proclaim to you liberty to the sword, to pestilence, and to famine, declares the Lord. I will make you a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.”

1 Corinthians 10:29 – “I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my liberty be determined by someone else’s conscience?”

Colossians 1:1-29 – “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, …”

Ephesians 2:8 – “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,”

Group 14 – What Does The Bible Say About Freedom In Jesus Christ?

1 Corinthians 10:23-33 – ““All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. For “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.” If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. …”

Jeremiah 34:8 – “The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to make a proclamation of liberty to them,”

1 Corinthians 7:21 – “Were you a slave when called? Do not be concerned about it. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.)”

Galatians 4:3-7 – “In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”

Group 15 – What Does The Bible Say About Freedom In Jesus Christ?

Acts 24:23 – “Then he gave orders to the centurion that he should be kept in custody but have some liberty, and that none of his friends should be prevented from attending to his needs.”

Romans 13:8-10 – “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”

Jeremiah 34:15 – “You recently repented and did what was right in my eyes by proclaiming liberty, each to his neighbor, and you made a covenant before me in the house that is called by my name,”

Matthew 23:4 – “They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.”

Philippians 4:4 – “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.”

Ezekiel 46:17 – “But if he makes a gift out of his inheritance to one of his servants, it shall be his to the year of liberty. Then it shall revert to the prince; surely it is his inheritance—it shall belong to his sons.”

Jude 1:3 – “Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.”

Galatians 5:26 – “Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”

Group 16 – What Does The Bible Say About Freedom In Jesus Christ?

Galatians 4:9 – “But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?”

1 Corinthians 8:9-13 – “But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.”

Acts 13:39 – “And by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.”

Galatians 5:24 – “And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

Galatians 5:25 – “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.”

1 Corinthians 3:17 – “If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.”

Leviticus 19:20 – “If a man lies sexually with a woman who is a slave, assigned to another man and not yet ransomed or given her freedom, a distinction shall be made. They shall not be put to death, because she was not free;”

Group 17 – What Does The Bible Say About Freedom In Jesus Christ?

Exodus 6:2-7 – “God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself known to them. I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners. Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant. Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. …”

Jeremiah 33:3 – “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.”

John 15:1-8 – “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. …”

Group 18 – What Does The Bible Say About Freedom In Jesus Christ?

Revelation 1:1-20 – “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. …”

Isaiah 40:31 – “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

Ephesians 4:13 – “Until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,”

Ephesians 4:1-6 – “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, …”

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What Does The Bible Say About Forgiveness?

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What Does The Bible Say About Forgiveness?

What Does The Bible Say About Forgiveness? Forgiveness is more of a dominant theme throughout the Holy Scriptures. Unfortunately, many are still struggling to understand or put it into practice. This does not exclude the fact that some people are ignorant of the deep spiritual truths behind the very act of forgiving. Whatever the case, we hereby write to help you by presenting the best Bible verses about forgiveness. Note that no one can come before God if he/she lacks a forgiving heart. Christianity revolves around forgiveness. That is, God forgiving our sins through the blood of his son, Jesus Christ, which was shed on the cross, and we in-turn forgiving all those who wrong us. It is only by doing so that we can hope to meet God through Christ in the world to come.

An unforgiving heart does not know God nor his Commands (Key Teachings of Jesus Christ). In the likeness of our heavenly Father, we ought to overflow in love, mercy, compassion, charity and forgiveness. In as much as we love because God had first loved us, we also forgive because he had first forgiven us. Remember Jesus’s command which is for us to love God and also love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Behold, Jesus’s command for us revolves around love. And he who talks about love talks about forgiveness. Remember that forgiveness is one of the fruits of genuine love. It was out of love that God sent his only beloved son as a sacrificial lamb who takes away the sins of the world. Jesus himself freely gave up his own life out of love so that our sins can be forgiven.

What Does The Bible Say About Forgiveness?

Things you should know (What the Scriptures say about Forgiveness)

1. The Joy of Forgiveness

Forgiveness comes with tremendous joy than you can imagine. Sure that you are asking yourself how, given that forgiveness is not one of the natural qualities of a human. This leads us to answering the question on how to forgive? As followers of Christ, we forgive by faith, out of obedience to God’s commands. It is worth pointing to the fact that forgiveness goes against the human nature. However, those in Christ are they that died with him and had their human natures buried in order to rise with new natures in him. This is to say that as followers of Christ, we have been given new natures by the birth of Water and the Holy Spirit. And as such, our old self is gone and we are now new creatures in Christ with a forgiving heart. When we forgive, God frees our hearts from anger, bitterness, and resentment.

2. Forgiveness as a conscious choice

Many have been wondering on whether forgiveness is a conscious choice, or an emotional state. Truth be told, forgiveness is a conscious choice which we make. It is a decision that has its roots in our will and is motivated by obedience to God’s command to forgive those who wrong us. We are instructed by the Holy Scriptures to forgive just as God forgave us. Colossians 3:13 – “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

More on what the Scriptures say about forgiveness

1. All of us are in need of forgiveness – Romans 3:23

Romans 3:23 – “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Brethren, let no one deceive you because we have all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. That’s we’ve all wronged God in one way or the other. Thus, we all need forgiveness. That’s why God sent his son, Jesus Christ, to come and take our place on the cross at Calvary. Through his sacrifice that takes away sins, we can all have our sins forgiven by asking God. In as much as we are turning unto God for forgiveness, we should also welcome all those coming to us for forgiveness.

2. Forgiving others is a prerequisite for our own forgiveness Mathew 6:14-15

Matthew 6:14-15 – “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” Behold, God is more than ever willing and ready to forgive us our sins. However, he request that we start by forgiving others so that our own sins can as well be forgiven. Failing to do this means that God won’t also let us go freely.

3. We owe others forgiveness even when they do not ask for it – Matthew 18:15

Matthew 18:15 – “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother” It is important to note that apologizing is not a prerequisite for Christians to forgive those who have wronged them. That’s why you shouldn’t sit back waiting for apologies before forgiving those who have hurt you. People generally sit-back waiting for the words “I’m sorry” before thinking of forgiveness. Truth be told, this is not the Biblical approach from Jesus Christ. God commands us to be the initiator in the transaction of forgiveness. This very truth counts much for what the Bible says about forgiveness.

4. Lack of forgiveness breaks our fellowship with God – Matthew 5:23-24

Matthew 5:23-24 – “So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” The scriptures are clear on the fact that harboring bitterness, anger, and resentment in our hearts is sin. By so doing, we are moving ourselves far away from God’s glorious presence.

5. We owe forgiveness to those who don’t deserve it – Acts 7:59-60

Acts 7:59-60 – “And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep” God’s command to forgive is not applicable only onto those that we find easy to love and judge worthy to be forgiven. We ought to forgive even those who are hard to love and those that we find no reason to forgive them. It is only by so doing that we can consider ourselves as Children of God with a renewed heart in Christ. Stephen requested God’s forgiveness on those who killed him in as much as Jesus did on the cross for those who nailed him. These are examples which we ought to follow.

6. There are consequences for choosing not to forgive – Matthew 18:34-35

Matthew 18:34-35 – “And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart” Just as there are benefits for forgiving there are also consequences for not forgiving. Rejecting forgiveness does more harm to you than you can imagine. With a heavy heart due to your inability to forgive comes anger, bitterness, stress, and resentment. In addition, not forgiving others means that God won’t also forgive you.

7. We owe others an unlimited amount of forgiveness – Matthew 18:21-22

Matthew 18:21-22– “Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven” Given that forgiveness is hard, doing it over and over again can seem impossible for many. However, this is what God wants from men and women; that they forgive those who wrong them over and over again without hesitation. By so doing, we are pleasing God and bringing glory to his Holy Name.

What The Bible Says About Forgiveness [All Scriptures from the Amplified Bible]

Group 1 – What The Bible Says About Forgiveness

Numbers 15:25 – “Then the priest shall make atonement for all the congregation of the sons of Israel, and they will be forgiven, for it was an error and they have brought their offering, an offering by fire to the Lord, and their sin offering before the Lord, for their error.”

Exodus 10:17 – “Now therefore, please forgive my sin only this once [more], and pray and entreat the Lord your God, so that He will remove this [plague of] death from me.”

Numbers 14:19 – “Please pardon the wickedness and guilt of these people according to the greatness of Your lovingkindness, just as you have forgiven these people, from Egypt even until now.”

Matthew 6:15 – “But if you do not forgive others [nurturing your hurt and anger with the result that it interferes with your relationship with God], then your Father will not forgive your trespasses.”

Joshua 24:19 – “Then Joshua said to the people, “You will not be able to serve the Lord [if you serve any other gods], for He is a holy God; He is a jealous God [demanding what is rightfully and uniquely His]. He will not forgive your transgression [of His law] or your sins.”

Numbers 15:26 – “So all the congregation of the Israelites will be forgiven as well as the stranger who lives among them as a resident alien, because all the people were involved in the error.”

Numbers 15:28 – “The priest shall make atonement before the Lord for the person who commits an error when he sins unintentionally, making atonement for him so that he may be forgiven.”

Deuteronomy 21:8 – “Forgive Your people Israel whom You have redeemed, O Lord, and do not put the guilt of innocent blood among Your people Israel.’ And the guilt of blood shall be forgiven them.”

Group 2 – What The Bible Says About Forgiveness

Psalm 25:18 – “Look upon my affliction and my trouble, And forgive all my sins.”

2 Chronicles 7:14 – “and My people, who are called by My Name, humble themselves, and pray and seek (crave, require as a necessity) My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear [them] from heaven, and forgive their sin and heal their land.”

1 Samuel 25:28 – “Please forgive the transgression of your maidservant; for the Lord will certainly make my lord a secure and enduring house, because my lord is fighting the battles of the Lord, and evil will not be found in you all your days.”

Psalm 32:6 – “Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You [for forgiveness] in a time when You [are near and] may be found; Surely when the great waters [of trial and distressing times] overflow they will not reach [the spirit in] him.”

Nehemiah 9:17 – “They refused to listen and obey, And did not remember Your wondrous acts which You had performed among them; So they stiffened their necks and [in their rebellion] appointed a leader in order to return them to slavery in Egypt. But You are a God of forgiveness, Gracious and merciful and compassionate, Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness; And You did not abandon them.”

Psalm 32:1 – “[ Blessedness of Forgiveness and of Trust in God. ] [ A Psalm of David. A skillful song, or a didactic or reflective poem. ] Blessed [fortunate, prosperous, favored by God] is he whose transgression is forgiven, And whose sin is covered.”

Nehemiah 4:5 – “Do not forgive their wrongdoing and do not let their sin be wiped out before You, for they have offended the builders [and provoked You].”

Group 3 – What The Bible Says About Forgiveness

Psalm 103:3 – “Who forgives all your sins, Who heals all your diseases;”

Psalm 85:2 – “You have forgiven the wickedness of Your people; You have covered all their sin. Selah.”

1 Kings 8:30 – “Listen to the prayer of Your servant and of Your people Israel which they pray toward this place. Hear in heaven, Your dwelling place; hear and forgive.”

Psalm 65:3 – “Wickedness and guilt prevail against me; Yet as for our transgressions, You forgive them [removing them from Your sight].”

Psalm 79:9 – “Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name; Rescue us, forgive us our sins for Your name’s sake.”

Isaiah 6:7 – He touched my mouth with it and said, “Listen carefully, this has touched your lips; your wickedness [your sin, your injustice, your wrongdoing] is taken away and your sin atoned for and forgiven.”

Psalm 130:4 – “But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared and worshiped [with submissive wonder].”

Proverbs 17:9 – “He who covers and forgives an offense seeks love, But he who repeats or gossips about a matter separates intimate friends.”

Psalm 86:5 – “For You, O Lord, are good, and ready to forgive [our sins, sending them away, completely letting them go forever and ever]; And abundant in lovingkindness and overflowing in mercy to all those who call upon You.”

Group 4 – What The Bible Says About Forgiveness

Isaiah 44:21 – “[ God Forgives and Redeems ] “Remember [the foolishness of] these things, O Jacob And Israel, for you are My servant! I formed you, you are My servant; O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me.”

Jeremiah 33:8 – “I will cleanse them from all their wickedness (guilt) by which they have sinned against Me, and I will pardon (forgive) all their sins by which they rebelled against Me.“

Isaiah 27:9 – “Therefore through this the wickedness [the sin, the injustice, the wrongdoing] of Jacob (Israel) will be atoned for and forgiven; And this will be the full price [that God requires] for taking away his sin: When Israel makes all the stones of the [pagan] altars like crushed chalk stones; When the Asherim and the incense altars will not stand.”

Isaiah 33:24 – “And no inhabitant [of Zion] will say, “I am sick”; The people who dwell there will be forgiven their wickedness [their sin, their injustice, their wrongdoing].”

Jeremiah 31:34 – “And each man will no longer teach his neighbor and his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know Me [through personal experience], from the least of them to the greatest,” says the Lord. “For I will forgive their wickedness, and I will no longer remember their sin.””

Ezekiel 16:63 – “so that you may remember [in detail] and be ashamed and never open your mouth again because of your humiliation, when I have forgiven you for all that you have done,” says the Lord God.”

Jeremiah 5:7 – “Why should I [overlook these offenses and] forgive you? Your children have abandoned (rejected) Me And sworn [their oaths] by those who are not gods. When I had fed them until they were full [and bound them to Me by a promise], They committed [spiritual] adultery, Assembling in troops at the houses of prostitutes (idols).”

Group 5 – What The Bible Says About Forgiveness

Amos 7:2And when the locusts had finished eating the plants of the land, then I said, “O Lord God, please forgive! How can Jacob stand, For he is so small [that he cannot endure this]?”

Daniel 9:19 – “O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and take action! Do not delay, for Your own sake, O my God, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name.”

Daniel 9:9 – “To the Lord our God belong mercy and lovingkindness and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against Him;”

Jeremiah 36:3 – “It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the disaster which I plan to bring on them, so that each one will turn from his evil way, that I may forgive their wickedness and their sin.”

Matthew 6:12 – “‘And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors [letting go of both the wrong and the resentment].”

Micah 7:18 – “Who is a God like You, who forgives wickedness And passes over the rebellious acts of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He [constantly] delights in mercy and lovingkindness.”

Daniel 9:13 – “Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this tragedy has come on us. Yet we have not wholeheartedly begged for forgiveness and sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our wickedness and paying attention to and placing value in Your truth.”

Hosea 1:6 – “Then Gomer conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. And the Lord said to Hosea, “Name her Lo-Ruhamah (not shown mercy), for I will no longer have mercy on the house of Israel, that I would ever forgive them.”

Group 6 – What The Bible Says About Forgiveness

Matthew 6:15 – “But if you do not forgive others [nurturing your hurt and anger with the result that it interferes with your relationship with God], then your Father will not forgive your trespasses.”

Mark 1:4 – “John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins [that is, requiring a change of one’s old way of thinking, turning away from sin and seeking God and His righteousness].”

Matthew 6:14 – “For if you forgive others their trespasses [their reckless and willful sins], your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”

Matthew 5:4 – “Blessed [forgiven, refreshed by God’s grace] are those who mourn [over their sins and repent], for they will be comforted [when the burden of sin is lifted].”

Mark 2:5 – “When Jesus saw their [active] faith [springing from confidence in Him], He said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.””

Matthew 9:6 – “But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority and the power on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your stretcher and go home.””

Matthew 9:2 – “They brought to Him a man who was paralyzed, lying on a stretcher. Seeing their [active] faith [springing from confidence in Him], Jesus said to the paralytic, “Do not be afraid, son; your sins are forgiven [the penalty is paid, the guilt removed, and you are declared to be in right standing with God].”

Mark 2:5 – “When Jesus saw their [active] faith [springing from confidence in Him], He said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.””

Matthew 9:5 – “For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven and the penalty paid,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? [Both are possible for God; both are impossible for man.]”

Group 7 – What Does The Bible Say About Forgiveness?

Matthew 12:31 – “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy [every evil, abusive, injurious speaking, or indignity against sacred things] will be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the [Holy] Spirit will not be forgiven.”

Matthew 12:32 – “Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit [by attributing the miracles done by Me to Satan] will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”

Mark 2:7 – “Why does this man talk that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins [remove guilt, nullify sin’s penalty, and assign righteousness] except God alone?”

Matthew 9:7 – “And he got up and went home [healed and forgiven].”

Matthew 9:13 – “Go and learn what this [Scripture] means: ‘I desire compassion [for those in distress], and not [animal] sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call [to repentance] the [self-proclaimed] righteous [who see no need to change], but sinners [those who recognize their sin and actively seek forgiveness].”

Mark 2:9 – “Which is easier, to say to the paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven’; or to say, ‘Get up, and pick up your mat and walk’?”

Matthew 26:28 – “for this is My blood of the [new and better] covenant, which [ratifies the agreement and] is being poured out for many [as a substitutionary atonement] for the forgiveness of sins.”

Mark 2:10 – “But so that you may know that the Son of Man has the authority and power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralyzed man,”

Matthew 18:21 – “[ Forgiveness ] Then Peter came to Him and asked, “Lord, how many times will my brother sin against me and I forgive him and let it go? Up to seven times?”

Matthew 18:35 – “My heavenly Father will also do the same to [every one of] you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.”

Group 8 – What Does The Bible Say About Forgiveness?

Mark 11:25 – “Whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him [drop the issue, let it go], so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions and wrongdoings [against Him and others].”

Mark 3:28 – “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and all the abusive and blasphemous things they say;”

Luke 1:77 – “To give His people the knowledge of salvation By the forgiveness of their sins,”

Mark 3:29 – “but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit and His power [by attributing the miracles done by Me to Satan] never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an everlasting sin [a sin which is unforgivable in this present age as well as in the age to come]”

Mark 2:17 – When Jesus heard this, He said to them, “Those who are healthy have no need of a physician, but [only] those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners [who recognize their sin and humbly seek forgiveness].”

Luke 5:23 – “Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?”

Luke 4:18 – “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me (the Messiah), Because He has anointed Me to preach the good news to the poor. He has sent Me to announce release (pardon, forgiveness) to the captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set free those who are oppressed (downtrodden, bruised, crushed by tragedy),”

Mark 14:24 – “And He said to them, “This is My blood of the [new] covenant, [My blood] which is being poured out for many [for the forgiveness of sins].“

Luke 3:3 – “And he went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin;”

Group 9 – What Does The Bible Say About Forgiveness?

Luke 7:47 – “Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.”

Luke 7:48 – “Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.””

John 20:23 – “If you forgive the sins of anyone they are forgiven [because of their faith]; if you retain the sins of anyone, they are retained [and remain unforgiven because of their unbelief].”

Luke 5:24 – “But, in order that you may know that the Son of Man (the Messiah) has authority and power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralyzed man, “I say to you, get up, pick up your stretcher and go home.””

Luke 5:20 – “When Jesus saw their [active] faith [springing from confidence in Him], He said, “Man, your sins are forgiven.””

Mark 11:26 – “[But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your transgressions.”]”

Luke 11:4 – “‘And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us [who has offended or wronged us]. And lead us not into temptation [but rescue us from evil].’””

Luke 12:10 – “And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit [that is, whoever intentionally discredits the Holy Spirit by attributing the authenticating miracles done by Me to Satan], it will not be forgiven him [for him there is no forgiveness].”

Acts 2:38 – “And Peter said to them, “Repent [change your old way of thinking, turn from your sinful ways, accept and follow Jesus as the Messiah] and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ because of the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Group 10 – What Does The Bible Say About Forgiveness?

Luke 18:14 – “I tell you, this man went to his home justified [forgiven of the guilt of sin and placed in right standing with God] rather than the other man; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself [forsaking self-righteous pride] will be exalted.”

Luke 23:34 – “And Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots, dividing His clothes among themselves.”

Acts 5:31 – “God exalted Him to His right hand as Prince and Savior and Deliverer, in order to grant repentance to Israel, and [to grant] forgiveness of sins.”

Luke 17:3 – “Pay attention and always be on guard [looking out for one another]! If your brother sins and disregards God’s precepts, solemnly warn him; and if he repents and changes, forgive him.”

Luke 17:4 – “Even if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times and says, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him [that is, give up resentment and consider the offense recalled and annulled].”

Romans 4:7 – “Blessed and happy and favored are those whose lawless acts have been forgiven, And whose sins have been covered up and completely buried.”

Acts 10:43 – “All the prophets testify about Him, that through His name everyone who believes in Him [whoever trusts in and relies on Him, accepting Him as Savior and Messiah] receives forgiveness of sins.”

Luke 23:34 – “And Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots, dividing His clothes among themselves.”

Luke 24:47 – “and that repentance [necessary] for forgiveness of sins would be preached in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”

Acts 8:22 – “So repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, this thought of your heart may be forgiven you.”

Group 11 – What Does The Bible Say About Forgiveness?

2 Corinthians 2:10 – “If you forgive anyone anything, I too forgive [that one]; and what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of [and with the approval of] Christ,”

Romans 4:7 – “Blessed and happy and favored are those whose lawless acts have been forgiven, And whose sins have been covered up and completely buried.”

2 Corinthians 2:7 – “so instead [of further rebuke, now] you should rather [graciously] forgive and comfort and encourage him, to keep him from being overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.”

Acts 26:18 – “to open their [spiritual] eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness and release from their sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified (set apart, made holy) by faith in Me.’”

Colossians 1:14 – “in whom we have redemption [because of His sacrifice, resulting in] the forgiveness of our sins [and the cancellation of sins’ penalty].”

Ephesians 1:7 – “In Him we have redemption [that is, our deliverance and salvation] through His blood, [which paid the penalty for our sin and resulted in] the forgiveness and complete pardon of our sin, in accordance with the riches of His grace.”

Colossians 2:13 – “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh (worldliness, manner of life), God made you alive together with Christ, having [freely] forgiven us all our sins,”

Colossians 3:13 – “bearing graciously with one another, and willingly forgiving each other if one has a cause for complaint against another; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so should you forgive.”

Group 12 – What Does The Bible Say About Forgiveness?

1 John 2:12 – “I am writing to you, little children (believers, dear ones), because your sins have been forgiven for His name’s sake [you have been pardoned and released from spiritual debt through His name because you have confessed His name, believing in Him as Savior].”

James 5:15 – “and the prayer of faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.”

Hebrews 9:22 – “In fact under the Law almost everything is cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness [neither release from sin and its guilt, nor cancellation of the merited punishment].”

Hebrews 10:18 – “Now where there is [absolute] forgiveness and complete cancellation of the penalty of these things, there is no longer any offering [to be made to atone] for sin.”

1 John 5:17 – “All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death [one can repent of it and be forgiven].”

1 John 1:9 – “If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just [true to His own nature and promises], and will forgive our sins and cleanse us continually from all unrighteousness [our wrongdoing, everything not in conformity with His will and purpose].”

Matthew 6:14-15 – “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses”

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What The Bible Says

What Does The Bible Say About Food?

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What Does The Bible Say About Food? The Bible actually says a lot about food. However, before we reveal these Bible Verses On Food, it is important that we first discuss on God’s general purposes for food. There are many ways through which we can use to approach this very topic. It is without doubt that everyone knows the pleasure that is related to eating. In simple terms, good food is enjoyable, for God intended it to be so. Let’s support this message by reading what the Bible says: “God created [food] to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. …[He] richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment” (1 Timothy 4:3; 6:7).

The enjoyment that comes from food is multiplied by dinning with family members, friends, and loved ones; a phenomenon which Christ Himself appreciated. The enjoyment we derive from eating good food is a demonstration of God’s goodness. In other words, food is a demonstration of our Dependence on God. This very thought is one which should bring us into humbleness as it turns us away from pride. Moses pointed out to this spiritual truth when He reminded the children of Israel about the sovereignty of God over their lives. We can read this from Deuteronomy 8:3 – “He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD”

What Does The Bible Say About Food?

The scriptures are clear on the fact that from the very beginning, God has always been concerned about what His children consume in terms of food. Across the scriptures on several occasions, we perceive God changing the rules about eating. According to Genesis 1:29-30, Adam and Eve were vegetarians. Later in Genesis 9:3-4, God told Noah that he could also eat any animal, but not its blood. Later still, God in His sovereignty gave strict dietary regulations through Moses to the Nation of Israel (Leviticus 11). This is what contributed in making them distinct as His special people or chosen nation. It is important to understand here that God wanted the Nation of Israel to learn that no one was perfect and that no one could fully do all what He requires (Acts 15:10; Galatians 4:1-5:3).

Later still, when Jesus Christ lived on Earth, He once again declared that any food could be eaten without the fear of breaking God’s law. Let’s support this message by reading from Mark 7:18-23 – “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.) He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.” In addition, God gave a special vision to Peter, using him to convey this truth to the then largely Jewish church (Acts 10:1-48; 15:1-31).

The Bible and Food – Understanding how food brings division among Christians

It is sad to say that we do not always value the original purpose of food in our lives; which is to appreciate God’s goodness and our dependence on His provision. Instead, our beliefs about the Bible and Food are rapidly dividing, causing confusion and hatred among us. However, true followers of God’s laws in Christ are more concerned about the spiritual and physical well-being of others than their own diet. Such are the genuine followers of Christ that set aside their social practices and natural preferences in order to love others (1 Corinthians 8:1-13). As followers of Christ, we need to probe the motivations behind our dietary habits. When it concerns food, humans are more likely to be great hypocrites. Any choice of diet that makes us proud is not only damaging others but also damaging our relationships with God.

Apostle Paul puts it this way in Romans 14:3 – “The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them.” It would be a mistake for us to neglect the issue of health in our write-up. A good number of us can’t tolerate certain foods and we should do our best to avoid them. More often, as it is the case with many, they lack self-control, a situation which leads them to eat poorly or in excess thereby turning God’s gift into an expression of selfishness and a means of personal suffering. The Bible also points out that we will eat in Heaven, a place of abundance where everything is under control. Hence, no misuse of food, no hunger, and no lack of self-control.

The Bible and Food – What the Bible says about Alcohol

As some think, if alcohol is inherently sinful, then we all have a problem. In the medical field, it is well-known that microorganisms in our digestive system regularly turn some of our food into alcohol – which can make-up for about 2 glasses of wine per day and even more. This indicates that we are always in possession of some amount of alcohol in our blood at all times. In a try to contradict or give an explanation for this, someone might simply say that the body’s internal functions are irrelevant, and that only our meant or purposefully actions really matter in determining whether alcohol is sinful. Although there are some elements of truth in this, when it actually comes to alcohol, the Bible is somewhere in the middle.

Jesus Christ Himself miraculously transformed water into wine (John 2:1-11). We don’t think that Christ would have done so if He considered alcohol to be a sinful substance which was never to be consumed by His followers. Alcohol acts as a preservative. Hence, wine is to fruit juice as cheese or yogurt is to milk. As it is the case with food, moderation is very essential. The Bible clearly stands against drunkenness and gluttony. Although we cannot live without food consumption, we can do without alcohol consumption. While others stay away from alcohol as a matter of self-control, others do so for health reasons. In addition, others find pleasure in moderately consuming it. Whatever the case, whether we drink moderately or abstain completely, we should not be proud (1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1). Personal desires come secondary. Our primary desires should be about loving God and neighbors.

Scriptural support

Here are some main Bible verses on what the Bible says about food. “…whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God—even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved. Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1). “Nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the Kingdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 6:10).

“Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:18-20). “To Timothy my true son in the faith … Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses” (1 Timothy 1:1; 5:23).

The Complete list of Bible Foods with References

You are at the right place if you’ve ever wanted to prepare a Biblical feast. You are still in the right place even if you just want to learn about the different types of foods in the Bible. There are several scriptural passages that are describing foods, drinks, eating meals, and stories of feasting. It is worth noting that some of today’s healthiest known foods were part of the Biblical diet. These include olives, grapes, pomegranates, raw honey, olive oil, lamb, bitter herbs, and goat milk. On a few occasions in the Bible, we also perceive people eating highly unusual and supernatural foods. However, our complete “grocery list” consist of spices, fruits, grains, seeds, fish, vegetables, meats, fowl and other strange foods and drinks that are mentioned in the Bible. Note that they range in taste and aroma from sweet to savory to pungent.

1. Spices, Seasonings, and Herbs

In the Bible, spices and herbs were mostly used to flavor bread, cakes, stews, and soups. In addition, they were taken as digestive aids. Today, Coriander, the seed of Cilantro, is well-known for its powerful anti-oxidant effect and natural cleansing qualities. Below is a list of the spices, seasonings and herbs that were used in the Biblical times:

  1. Coriander (Exodus 16:31; Numbers 11:7)
  2. Anise (Matthew 23:23 KJV)
  3. Cinnamon (Exodus 30:23; Revelation 18:13)
  4. Dill (Matthew 23:23)
  5. Cumin (Isaiah 28:25; Matthew 23:23)
  6. Garlic (Numbers 11:5)
  7. Mint (Matthew 23:23; Luke 11:42)
  8. Rue (Luke 11:42)
  9. Salt (Ezra 6:9; Job 6:6)
  10. Mustard (Matthew 13:31)

2. Vegetables and Legumes

Brethren it is important to understand that God provided mankind with vegetables and legumes packed with nutrients, protein and fiber. All these vital elements were out to empower those of the Biblical times. We can even read from Daniel 1:12 that while in Babylon, Daniel and His friends observed a diet of only vegetables.

  1. Cucumbers (Numbers 11:5)
  2. Beans (2 Samuel 17:28; Ezekiel 4:9)
  3. Gourds (2 Kings 4:39)
  4. Leeks (Numbers 11:5)
  5. Onions (Numbers 11:5)
  6. Lentils (Genesis 25:34; 2 Samuel 17:28; Ezekiel 4:9)

3. Fruits and Nuts

In this grouping of fruits and nuts, we can say that people during the Biblical times ate much of today’s most nutritious “superfoods.” A goo example here is pomegranates, which are highly believed to have a significant anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-tumor properties. Others are as follows:

  1. Almonds (Genesis 43:11; Numbers 17:8)
  2. Apples (Song of Solomon 2:5)
  3. Dates (2 Samuel 6:19; 1 Chronicles 16:3)
  4. Grapes (Leviticus 19:10; Deuteronomy 23:24)
  5. Figs (Nehemiah 13:15; Jeremiah 24:1-3)
  6. Pistachio Nuts (Genesis 43:11)
  7. Melons (Numbers 11:5; Isaiah 1:8)
  8. Olives (Isaiah 17:6; Micah 6:15)
  9. Pomegranates (Numbers 20:5; Deuteronomy 8:8)
  10. Sycamore Fruit (Psalm 78:47; Amos 7:14)
  11. Raisins (Numbers 6:3; 2 Samuel 6:19)

4. Grains

In Biblical times, healthy grains were a primary staple. As you probably know, grains are some of the easiest natural foods to keep preserved for many years.

  1. Bread (Genesis 25:34; 2 Samuel 6:19; 16:1; Mark 8:14)
  2. Barley (Deuteronomy 8:8; Ezekiel 4:9)
  3. Corn (Matthew 12:1; KJV – refers to “grain” such as wheat or barley)
  4. Millet (Ezekiel 4:9)
  5. Flour (2 Samuel 17:28; 1 Kings 17:12)
  6. Spelt (Ezekiel 4:9)
  7. Wheat (Ezra 6:9; Deuteronomy 8:8)
  8. Unleavened Bread (Genesis 19:3; Exodus 12:20)

5. Fish

Another staple during the Biblical times was seafood. This holds despite the fact that only certain types of fish and other seafood were suitable for consumption. In line with Leviticus 11:9, all edible seafood needed to have scales and fins. This led to the prohibition of shellfish. Scientific and medical researches have revealed these days that fish such as Cod, Tuna, Salmon, Red Snapper and many others can be highly rich in Protein, and Omega fats, which are well known to lower blood pressure, reduce inflation, and provide many other health benefits.

  1. John 21:11-13
  2. Matthew 15:36

6. Fowl

Below are the different types of birds that were considered clean and good for consumption in the Bible:

  1. Pigeon (Genesis 15:9; Leviticus 12:8)
  2. Partridge (1 Samuel 26:20; Jeremiah 17:11)
  3. Dove (Leviticus 12:8)
  4. Quail (Psalm 105:40)

7. Dairy

In Biblical times, fresh, raw products which were obtained from grass-fed cows, goats, and sheep provided the diary portion that the people needed.

  1. Cheese (2 Samuel 17:29; Job 10:10)
  2. Butter (Proverbs 30:33)
  3. Milk (Exodus 33:3; Job 10:10; Judges 5:25)
  4. Curds (Isaiah 7:15)

8. Animal meats

In line with the Laws of God in the Book of Leviticus, clean meats are those from animals that feature a cloven hoof and chew the cud. The Jewish people were taught according to God’s laws not to eat animal blood. In addition, they were also commanded not to partake in the consumption of any animal meat that was offered to an idol.

  1. Goat (Genesis 27:9)
  2. Calf (Proverbs 15:17; Luke 15:23)
  3. Lamb (2 Samuel 12:4)
  4. Sheep (Deuteronomy 14:4)
  5. Oxen (1 Kings 19:21)
  6. Venison (Genesis 27:7 KJV)

9. Miscellaneous foods in the Bible

A good number of these miscellaneous foods in the Bible such as raw-honey, contain energy-boosting, and disease-fighting nutrients. In addition, they also contain probiotic support, and allergy defense builders.

  1. Grape Juice (Numbers 6:3)
  2. Eggs (Job 6:6; Luke 11:12)
  3. Raw Honey (Exodus 33:3; Deuteronomy 8:8; Judges 14:8-9)
  4. Olive Oil (Ezra 6:9; Deuteronomy 8:8)
  5. Wine (Ezra 6:9; John 2:1-10)
  6. Vinegar (Ruth 2:14; John 19:29)

10. Unusual and Supernatural ‘Foods’ in the Bible

  1. Manna (Exodus 16:31-35)
  2. Fruit From the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life (Genesis 3:6, 22)
  3. Gold Dust (Exodus 32:19-20) 
  4. Miraculous Bread and Water in the Desert (Genesis 21:14-19; Numbers 20:11)
  5. Human Flesh (Deuteronomy 28:53-57)
  6. Bread Baked Over Human Excrement (Ezekiel 4:10-17)
  7. Two-Sided Scroll of Lamentations (Ezekiel 2:8 – 3:3)
  8. Angel Cakes (1 Kings 19:3-9)
  9. Animal Diet of Grass (Daniel 4:33)
  10. Miraculous Flour and Oil (1 Kings 17:10-16; 2 Kings 4:1-7)
  11. Bread and Meat From Ravens (1 Kings 17:1-6)
  12. Miraculous Fish and Loaves of Bread (2 Kings 4:42-44; Matthew 14:13-21; Matthew 15:32-39; Mark 6:30-44; Mark 8:1-13; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-15)
  13. Locust (Mark 1:6)

What The Bible Says About Food

1 Corinthians 10:31 – “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

Deuteronomy 14:9-10 – “Of all the creatures living in the water, you may eat any that has fins and scales. But anything that does not have fins and scales you may not eat; for you it is unclean.”

John 6:35 – Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

Romans 14:3 – “The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them.”

Psalm 107:9 – “For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.”

Luke 9:16-17 – “Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.”

Matthew 4:4 – Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Genesis 1:29 – Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.”

Proverbs 11:25 – “A generous person will prosper;whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.”

Group 1 – What The Bible Says About Food

Matthew 6:25 – “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?”

Revelation 3:20 – “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”

Genesis 9:3-4 – “Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything. But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it.”

1 Timothy 6:7-8 – “For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.”

Proverbs 16:24 – “Gracious words are a honeycomb,sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”

Colossians 2:16-17 – “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.”

John 6:27 – “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”

Nehemiah 8:10 – Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Group 2 – What The Bible Says About Food

1 Peter 2:2 – “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.”

Daniel 10:3 – “I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over.“

Matthew 5:6 – “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,for they will be filled.”

2 Corinthians 9:10 – “Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.”

Acts 2:46-47 – “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

Deuteronomy 8:3 – “He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”

Matthew 6:33 – “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Malachi 3:10 – “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.”

Group 3 – What The Bible Says About Food

John 6:35 – Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”

1 Corinthians 8:8 – “Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do.”

Genesis 1:29 – And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.”

Genesis 9:3 – “Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything.”

1 Corinthians 10:31 – “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

Romans 14:1-23 – “As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. …”

Group 4 – What The Bible Says About Food

Psalm 104:15 – “And wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine and bread to strengthen man’s heart.”

Matthew 4:4 – But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Proverbs 15:17 – “Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fattened ox and hatred with it.”

Ecclesiastes 9:7 – “Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do.”

1 Timothy 4:4-5 – “For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.”

Isaiah 1:19 – “If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land;”

Mark 7:14-23 – “And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.” And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) ...”

Group 5 – What The Bible Says About Food

John 6:27 – “Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.”

Leviticus 11:1-30 – And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them, “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, These are the living things that you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth. Whatever parts the hoof and is cloven-footed and chews the cud, among the animals, you may eat. Nevertheless, among those that chew the cud or part the hoof, you shall not eat these: The camel, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you. And the rock badger, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you. …”

Matthew 5:6 – “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

Proverbs 27:7 – “One who is full loathes honey, but to one who is hungry everything bitter is sweet.”

Genesis 1:30 – “And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.” Proverbs 25:27 – “It is not good to eat much honey, nor is it glorious to seek one’s own glory.”

Psalm 136:25 – “He who gives food to all flesh, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

Group 6 – What The Bible Says About Food

Matthew 6:25 – “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”

Acts 10:10-14 – “And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.””

Mark 1:6 – “Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey.”

Isaiah 65:3-6 – “A people who provoke me to my face continually, sacrificing in gardens and making offerings on bricks; who sit in tombs, and spend the night in secret places; who eat pig’s flesh, and broth of tainted meat is in their vessels, who say, “Keep to yourself, do not come near me, for I am too holy for you.” These are a smoke in my nostrils, a fire that burns all the day. Behold, it is written before me: “I will not keep silent, but I will repay; I will indeed repay into their bosom.”

Group 7 – What Does The Bible Say About Food?

John 4:34 – Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.”

1 Corinthians 6:13 – “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.”

3 John 1:2 – “Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.”

1 Corinthians 10:20-21 – “No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.”

Isaiah 66:15-18 – “For behold, the Lord will come in fire, and his chariots like the whirlwind, to render his anger in fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire will the Lord enter into judgment, and by his sword, with all flesh; and those slain by the Lord shall be many. “Those who sanctify and purify themselves to go into the gardens, following one in the midst, eating pig’s flesh and the abomination and mice, shall come to an end together, declares the Lord. “For I know their works and their thoughts, and the time is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and shall see my glory,”

Group 8 – What Does The Bible Say About Food?

Job 23:12 – “I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.”

Isaiah 17:10-11 – “For you have forgotten the God of your salvation and have not remembered the Rock of your refuge; therefore, though you plant pleasant plants and sow the vine-branch of a stranger, though you make them grow on the day that you plant them, and make them blossom in the morning that you sow, yet the harvest will flee away in a day of grief and incurable pain.”

Ezekiel 4:9 – “And you, take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and emmer, and put them into a single vessel and make your bread from them. During the number of days that you lie on your side, 390 days, you shall eat it.”

Deuteronomy 14:1-29 – “You are the sons of the Lord your God. You shall not cut yourselves or make any baldness on your foreheads for the dead. For you are a people holy to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. “You shall not eat any abomination. These are the animals you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, the deer, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the mountain sheep. …”

Luke 12:33-34 – “Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

Group 9 – What Does The Bible Say About Food?

Daniel 1:1-21 – “In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the vessels of the house of God. And he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and placed the vessels in the treasury of his god. Then the king commanded Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility, youths without blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to stand in the king’s palace, and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans. ...”

Colossians 2:16-17 – “Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.”

2 Samuel 17:29 – “Honey and curds and sheep and cheese from the herd, for David and the people with him to eat, for they said, “The people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness.””

Psalm 107:9 – “For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.”

Psalm 81:10 – “I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.”

Group 10 – What Does The Bible Say About Food?

Genesis 27:9 – “Go to the flock and bring me two good young goats, so that I may prepare from them delicious food for your father, such as he loves.”

Philippians 3:18-20 – “For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,”

Genesis 43:11 – Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: take some of the choice fruits of the land in your bags, and carry a present down to the man, a little balm and a little honey, gum, myrrh, pistachio nuts, and almonds.”

Mark 7:19 – “Since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.)”

John 6:51 – “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

Malachi 3:10 – “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.“

Matthew 3:4 – “Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.”

Group 11 – What Does The Bible Say About Food?

Ezra 6:9 – “And whatever is needed—bulls, rams, or sheep for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, or oil, as the priests at Jerusalem require—let that be given to them day by day without fail,”

Luke 15:23 – “And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate.”

Job 6:6 – “Can that which is tasteless be eaten without salt, or is there any taste in the juice of the mallow?”

Genesis 3:6 – “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.”

Numbers 11:5 – “We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic.”

Judges 14:8-9 – “After some days he returned to take her. And he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion, and behold, there was a swarm of bees in the body of the lion, and honey. He scraped it out into his hands and went on, eating as he went. And he came to his father and mother and gave some to them, and they ate. But he did not tell them that he had scraped the honey from the carcass of the lion.”

Numbers 17:8 – “On the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony, and behold, the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds.”

Group 12 – What Does The Bible Say About Food?

Matthew 15:11 – “It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.”

Leviticus 11:1-47 – “And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them, “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, These are the living things that you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth. Whatever parts the hoof and is cloven-footed and chews the cud, among the animals, you may eat. Nevertheless, among those that chew the cud or part the hoof, you shall not eat these: The camel, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you. And the rock badger, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you. …”

1 Peter 2:2 – “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—”

1 Timothy 4:2-3 – “Through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.”

Leviticus 19:19 – “You shall keep my statutes. You shall not let your cattle breed with a different kind. You shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed, nor shall you wear a garment of cloth made of two kinds of material.”

Exodus 16:12 – “I have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’”

Group 13 – What Does The Bible Say About Food?

Exodus 16:31 – “Now the house of Israel called its name manna. It was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.”

Luke 11:12 – “Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?“

Nehemiah 13:15 – “In those days I saw in Judah people treading winepresses on the Sabbath, and bringing in heaps of grain and loading them on donkeys, and also wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of loads, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I warned them on the day when they sold food.”

2 Corinthians 9:10 – “He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.”

Matthew 6:1-34 – ““Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. …”

Group 14 – What Does The Bible Say About Food?

Matthew 14:19 – “Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.”

1 Corinthians 15:38-39 – “But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish.”

Proverbs 21:20 – “Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man’s dwelling, but a foolish man devours it.”

Proverbs 17:1 – “Better is a dry morsel with quiet than a house full of feasting with strife.”

Revelation 3:20 – “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”

Job 10:10 – “Did you not pour me out like milk and curdle me like cheese?”

Genesis 3:19 – “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Isaiah 7:22 – “And because of the abundance of milk that they give, he will eat curds, for everyone who is left in the land will eat curds and honey.”

Acts 14:17 – “Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.”

Group 15 – What Does The Bible Say About Food?

John 6:1-71 – “After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” …”

1 Timothy 4:4 – “For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,”

1 Corinthians 11:29 – “For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.”

Hebrews 13:9 – “Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them.”

Proverbs 25:16 – “If you have found honey, eat only enough for you, lest you have your fill of it and vomit it.”

Luke 12:23 – “For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.”

Isaiah 33:15-16 – “He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, who despises the gain of oppressions, who shakes his hands, lest they hold a bribe, who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed and shuts his eyes from looking on evil, he will dwell on the heights; his place of defense will be the fortresses of rocks, his bread will be given him; his water will be sure.”

Group 16 – What Does The Bible Say About Food?

Genesis 27:28 – “May God give you of the dew of heaven and of the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine.”

Genesis 6:21 – “Also take with you every sort of food that is eaten, and store it up. It shall serve as food for you and for them.”

Psalm 22:26 – “The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord! May your hearts live forever!”

Proverbs 24:13 – “My son, eat honey, for it is good, and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste.”

Psalm 145:15-16 – “The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing.”

Proverbs 16:24 – “Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.”

Deuteronomy 8:1-11:32 – “The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers. And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years. …”

Group 17 – What Does The Bible Say About Food?

Isaiah 55:1-13 – “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples. Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know, and a nation that did not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, …”

Genesis 19:3 – “But he pressed them strongly; so they turned aside to him and entered his house. And he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.”

Colossians 4:6 – “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”

Deuteronomy 22:9 – “You shall not sow your vineyard with two kinds of seed, lest the whole yield be forfeited, the crop that you have sown and the yield of the vineyard.”

Luke 6:43 – “For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit,”

Proverbs 23:2 – “And put a knife to your throat if you are given to appetite.”

Group 18 – What Does The Bible Say About Food?

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

1 Timothy 6:17-19 – “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.”

1 Corinthians 6:12 – “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be enslaved by anything.”

Galatians 5:22-23 – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

Group 19 – What Does The Bible Say About Food?

Joshua 4:22-6:3 – “Then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.” As soon as all the kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan to the west, and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea, heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan for the people of Israel until they had crossed over, …”

Isaiah 60:1-61:11 – “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes all around, and see; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be carried on the hip. Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and exult, because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. …”

Group 20 – What Does The Bible Say About Food?

Numbers 20:1-21:35 – “And the people of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh. And Miriam died there and was buried there. Now there was no water for the congregation. And they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. And the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Would that we had perished when our brothers perished before the Lord! Why have you brought the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness, that we should die here, both we and our cattle? And why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It is no place for grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink.” …”

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What Does The Bible Say About Following Jesus Christ?

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What Does The Bible Say About Following Jesus Christ?

What Does The Bible Say About Following Jesus Christ? The answer to this question is important to all those who have been sent to Christ by God for Salvation. Jesus Christ did not come on Earth by His own authority but by the authority of God the Father Almighty. John 3:16 says, “For God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not die but have eternal life.” Let’s further read from John 17:5-7 – “Father! Give me glory in your presence now, the same glory I had with you before the world was made. ‘I have made you known to those you gave me out of the world. They belonged to you, and you gave them to me. They have obeyed your word, and now they know that everything you gave me comes from you.'”

It was out of God’s immeasurable, unconditional, unbiased, and unfailing love for mankind that sent His own son o pay the price for our sins. Although Christ had no sin of His own, He humbly accepted this mission which led to His dead on the Cross at Calvary. At Calvary, He was offered as the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world (completely wiping and taking away the sins of all those who come to Him). Jesus Christ takes away the sins of the faithful and offers them eternal life in the presence of God. To benefit from God’s Gift of Eternal Life, we must answer the call of Christ for a Sincere Repentance. Following this repentance is a renewed mind that is willing and ready to obey the Key Teachings of Jesus Christ. Hence, becoming His faithful followers.

What Does The Bible Say About Following Jesus Christ?

What the Scriptures say about Following Jesus Christ

Luke 14:25-30 – “Now great multitudes were going along with Him; and He turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’”

Luke 14:31-33 – “Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and take counsel whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks terms for peace. So therefore, no one of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions” This scripture summarizes what it takes to become a disciple or follower of Jesus Christ. Still from this scripture, we can point out without doubt that discipleship is centered upon Dependence and Submission to Jesus Christ. We can as well say that genuine discipleship has to do with completely rearranging our priorities. Following Jesus Christ or being His disciple is all about making Him the most important thing in your life.

Understanding the Mission that God gave Christ to accomplish on Earth

It is not possible for us to talk about what it takes to become a disciple of Christ without pointing to His Earthly Mission. Christ did reveal Himself through His earthly life as the Savior of the World who was sent by the Father Almighty. His name “Jesus” clearly reveals His Earthly Mission as it means “God Saves.” This name was give to Him by Mary and Joseph in respect to the Heavenly Instructions that were brought to them by Angel Gabriel (Matthew 1:21; Luke 1:31). In the heavenly message which was transmitted to Joseph, the meaning of the name was explained by the angel as thus; “For He will save His people from their sins.” Christ with His own words describes His saving mission as one whose highest expression will be the sacrifice of His own life for mankind (Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45).

Through the saying that the Son of man came to give His life as ransom for many, Jesus CHRIST was actually referring to the prophecy of the suffering Servant who “makes Himself an offering for sins” (Isaiah 53:10). Here, He is talking of a personal sacrifice which is much different from the animal sacrifice which was regularly used in ancient worship by the children of Israel. In line with these words, Christ appears as the Universal Savior through whom all human beings, according to God’s plan, are ransomed, freed, saved, and given eternal life. As a universal savior, Christ is the only savior. Let’s support this message by reading from Acts 4:12 – “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Here, Apostle Peter makes it clear that the only path to salvation is Christ.

Requirements to be a Disciple of Jesus Christ

1. A true disciple of Jesus Christ must put Him above all those nearest and dearest to him (Luke 14:26)

Luke 14:26 – “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, … he cannot be my disciple.” It is important to understand here that Jesus CHRIST did not mean that we cannot love both God and our family at the same time. Also note that He did not mean to say that a person can only love God while hating those nearest and dearest to him/her. Remember that the scriptures speak on several occasions about the love governing families, friends, children, husbands and wives.

What Christ means here is that our love for Him must have precedence over any other. That is, our attachment to Him must be greater than any other attachment. Although husbands have been called to love their wives (Ephesians 5:25), the are to love the Savior more. No human bond should be more inseparable, no human relationship should be more intimate than that between the disciple and His Master, Jesus Christ.

2. A true disciple of Jesus Christ must place his commitment to the faith above material possessions (Luke 14:33)

Luke 14:33 – “In the same way, concluded Jesus, ‘none of you can be my disciple unless you give up everything you have.’” In simple terms, we must love God more than money and what it can buy. It is important to understand that material possessions will not last bu God’s Gift of Eternal Life is forever. Instead of storing up riches here on Earth where rust and moth will destroy them and thieves will steal them, you should rather store them in heaven where no thief can steal nor they can get bad. Our riches in heaven are determined by our level of faithfulness in keeping God’s commands.

3. A true disciple of Jesus Christ must value following Him more than life itself (Matthew 16:25)

Matthew 16:25 – “For whoever wants to save their own life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.” It is without doubt that the basic instinct to preserve life is inherent in all creation. However, genuine discipleship demands a devotion to Jesus Christ that surpasses the instinct to preserve our own life. The history of the church clearly and sufficiently proves that this discipleship requirement has resulted to the death of countless followers of Christ or Christians.

4. A true disciple of Jesus Christ must daily die to self-interest (Luke 14:27)

Luke 14:27 – “Those who do not carry their own cross and come after me cannot be my disciples.” Every genuine disciple of Jesus Christ must pick up his/her own cross to follow Him on daily basis. Let’s not mistake our daily cross with His. The Cross of our lord was one that was borne once and for all. But ours is one that we must take on daily basis. The Cross of Christ was one that led to His physical Crucifixion and death. Carrying our cross on daily basis to follow Him has to do with putting to death on daily basis our selfish desires and ambitions of the old self. It is all about remaining faithful even in the face of daily challenges that are trying to break or faith (Romans 6:1-14; 2 Corinthians 4;7-12; 1 Corinthians 15:31).

The Rewards awaiting True Disciples of Jesus Christ

1. Knowledge about the Kingdom of God (Mark 4:34)

Mark 4:34 – “And He was not speaking to them without parables; but He was explaining everything privately to His own disciples.” It is more to His disciples that our Lord Jesus Christ reveals His innermost thoughts and most intimate secrets. By following Him, we are privileged to learn about the things of God’s kingdom. Let’s further read from John 14:21 – “Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal (manifest) myself to each of them.”

2. Favor and mercy before God (John 1;17)

John 1:17 – “For the Law was given through Moses; Grace and Truth were realized through Jesus Christ.” Through Christ, we obtain God’s grace. And he who obtains God’s grace also obtains His favor and blessings. Blessings reserved for those who make-up their minds to follow Jesus Christ despite the challenges that come their way.

3. Eternal Life (John 11:25-26)

John 11:25-26 – Jesus said to her, “I am the Resurrection and the Life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” One of our greatest rewards is Jesus Christ Himself. Remember that He is the resurrection and the life. Just as He overcame His own death, He will also do same for all His followers as He brings them back to life in the presence of God.

4. Victory over Satan and all the principles of darkness in the heavenly places (Philippians 2:10-11)

Philippians 2:10-11 – “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of Go the Father.” Through Christ, we as His followers are victorious. Remember that God has given Him all authority in Heaven and on Earth. Let’s support thus by reading from Matthew 28:18-20 – “Jesus drew near and said to them, ‘I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Go then to all people everywhere and make them my disciples: baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And I will be with you always, to the end of the age.’”

What The Bible Says About Following Jesus Christ

John 8:12 – When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

2 Thessalonians 3:5 – “May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.”

Deuteronomy 31:8 – “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Deuteronomy 5:33 – “Walk in obedience to all that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.”

Psalm 119:133 – “Direct my footsteps according to your word;let no sin rule over me.”

Psalm 128:1 – “Blessed are all who fear the Lord,who walk in obedience to him.”

Galatians 5:25 – “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”

Matthew 10:38 – “Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.”

Mark 8:34 – Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”

Deuteronomy 13:4 – “It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him.”

Group 1 – What The Bible Says About Following Jesus Christ

John 8:31-32 – To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Ephesians 2:10 – “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

1 Peter 2:21 – “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.”

Psalm 37:23 – “The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him.”

John 12:26 – “Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.”

Ephesians 5:1 – “Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children.”

James 2:17 – “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

Joshua 24:15 – “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

Matthew 19:21 – Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Colossians 3:17 – “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Group 2 – What The Bible Says About Following Jesus Christ

Psalm 119:60 – “I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands.“

John 15:8 – “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

Proverbs 4:27 – “Do not turn to the right or the left;keep your foot from evil.”

Hebrews 13:20-21 – “Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

John 13:35 – “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

John 8:12 – Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Luke 9:23 – “And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

Matthew 16:24 – Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

1 Peter 2:21 – “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.”

1 Corinthians 11:1-2 – “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you.”

Group 3 – What The Bible Says About Following Jesus Christ

Mark 8:34 – And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

Matthew 7:21-23 – “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’“

Matthew 10:22 – “And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

1 Corinthians 11:1 – “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”

1 Peter 1:14-16 – “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”“

John 10:27 – “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”

1 John 2:3-4 – “And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,”

Group 4 – What The Bible Says About Following Jesus Christ

John 12:26 – “If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.”

Luke 18:22 – When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

John 15:14 – “You are my friends if you do what I command you.”

Matthew 4:19 – And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

John 15:16-17 – “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another.”

John 14:6 – Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Matthew 4:19-25 – And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. …”

Group 5 – What The Bible Says About Following Jesus Christ

John 14:6 – Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Matthew 10:38 – “And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.”

John 15:5-8 – “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.”

Galatians 5:25 – “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.”

Matthew 6:33 – “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

James 2:20-24 – “Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.”

Group 6 – What The Bible Says About Following Jesus Christ

Ephesians 5:1-2 – “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

John 14:26 – “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”

Matthew 11:28-30 – “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

John 16:33 – “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Luke 14:25-35 – “Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him,”

John 8:31-32 – So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Group 7 – What Does The Bible Say About Following Jesus Christ?

Matthew 19:21 – Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

John 6:55-59 – “For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.”

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Philippians 2:12-13 – “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”

Mark 10:21 – And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

2 Timothy 3:12 – “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,”

Group 8 – What Does The Bible Say About Following Jesus Christ?

Mark 10:28-31 – Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” John 21:19 – “(This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.””

Luke 5:27-33 – “After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” And leaving everything, he rose and followed him, And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them, And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. …”

Titus 3:5 – “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,”

Group 9 – What Does The Bible Say About Following Jesus Christ?

1 Peter 3:18-22 – “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.”

Mark 14:51 – “And a young man followed him, with nothing but a linen cloth about his body. And they seized him,”

Ephesians 2:10 – “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Luke 7:9 – “When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.””

John 18:15 – “Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he entered with Jesus into the court of the high priest,”

Group 10 – What Does The Bible Say About Following Jesus Christ?

Luke 9:23-25 – “And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?”

Mark 8:34-37 – “And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it, For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul?”

John 3:16-17 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

John 10:10-11 – “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

Matthew 11:29 – “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

John 15:8 – “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.”

Group 11 – What Does The Bible Say About Following Jesus Christ?

John 15:18 – “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.”

Philippians 3:20 – “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,”

Acts 14:22 – “Strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”

Matthew 5:16 – “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Mark 10:52 – “And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.”

Acts 2:38-39 – And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

John 13:35 – “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

2 Thessalonians 3:6 – “Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us.”

Group 12 – What Does The Bible Say About Following Jesus Christ?

John 13:35 – “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

John 16:13 – “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”

1 Thessalonians 1:6 – “And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit,”

Mark 10:45 – “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

John 8:31 – “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,”

Matthew 16:15-19 – “He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.””

Group 13 – What Does The Bible Say About Following Jesus Christ?

John 13:12-17 – “When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. …”

Mark 8:34-38 – “And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me, For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it, For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.””

Group 14 – What Does The Bible Say About Following Jesus Christ?

Ephesians 5:2 – “And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

2 Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

Matthew 6:9-13 – Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

Psalm 119:10 – “With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!”

Psalm 25:1-22 – “Of David. To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me. Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long. …”

Joshua 24:15 – “And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Group 15 – What Does The Bible Say About Following Jesus Christ?

Matthew 9:9 – “As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.”

John 1:1 – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

John 4:23-24 – “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

John 1:14 – “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Luke 14:25-27 – “Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.”

Luke 1:47-49 – “And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.”

Group 16 – What Does The Bible Say About Following Jesus Christ?

Revelation 1:1 – “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,”

Matthew 8:18-22 – “Now when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.””

Psalm 119:105 – “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

Matthew 16:24-25 – “Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

1 John 5:16-17 – “If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death.”

Philippians 2:5 – “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,”

Group 17 – What Does The Bible Say About Following Jesus Christ?

Exodus 5:1-23 – “Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.’” But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover, I will not let Israel go.” Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.” But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your burdens.” And Pharaoh said, …”

Hebrews 13:20-21 – “Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”

Luke 6:40 – “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.”

Ephesians 5:1 – “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.”

John 20:28 – Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”

Group 18 – What Does The Bible Say About Following Jesus Christ?

1 John 2:28-3:10 – “And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him. See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. …”

John 6:68-69 – Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”

Hebrews 12:2 – “Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

John 8:24 – “I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.”

Group 19 – What Does The Bible Say About Following Jesus Christ?

Revelation 1:17-18 – “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.”

Matthew 9:35-36 – “And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

John 14:13 – “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”

1 John 3:11-24 – “For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. …“

Group 20 – What Does The Bible Say About Following Jesus Christ?

1 John 4:1-6 – “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. …”

1 John 2:15-27 – “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. …”

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What The Bible Says

What Does The Bible Say About Fear?

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What Does The Bible Say About Fear?

What Does The Bible Say About Fear? To answer this question, we’ll point to the Best Bible Verses About Fear which were divinely revealed to make us conscious of God’s sovereignty. Also, they remind us of God’s supreme protection power over His own. Everyone faces different types of worries and fear. Although it ought not to be so, human beings generally have a fright of almost every challenge that comes their way. Remember that at times, God allows challenges to come our way in order to make us stronger. Challenges are bound to come, but we are certain of God’s supreme power to strengthen us in order to overcome or face these challenges. The Devil has been using fear as a tool against the children of God. Hence, we must stand against fear with the authority in the name of Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Ghost.

There are two types of fear. The first type of fear is the fear of the Lord God Almighty; which is healthy for Christians and should be encouraged among God’s people. Let’s support this by reading from Luke 12:4-5 – “Then Jesus said to the people, “I tell you, my friends, don’t be afraid of people. They can kill the body, but after that they can do nothing more to hurt you. I will show you the one to fear. You should fear God, who has the power to kill you and also to throw you into hell. Yes, he is the one you should fear.” The second type of fear is what the Bible refers to as the “Spirit of Fear.” Let’s support this by reading from 2 Timothy 1:7 – “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

What Does The Bible Say About Fear

What the Scriptures say about Fear

Many Christians regularly ask the question of what does it mean to fear the Lord God? Luckily enough, the scriptures clearly provide elements of answer to this question. Let’s get the answer from Proverbs 8:13 – “The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.” In simple terms, fearing God is not about being afraid of something, but being for what He is for and being against what He is against. Fearing God is all about having an attitude of respect and awe for Him. In this way, we will dwell through Christ in God’s unfailing love, power, mercy, favor, and compassion. We shouldn’t also forget about God’s wrath and anger which strikes the wicked. However, the fear of the Lord comes with many benefits and blessings.

The fear of the Lord leads to Wisdom and Understanding (Psalm 111:10). In addition, the fear of the Lord leads to life and true rest (Proverbs 14:27; 19:23). While the fear of the Lord Almighty is a gift from God that benefits us in many ways, the other type of fear mentioned in 2 Timothy 1:7 does not benefit us at all. This scripture from Apostle Paul clearly tells us that it is not the spirit of fear that God gives us but one of power, love, and self-control. The Devil uses fear as a tool to stand against our blessings and possessions in God. The Good News is that when we experience fear, we don’t have to dwell on it but turn to God for help. Psalm 34:4 – “I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears“

5 Things the Bible says about Fear (Ways to Overcome Fear God’s Way)

1. God will never leave nor forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:8)

Deuteronomy 31:8 – “He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Always remember this scripture whenever you are fearing a situation or an emotional challenge. Take it that God is speaking these words directly to you. Behold brethren, God will never turn on you even if your friends, co-workers, or family members disappoint you. Behold, God says “I will never leave nor forsake you.”

2. Do not fear for God has redeemed you (Isaiah 43:1)

Isaiah 43:1 – “Don’t fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine.” Behold, God has commanded us not to fear, no worry. It is important to understand here that the phrase “Fear Not” is used at least 80 times in the Bible. On all these occasions, God is commanding His children not to fear because He is in control. The reason for this command is that God knows clearly that the Devil uses fear as a tool to decrease our hope and limit our victories through Christ. Brethren, there is just no reason for you to fear because we belong to an all-powerful, all-knowing and Victorious King who rules over Heaven and Earth.

3. God works all things for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28)

Romans 8:28 – “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Much of our fear is based on the wrong assumption that when we’ve messed up a situation, it’s too late for God to step in with Divine Help. Brethren, by believing such, you’re making a big mistake. It’s never too late with God. In short, God is never too late to fix your mistakes. He is merciful, graceful, and compassionate. Come before Him through Sincere Repentance and with a mind ready to embrace the Key Teachings of Jesus Christ. He will hear and answer you just as He promises in Jeremiah 29:12. However, we should not take God’s mercy and compassion for granted. Doing this is directly inviting His anger and wrath into your life.

4. Perfect love cast out all fear (1 John 4:18)

1 John 4:18 – “Perfect Love Casts Out All Fear” Perfect love leads to closeness to God. And the more we are closer to God, the more fear flees away from us. God is love in nature. Everything about Him is love and as we get into His nature of love, fear which is the tool of the enemy has no control over us.

5. Fear not because you stand on the Rock of Ages (Psalm 18:2)

Psalm 18:2 – “The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer.” The Lord God Almighty is indeed the Rock of Ages. On Him, we find our support and strength. In Him, we are deeply rooted and cannot be shaken by the evil forces and principalities of darkness in the heavenly places. Hence, no need to fear; God did it in the past, He is still doing it these days, and He will certainly do it in times to come.

What the Bible Says About Fear

Philippians 4:6-7 – “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Isaiah 41:13 – “For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.”

Psalm 56:3 – “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.”

Joshua 1:9 – “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Isaiah 41:10 – “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

2 Timothy 1:7 – “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”

1 Peter 5:7 – “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

Proverbs 29:25 – “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.”

Psalm 23:4 – “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

Psalm 118:6 – “The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”

1 John 4:18 – “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”

Group 1 – What The Bible Says About Fear

Deuteronomy 31:8 – “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

John 14:1 – “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.”

Deuteronomy 31:6 – “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Psalm 27:1 – “The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?”

Psalm 34:4 – “I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.”

1 Peter 3:14 – “But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.”“

Matthew 10:29-31 – “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

Hebrews 13:6 – “So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”“

Romans 8:15 – “The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.””

Group 2 – What The Bible Says About Fear

Luke 1:30-31 – But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.”

Psalm 56:4 – “In God, whose word I praise—in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”

Psalm 103:13 – “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.”

Luke 12:32 – “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.”

Mark 6:49-50 – “But when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.””

Proverbs 29:25 – “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.”

Psalm 34:4 – “I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.”

2 Timothy 1:7 – “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

1 John 4:18 – “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.”

Isaiah 41:10 – “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Group 3 – What The Bible Says About Fear

Psalm 56:3-4 – “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?”

Psalm 23:1-6 – “A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul, He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. …”

Romans 8:15 – “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!””

Deuteronomy 31:6 – “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”

Philippians 4:6 – “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

Joshua 1:9 – “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Group 4 – What The Bible Says About Fear

Proverbs 19:23 – “The fear of the Lord leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm.”

John 14:27 – “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

Psalm 56:3 – “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.”

Romans 8:38-39 – “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Psalm 27:1 – “Of David. The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

Psalm 111:10 – “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!”

Isaiah 43:1-3 – “But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you.”

Group 5 – What The Bible Says About Fear

Philippians 4:6-7 – “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Psalm 23:4 – “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

1 Peter 5:7 – “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

Matthew 10:28 – “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Psalm 27:1-14 – “Of David. The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident. One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock. …”

Group 6 – What Does The Bible Say About Fear?

Proverbs 14:27 – “The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death.”

Proverbs 8:13 – “The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.”

Psalm 118:6 – “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”

Luke 12:22-24 – “And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!”

Hebrews 13:6 – So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

Isaiah 12:2 – “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”

Isaiah 41:13 – “For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.””

Deuteronomy 7:21 – “You shall not be in dread of them, for the Lord your God is in your midst, a great and awesome God.”

1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Group 7 – What Does The Bible Say About Fear?

1 Peter 5:6-7 – “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

1 Peter 2:17 – “Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.”

Isaiah 43:1 – “But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.””

Isaiah 35:4 – Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.”

Deuteronomy 3:22 – “You shall not fear them, for it is the Lord your God who fights for you.’”

Psalm 112:7-8 – “He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord. His heart is steady; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.”

Psalm 94:19 – “When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.”

1 Peter 3:14 – “But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled,”

Matthew 6:34 – “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Group 8 – What Does The Bible Say About Fear?

Proverbs 12:25 – “Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.”

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Matthew 14:27 – “But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.””

2 Timothy 1:6-7 – “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

Luke 12:32 – “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

Psalm 125:1 – “A Song of Ascents. Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.”

Psalm 34:18 – “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”

Psalm 91:1-16 – “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, …”

Group 9 – What Does The Bible Say About Fear?

2 Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

Psalm 119:45-48 – “And I shall walk in a wide place, for I have sought your precepts. I will also speak of your testimonies before kings and shall not be put to shame, for I find my delight in your commandments, which I love. I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on your statutes.“

Isaiah 54:17 – “No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall confute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, declares the Lord.”

Romans 8:1-39 – “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. …”

Group 10 – What Does The Bible Say About Fear?

Matthew 10:26 – “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.”

Ephesians 5:16 – “Making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.”

Job 23:1-25:6 – Then Job answered and said: “Today also my complaint is bitter; my hand is heavy on account of my groaning. Oh, that I knew where I might find him, that I might come even to his seat! I would lay my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments. I would know what he would answer me and understand what he would say to me. …”

1 John 3:6 – “No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.”

Hebrews 13:5-6 – “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?””

Isaiah 54:4 – “Fear not, for you will not be ashamed; be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.”

Romans 6:16 – “Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?”

Group 11 – What Does The Bible Say About Fear?

2 Timothy 1:1-18 – “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus, To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. …”

Revelation 1:17 – “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last,”

Psalm 25:14 – “The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.”

John 16:33 – “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Psalm 115:11 – “You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield.“

Acts 9:31 – “So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.”

Mark 5:36 – “But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.””

Group 12 – What Does The Bible Say About Fear?

Psalm 34:7 – “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.”

Proverbs 16:7 – “When a man’s ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.”

Luke 10:19 – “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.”

Joel 2:13 – “‘And rend your hearts and not your garments.’ Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.”

John 14:1 – “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.”

Revelation 21:4 – “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Psalm 34:7 – “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.”

Exodus 14:14 – “The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

Psalm 3:6 – “I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.”

Psalm 63:2 – “So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.”

Group 13 – What Does The Bible Say About Fear?

Acts 27:24-25 – “And he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told.”

2 Corinthians 5:1 – “For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”

Revelation 2:10 – “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

Acts 10:35 – “But in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.”

Matthew 6:27 – “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?”

Luke 17:33 – “Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it.”

Mark 6:50 – “For they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.””

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 – But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Group 14 – What Does The Bible Say About Fear?

Psalm 103:1-22 – “Of David. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. …”

Isaiah 41:2 – “Who stirred up one from the east whom victory meets at every step? He gives up nations before him, so that he tramples kings underfoot; he makes them like dust with his sword, like driven stubble with his bow.”

Proverbs 1:7 – “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

Psalm 91:13 – “You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.”

Psalm 55:1-23 – “To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David. Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy! Attend to me, and answer me; I am restless in my complaint and I moan, because of the noise of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked. For they drop trouble upon me, and in anger they bear a grudge against me. My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms me. …”

Group 15 – What Does The Bible Say About Fear?

Psalm 37:1-40 – “Of David. Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. …”

1 Chronicles 28:20 – “Then David said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous and do it. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the Lord God, even my God, is with you. He will not leave you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished.”

Deuteronomy 20:1 – “When you go out to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.”

1 Samuel 15:24 – “Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.”

Deuteronomy 31:8 – “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

Group 16 – What Does The Bible Say About Fear?

Acts 7:1-8:40 – “And the high priest said, “Are these things so?” And Stephen said: “Brothers and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, and said to him, ‘Go out from your land and from your kindred and go into the land that I will show you.’ Then he went out from the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran. And after his father died, God removed him from there into this land in which you are now living. Yet he gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot’s length, but promised to give it to him as a possession and to his offspring after him, though he had no child. …”

Matthew 16:18-17:23 – “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ. From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” …”

Group 17 – What Does The Bible Say About Fear?

Matthew 9:36-12:21 – “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; …”

Lamentations 3:57 – “You came near when I called on you; you said, ‘Do not fear!’”

Psalm 112:1 – “Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commandments!”

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What The Bible Says

What Does The Bible Say About Fathers?

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What Does The Bible Say About Fathers?

What Does The Bible Say About Fathers? Knowing what the Bible says about fathers will guide you into rightly doing God’s will as the head of a family. In our write-up, you’ll also find the Best Bible Verses About Becoming A Christian Father. Truth be told, there is nothing easy about being a father. This truth holds especially these days that the society makes it easier for children to go wayward. It is without doubt that the waywardness of some children have brought much pain and sadness into the hearts of many parents. Whatever the case, there is always a way out whenever we involve God in the midst of our challenges. Note that God is still saying something about how father’s can rightly bring-up their children and fulfill their role as head of the Christian family unit after Christ.

The Bible says much about what it takes to become a successful Christian father. God in His unconditional love, unmerited favor, mercy and sovereignty has listed a good number of principles in the Bible which fathers can actively embrace in successfully playing their role in the family. It is in this light that we hereby write to present the Best Bible Verses About Becoming a Christian Father. A father who teaches his children the ways of God is likely to call on God’s mercy and favor on his entire generation. Note that a child who is given a direction in his early years is likely to grow following that direction all through his/her life. Also remember that as a father, you’ll give an account to God on the last day concerning the teachings that you gave to your children.

What Does The Bible Say About Christian Fathers?

Israelite history clearly reveals that a father was to diligently instruct his children in the ways of God Almighty. He was to teach them about the laws of God at all times so that they grow with it in their hearts. The children of Israel learned the ways and laws of God for their spiritual growth, development, and well-being. Every parent who obeyed the scriptures did his best to teach his children the laws of God in the morning, afternoon, and evening. God was pleased with such fathers and located them and their generations in His line of favor as we can read from the Bible verses about the father.

We can as well support the command for parents to train their children in the ways of God by reading from Proverbs 22:6 – “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” The word “train” which is used here eventually indicates the first education that parents give to their children. This primary education is intended to teach the child the convictions of his father on the existence, fear, and laws of God. Starting a child’s education by teaching him/her about the fear of God is of utmost importance.

What the Scriptures say about becoming a Christian father

Although becoming a successful Christian father can be challenging, it is not impossible. Through the scriptures, God teaches us how to go about this task successfully. Whenever we are asked what the scriptures say about becoming a Christian father, we point to a clear answer which happens to be the greatest commandment in the scriptures; “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:5). A slight move back to verse 2 (Deuteronomy 6:2) clearly says; “So that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life.”

In simple terms, we get the summary of what God truly wants from fathers in Deuteronomy 6:6-7 – “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” We can as well capture a summary of instructions to the Christian father from Ephesians 6:4 – “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” In this scriptural verse, the negative part is calling on Christian fathers not to foster negativity into their children by severity, partiality, injustice, or any kind of unreasonable exercise of authority. Note as a father that harsh or unreasonable conduct towards a child will only serve to nurture evil in his/her heart.

Understanding the meaning of the word exasperate or provoke in Ephesians 6:4

In simple terms, the word “provoke” means “to exasperate, irritate, rub the wrong the wrong way, or incite.” Such is influenced by a wrong spirit and wrong methods which could include unreasonableness, severity, needless restrictions, sternness, cruel demands, harshness, and selfish insistence upon dictatorial authority. It is without doubt that such provocations are likely to produce adverse reactions, reducing the children’s desire for holiness, making away with their affection, and giving them an impression that they cannot possibly please their parents no matter how hard they try. Through love, a wise parent makes obedience desirable and attainable by their children.

On the other hand which deals with the positive part of Ephesians 6:4, we perceive a clear expression of a comprehensive guide in bringing-up children in the ways of God. That is, educating them, teaching them, and developing their character to embrace a lifestyle that is pleasing to God Almighty. In other words, we can talk of contributing to their conduct in all of life by the instruction and admonition of the Lord. This makes up for the whole process of educating and disciplining a child. Still on what the Bible says about Fathers, the word “admonition” carries the whole idea of regularly reminding the child of his/her faults (constructively) and duties (responsibilities). That’s why it is said that the Christian father is an instrument in the hands of God.

Understanding The Father’s Role In Bringing-Up A Child God’s Way

It is without doubt that the Christian Father is an instrument in the hands of God. He teaches his/her child the importance of a Sincere Repentance and the need to obey the Key Teachings of Jesus Christ in achieving Eternal Life as oppose to Eternal Punishment which awaits the wicked in the Lake of Fire. However, the entire process of instruction and discipline must be in line with that which God commands and which He administers. This will bring God’s authority into constant and immediate contact with the Child’s mind, heart, and conscience. In this way, the child is more likely to willingly go after the ways of God in love and faithfulness. The human father should never present himself as the ultimate authority to determine truth and duty. The goals of education are best attained by making God the teacher and ruler on whose authority everything is done.

10 Things Scripture Says About Becoming A Christian Father

1. Be your child’s “first teacher” (Proverbs 22:6)

Proverbs 22:6 – “Teach children how they should live, and they will remember it all their lives.” It is a Christian parent’s duty to teach or train a child the way he/she should go about living life. Here, we are not talking about the school, the neighbor, or the government but you. It’s your responsibility which comes as a command from God.

2. A father needs to exemplify a good lifestyle (2 Corinthians 3:2-3)

2 Corinthians 3:2-3 – “You yourselves are the letter we have, written in our hearts for everyone to know and read. It is clear that Christ himself wrote this letter and sent it by us, It is written, not with ink but with the spirit of the living God, and not on stone tablets but on human hearts.” It is important to understand here that our children are reading us on daily basis since we are letters from God. They are more likely to do what they see us doing and speak the things they hear us speaking. That’s why as Christian parents, we must pay attention to our thoughts, words, and actions; always making sure that they are aligned with the will of God. In this way, we’ll teach our children with words and actions.

3. Provide for your family (1 Timothy 5:8)

1 Timothy 5:8 – “But if anyone does not take care of his relatives, especially the members of his own family, he has denied the faith and is worst than an unbeliever.” This scripture makes it clear that as a father, it’s your responsibility in the light of God’s ways to provide the needs of your family. However, this is not call for you to look down on yourself if you are struggling to pickup a job. Remember that what matters most before God is the mind, intentions, and desires of human beings. Being a responsible father who provides the needs of His family covers more than merely keeping food on the table and providing shelter. However, you must work hard as a dad to meet-up with your family’s needs. Remain focus and courageous enough to provide for your family even when times are financially difficult.

4. A father should spend quantitative and qualitative time with his children (Deuteronomy 6:6-9)

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 – “Never forget these commands that I am giving you today. Teach them to your children. Repeat them when you are at home and when you are away, when you are resting and when you are working. Tie them on your arms and wear them on your foreheads as a reminder. Write them on the doorpost of your houses and on your gates.” Spending time with children these days is something that has eluded the minds of many fathers due to the busy schedule that the society subject them to. However, this is no-excuse for you to fail in respecting God’s command. Note that it is not just about spending time with your children but spending quality time with them. That is, using the time to teach them the ways and laws of God. Teach them wisdom and they’ll grow to make good use of it.

5. A Christian father never fails to discipline his children (Proverbs 13:24)

Proverbs 13:24 – “If you don’t punish your son, you don’t love him. If you do love him, you will correct him.” Any father who truly loves his child is careful to discipline him/her whenever need arises. This also has to do with the proactive leadership in our homes.

6. A Christian father should be compassionate (Psalm 103:13)

Psalm 103:13 – “As a father is kind to his children, so the Lord is kind to those who honor Him.” It is right for a father to have for his children. However, this compassion should not blind him from justly disciplining and maintaining them on the right path that leads to success and eternal life.

7. A Christian father should not provoke his children (Ephesians 6:4)

Ephesians 6:4 – “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” As a father, instead of presenting yourself as the ultimate authority for truth and duty, rather lean on God who is the true teacher and guide in bringing up your children successfully. In love and compassion, discipline and bring them back to the right path without necessarily making them detest holiness.

8. Display or put into practice the values that you are teaching your children (James 1:22)

James 1:22 – “Do not deceive yourself by just listening to His word; instead put it into practice.” This scripture clearly points out that it is of no good for us to listen to God’s word without putting it into practice. In the same light, we shouldn’t just be telling our children what is right without actually practicing it ourselves.

9. Never give up on your children as a Christian father (Luke 15:20-24)

Luke 15:20-22 – ““20 So he got up and went to his father.“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’”

Luke 15:22-24 – “22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.” This is the story of “The Prodigal Son” went against his fathers principles but when he realized himself and came back, he was welcomed with compassion and love. In the same light, we should avoid giving up on our children.

10. A Christian father should regularly pray for his children (1 Chronicles 29:19)

1 Chronicles 29:19 – “Give my son Solomon a wholehearted desire to obey everything that you command and to build the Temple for which I have made these preparations.” In this scripture, we perceive king David praying for his son, Solomon, to be successful in keeping God’s commands and to be able to build God’s Temple. It is in this light that we hereby invite all Christian parents to regularly pray for their children so that God can guide and maintain them on the right path. In addition, even if your child is wayward, instead of giving-up, you should rather get on your kneels praying God for His intervention. And God who never fails will hear and answer you just as He promised in Jeremiah 29:12.

What The Bible Says About Christian Fathers

Matthew 6:6 – “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

1 John 3:1 – “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”

Proverbs 3:11-12 – “My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline,and do not resent his rebuke,because the Lord disciplines those he loves,as a father the son he delights in.”

Psalm 103:13 – “As a father has compassion on his children,so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.”

Proverbs 15:5 – “A fool spurns a parent’s discipline,but whoever heeds correction shows prudence.”

John 10:28-30 – “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

Matthew 6:26 – “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”

John 17:24 – “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.”

Group 1 – What The Bible Says About Christian Fathers

John 1:12 – “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

Philippians 4:20 – “To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

John 14:23 – Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.”

John 1:12 – “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

Philippians 4:20 – “To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

1 John 2:15 – “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.”

John 14:6 – Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

James 1:17 – “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

Luke 12:32 – “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.”

Matthew 10:29-31 – “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

Group 2 – What The Bible Says About Christian Fathers

Isaiah 9:6 – “For to us a child is born,to us a son is given,and the government will be on his shoulders.And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Romans 8:32 – “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?“

John 14:21 – “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

Matthew 26:53 – “Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?”

John 14:13 – “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”

Matthew 6:17-18 – “But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

John 1:18 – “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 14:2 – “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?”

Group 3 – What The Bible Says About Christian Fathers

Genesis 18:19 – “For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.”

Colossians 3:21 – “Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.”

Proverbs 20:7 – “The righteous who walks in his integrity— blessed are his children after him!”

Psalm 103:13 – “As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.”

Proverbs 19:18 – “Discipline your son, for there is hope; do not set your heart on putting him to death.”

3 John 1:4 – “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”

Proverbs 3:11-12 – “My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.”

Proverbs 13:24 – “Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.”


Ephesians 6:4 – “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

Proverbs 22:6 – “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Group 4 – What The Bible Says About Christian Fathers

Luke 15:20-24 – “And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.”

Proverbs 14:26 – “In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge.”

Proverbs 10:1 – “The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother.”

Matthew 23:9 – “And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.”

Psalm 127:3-5 – “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.”

Group 5 – What The Bible Says About Fathers

Proverbs 14:26 – “In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge.”

Matthew 7:9-11 – “Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”

Joshua 24:15 – “And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Proverbs 13:22 – “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.”

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 – “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise, You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

Psalm 68:5-6  – “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. God settles the solitary in a home; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.”

Group 6 – What The Bible Says About Fathers

Malachi 4:6 – “And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”

Proverbs 23:22 – “Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.”

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Proverbs 23:24 – “The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him.”

Malachi 2:10 – “Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? Why then are we faithless to one another, profaning the covenant of our fathers?”

1 Corinthians 16:13  – “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.”

Hebrews 12:7 – “It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?”

Job 1:4-5 – “His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.”

Group 7 – What Does The Bible Say About Christian Fathers?

Deuteronomy 1:29-31 – “Then I said to you, ‘Do not be in dread or afraid of them. The Lord your God who goes before you will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place.’”

Romans 8:14 – “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”

Joshua 1:9 – “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Exodus 20:12 – “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.”

Hebrews 12:4-13 – “In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. …”

Group 8 – What Does The Bible Say About Christian Fathers?

Ephesians 6:1-3 – “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.””

Genesis 2:24 – “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”


Matthew 6:26 – “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”

Isaiah 64:8 – “But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.”

Deuteronomy 6:1-25 – “Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the rules that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son’s son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey. “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. ...”

Group 9 – What Does The Bible Say About Christian Fathers?

1 Thessalonians 2:11-12 – “For you know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.”

1 Chronicles 29:17 – “I know, my God, that you test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. In the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things, and now I have seen your people, who are present here, offering freely and joyously to you.”

John 14:6 – “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Ephesians 5:25-33 – “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, …”

1 John 3:1 – “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”

Group 10 – What Does The Bible Say About Christian Fathers?

Matthew 6:9 – “Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.”

John 14:2 – “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?”

Romans 8:15 – “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

Colossians 3:20 – “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.”

Ephesians 4:6 – “One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

Luke 15:20 – “And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.”

Isaiah 9:6 – “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Matthew 10:34-36 – “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household.”

Group 11 – What Does The Bible Say About Fathers?

Galatians 4:6 – “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!””

John 14:23 – Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”

Ephesians 6:1-4 – “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

James 1:17 – “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.“

Ephesians 6:11-18 – “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. …”

Group 12 – What Does The Bible Say About Fathers?

1 Timothy 3:8-13 – “Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. ...”

Proverbs 3:11 – “My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof,”

Hebrews 12:11 – “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”

Matthew 28:19 – “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,”

Psalm 68:5 – “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.”

John 1:14 – “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

1 Corinthians 8:6 – “Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.”

John 1:18 – “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.”

Group 13 – What Does The Bible Say About Fathers?

John 14:13 – “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”

1 Corinthians 3:11 – “For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

Acts 17:28-29 – For “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’ Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man.”

2 Corinthians 6:18 – “And I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”

Ephesians 6:1 – “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.”

Matthew 11:27 – “All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

Proverbs 15:5 – “A fool despises his father’s instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is prudent.”

John 14:9 – “Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”

John 1:12 – “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,”

Matthew 26:53 – “Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?”

Group 14 – What Does The Bible Say About Fathers?

Philippians 4:20 – “To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.”

Psalm 103:1-22 – “Of David. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. …”

1 John 2:15 – “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

1 Corinthians 13:1-13 – “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way, it is not irritable or resentful; …”

Romans 8:32 – “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?”

Group 15 – What Does The Bible Say About Fathers?

Proverbs 17:24 – “The discerning sets his face toward wisdom, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.”

Luke 15:24-32 – “For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate. “Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’ But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, …”

Group 16 – What Does The Bible Say About Christian Fathers

1 John 2:13 – “I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know the Father.”

Romans 8:19 – “For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.”

John 17:24 – “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.”

Mark 1:11 – And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

Group 17 – What Does The Bible Say About Fathers?

Luke 12:32 – “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

John 10:28-30 – “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

John 1:1 – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

John 14:21 – “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”

Group 18 – What Does The Bible Say About Christian Fathers

Matthew 7:11 – “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”

1 Corinthians 16:15 – “Now I urge you, brothers—you know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints—”

Matthew 15:4 – “For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’”

Proverbs 10:9 – “Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.”

Group 19 – What Does The Bible Say About Fathers?

Hebrews 12:19 – “And the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them.”

Matthew 10:29-31 – “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

Matthew 6:8 – “Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

Colossians 3:14 – “And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”

Matthew 6:17-18 – “But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

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What The Bible Says

What Does The Bible Say About Fasting?

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What Does The Bible Say About Fasting?

What Does The Bible Say About Fasting? Fasting is one of the most important spiritual exercises. It features tremendous benefits when done rightly. That’s why we hereby write to reveal what the Bible says about fasting worth knowing by all Christians. An objective look across the Old Testament reveals how God commanded the children of Israel to observe several designated times of fasting. During the days of Christ, we realize that fasting was neither commanded nor forbidden. However, Christ showed us an example of a fasting life and even talked of His followers fasting after His ascension into Heaven. As His followers, it is just normal for us to embrace a fasting life in His likeness. Most early Christians practice prayer and fasting regularly as a way of growing spiritually.

Behold brethren, let no one deceive you for fasting and prayer are Christian duties which should be observed diligently. Jesus Christ Himself affirmed that after His death, fasting would be appropriate for His followers. Let’s support this message by reading from Luke 5:35 – “The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.” In simple terms, fasting clearly has a place and purpose in the lives of Christians today. This spiritual truth is supported by the Deep Spiritual Scriptures On Fasting. Fasting helps to establish a more intimate relationship between us and our savior, Jesus Christ. In addition, fasting opens our eyes on spiritual truths as it takes us for a higher spiritual walk with Christ Jesus.

What Does The Bible Say About Fasting?

Facts on what the Scriptures say about Fasting

What is Fasting?

In most cases as we can read from the Scriptures About Fasting, a spiritual fast has to do with abstaining from food while focusing on prayer. In simple terms, this can mean abstaining from snacks between meals, skipping one or two meals a day, abstaining from particular foods, or practicing a total fast from all food for one or more days. However, some people may not be able to fast from food altogether due to complicated medical situations. Such people may simply choose to abstain from certain foods, like chocolate or sugar, or from something different from food. The whole truth is that believer in Jesus Christ can fast from anything. That is, doing without something temporally in order to subdue the body and focus on prayer.

An example of fasting from anything here could be refraining from television or redirecting our focus from any earthly thing to the things of God. Such is still considered a spiritual fast so long as it pulls back the body from its desires and wants for the sake of focusing on the things of God. The Holy Scriptures present fasting as the very spiritual act of abstaining from Food, Drinks, or Bodily Desires in order to seek God’s face or will. Note that genuine fasting is led by the Holy Spirit just as it led Jesus Christ after His Baptism into the desert for fasting (Matthew 4:1-2). Such is the type of fasting that moves the heart and hand of God into action thereby manifesting or materializing what seems impossible to the human eye and mind.

The Purpose of Spiritual Fasting

You probably know that many people fast to lose weight. However, dieting is not the purpose of a spiritual fast. A spiritual fast rather provides unique spiritual benefits in the life of a believer. Fasting is like knocking the heavenly doors for divine help even in the face of hopeless situations (Matthew 7:7-8). Remember that All Things Are Possible With God Almighty. In short, impossibility exist only before the eyes and minds of men and women. God did it in the past, He is still doing it these days, and He will certainly do it even in times to come.

Whatever be the situation or problem that we are going through, let’s simply knock the doors of Heaven for a solution. Remember that Heaven is God’s dwelling place (Matthew 5:34). For God Himself spoke through Prophet Jeremiah saying, “Then you will call to me. You will come and pray to me, and I will answer you” (Jeremiah 29:12). Fasting requires self-control and discipline since the one practicing it must deny the natural desires of the flesh for God’s sake. Genuine spiritual fasting directs our hunger towards God. During this spiritual exercise, the believer’s focus is removed from the physical things of this world and actively concentrated on the Kingdom of God. In addition, it draws us closer to God and makes us more receptive to His voice. Hence, we hear God’s voice more clearly and are more willing to follow His ways.

What Fasting is Not

Fasting is not a public display of spirituality; but a practice between you and God. Spiritual fasting is not necessarily to move God to do something in our lives. At times, we fast just to experience a spiritual transformation or to go closer to God in as much as we can fast as a way of thanking Him for His goodness in our lives. Remember that fasting is a spiritual act between you and God alone. Hence, you should not make it a public show as the hypocrites do. As for such people, they’ve already received their public reward and should not expect anything from God. Christ pointed out that making this spiritual practice a public show actually forfeit its benefits. In addition to this, Christ instructed us to carryout our fasting in private and in all humility (Matthew 6:16-18).

Let’s support our point by reading from Matthew 6:16-18 – “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” 

How Long Should I Fast?

Truth be told, there is no specific duration for fasting. However, fasting, especially from food, should be limited to a reasonable length of time. Fasting for to long without directives from the Holy Spirit can cause severe harm to the body. Hence, your decision to fast should be guided by the Holy Spirit just as it did for Jesus Christ and other Biblical figures. It is recommended, especially for those who are still new in the fasting practice to seek medical and spiritual counsel before embarking on a prolonged fasting. While Jesus and Moses both fasted for 40 days and nights without food and water, it is without doubt that this was an impossible human achievement, which could only be achieved through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit and under its directives. There are stories of many who have tried this and ended up dying before completion.

Below are some examples of fasting from the Bible that you can embrace and boost your spiritual growth and walk with God:

  1. One day or part of a day (1 Samuel 7:6; Judges 20:26; 2 Samuel 1:12; 3:35;Jeremiah 36:6; Nehemiah 9:1)
  2. One-night fast (Daniel 6:18–24)
  3. Three-day fasts (Acts 9:9; Esther 4:16)
  4. Seven-day fasts (2 Samuel 12:16–23; 1 Samuel 31:13)
  5. Fourteen-day fast (Acts 27:33–34)
  6. Twenty-one day fast (Daniel 10:3–13)
  7. Forty-day fasts (Deuteronomy 9:9; Matthew 4:2; 1 Kings 19:8)
  8. Fasts of unspecified lengths (Luke 2:37; Matthew 9:14; Acts 13:2; 14:23).”

Fasting duration groups

1. Occasional short fasts

The occasional short fast is characterized by self-denial of food or some other form of pleasure for a lasting period of say 6, 12, or 24-hours. Such is a one time fast for a purpose which does not come with a commitment to make it again.

2. Intermittent fast

The intermittent fast is normally a regular act of abstinence which can take place say one time a week. Here, you abstain from food or make some other kind of self sacrifice for the sake of getting closer to God. Such practice integrates the spiritual discipline of fasting in your life and makes it a lifestyle.

3. Longer fasts

A longer fast just like others can be about self-denial of food or some other sacrifice in order to focus on the things of God. Here, a non-food fast could be abstaining from watching TV from Monday to Friday. Hence, taking the time to meditate on the Laws of God, praise and worship Him. Here, you can as well dedicate every evening for a period of one week to pray and share the word of god with friends. You can as well go without food for a given period of time as led by the Holy Spirit. A longer-water only fast can last from one to three days. During this period, you abstain from food and consume just water. If you embrace something other than food for the fast, it is likely to last longer.

4. Extended fasts

The extended fast is actually the hard part of this spiritual exercise. Here, you willingly choose to give up something that you need or value for an extended period of time. An example of a non-food extended fast could be deciding to wake-up an hour earlier for spiritual meditation, praise and worship during a period of one month.

5. Occasional group fasts

Such is the type of fasting called by a Church, or group of Churches. Such can also apply to a nation during times of crisis. It is then that you hear a call for everyone to partake in such.

6. Open-ended fasts

Here, everything revolves around defining and accomplishing goals. That is, you make a commitment not to break the fast until your goals are achieved. Some extended fasts are open-ended fasts.

7. Longer group fasts

Here, the range of options for a group fast is extensive. Everyone can decide to fast at the same time or go on a rotational pattern. The members of the group will have to determine whether it is an open-ended fast or not.

How Often Should I Fast?

There is no fix spiritual pattern for Christian fasting. However, it is important for the New Testament Christians to regularly practice prayer and fasting. Since there is no Biblical command to fast, believers or followers of Christ should be led by God through prayer concerning when, for how long, and how often to fast.

Examples of Fasting in the Bible

Old Testament

Below are examples of fasting that we can find in the Old Testament of the Bible:

  1. Moses fasted 40 days on behalf of Israel’s sin (Deuteronomy 9:9, 18, 25-29; 10:10.)
  2. King David fasted and mourned the death of King Saul (2 Samuel 1:12)
  3. David fasted and mourned the death of his child (2 Samuel 12:16)
  4. King David fasted and mourned the death of Abner (2 Samuel 3:35)
  5. Prophet Elijah fasted 40 days after fleeing from Jezebel (1 Kings 19:7-18)
  6. Ahab fasted and humbled himself before God Almighty (1 Kings 21:27-29)
  7. Darius fasted in concern and love for Daniel (Daniel 6:18-24)
  8. Daniel fasted on behalf of Judah’s sin while reading Jeremiah’s prophecy (Daniel 9:1-19)
  9. Prophet Daniel fasted regarding a mysterious vision from God (Daniel 10:3-13)
  10. Queen Esther fasted on behalf of her people (Esther 4:13-16)
  11. Ezra fasted and wept for the sins of the returning remnant as he called on god for help (Ezra 10:6-17)
  12. Nehemiah actively fasted and mourned greatly over the broken walls of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 1:4-2:10)
  13. The people of Ninevah repented and fasted after hearing the message of Prophet Jonah (Jonah 3)
New Testament

Below are examples of fasting that we can find in the New Testament of the Bible:

  1. Anna fasted for the redemption of Jerusalem through the promised Messiah who was to come (Luke 2:37)
  2. Jesus Christ fasted for 40 days before His temptation and the beginning of His Earthly Ministry (Matthew 4:1-11)
  3. The disciples of John the Baptist regularly fasted (Matthew 9:14-15)
  4. The elders of the Church in Antioch fasted before sending off Paul and Barnabas to do God’s work (Acts 13:1-5)
  5. Cornelius fasted and sought God’s plan of salvation (Acts 10:30)
  6. Apostle Paul fasted three days after his Damascus Road encounter (Acts 9:9)
  7. Apostle Paul fasted 14 days while at sea on a sinking ship as he called on God for divine intervention (Acts 27:33-34)

The Things Fasting Does For Spiritual Life

Below are a few things that fasting does for our spiritual life or walk with Jesus Christ:

  1. Fasting and Prayer makes us more receptive to God’s voice
  2. Through fasting and prayer, we can hear God more clearly
  3. Fasting an prayer strengthens our relationship with God and takes us closer to His sanctuary
  4. Fasting and prayer can teach us how to pray the right motives and pray God’s will
  5. Through fasting and prayer, we are able to build our faith for higher accomplishments for the Kingdom of God

Types of Fasting

1. Fasting from food

Here, the believer forgoes food partially or completely for a given period of time in order to focus on prayer and other things of God’s Kingdom. Here, he or she could pass more time praising God, worshiping Him, and/or meditating on His laws.

2. Fasting from drink

Here, the believer forgoes drink partially or fully for a given period of time in order to concentrate or focus on God and the things of Heaven. He/she can dwell on studying the Bible, praising God, and/or worshiping Him for who He is.

3. Social Media Fast

The social media fast is turning to become one of the most common types of fast in our culture. Today, it’s almost impossible for one to separate or stay off the social media for a significant period of time. Almost everyone visits these platforms repetitively or for a good number of times in a day. It is unfortunate that some have even become addicted to social media platforms and can’t stay off for up-to an hour. With this type of fasting, you simply log out of your accounts or delete them from your electronic devices and spend some quite time with God. During this time, you pray, praise and worship Him. In addition, you can also study His Laws and make them part of yourself.

4. TV/Movie Fast

Here, you can forgo or take a break from a weekly favorite in order to study the Bible. That is, you forgo watching TV or your favorite movie in order to do something that please God or leads to the advancement of His kingdom like evangelism.

5. Secular Music Fast

This is another form of fasting in which you decide to listen to a Christian radio station for period of time rather than listening to Top Hits on the Radio. Here, you can as well listen to a Christian podcast or audio-book rather than listening your favorite non-christian audios.

6. Fast from going out

Here, you simply have a look at your calendar and pick a night when you’d usually go out for pleasure and rather spend that time praising and worshiping God. You can as well spend it studying His word and writing His Laws in your heart so that they become part of you.

The circumstances under which some Biblical figures fasted

  1. When seeking help and guidance from God (Ezra 8:​21-​23)
  2. When focusing on God’s purpose (Luke 4:​1, 2)
  3. As a way of demonstrating their repentance over past sin(Joel 2:​12-​15)
  4. When observing the day of adornment (Leviticus 16:29-​31)

Improper motives for fasting

  1. To impress others (Matthew 6:​16-​18)
  2. As a way of proving one’s self righteous (Luke 18:​9-​14)

What The Bible Says About Fasting

Acts 13:3 – “So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.”

Joel 2:12 – “Even now,” declares the Lord,“return to me with all your heart,with fasting and weeping and mourning.”

Ezra 8:23 – “So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.”

Matthew 6:17-18 – “But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

Isaiah 58:6 – “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?”

Acts 13:2 – “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.””

Luke 4:2 – “Where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.”

Exodus 34:28 – “Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments.”

Daniel 10:3 – “I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over.”

Group 1 – What The Bible Says About Fasting

Psalm 69:10 – “When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting, it became my reproach.”

Matthew 6:18 – “That your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

Joel 2:12 – “Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;”

Matthew 6:16-18 – “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

Isaiah 58:3-7 – “‘Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?’ Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers. Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high. Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the Lord? “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?“

Group 2 – What The Bible Says About Fasting

Luke 4:2 – “For forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry.“

Daniel 10:3 – “I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, for the full three weeks.”

Acts 14:23 – “And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.”

Ezra 8:23 – “So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty.”

Psalm 35:13 – “But I, when they were sick— I wore sackcloth; I afflicted myself with fasting; I prayed with head bowed on my chest.”

Nehemiah 1:4 – “As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.”

Matthew 4:4 – But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Isaiah 58:6 – “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?”

Group 3 – What The Bible Says About Fasting

Ezra 8:21-23 – “Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods. For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king, “The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him.” So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty.”

Luke 18:12 – “I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.”

Acts 13:2 – “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.””

Matthew 6:16 – “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.”

Exodus 34:28 – “So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights. He neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.”

Acts 13:3 – “Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.”

Luke 2:37 – “And then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.”

Daniel 9:3 – “Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.”

Group 4 – What The Bible Says About Fasting

1 Corinthians 9:27 – “But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”

1 Corinthians 10:31 – “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

Matthew 4:2 – “And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.”

Esther 4:16 – “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.”

Isaiah 58:1-14 – “Cry aloud; do not hold back; lift up your voice like a trumpet; declare to my people their transgression, to the house of Jacob their sins. Yet they seek me daily and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that did righteousness and did not forsake the judgment of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments; they delight to draw near to God. ‘Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?’ Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers. Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high. Is such the fast that I choose, ...”

Group 5 – What The Bible Says About Fasting

Ezra 8:21 – “Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods.”

Acts 9:9 – “And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.”

Isaiah 58:6-7 – “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?”

Matthew 9:15 – “And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.”

Mark 9:29 – And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”

Judges 20:26 – “Then all the people of Israel, the whole army, went up and came to Bethel and wept. They sat there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.”

2 Samuel 1:12 – “And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son and for the people of the Lord and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.”

Group 6 – What The Bible Says About Fasting

1 Corinthians 7:1-5 – “Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.”

Matthew 9:14-15 – “Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.”

Matthew 9:14 – Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?”

Ezra 10:6 – “Then Ezra withdrew from before the house of God and went to the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib, where he spent the night, neither eating bread nor drinking water, for he was mourning over the faithlessness of the exiles.”

Group 7 – What Does The Bible Say About Fasting?

Jonah 3:5-10 – “And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them. The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.””

Mark 2:18 – “Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?””

Zechariah 7:5 – “Say to all the people of the land and the priests, When you fasted and mourned in the fifth month and in the seventh, for these seventy years, was it for me that you fasted?”

Joel 1:14 – “Consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly. Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord.”

Isaiah 58:3 – “‘Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?’ Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers.”

Group 8 – What Does The Bible Say About Fasting?

Mark 2:18-20 – “Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.”

2 Corinthians 11:27 – “In toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.”

Nehemiah 9:1 – “Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the people of Israel were assembled with fasting and in sackcloth, and with earth on their heads.”

Matthew 6:17-18 – “But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

2 Samuel 12:16 – “David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground.”

1 Samuel 7:6 – “So they gathered at Mizpah and drew water and poured it out before the Lord and fasted on that day and said there, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the people of Israel at Mizpah.”

Daniel 10:2-3 – “In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three weeks. I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, for the full three weeks.”

Group 9 – What Does The Bible Say About Fasting?

Zechariah 8:19 – “Thus says the Lord of hosts: The fast of the fourth month and the fast of the fifth and the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth shall be to the house of Judah seasons of joy and gladness and cheerful feasts. Therefore love truth and peace.”

1 Kings 19:8 – “And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.”

2 Samuel 12:16 – “David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground.”

1 Samuel 7:6 – “So they gathered at Mizpah and drew water and poured it out before the Lord and fasted on that day and said there, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the people of Israel at Mizpah.”

1 Samuel 31:13 – “And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and fasted seven days.”

Acts 10:30 – “And Cornelius said, “Four days ago, about this hour, I was praying in my house at the ninth hour, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing.”

Daniel 6:18 – “Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; no diversions were brought to him, and sleep fled from him.”

Acts 13:2-3 – “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.”

Group 10 – What Does The Bible Say About Fasting?

Isaiah 58:5-8 – “Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the Lord? “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.”

Esther 4:3 – “And in every province, wherever the king’s command and his decree reached, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting and weeping and lamenting, and many of them lay in sackcloth and ashes.”

Acts 13:1-3 – “Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a member of the court of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.”

Group 11 – What Does The Bible Say About Fasting?

2 Chronicles 7:14 – “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

Luke 5:33-35 – And they said to him, “The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.” And Jesus said to them, “Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.”

Matthew 4:1-11 – “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, …”

Exodus 34:28-29 – “So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights. He neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments. When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.”

Group 12 – What Does The Bible Say About Fasting?

2 Samuel 12:16-22 – “David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground. And the elders of his house stood beside him, to raise him from the ground, but he would not, nor did he eat food with them. On the seventh day the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, “Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spoke to him, and he did not listen to us. How then can we say to him the child is dead? He may do himself some harm.” But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David understood that the child was dead. And David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” They said, “He is dead.” ...”

Psalm 109:24 – “My knees are weak through fasting; my body has become gaunt, with no fat.”

Group 13 – What Does The Bible Say About Fasting?

Matthew 4:1-2 – “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.”

Psalm 35:13-14 – “But I, when they were sick— I wore sackcloth; I afflicted myself with fasting, I prayed with head bowed on my chest. I went about as though I grieved for my friend or my brother; as one who laments his mother, I bowed down in mourning.”

Joel 2:15 – “Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly;”

Jeremiah 14:12 – “Though they fast, I will not hear their cry, and though they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I will not accept them. But I will consume them by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence.”

2 Samuel 3:35 – Then all the people came to persuade David to eat bread while it was yet day. But David swore, saying, “God do so to me and more also, if I taste bread or anything else till the sun goes down!”

James 1:1-27 – “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings. Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. …”

Group 14 – What Does The Bible Say About Fasting?

1 John 2:1-29 – “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: …”

Daniel 10:1-3 – “In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a word was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar. And the word was true, and it was a great conflict. And he understood the word and had understanding of the vision. In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three weeks. I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, for the full three weeks.”

Acts 27:33 – “As day was about to dawn, Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have continued in suspense and without food, having taken nothing.”

Group 15 – What Does The Bible Say About Fasting?

Matthew 17:20-22 – “He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men,”

Matthew 17:20 – He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”

Joel 2:12-13 – ““Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.”

1 Corinthians 8:8 – “Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do.”

2 Chronicles 20:3 – “Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.”

Luke 5:34-35 – And Jesus said to them, “Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.”

Group 16 – What Does The Bible Say About Fasting?

Luke 5:33 – And they said to him, “The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.”

James 1:17-27 – “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures. Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. ...”

Acts 27:9 – “Since much time had passed, and the voyage was now dangerous because even the Fast was already over, Paul advised them,”

1 Kings 21:27 – “And when Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his flesh and fasted and lay in sackcloth and went about dejectedly.”

2 Samuel 12:15-17 – “Then Nathan went to his house. And the Lord afflicted the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and he became sick. David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground. And the elders of his house stood beside him, to raise him from the ground, but he would not, nor did he eat food with them.”

Group 17 – What Does The Bible Say About Fasting?

1 Timothy 2:1-15 – “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, …”

Leviticus 23:26-32 – “And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Now on the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be for you a time of holy convocation, and you shall afflict yourselves and present a food offering to the Lord. And you shall not do any work on that very day, for it is a Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the Lord your God. For whoever is not afflicted on that very day shall be cut off from his people. And whoever does any work on that very day, that person I will destroy from among his people. …”

Group 18 – What Does The Bible Say About Fasting?

Deuteronomy 28:1-68 – “And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field, Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. …”

Mark 1:13 – “And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.”

Luke 5:35 – “The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.”

Matthew 4:1-4 – “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’””

Group 19 – What Does The Bible Say About Fasting?

Leviticus 16:29 – “And it shall be a statute to you forever that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict yourselves and shall do no work, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you.”

Jeremiah 36:9 – “In the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, in the ninth month, all the people in Jerusalem and all the people who came from the cities of Judah to Jerusalem proclaimed a fast before the Lord.”

2 Samuel 12:21 – Then his servants said to him, “What is this thing that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive; but when the child died, you arose and ate food.”

Group 20 – What Does The Bible Say About Fasting?

Deuteronomy 9:18 – “Then I lay prostrate before the Lord as before, forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all the sin that you had committed, in doing what was evil in the sight of the Lord to provoke him to anger.”

Esther 4:15-16 –

Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.”

Group 21 – What Does The Bible Say About Fasting?

Acts 13:1-52 – “Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a member of the court of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them. …”

Group 22 – What Does The Bible Say About Fasting?

2 Thessalonians 1:1-12 – “Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— …”

Daniel 9:3-5 – “Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules.”

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What Does The Bible Say About Family?

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What Does The Bible Say About Family?

What Does The Bible Say About Family? The first words that God speaks to humans in the Bible, precisely in Genesis 1, are the divine blessing “be fruitful and multiply.” Let’s further support this message by reading from Genesis 1:27-28 – “So God created human beings, making them to be like Himself. He created them male and female, blessed them, and said, ‘Have many children so that your descendants will live all over the earth and bring it under their control. I am putting you in charge of the fish, the birds, and all wild animals.”‘ Today, the father, mother, and children make up a unit which we refer to as the family. And behold, the principles of a successful family are all embedded in the Bible. That’s why we hereby write to reveal what the Bible says about family.

There are many verses in the Bible that actually talk about the family in the light of God’s ways. When these verses are read and adhered to, they produce a wonderful and God-fearing family that is destined for Eternal Life through Christ. Such a family is one that has Sincerely Repented from their sins and embarked on a journey of obeying the Key Teachings of Jesus Christ. God is pleased with such a family and He will locate them in His Mercy and Favor. Such a family will live to see God. God will always reach out to help them whenever they are in trouble, hardship, pains, and sickness. It is in this light that God has instructed every parent to teach His ways to their children in the morning, afternoon, evening, and at all times.

What Does The Bible Say About Family?

What the Scriptures say about Family?

Going through the Bible, we realize that the concept of family is very important in the eyes of God. Indeed, it is very important both in the physical and theological sense. The concept of family was introduced from the very beginning by God as we can read from Genesis 1:28. Brethren, let no one deceive you for God’s plan for creation was that men and women get married to have children who will occupy the whole earth. From the very beginning, a man and woman were destined to become “one-flesh” through the union of marriage. Let’s support this by reading from Genesis 2:24 – “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united with his wife, and they become one.”

We also perceive in the early Biblical times that the family members were to look after and care for one another. Remember when God asked Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” Cain’s flippant answer, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” came as a result of the sinful path that he had taken by killing his brother, Abel. It is God’s will that we show love as well as cater for our family members. In the same light, we are all called by Jesus Christ, savior of the world, to care and love every human-being as we love and care for ourselves. It is even said in the Bible that anyone who does not love does not know God. This is because God is love in nature. He displayed the greatest level of love by sending His only beloved son, Jesus Christ, to be crucified on the cross for our sins.

How does God define Family?

Through the framework of the family, God guides us into understanding authority and His plan for humanity. In addition, the structure of the family is vital to many other principles, laws, and teachings in the Bible. By understanding God’s plan for the family, we can clearly understand His word. God instituted the family back in Genesis 2:18 – “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.” Having said this, God formed Eve from a rib of Adam as we can read from Genesis 2:21-24 – “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”

God in His wisdom brought Adam and Eve together as Husband and Wife thereby establishing the basis for the family. God’s desire for the family is that it reproduce and multiply. God desires that husbands and Wives bring forth offspring. This makes up for the definition that God has for the family. Within a family, God has given each member a role and responsibility. Below are the main roles given by God to each member of the family. Note that each member can fill one or more of the following roles:

1. Husband

Colossians 3:19 –  “Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.” Ephesians 5:25-28 – “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.”

It is a command from God that a husband loves his wife as his own flesh. Failing to love your wife as your own flesh is failing to honor God’s plan for marriage. As a husband, you’ve been invited by God to deeply love and support your wife. By so doing, you are calling on God’s favor and mercy in your family. Remember that there is no prerequisite mentioned as a condition for the wife to fulfill before her husband loves her.

2. Father

Colossians 3:21 – “Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.” Ephesians 6:4 – “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” In simple terms, a father is a man who has begotten a child. God commands Fathers to bring up their children in His ways and not “provoke them to wrath.”

3. Wife

Ephesians 5:22, 23 – “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the savior of the body.” It is God’s command for wives to submit to the authority of their husbands. Through submission to their husbands, they are showing a proper relationship to authority. Doing so will also help children to understand the importance of accepting and submitting to the authority over them. Note here that there is no prerequisite condition for the husband to fulfill before his wife submits to his authority.

4. Mother

Titus 2:4, 5 – “That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.” 1 Timothy 5:14 – “I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.”

The Old Women in the Church of Christ have as responsibility to teach the Young Women on bearing children, loving children, teaching them the ways of God, loving their husbands, taking care of their home, caring and submitting to their husbands.

5. Children

Ephesians 6:1-3 – “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.” Exodus 20:12 – “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.”

God commands children to obey and honor their parents. Children do not only need to obey but to obey in a respectful manner that adds value to the growth of the family unit under their father’s supervision. Although we do not know how long God has given us to live, the Bible tells us that those who obey their parents will live longer lives than they would if they were hateful, disrespectful, and disobedient to their father and mother.

6. Siblings

I Timothy 5:1-3 – “Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren; The elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity. Honour widows that are widows indeed.” Apostle Paul through his teachings is calling on all of us to hold tight to the fact that a family unit behaves with respect and love towards one another. In God’s church, we are to honor, love, and respect one another as we would do to our brothers, sisters, mother, and father.

Family, Church and God’s Authority

Upon understanding the family framework in the light of God, we get a better grasp of how God wants us to interact with one another and with His Sovereign authority as the Father of Creation. The family unit portrays another establishment made by God – the Church of Christ. In this establishment, Jesus Christ is the head. That is, He is the head of the Church (an assembly of God’s people). The Church as a whole is His bride. It operates under His authority. We as individuals in the Church of Christ are His children, and siblings. Hence, having a proper family unit will guide your children into having a better understanding of God, His Church, and His authority. Note that children are more likely to fear and respect God whom they do not see if they are taught to respect and honor their parents whom they dwell with.

What The Bible Says About Family

Proverbs 6:20 – “My son, keep your father’s command and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.”

Acts 16:31 – They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”

1 Corinthians 1:10 – “I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.”

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 – “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”

Ephesians 6:4 – “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”

Isaiah 49:15-16 – “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne?Though she may forget,I will not forget you!See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;your walls are ever before me.”

1 John 4:20 – “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.”

Psalm 133:1 – “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!”

Group 1 – What The Bible Says About Family

Exodus 20:12 – “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”

1 Timothy 5:8 – “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

Proverbs 22:6 – “Start children off on the way they should go,and even when they are old they will not turn from it.”

Psalm 103:17-18 – “But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,and his righteousness with their children’s children—with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.”

Luke 11:13 – “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Proverbs 17:6 – “Children’s children are a crown to the aged,and parents are the pride of their children.”

1 Kings 8:57 – “May the Lord our God be with us as he was with our ancestors; may he never leave us nor forsake us.”

Proverbs 18:24 – “One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin,but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

Proverbs 17:17 – “A friend loves at all times,and a brother is born for a time of adversity.”

Group 2 – What The Bible Says About Family

Matthew 19:19 – “‘Honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”

Joshua 24:15 – “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

1 John 3:2-3  – “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.”

Proverbs 23:15 – “My son, if your heart is wise,then my heart will be glad indeed.”

Proverbs 27:10 – “Do not forsake your friend or a friend of your family,and do not go to your relative’s house when disaster strikes you—better a neighbor nearby than a relative far away.“

Matthew 19:18b-19 – “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”

Proverbs 10:1 – “A wise son brings joy to his father,but a foolish son brings grief to his mother.”

Proverbs 23:24 – “The father of a righteous child has great joy;a man who fathers a wise son rejoices in him.”

Group 3 – What The Bible Says About Family

Ephesians 6:4 – “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.”

Proverbs 15:27 – “A greedy man brings trouble to his family, but he who hates bribes will live.”

Colossians 3:20 – “Children, always obey your parents, for this pleases the Lord.”

Proverbs 31:15-17 – “She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls. She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings, she plants a vineyard. She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.”

Proverbs 11:29 – “He who brings trouble on his family will inherit only wind, and the fool will be a servant to the wise.”

Acts 18:8 – “Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, and everyone in his household believed in the Lord. Many others in Corinth also heard Paul, became believers, and were baptized.”

Mark 3:23-25 – “Jesus called them over and responded with an illustration. “How can Satan cast out Satan?” he asked. “A kingdom divided by civil war will collapse. Similarly, a family splintered by feuding will fall apart.””

1 Timothy 5:8 – “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

Proverbs 22:6 – “Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.”

Group 4 – What The Bible Says About Family

Ephesians 6:1-2 – “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” – which is the first commandment with a promise.”

Colossians 3:20 – “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.”

Proverbs 15:20 – “A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish man despises his mother.”

Matthew 15:4 – “For God said, “Honor your father and mother” and “Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.””

Romans 8:15 – “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!””

Proverbs 6:20 – “My son, keep your father’s commands and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.”

Proverbs 1:8 – “Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.”

Ephesians 3:14-15 – “For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.”

Ephesians 1:5 – “God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.”

Ephesians 2:19 – “So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family.”

Group 5 – What The Bible Says About Family

Proverbs 31:28-29 – “Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.””

Acts 10:2 – “He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.”

Exodus 20:12 – “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.”

Psalm 103:17 – “But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children.”

Deuteronomy 5:16 – “Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you.”

Group 6 – What Does The Bible Say About Family?

Proverbs 6:20 – “My son, keep your father’s commands and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.”

Proverbs 1:8 – “Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.”

Colossians 3:20 – “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.”

Genesis 30:22-24 – “Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb. She conceived and bore a son and said, “God has taken away my reproach.” And she called his name Joseph, saying, “May the LORD add to me another son!””

Ephesians 6:1-2 – “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother”–which is the first commandment with a promise.”

Psalm 103:17 – “But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children.”

Joshua 24:15 – “But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”

Deuteronomy 5:16 – “Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you.”

Group 7 – What Does The Bible Say About Family?

Leviticus 19:17-18 – “Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him.“

Proverbs 3:5 – “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding.”

Matthew 15:4 – For God said, “Honor your father and mother” and “Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.”

1 Timothy 3:4 – “One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity…”

Proverbs 15:27 – “A greedy man brings trouble to his family, but he who hates bribes will live.”

Proverbs 15:20 – “A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish man despises his mother.”

John 3:1-36 – “There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.”

Acts 2:39 – “For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, [even] as many as the Lord our God shall call.”

1 Corinthians 7:10-11 – “And unto the married I command, [yet] not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from [her] husband.”

1 Corinthians 13:1-13 – “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become [as] sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.”

Ephesians 3:14-15 – “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Group 8 – What Does The Bible Say About Family?

Acts 2:47 – “Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”

1 Corinthians 1:2 – “Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called [to be] saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours.”

Romans 10:9-10 – “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

1 Corinthians 15:22 – “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”

John 17:21 – “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, [art] in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.”

John 8:1-59 – “Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.”

Acts 2:41 – “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added [unto them] about three thousand souls.”

Acts 2:38 – “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

Proverbs 30:18-19 – “There be three [things which] are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not:”

Group 9 – What Does The Bible Say About Family? – What Does The Bible Say About Family?

Genesis 2:24 – “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”

Ephesians 5:21 – “Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.”

Ephesians 6:4 – “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”

Hebrews 11:1-40 – “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Proverbs 3:6 – “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

1 Peter 1:1-25 – “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,”

Luke 16:18 – “Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from [her] husband committeth adultery.”

Psalms 1:1-6 – “Blessed [is] the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.”

Psalms 127:1 – “(A Song of degrees for Solomon) Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh [but] in vain.”

Matthew 7:21-23 – “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”

Group 10 – What Does The Bible Say About Family?

Genesis 2:15 – “And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.”

Proverbs 1:1-127 – “The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;”

Joshua 24:15 – “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that [were] on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.“

John 10:10 – “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I have come that they might have life and that they might have [it] more abundantly.”

Proverbs 16:1-33 – “The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, [is] from the LORD.”

Proverbs 1:8 – “My son, hear the instruction of thy father and forsake not the law of thy mother.”

Jeremiah 33:3 – “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”

Group 11 – What Does The Bible Say About Family?

Romans 8:1 – “[There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.“

Proverbs 13:22 – “A good [man] leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children: and the wealth of the sinner [is] laid up for the just.”

Psalms 23:1-6 – “(A Psalm of David.) The LORD [is] my shepherd; I shall not want.”

Proverbs 22:7 – “The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower [is] servant to the lender.”

Proverbs 21:20 – “[There is] treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish man spendeth it up.”

Luke 14:28 – “For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have [sufficient] to finish [it]?”

2 Thessalonians 3:6 – “Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.”

Genesis 1:26-27 – “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.“

Group 12 – What Does The Bible Say About Family?

Ephesians 6:1-4 – “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.”

Matthew 5:4 – “Blessed [are] they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.“

Psalms 127:1-5 – “(A Song of degrees for Solomon) Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh [but] in vain.”

Luke 12:51-53 – “Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather, division.”

Joshua 24:15 – “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that [were] on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

Group 13 – What Does The Bible Say About Family?

Proverbs 22:6 – “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

1 Corinthians 13:13 – “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

Proverbs 6:20 – “My son, keep your father’s commands and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.”

Colossians 3:20 – “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.”

Proverbs 1:8 – “Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.”

Proverbs 13:24 – “He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.”

Hebrews 13:4 – “Marriage should be honoured by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.”

2 Corinthians 6:18 – “And I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”

Genesis 2:24 – “For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.”

Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

Group 14 – What Does The Bible Say About Family?

Psalm 127:3 – “Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him.”

Ephesians 5:24 – “Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.”

Proverbs 22:6 – “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”

Ephesians 6:1-2 – “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honour your father and mother – which is the first commandment with a promise.”

Ephesians 5:25 – “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.”

Group 15 – What Does The Bible Say About Family?

Proverbs 18:24 – “A man [that hath] friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend [that] sticketh closer than a brother.”

Genesis 2:24 – “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”

Psalms 127:3-5 – “Lo, children [are] a heritage of the LORD: [and] the fruit of the womb [is his] reward.”

Ephesians 5:22-33 – “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.“

Genesis 1:28 – “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”

Psalms 127:1 – “(A Song of degrees for Solomon.) Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: Except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh [but] in vain.”

Matthew 12:48-50 – “But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? And who are my brethren?”

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What The Bible Says

What Does The Bible Say About Faith?

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What Does The Bible Say About Faith?

What Does The Bible Say About Faith? Unraveling the mysteries of faith is more of a challenging task. Faith can’t be explained through human ways nor understood in a single dimension. A man of faith needs no explanation. As for the person without faith, no amount of explanation is sufficient to hep them understand. In most cases, when things are not unfolding the way we expected, we turn to lose faith because of our weak spiritual natures. Such an approach is wrong because God is always in control. In such moments, instead of losing hope and thinking that it is the end, we ought to rely more on God who never fails. We should not give room to the Devil to use failure as a faith weakening tool in our lives.

It is not because we’ve experienced life’s monumental failures that we should lose hope in God and his ability to accomplish even the things which we see as impossible. Faith which goes beyond hope is rooted in the expectations of good things to come even in the face of struggles. Many people would like to know the difference between faith and hope. Faith actively dwells in the heart and the spirit while hope dwells in the mind. From most of the Bible verses about faith, we learnt that Faith can’t really be explained by reason or logic. However, we know that it is the certainty that things will go well because God is in full control. Faith is all about taking the next step even when you cannot completely see the entire staircase. In our Christian journey, faith is what keeps us going even when times are tough.

What Does The Bible Say About Faith?

Bible verses about faith are very important when it comes to successfully running the Christian race. Their spiritual meanings are also of a greater importance. That’s why we’ve chose to start by guiding you into understanding what faith is all about before presenting the different Bible verses about faith. If we ask what is faith, many people will come up with many answers. In most cases, these different answers would all be pointing to the same spiritual truth. Although there is no fixed definition for faith, you can have a look at the following points to understand what it is all about:

  • Faith is the force that converts the invisible into the visible
  • Faith is the link between the supernatural and the natural
  • It is the force that overcomes the world
  • Faith has its origin in God’s word
  • A man of faith is he who takes God for his words
  • It is by hearing and obeying God’s word that faith comes
  • Faith is the certainty that all God’s promises will be accomplished at the right time
  • Faith is the substance of things not seen and the evidence of things hoped for
  • A person of faith is he/she who has a complete confidence in God’s yet unfulfilled promises
  • A mature faith is not weakened by mere discussions
  • True faith is not uprooted by failure or disappointments
  • A mature faith is not weakened nor shaken by the happenings of life
  • True faith relies only on God alone and not on what the ears hear nor what the eyes see

Exercising and growing your faith to maturity (What the Scriptures say about Faith)

From the different Bible verses about faith, we are made to know that faith which is a supernatural gift from God can be requested and properly handled in many ways. It is true that God has promised to give faith to anyone who ask, but this does not exclude the fact that we have a role to play. In addition to asking, knocking, and seeking, it is left for us to exercise and take to maturity the faith that God gives us. The scriptures say that God will give to anyone who ask but we must put ourselves in receptive modes in order to benefit from this promise. Upon consulting most of the Bible verses about faith, we found the following ways to put yourself in a receptive mode:

  • Soak or saturate yourself with God’s word
  • Live by the word of God in the morning, afternoon, and evening
  • Until you know what is yours, you cannot claim it
  • Until you act on God’s word, you will never see God in action
  • Acting on the word means doing what the word says
  • Recall how Peter acted on Jesus’s words and caught uncountable fishes
  • Peter also took Jesus Christ for his words and walked on water for as long as his heart was free from doubts
  • By standing firm on the word, you’ll live to testify the goodness and power of God
  • Consciousness of God’s presence with a person eliminates fear and doubts

Importance of faith in the Christian Journey

A faithful life holds a lot of benefits as we can read from the best Bible verses about faith. Faith is very important for anyone who is serious about successfully running the Christian race. Below are some of these importance:

  • To be sons and daughters of God ( Gal: 3:6-9 )
  • To be sons and daughters of God ( Gal: 3:6-9 )
  • Through faithfulness, men and women find righteousness in Christ ( Rom 5:1 )
  • Faithfulness leads to eternal life through Christ ( Gal 3:11 )
  • Through faith, we are able to receive all the promises of God ( Rom:4:16 )
  • With faith, prayers are heard and answered from above ( Mk 11:22-24 )
  • Faith leads to hope in Christ ( Rom: 4:18-19 )
  • Through faith, we are able to receive all the promises of God ( Rom:4:16 )
  • Faith keeps us walking in the light of God while on Earth ( 2 Cor:5:7 )
  • It is with faith that we enter and inherit the kingdom of God ( Mark 10:15 )
  • Through faith in Christ, our sins are forgiven ( Mark 2:5 )
  • Faith is the assurance of our salvation before the throne of the Father of Creation ( Hebrews 10:39 )

What The Bible Says About Faith

Group 1 – What The Bible Says About Faith

James 1:6 – “But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.”

Hebrews 11:1 – “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

Ephesians 3:16-17 – “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love.”

Mark 11:24 – “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

2 Corinthians 5:7 – “For we live by faith, not by sight.”

Romans 15:13 – “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Hebrews 11:6 – “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

1 Peter 1:8-9 – “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

John 11:40 – Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

James 1:3 – “Because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”

Group 2 – What The Bible Says About Faith

John 11:25-26 – Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

Mark 9:23 – “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”

Romans 14:1 – “Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters.”

1 John 5:4 – “For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.”

Mark 10:52 – “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.”

1 Timothy 6:11 – “But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.”

Matthew 21:22 – “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

John 6:35 – Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

1 Corinthians 13:2 – “If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.”

Psalm 119:30 – “I have chosen the way of faithfulness;
I have set my heart on your laws.”

Romans 10:10 – “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”

Group 3 – What The Bible Says About Faith

Hebrews 11:11 – “And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise.”

Galatians 3:26-27 – “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”

John 3:16 – “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.”

Romans 1:17 – “For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

Mark 16:16 – “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”

Acts 16:31 – “They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.””

1 Corinthians 13:13 – “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

1 Corinthian 16:13 – “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.”

James 2:17 – “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.“

1 John 5:13 – “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

1 Timothy 4:12 – “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.”

John 6:29 – Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

Group 4 – What The Bible Says About Faith

Hebrews 12:2 – “Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Matthew 17:20 – He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

2 Thessalonians 1:3 – “We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing.”

Romans 10:17 – “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.”

Galatians 2:20 – “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Romans 10:11 – As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”

1 Timothy 6:12 – “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”

Ephesians 2:8-9 – “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.”

Group 5 – What Does The Bible Say About Faith?

Mark 11 :23 – “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.”

2 Peter 1:5-7 – “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge, and to knowledge, self-control, and to self-control, perseverance, and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection, and to mutual affection, love.”

Philippians 1:29 – “For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him.”

John 20:29 – Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Romans 10:9 – “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.“

1 Thessalonians 4:14 – “For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.”

James 5:14-15 – “Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.”

1 Timothy 6:6 – “But godliness with contentment is great gain.”

Group 6 – What Does The Bible Say About Faith?

Galatians 3:22 – “But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.”

1 John 5:5 – “Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”

Romans 14:4 – “Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.”

Romans 12:3 – “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.”

Romans 1:16 – “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.”

Luke 8:50 – Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.”

1 Corinthians 15:1-2 – “Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.“

John 1:12 – “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

Group 7 – What Does The Bible Say About Faith?

Matthew 21:21 – Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.”

Romans 5:1 – “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Galatians 5:6 – “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”

Romans 3:21-22 – “But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile.”

Galatians 2:15-16 – “We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.”

Galatians 6:10 – “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

John 3:36 – “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.”

Romans 10:4 – “Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.”

Group 8 – What Does The Bible Say About Faith?

1 Timothy 6:10 – “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

Habakkuk 2:4 – “See, the enemy is puffed up;
his desires are not upright—
but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness.”

Mark 1:15 – “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

John 3:18 – “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

Romans 1:11-12 – “I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.”

Jude 1:20-21 – “But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.”

Hebrews 3:12 – “See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.”

Hebrews 3:14 – “We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end.”

Group 9 – What Does The Bible Say About Faith?

Acts 19:4 – Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”

Acts 2:41 – “Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.“

2 Timothy 4:7-8 – “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”

John 14:12 – “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”

1 Timothy 3:16 – “Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great:
He appeared in the flesh,
was vindicated by the Spirit,
He was seen by angels,
was preached among the nations,
He was believed on in the world,
was taken up in glory.”

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