It was on my heart to do this Biblical Research Project to show what the Bible says on this topic. In order to do this Biblical Research Project, I will use the New King James Version of the Bible [a.k.a. NKJV], biblegateway.com/ and other internet resources, as needed. Special note: Any time I use a capital “G” in God, I am referring to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and I will capitalize pronouns referring to Him . I will use lower case letters for all other references to god. I will use yellow to highlight God, His compassion, mercy, etc. . I will highlight passages in orange that say that the Lord God is the only God. Or there is no other God. I will highlight in green when the Bible talks about other references to god.Since it made it difficult to differentiate between all the false gods, idols, and other things people worshiped in the Bible, I tried to make a little spot with no highlighting to make it easier to identify them. Additionally, I will highlight the consequence for following false gods in blue. Since there are so many Bible passages that meet the parameters of this Biblical Research Project, I will put a turquoise highlight at the beginning of the Bible passages that are especially significant, to help narrow your focus.
You may read this Biblical Research Project, as well as others in their entirety on either of these two blogs I felt led to create: Biblical Proof! at https://BiblicalProof.blogspot.com/ or Do Biblical Inconsistencies Really Matter? at https://Biblicalinconsistencies.blogspot.com/
Sometimes Bible passages have the word “he” and “him” within them. I will put within brackets who is speaking and who is spoken to anytime I determine it is beneficial for clarity. Additionally, I will put my analysis, evaluation, comments, and opinions within brackets, as well.
[Using Biblegateway.com/, I found out that the Old Testament speaks about idols 127 times and in the New Testament 31 times for a total of 158 times. Carved images are mentioned only in the Old Testament for a total of 46 times. Molded images are mentioned in the Old Testament for a total of 23 times. That does not count all the other times when it talks about false gods in different formats, like images made of wood, images made with their own hands, although many of these are in the verses I analyzed that follows.]
[Passages with Promise that show the Lord God’s Mercy and
Compassion]
- Exodus
34:5-6 says: Now the Lord descended in the
cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. And
the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God,
merciful and gracious, long suffering, and abounding in goodness and
truth,
- Deuteronomy 4:28-31 says:
And there you will serve gods, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, which
neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell.
But from there you will seek the
Lord your God, and you will find Him if you see Him with all your heart
and with all your soul. When you are in distress, and these things come
upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the Lord your God and obey
His voice (for the Lord your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake
you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He
swore to them.
- Deuteronomy 4:35 says:
“To you it was shown, that you might know
that the Lord Himself is God; there is none other besides Him.”
- Deuteronomy 4:39 says:
Therefore know this day, and consider it
in your heart, that the Lord Himself is God in heaven above and on the
earth beneath; there is no other.”
- Deuteronomy
5:9-10 says: For I, the Lord your
God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the
children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands to those who love
Me and keep My commandments.
- Deuteronomy 6:4-7 says:
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the
Lord is one! You shall love the
Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your
strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in
your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall
talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when
you lie down, and when you lie down, and when you rise up.
- Deuteronomy
11:26-28 says: “Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse:
the blessing, if you obey the commandments
of the Lord your God which I command you today; and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments
of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you
today, to go after other gods which
you have not known.”
- Deuteronomy
13:17-18 says, “So none of the accursed
things shall remain in your hand, that the Lord may turn from the fierceness of His anger and show you
mercy, have compassion on you and multiply you, just as He swore to your
fathers, because you have listened to the voice of the Lord your God, to
keep all His commandments which I command you today, to do what is right
in the eyes of the Lord your God.”
- Deuteronomy
18:14-15 says: For these nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you, the
Lord your God has not appointed such for you. The Lord your God will raise
up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you
shall hear.
- Deuteronomy 31:6 says:
“Be strong and of good courage, do not
fear nor be afraid of them; for
the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”
- Deuteronomy
32:6 says:“For the Lord will judge His
people And have compassion on His servants, When He sees that their
power is gone, And there is no one remaining, bond or free.
- Joshua
22:5 says: “But take careful heed to do the commandment and the law
which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His
ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with
all your heart and with all your soul.”
- Joshua
23:6-8 says: “Therefore be very
courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of
Moses, lest you turn aside from it to the right hand or to the
left, and lest you go among these nations, these who remain among you. You shall not make mention of the name of
their gods, nor cause anyone
to swear by them; you shall not serve
them nor bow down to them, but
you shall hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have done to this day.”
- Joshua 24:20-23 says:
“ If you forsake the Lord and serve
foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume you, after He has done you good. And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will
serve the Lord!” So Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses
against yourselves that you have chosen
the Lord for yourselves, to serve Him.” And they said, “We are
witnesses!” “Now therefore,” he said, “put
away the foreign gods which are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord God of Israel.”
[Although we might not have statues of
false gods, we can still have false gods in our lives. Anything that
becomes of too much importance in our lives, becomes a false god. Things
like: having the latest phone, trendy clothes, fast car, impressive job,
etc. can become false gods in our lives. It’s important to make the Lord
God our first priority, so these worldly items fall in place of lesser
importance in our lives.]
- Judges
2:16-17 says: Nevertheless, the Lord
raised up judges who delivered them out of the hand of those who plundered
them. Yet they would not listen to
their judges, but they played the harlot with other gods, and
bowed down to them. They turned quickly from the way in which
their fathers walked, in obeying the commandments of the Lord: they did
not do so.
- Judges 2:18-19 says:
And when the Lord raised up judges
for them, the Lord was with the judge and delivered them out of the hand
of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the Lord was moved to
pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed them and harassed
them. And it came to pass, when the judge was dead,
that they reverted and behaved more
corruptly than their fathers, by following
other gods, to serve them and bow down to them. They did not cease from
their own doings nor from their stubborn way.
- Judges
3:9 says: When the children of
Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the
children of Israel, who delivered them: Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s
younger brother.
- Judges
3:14-15 says: So the children of Israel
served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years. But when the children of Israel cried out to the Lord, the
Lord raised up a deliverer for them: Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite,
a left-handed man. By him the children of Israel sent tribute to Eglon
king of Moab.
- Judges 10:10-16 says:
And the children of Israel cried out to the Lord, saying, “We have sinned
against You, because we have both forsaken our God and served the Baals!” So the Lord said to the children of Israel, “Did I not deliver you
from the Egyptians and from the Amorites and from the people of Ammon and
from the Philistines? Also the
Sidonians and the Amelekites and the Maonites oppressed you and you
cried out to Me, and I delivered you from their hand. Yet you have forsaken Me and served other
gods. Therefore I will deliver you no more. Go and cry out to the gods
which you have chosen; let them deliver you in your time of distress.”
And the children of Israel said to the
Lord, “We have sinned! Do to us whatever seems best to You; only deliver
us this day, we pray.” So they put away the foreign gods from among
them and served the Lord. And His soul could no longer endure the
misery of Israel.
- 1 Samuel 2:2 says:
“No one is holy like the Lord, For there
is none besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God.”
- 1
Samuel 7:3-5 says:Then Samuel spoke to all
the house of Israel, saying, “If you return to the Lord with all your
hearts, then put away the
foreign gods and the Ashtoreths
[idols] from among you, and prepare
your hearts for the Lord, and serve Him only; and He will deliver you from
the hand of the Philistines.”
So the children of Israel put away the Baals and
the Ashtoreths, and served the Lord only. And Samuel
said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I
will pray to the Lord for you.”
- 1
Samuel 7:8 says: So the children of
Israel said to Samuel, “Do not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for
us, that He may save us from the Hand of the Philistines.”
- 1
Samuel 7:10-13 says: Now as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the
Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. But the Lord thundered with a loud thunder upon the
Philistines that day, and so confused them that they were overcome before
Israel. And the men of Israel
went out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, and drove them back as far
as below Beth Car. Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between
Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” So the
Philistines were subdued, and they did not come anymore into the territory
of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the
days of Samuel.
- 1 Samuel 12:8-11 says:
Samuel reminds the Israelites and says: “When Jacob had gone into Egypt,
and your fathers cried out to the Lord,
then the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, who brought our fathers out of Egypt
and made them dwell in this place. And
when they forgot the Lord their God,
He sold them into the hand of Sisera, commander of the army of Hazor, into
the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab; and
they fought against them. Then they
cried out to the Lord and said, 'We
have sinned, because we have forsaken the Lord and served the Baals and Ashtoreths; but now deliver us from
the hand of our enemies, and we will serve
You.’ And the Lord sent
Jerubbaal, Bedan, Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand
of your enemies on every side; and you dwelt in safety.
- 1
Samuel 12:14-15 goes on to say: “If
you fear the Lord and serve Him and obey His voice, and do not rebel
against the commandment of the Lord, then both you and the king who reigns
over you will continue following the Lord your God. However, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel
against the commandment of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be
against you, as it was against your fathers.”
- 2 Samuel 7:22 says:
“Therefore You are great, O Lord God. For
there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our
ears.
- 1 Kings 8:59-60 says:
“And may these words of mine [Solomon’s words], with which I have made supplication before the Lord, be
near the Lord our God day and night, that He may maintain the cause of His
servant and the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Israel,
as each day may require, that all
the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God: there is no
other.”
- 1 Kings 9:59-60 says:
“And may these words of mine, which I have made supplication before the
Lord, be near the Lord our God day
and night, that He may maintain the cause
of His servant [Solomon] and the cause of His people Israel, as each day
may require, that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no other.”
- 1
Kings 11:38 says: Then it shall be, if
you [Jeroboam] heed all that I command you, walk in My ways, and do what
is right in My sight, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as My
servant David did, then I will be with you and build for you an enduring
house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you.”
- 2
Kings 17:39-41 says: “But the
Lord your God you shall fear; and He will deliver you from the hand of all
your enemies.” However they did not obey, but they followed their former rituals. So
these nations feared the Lord, yet served
their carved images; also
their children and their children’s children have continued doing as their
father did, even to this day.
- 2 Kings 19:15 says:
Then Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said: “O Lord God of Israel the
One who dwells between the cherubim, You
are God, You alone, of all the
kingdoms of the earth. You have
made heaven and earth.”
- 2 Kings 22:15-20 says:
Then she [Huldah the prophetess] said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of
Israel, “Tell the man who sent you to Me, Thus
says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will bring calamity on this place and on its
inhabitants- all the words of the book which the king of Judah has
read-because they have forsaken Me and burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the
works of their hands. Therefore My
wrath shall be aroused against this place and shall not be quenched.”’
“But as for the king of Judah, who sent
you to inquire of the Lord, in this manner you shall speak to him, ‘Thus
says the Lord God of Israel: “Concerning the words which you have heard-
because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before the Lord
when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its
inhabitants, that they would become a desolation and a curse, and you tore
your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you,” says the Lord.
Surely, therefore, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be
gathered to your grave in peace; and your eyes shall not see all the
calamity which I will bring on this place.” So they brought back
word to the king. [This passage
shows that the Lord God can see when we turn from our sinful ways and turn
to Him. When we sincerely tell Him we are sorry for what we’ve done, He
will forgive us.]
- 1 Chronicles 5:18-20 says:
They [Some of the Israelites] went to war with the Hagrites, Jetur,
Naphish, and Nodab. And they were helped against them, and the Hagrites were delivered into their hand, and all who
were with them, for they cried out to God in the battle. He heeded their
prayer, because they put their trust in Him.
- 2 Chronicles 7:12-14 says:
Then the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: “I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this
place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. When I shut up heaven
and there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send
pestilence among My people, if My people
who are called by My name will 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.”
- 2
Chronicles 7:17-18 goes says: “As for you, if you [Solomon] walk before Me
as your father David walked, and do according to all that I have commanded
you, and if you keep My statutes and My
judgments, then I will establish the throne of your kingdom, as I covenanted
with David your fathers, saying, ‘You shall not fail to have a man as
ruler in Israel.’
- 2 Chronicles 13:8-10 where Abijah says:
“And now you think to withstand the kingdom of the Lord, which is in
the hand of the sons of David; and you are a great multitude, and with you
are the gold calves which Jeroboam
made for you as gods. Have you not cast out the priests of the
Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and
made for yourselves priests, like the peoples of other lands, so
that whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams
may be a priest of things that are not gods?But
as for us, the Lord is our God, and we
have not forsaken Him; and the
priests who minister to the Lord are the sons of Aaron, and the Levites
attend to their duties.”
- 2 Chronicles 13:12-16 says:
“Now look, God Himself is with us as
our head, and His priests with sounding trumpets to sound the alarm
against you. O children of Israel, do not fight against the Lord God of
your fathers, for you shall not prosper!” But Jeroboam caused an ambush to go around behind
them; so they were in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind
them. And when Judah looked around,
to their surprise the battle line was at both front and rear; and they cried out to the Lord, and the priests
sounded the trumpets. Then the men of Judah gave a shout; and as the men
of Judah shouted, it happened that
God struck Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. And the children of Israel fled before Judah,
and God delivered them into their
hand. 13:18 says: Thus the children of Israel were subdued at that
time; and the children of Judah
prevailed, because they relied on the Lord God of their fathers.
- 2 Chronicles 15:3-4 says:
“For a long time Israel has been without
the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law; but when in trouble they turned to the Lord God of Israel, and sought Him, He was
found by them.”
- 1 Chronicles 16:25-26 says:
For the Lord is great and greatly to be
praised; He is also to be feared above
all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the Lord made the heavens.
- 2 Chronicles 33:10-13
says: And the Lord spoke to Manasseh
and his people, but they would
not listen. Therefore the Lord
brought upon them the captains of the army of the king of Assyria, who
took Manasseh with hooks, bound him with bronze fetters, and carried him
off to Babylon. Now when he
was in affliction, he
implored the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of
his father, and prayed to Him; and He received his entreaty [request],
heard his supplication, and brought him back to Jerusalem into his
kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God.
- Psalm 31:24 says: Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen
your heart, All you who hope in the Lord.
- Psalm 50:1 says:
The Mighty One, God the Lord, Has spoken
and called the earth From the rising of the sun to its going down.
- Psalm
116:3-6 says: The pains of earth surrounded me, And the pangs of Sheol
[Hell] laid hold of me; I found trouble and sorrow. Then I called upon
the name of the Lord: “O Lord, implore You, deliver my soul!” Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; Yes, our
God is merciful. The Lord preserves the simple; I was brought low, and He
saved me.
- Psalm
118:5-8 says: I called on the Lord in
distress; The Lord answered me and set me in a broad place. The Lord is on
my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The Lord is for me among
those who help me; Therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me.
It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in man.
- Isaiah 17:7-8 says:
In that day a man will look at his Maker [the Lord God], And his eyes will have respect for the Holy
One of Israel, He will not look to the
altars, The work of his hands;
He will not respect what his fingers have
made, Nor the wooden images [idols]
nor the incense altars.
- Isaiah
30:22-23 says: “You will also defile the covering of your images of silver, And the ornament of
your molded images of gold. You will
throw them away as an unclean thing: You will say to them, “Get away!” Then He [the Lord God] will give the rain for
your seed With which you sow the ground, And bread of the increase of the
earth; It will be fat and plentiful, In that day your cattle will feed in
large pastures.”
- Isaiah 37:16 says:
O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, the One
who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the
kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.
- Isaiah 42:8 says:
“I am the Lord, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My
praise to carved images.”
42:17 goes on to say: “They shall
be turned back, They shall be greatly ashamed, Who trust in carved images, Who say to the molded images, ‘You are our gods.’
- Isaiah 43:3 says:
For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One
of Israel, Your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and
Seba in your place.
- Isaiah 43:10-12 says:
“You are My witnesses, says the Lord, And
My servant whom I have chosen, That you may know and believe Me, And
understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall
there be after Me. I, even
I, am the Lord, And besides Me
there is no savior. I have declared and saved, I have proclaimed, And
there was no foreign god among you; Therefore you are My witnesses,” Says
the Lord, “that I am God.”43:15 goes
on to say: “I am the Lord, your Holy One, The Creator of
Israel, your King.”
- Isaiah 44:6 says:
“Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel,
And his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts; ‘I am the First and I am the Last;
Besides Me there is no God.’
- Isaiah 44:8-10 says:
“Do not fear, nor be afraid; Have I not
told you from that time, and declared it? You are My witnesses. Is there a
God besides Me? Indeed there is no
other Rock; I know not one. Those who make
an image, all of them are useless, And their precious things shall
not profit; They are their own witnesses;They
neither see nor know, that they may be ashamed. Who would form a god or mold an image That profits him nothing?”
- Isaiah 44:24 says:
Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, And He
who formed you from the womb; “I am the Lord, who makes all things, Who
stretches out the heavens all alone, Who spreads abroad the earth by
Myself:”
- Isaiah 45:5-8 says:
“I am the Lord, and there is no other;
There is no God besides Me. I will gird you, though you have not known Me.
That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting That there is
none besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other. I form the light and created darkness, I make
peace and create calamity; I, the Lord, do all these things.’ “Rain down,
you heavens, from above, And let the skies pour down righteousness; Let
the earth open, let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness
spring up together. I, the Lord,
have created it.
- Isaiah 45:12 says:
I have made the earth, And created man on
it. I- My hands- stretched out the heavens,
- Isaiah 45:15 says:
`Surely God is in you, And there is no
other; There is no other God.”’
Truly You are God, who hide
Yourself, O God of Israel, the Savior!
- Isaiah 45:16-18 says:
They shall be ashamed And also disgraced,
all of them; They shall go in confusion together, Who are makers of idols. But Israel shall be saved by the Lord With an everlasting
salvation; You shall not be ashamed or disgraced Forever and ever. For thus says the Lord, Who created the heavens,
Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it
in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: “I am the Lord, and there is no other.” [Our everlasting salvation comes from Jesus Christ who gave His
life for us on the cross as the substitute for us and paid the consequence
for our sinful lives].
- Isaiah 45:21 says:
Tell and bring forth your case; Yes, let them take counsel together. Who has declared this from ancient time? Who has
told it from that time? Have not I, the Lord? And there is no other God besides Me, A just
God and a Savior; There is none besides Me. Look to Me, and be saved, All
you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no others.”
- Isaiah 46:9-10 says:
“ Remember the former things of old, For
I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me,
Declaring the end from the beginning, And
from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying ‘My counsel shall
stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’ 46:12-14 goes on to say: “Listen to Me, you stubborn- hearted, Who are far
from righteousness: I bring My
righteousness near, it shall not be far off; My salvation shall not
linger. And I will place salvation in Zion, For Israel My glory.”
- Isaiah 48:5 says:
Even from the beginning I have declared it
to you; Before it came to pass I proclaimed it to you, Lest you
should say, ‘My idol has done them,
And my carved image and my molded image Have commanded them.” 48:12-13 goes on to say: “Listen to Me, O Jacob, And Israel, My called: I am He, I am the First, I am also the Last.
Indeed My hand has laid the foundation of the earth, And My right hand has
stretched out the heavens; When I call to them, They stand up together.”
48:17 further says: Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, The Holy One of
Israel: “I am the Lord your God, Who
teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go.”
- Isaiah 51:12-13 says:
“I, even I, am He who comforts you.
Who are you that you should be afraid Of a man who will die, And the son
of a man who will be made like grass? And you forget the
Lord your Maker, Who stretched out the heavens And laid the foundations of
the earth; You have feared continually every day Because of the
fury of the oppressor, When he has prepared to destroy. And where is the
fury of the oppressor?”
- Isaiah 54:5 says:
For your Maker is your husband, The Lord of hosts is His name; And your
Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole
earth.
- Isaiah
57:13 says: When you cry out, Let your
collection of idols deliver you.
But the wind will carry them all away, A breath will take them. But he who puts his trust in Me shall possess
the land, And shall inherit My holy mountain.” [The Lord God is saying to those who believe in false gods and
idols, when you have troubles, do you really think your false gods and
idols are going to save you? Only those who trust in Me, the Lord God,
will inherit salvation!]
- Isaiah 60:9 says:
“Surely the coastlands shall wait for Me;
And the ships of Tarshish will come first, To bring your sons from afar,
Their silver and their gold with them, To the name of the Lord your God, And to the Holy One of
Israel, Because He has glorified
you.”
- Isaiah 64:4-5 says:
For since the beginning of the world Men
have not heard nor perceived by the ear, Nor has the eye seen any God
besides You, Who acts for the one
who waits for Him. You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness, Who
remembers You in Your ways. You are indeed angry, for we have sinned- In these ways we continue; And we need to be saved. [Jesus Christ is the one who saves all those who believe in Him as
their Savior.]
- Jeremiah
3:12-13 says: “Go proclaim these words
toward the north, and say: ‘Return, backsliding Israel,’ says the Lord; ‘I
will not cause My anger to fall on you. For I am merciful,’ says the Lord,
I will not remain angry forever. Only
acknowledge your iniquity, That you have transgressed against the Lord your God, And have scattered your charms To alien deities under every green
tree, And you have not obeyed My voice,’ says the Lord.”[The Lord God will
forgive the Israelites who turned astray to alien deities/false gods when
they admit their error and turn back to the Lord God.]
- Jeremiah 4:1-2 says:
“If you will return, O Israel,” says the
Lord, “Return to Me; And if you will put away your abominations out of My sight, Then you shall not be moved. And you shall
swear, ‘The Lord lives,’ In truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; The
nations shall bless themselves in Him, And in Him they shall glory.”
- Jeremiah
7:5-7 says: “For if you thoroughly amend your ways and your doings, if you
thoroughly execute judgment between man and his neighbor, if you do not
oppress the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and do not shed
innocent blood in this place, or walk after
other gods to your hurt, then I
will cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your
fathers forever and ever.”
- Jeremiah 10:6-7 says:
“Inasmuch as there is none like You, O
Lord (You are great, and Your name
is great in might), Who would not fear [worship] You, O King of the nations? For this is Your rightful due. For among all the wise men of the nations, And
in all their kingdoms, There is none like You.”
- Jeremiah 10:10-13 says:
But the Lord is the true God; He is the
living God and the everlasting King.
At His wrath the earth will
tremble, And the nations will not be able to endure His indignation.
Thus you shall say to them [idols]: ‘The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth
shall perish from the earth and from under these heavens.’ “He [the
Lord God] has made the earth by His power, He has established the world by His wisdom, And has stretched out
the heavens at His discretion. When He [the Lord God] utters His voice,
There is a multitude of waters in the heavens: And He causes the vapors to
ascend from the ends of the earth. He [the Lord God] makes lightning for
the rain, He brings the wind out of His treasuries.”
- Jeremiah
12:16-17 says: “And it shall be, if they
will learn carefully the ways of My people. To swear by My name, ‘As the
Lord lives,’ as they taught My people
to swear by Baal, then they shall
be established in the midst of My people. But if they do not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy
that nation,” says the Lord.
- Jeremiah 14:22 says:
Are there any among the idols of the
nations that can cause rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Are You not He, O Lord our God? Therefore we will wait for You, Since You have
made all these.
- Jeremiah 18:7-10 says:
“The instant I speak concerning a nation
and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, if
that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I
will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. And the instant I speak concerning a nation and
concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with
which I said I would benefit it.” [I like that the Lord God gives all of us choices. If those who
chose to do wickedly, turn to the Lord God and follow His statutes, they
will no longer have the consequence for their wickedness. But, if those
who had followed the Lord God get led astray and start following idols and
false gods, they will have the consequence for the wicked choices they are
making.]
- Jeremiah
35:15 says: “I have also sent to you all
My servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, ‘Turn
now everyone from his evil way, amend your doings, and do not go after other gods to serve them; then you will dwell in the land which I have
given you and your fathers.’ But you
have not inclined your ear, nor obeyed Me.”
- Ezekiel 11:17-21 says:
Therefore say, “Thus says the Lord God:
“I will gather you from the peoples, assemble you from the countries where
you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.”’
“And they will go there, and they will
take away all its detestable things and all its
abominations from there. Then I will give them one heart, and I will
put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh,
and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in MY statutes and keep
My judgements and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be
their God. But as for those whose hearts follow the desire for their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their deeds on their own heads,” says the Lord God.”
- Ezekiel 16:62-63 says:
“And I will establish My covenant with
you. Then you shall know that I am
the Lord, that you may remember and
be ashamed, and never open your mouth anymore because of your shame [of
the wickedness you have done], when
I provide you an atonement for all you have done,” says the Lord God.’”
[This passage is pretty amazing! The Lord
God lets them know how terrible it is that they flit back and forth
between false gods, when He is their Lord God. Although they will have
consequences, the Lord God will not forget the covenant that He made with
them years before, and the atonement that He is going to provide is His
Son, Jesus, who freely gave His life as a substitute for all our sinful
choices, so that those who believe in Him as their Savior can go to heaven
when He calls us!]
- Ezekiel
18:5-10 says: “But if a man is just And
does what is lawful and right; If he has not eaten on the mountains, Nor
lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, Nor defiled his
neighbor’s wife, Nor approached a woman during her impurity; If he has not
oppressed anyone, But has restored to the debtor his pledge; Has robbed no
one by violence, But has given his bread to the hungry And covered the
naked with clothing; If he has not exacted usury [interest] Nor taken any
increase, But has withdrawn his hand from iniquity And executed true
judgment between man and man; If he has walked in My statutes And kept My
judgments faithfully- He is just; He shall surely live!” Says the Lord God.
- Ezekiel 18:25-32 says:
“Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ Hear now, O house of
Israel, is it not My way which is fair,
and your ways which are not fair? When a
righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity, and dies in it, it is because of the iniquity which he has
done that he dies. Again, when a wicked
man turns away from the wickedness which he committed, and does what is lawful and right, he preserves
himself alive. Because he considers and turns away from all the
transgressions which he committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die.
Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel,
every one according to his ways,” says the Lord God. “Repent, and turn
from all your transgressions, so
that iniquity will not be your ruin. Cast away from you all the
transgression which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? For
I have no pleasure in the death of
one who dies,” says the Lord God.
“Therefore turn and live!” [This
is an amazing Bible passage, because it tells us that even if we have done
terribly sinful things in our lives, but choose to turn to the Lord Jesus
Christ as our Savior, He will forgive us and all we’ve done in the past.
On the other hand, it also says that if we followed the Lord God in years
past, but choose to turn away from the Lord God and do wicked things, we
will be judged on the Last Day according to the wickedness we chose to do
instead of following the Lord. He lets us know that He takes no pleasure
in the death of one who dies and warns all of us to turn to Him, our
Savior, and live!]
- Ezekiel 20:18-20 says:
“But I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the
statutes of your fathers, nor observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols. “I am the Lord your God: Walk in My statutes, keep My judgments, and do
them; hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you that
you may know that I am the Lord your God.''
- Ezekiel 36:18 says:
“Therefore I poured out My fury on them
for the blood they had shed on the land, and for their idols with
which they had defiled it. So I scattered them among the nations, and they
were dispersed throughout the countries; I judged them according to their
ways and their deeds.” 36:24-28 goes
on to say: “For I will take you
from among the nations, gather you out of all counties, and bring you into
your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be
clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take
the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will
put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you
will keep My judgments and do them. Then you shall dwell in the land that
I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God.”
[After all their choices to worship idols,
the Lord God will still bring them back and give them a new heart to
follow Him, His statutes and be His people.]
- Ezekiel
37:23 says: “They shall not defile
themselves anymore with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with
any of their transgressions; but I will deliver them from all their
dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. Then
they shall be My people, and I will be their God.”
- Daniel 3:29 says:
“Therefore I make a decree that any
people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses
shall be made an ash heap, because there
is no other God.” [When the 3
Israelites who had been thrown into the burning hot furnace for failing to
worship false gods, came out alive, King Nebuchadnezzar realized that the
Lord God is the only God.]
- Daniel 4:34 says:
And at the end of the time I,
Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to
me; and I blessed the Most High
and praised and honored Him who lives forever: For His dominion is an
everlasting dominion And His kingdom is from generation to generation. 4:37 yet says: Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and
honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways
justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down.
- Hosea 14:1-4 says: O Israel, return to the Lord your God, For you have stumbled because of your iniquity;
Take words with you, And return to the Lord. Say to Him, “Take away all iniquity; Receive us graciously, For we
will offer the sacrifice of our lips. Assyria shall not save us, We will
not ride on horses, Nor will we say anymore
to the work of our hands, ‘You are our gods.’ For in You the fatherless finds mercy.” I will
heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, For My anger has turned
away from him.
- Joel 2:27 says:
Then you shall know that I am in the midst
of Israel: I am the Lord your God
And there is no other. My people
shall never be put to shame.”
- Micah 7:18-19 says:
Who is a God like You, Pardoning iniquity
And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does
not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in mercy. He will again
have compassion on us, And will subdue our iniquities. [This passage is pretty significant if you think of all the times
in this research that God’s people have chosen to go astray to false gods,
but still has compassion on them to bring them back to Him.]
- Habakkuk
1:12 says: Are You not from everlasting, O
Lord my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O Lord, You have appointed them for judgment; O Rock,
You have marked them for correction. [The everlasting Lord God will have a judgment day, but corrects us
so that we have a chance to choose to follow Him instead of things that
lead us astray.]
- Zephaniah 1:4-7 says:
“I will stretch out My hand against
Judah, and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. I will cut off every
trace of Baal from this place,
The names of the idolatrous priests
with the pagan priests- Those who worship the host of heaven on the
housetops; Those who worship and swear oaths by the Lord, But who also swear by Milcom [false god];
Those who have turned back from following the Lord, And have not sought
the Lord, nor inquired of Him.” Be silent in the presence of the Lord God; For the day of the Lord is at hand, For the
Lord has prepared a sacrifice; He has invited His guests. [The sacrifice the Lord God prepared was the life of His only
begotten Son, Jesus Christ, on the cross as a substitute for the
consequence we deserve for our sins. His death and resurrection set us
free from our consequence and the Lord God invites people who believe in
Jesus to join Him, because the day of the Lord is drawing closer.]
- Zephaniah
2:11 says: The Lord will be awesome to
them, For He will reduce to nothing all the gods of the earth; People
shall worship Him, Each one from his place, Indeed all the shores of the
nations.
- Malachi 2:10 says:
Have we not all one Father? Has not one
God created us? Why do we deal treacherously with one another By
profaning the covenant of the fathers?
- Matthew 1:21 says:
And she [Mary] shall bring forth a Son, and
you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their
sins.”
- Matthew 3:16-17 says:
When He [Jesus] had been baptized, Jesus
came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to
Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting
upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased.”
- Matthew 4:233-24 says:
And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching
in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all
kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. Then His fame
went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who
were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were
demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He [Jesus] healed them.
- Matthew 5:3-12 Jesus says:
“Blessed
are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are
those who mourn, For they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, For
they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for
righteousness, For they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, For
they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see
God. Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs
is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute
you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice
and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they
persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
- Matthew
6:14-15 Jesus says: “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your
heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive
men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” [It’s easy to only look at what’s in it for me, rather than
realizing there is also the flip-side about what we should do for others
and the consequences for not doing so!]
- Matthew 6:25-33 Jesus says:
“Therefore
I say to you, do not worry 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 clothes? Look at the birds of the air,
for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly
Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by
worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about
clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither
toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was
not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the
field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not
much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry,
saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we
wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly
Father knows that you need all of these things. But seek first the kingdom
of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
- Matthew 9:11-13 says:
And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your
Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” When Jesus heard that, He
said to them, “Those who are
well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn
what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but
sinners, to repentance.”
- Matthew 10:29-33 Jesus says:
“Are not
two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the
ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are
all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many
sparrows. Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also
confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me
before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.” [Jesus Christ offers us so many blessings, but remember the
flip-side for those who deny Him before others.]
- Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus says:
“Come to
Me, all you 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.”
- Matthew
14:14 says: And when Jesus went out He saw
a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed
their sick.
- Matthew 15:24 says:
But He [Jesus] answered and said, “I was not sent
except to the lost sheep of the
house of Israel.”
- Matthew 15:30-31 says:
Then great multitudes came to Him, having
with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid
them down at Jesus’ feet, and He [Jesus] healed them. So the multitude
marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame
walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.
- Matthew 16:24-27 says:
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let
him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever
desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My
sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole
world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for
his soul? For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His
angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.”
- Matthew 17:5 at the Transfiguration of Jesus:
While he [Peter] was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed
them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased. Hear Him!”
- Matthew 18:11-14 says:
“For the
Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. What do you think?
If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not
leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is
straying? And if he should find it,
assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than the
ninety-nine that did not go astray. Even so it is not the will of your
Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.”
- Matthew 19:13-14 says:
Then little children were brought to Him [Jesus] that He might put His
hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to
Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”
- Matthew 20:27-28 says:
“And whoever desires to be first among you,
let him be your slave- just as the Son of
Man [Jesus Christ] did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
- Matthew 26:27-28 says:
Then He [Jesus] took the cup, and gave
thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My
blood of the new covenant, which is shed for the remission of sins.”
- Matthew
26:63-64 says: But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and
said to Him, “I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!”
Jesus said to him, “It
is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son
of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power and coming on the clouds of
heaven.”
- Matthew 27:54 says:
So when the centurion and those with him, who
were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened,
they feared greatly, saying, “Truly
this was the Son of God!”
- Matthew 21:28-32 says:
“But what do you think? A man had two sons,
and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’
He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and
went. Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and
said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his
father?” They said to Him [Jesus], “The first.”
Jesus said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and
harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the
way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and
harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent
and believe him.” [This passage is
soooo significant. It tells us that no matter what terrible things we have
done in the past, that once we truly turn to Jesus Christ as our Lord and
Savior, we can have Salvation with Him in heaven when He calls us
someday.]
- Matthew 25:34-40 Jesus shares this parable:
“Then the
king will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come you blessed of My Father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For
I was hungry and you gave Me food: I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I
was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was
sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ Then the
righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and
feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger
and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or
in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them,
‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to the least of these My
brethren, you did it to Me.” [Of
course, there is a flip-side to this. Verses 41-46, Jesus talks about
those who did not do it to one of the least of them, they did not
do it to Him, and the consequence of it.]
- Matthew 28:16-20 says after Jesus had risen from
the Tomb: Then the eleven disciples went away into
Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. When they saw Him [Jesus] they worshiped Him;
but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke
to them, saying, “All
authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 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, teaching them to observe all things
that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end
of the age.” Amen.
- Mark 1:9-11 says:
It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee,
and was baptized by John [the Baptist] in the Jordan. And immediately, coming up from the water, He
saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.
Then a voice came from heaven, “You
are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
- Mark 1:14-15 says:
Now after John was put in prison, Jesus
came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of
God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
- Mark
1:34 says; Then He [Jesus] healed many who
were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons, and He
did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.
- Mark 2:17 says:
When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are
sick. I did not come to call the
righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
- Mark 3:10-12 says:
For He [Jesus] healed many, so that as
many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him. And the
unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried
out, saying, “You are the Son of God.”
But He [Jesus] sternly warned them that they should not make Him
known.
- Mark 6:54-56 says:
And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, ran through that whole surrounding region,
and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they
heard He [Jesus] was. Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the
country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they
might just touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched Him
[Jesus] were made well.
- Mark 9:7 at the Transfiguration of Jesus:
And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud,
saying, “This is My beloved Son. hear Him!”
- Mark 10:45 says:
“For even
the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His
life a ransom for many.”
- Mark
11:25-26 Jesus says: “And whenever you stand praying, if you have
anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also
forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither
will your Father in heaven forgive your tresspasses.” [This is almost identical to the passage in Matthew 6:14-15 and
Luke 6:36-37. I share them, because they are additional proof that Jesus
is the Son of the Almighty God, because there are many different people
who heard Jesus Christ and saw what He did and attest to it in the
gospels. Sure, they paraphrase it in their own words, the same as you or I
would do. Sure, some add more details and some have fewer details, but
this adds to the validity of the Apostles testimony about Jesus
Christ.]
- Mark 12:29 says:
Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O
Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.” 12:32 goes on to say: So the scribe said to
Him [Jesus], “Well said, Teacher. You
have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He.
And to love Him with all the heart, with
all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and
to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt
offerings and sacrifices.”they
feared greatly, saying, “Truly
this was the Son of God!”
- Mark
14:60-62 says: But He [Jesus] kept silent and answered nothing. Again the
high priest asked Him, saying to Him [Jesus], saying, “Do You answer
nothing? What is it these men testify against You?” But He [Jesus] kept
silent and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked Him, saying to
Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the
Blessed?” Jesus said, “I
am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting
at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of
heaven.”
- Mark 15:39 says:
So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him [Jesus], saw that He cried
out like this and breathed His last, he said, “Truly this Man was the Son of God!”
- Mark 16:14-16 says after Jesus had risen from the
Tomb : Later He
[Jesus] appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table, and He rebuked
their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those
who had seen Him after He had risen. And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the
gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved;
but he who does not believe will be condemned.”
- Luke 2:10-11 says:
Then the angel said to them [shepherds],
“Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which
will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of
David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
- Luke 2:26-32 says:
And it had been revealed to him [Simeon,
the priest] by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had
seen the Lord’s Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when
the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom
of the law, he [Simeon] took Him [Jesus] up in his arms and blessed God
and said: “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace,
According to Your word; For my
eyes have seen Your salvation Which
You have prepared before the face of all peoples, A light to bring
revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.”
- Luke 3:21-22 says:
When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was
baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form
like a dove upon Him [Jesus], and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well
pleased.”
- Luke 4:16-20 says:
So He [Jesus] came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His
custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to
read. And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had
opened the book, He found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because
He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to
heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery
of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim
the acceptable year of the Lord.” Then He [Jesus] closed the book, and gave it
back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the
synagogue were fixed on Him. And He [Jesus] becan to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled
in your hearing.” [This was
predicted about what Jesus would do in Isaiah 61:1-2, 100s of years before
His birth to Mary.]
- Luke 4:40-41 says:
When the sun was setting, all those who
had any that were sick with variou diseases brought them to Him [Jesus];
and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them. And demons
also came out of many, crying out and saying, “You are the Christ, the Son of God!” And He [Jesus], rebuking them, did not allow
them to speak, for they knew that
He was the Christ.
- Luke
5:15 says when Jesus had told those He healed not to tell others: However,
the report went around concerning Him
[Jesus] all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to
be healed by Him of their infirmities.
- Luke 5:31-32 says:
Jesus answered and said to them, “Those
who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but
sinners, to repentance.”
- Luke 6:20-23 says:
Then He [Jesus] lifted up His eyes toward
His disciples, and said: “Blessed are you poor, For yours is the kingdom
of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, For you shall be filled. Blessed
are you who weep now, For you shall laugh. Blessed are you when men hate
you, And when they exclude you, And revile you, and cast out your name as
evil, For the Son of Man’s sake. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For
indeed your reward is great in heaven,
For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.
- Luke 6:17-19 says:
And He [Jesus] came down with them and
stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude
of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and
Sidon, who came to hear Him [Jesus] and be healed of their diseases, as
well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were
healed.
- Luke 6:36-37 Jesus says: “Therefore be merciful, just as your Father
also is merciful. Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and
you shall not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.” [This is an
example of how some of the Gospel authors add more detail than the others
like in Matthew 6:14-15 and Mark 11:25-26, where they basically record the
same things, but with differing amounts of detail according to their
particular writing style.]
- Luke 7:20-23 says:
When the men had come to Him [Jesus], they said, 'John the Baptist has
sent us to You, saying, Are You the Coming One, or do we look for
another?’ And that very hour He [Jesus]
cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many
blind He gave sight, Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things you have seen
and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the
deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them.
And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” [This was
predicted about Jesus in the Old Testament in Isaiah 61:1-3 100’s of years
before this.]
- Luke 7:40-43 says after
the woman had put oil on Jesus and some thought it was wasteful: And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” So he [Simon] said, “Teacher, say it.” “There was a certain creditor who had two
debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. And when they
had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me,
therefore, which of them will love him more?” Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom
he forgave more.” And He [Jesus] said to him, “You have rightly judged.” [This passage is
very significant. Jesus doesn’t expect us all to have led perfect lives,
but He forgives all who love Him as their Savior!]
- Luke
9:11 says: But when the multitudes knew it, they
followed Him [Jesus]; and He received them and spoke to them about the
kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.
- Luke 9:33-36 says:
Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus,
“Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles:
one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah''- not knowing what he
said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and
they were fearful as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of the
cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son,
Hear Him!”
- Luke 9:56 Jesus says:
“For the
Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” And
they went to another village.
- Luke 12:6-7 Jesus says: “Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins?
And not one of them is forgotten before God. But the very hairs of your
head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than
many sparrows.”
- Luke 12:8-9 Jesus says: “Also
I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also
will confess before the angels of God. But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels
of God.” [This passage is
personally significant to me, because there was a time when I was
embarrassed to mention my faith in the Lord God to others. This passage
really made me reevaluate my hesitation. I can’ say that I always share
with others the way I should, but I try to be much more open to allowing
Christ to lead me in what to say in times of hesitation.]
- Luke 12:22-31 says:
Then He [Jesus] said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about
your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.
Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Consider the
ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor
barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds?
And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? If you then
are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? Consider
the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to
you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If
then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is
thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little
faith? And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor
have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek
after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the
kingdom of God and all these things shall be added to you. Do not fear
little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the
kingdom.”
- Luke
18:9-14 says: Also He [Jesus] spoke this parable to some who trusted in
themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the
other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself,
‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men-extortioners, unjust,
adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give
tithes of all that I possess.’ And the tax collector, standing afar off,
would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast,
saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’
I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the
other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles
himself will be exalted.”
- Luke 19:9-10 says:
And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house,
because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man [Jesus] has come
to seek and to save that which was lost.”
- Luke 22:70 says:
Then they all said, “Are You then the Son
of God?” So He [Jesus] said to them, “You rightly say that I am.”
- Luke 24:36-49 says
after Jesus had risen from the Tomb: Now as they said these things [about
seeing Jesus who had risen from the grave],
Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, “Peace to you.” But they were terrified and frightened, and
supposed they had seen a spirit. And He [Jesus] said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts
arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself.
Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I
have.” When He had said
this, He showed them His hands and His feet. But while they still did not
believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, “Have you any food here?” So they gave Him a piece of broiled fish and some
honeycomb. And He [Jesus] took it and ate in their presence. Then He said
to them, “These
are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all
things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the
Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” And He [Jesus] opened their understanding, that
they might comprehend the Scriptures. Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was
necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third
day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His
name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of
these things. Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry
in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with the power from on high.”
- John 1:10-12 says: He [Jesus] was in the world, and the world was made through Him,
and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not
receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to
become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
- John 1:32-34 says:
and John [the Baptist] bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending
from heaven like a dove, and He [the Holy Spirit] remained on Him. I did
not know Him, but He who sent me to
baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending
from heaven like a dove, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes
with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have
seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”
- John 1:40-41 says:
One of the two who heard John [the
Baptist] speak, and followed Him [Jesus], was Andrew, Simon Peter’s
brother. He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is
translated, the Christ).
- John 3:33 says: “He who has received His testimony has certified
that God is true.”
- John 4:25-26 says:
The woman [by the well] said to Him [Jesus], “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ).
“When He comes, He will tell us all things.”
Jesus said to her, “I
who speak to you am He.”
- John 4:39-42 says:
And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the
word of the woman who testified, “He
[Jesus] told me all that I ever did.” So when the Samaritans had
come to Him [Jesus], they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there
two days. And many more believed because
of His [Jesus’] own word. Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said,
for we ourselves have heard Him and know that this is indeed the Christ,
the Savior of the world.”
- John 5:24 says:
“Most
assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting
life, and shall not come into
judgment, but has passed from death into life.”
- John
5:44 says: “How can you
believe, who
receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?
- John
6:2 says: Then a great multitude followed
Him [Jesus], because they saw His signs which He performed on those who
were diseased.
- John 6:35-37 says:
And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he
who believes in Me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have
seen Me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives Me will come to
Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.”
- John 6:40 Jesus says:
“And this
is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and
believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the
last day.”
- John 6:68-69 says: But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom
shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to
believe and know that You are the
Christ, the Son of the living God.”
- John 6:47-51 Jesus says:
“Most
assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness,
and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may
eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven.
If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I
shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”
- John 7:37-39 says:
On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and
drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart
will flow rivers of living water.” But this He [Jesus] spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those
believing in Him would receive; for the Holy
Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
- John 8:12 says:
Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who
follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
- John 8:31-32 says:
Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed
Him, “If
you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the
truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
- John
8:34-36 says: Jesus answered them, “Most
assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave to sin. And a
slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son [Jesus] makes you free, you
shall be free indeed.
- John 9:3-5 says:
Jesus answered, “Neither this man [the blind man that Jesus
healed] nor his parents sinned, but that the woks of God should be
revealed in him [the healed man]. I just work the works of Him who sent Me
while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work, As long as I am
in the world, I am the light of the world.”
- John 10:9-11 Jesus says:
“ I am the
door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and
find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to
destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it
more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life
for the sheep.
- John 10:27-30 Jesus says:
“My sheep hear My
voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life,
and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone 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 My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one.”
[I know it’s got to be confusing, but by
faith we know that Jesus Christ and God the Father are one. The Triune God
consists of God the Father, God the Son [ which is Jesus Christ], and God
the Holy Spirit. Although we can’t always understand the nature of God, it says in 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.” In my opinion, as
Christians, we don’t have to always understand everything. Our knowledge
is limited to human understanding, but that’s not necessary, as long as we
have faith in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This next passage also
pertains to this topic.]
- John 10:37-38 Jesus says:
“If I do not do the
works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not
believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.” [I want to include John 17:20-21 since it pertains to the narrative
above: “I do not pray for these alone, but also for
those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one,
as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us,
that the world may believed that You sent Me.”]
- John 11:27-30 Jesus says:
“My sheep
hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them
eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone 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 My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one.”
- John 11:25-26 says: 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?”
- John
12:27-28 says: “Now My soul is
troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father,save Me from this hour’? But for
this purpose I came to this hour. “Father, glorify Your name.” Then
a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have
both glorified it and will glorify it again.”
- John 12:44-47 says:
Then Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in Me, believes not in Me
but in Him who sent Me. And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. I have
come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not
abide in darkness. And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do
not judge him; for I
did not come to judge the world but to save the world.”
- John
14:2-3 Jesus says: “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if
it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you
to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” [Jesus promised
this to His disciples, but also promises this to all who believe in Him as
their Savior!]
- John 14:5-7 says:
Thomas said to Him [Jesus], “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and
how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him,
“I
am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except
through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and
from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”
- John
14:27 Jesus says: “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you;
not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled,
neither let it be afraid.”
- John 15:4-5 Jesus says:
“I am the
vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much
fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide
in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them
and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.”
- John 15:12-14 Jesus
says to His disciples: “This is My commandment, that you love one
another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to
lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever
I command you.”
- John 17:3 Jesus says:
“And this
is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus
Christ whom You have sent.”
- John 20:19-29 says after Jesus had risen from the
Tomb: Then, the same day at evening, being the first
day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were
assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus
came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When He had said this, He showed them His hands
and His side, Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. So
Jesus said to them again, “Peace
to you! As the father has sent Me, I also send you.” and when He had said this, He breathed on them,
and said to them, “Receive
the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them;
if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” Now
Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus
came. The other disciples therefore said to him [Thomas], “We have seen
the Lord.” So he [Thomas] said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the
print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put
my hand into His side, I will not believe.” And
after eight days His [Jesus’] disciples were again inside, and Thomas with
them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” Then He [Jesus] said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My
hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving,
but believing.” And Thomas
answered and said to Him [Jesus], “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him,
“Thomas, because you
have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and
yet have believed.” [John chapter 21 tells of a third time that Jesus showed Himself to
a group of disciples.]
- Acts 4:24-26 says:
So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord
and said: “Lord, You are God, who made
heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, who by the
mouth of Your servant David have said: ‘Why did the nations rage, And the
people plot vain things? The kings of the earth took their stand, And the
rulers were gathered together Against the Lord and against His Christ.’” [The Apostles are quoting a prediction in Psalm 1:1-2. made 100’s
of before the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ the Son
of God and our Lord and Savior.]
- Acts
19:17-20 says: This became known to the Jews and Greeks dwelling in
Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and
the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. And many who had believed came
confessing and telling their deeds. Also, many of those who had practiced
magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all.
And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand
pieces of silver. So, the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.
- Romans 3:29-30 says:
Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He
not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, since there is one God who will justify the
circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. [This is a very significant Bible passage, because it verifies that
our Lord God is not just for the Hebrews, but is for everyone who believes
in Him.]
- Romans
15:5-6 says: Now may the God of patience
and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to
Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
- Romans 5:8-10 says:
But God demonstrates His own love toward
us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more
then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath
through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through
the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved
by His life.
- Romans 6:23 says: For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of
God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
- Romans 10:8-10 says:
But what does it say? “The word is near
you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we
preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in
your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For
with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation.
- Romans 10:11-13 says:
For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes
on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew
and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.
For “whoever calls on the name of
the Lord shall be saved.” [This
is a pretty significant passage, because it lets us know that it doesn’t
matter our ethnicity, but anyone who believes in Jesus Christ as their
Savior can go to heaven.”
- 1 Corinthians 8:4-6 says:
Therefore concerning the eating of things offered
to idols, we know that an idol is
nothing in the world, and there is
no other God but one. For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are
many gods and many lords), yet for us there
is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one
Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we live.”
- 1
Corinthians 10:13 sas: No temptation has overtaken you except such as is
common to man; but God is faithful, who
will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the
temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear
it.
- 1 Corinthians 15:3-10 says: For I delivered to you first of all that which
I also received: that Christ died
for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that
He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas [Peter], then
by the twelve. After that He [Jesus] was seen by over five hundred
brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to present, but some
have fallen asleep [died]. After that He [Jesus] was seen by James, then
by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one
born out of due time. For I [Paul] am the least of the apostles, who am
not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of
God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was
not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but
the grace of God which was with me. [This passages is significant in many ways, but it also tells us
that even those of us who have led very sinful worldly lives can be an
asset to the Lord God who used Saul, who used to persecute the church,
later known as Paul, to share the message of Jesus Christ’s life, death,
and resurrection for us!]
- 1 Corinthians 15:20-21 says:
But now Christ is risen from the dead, and
has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep [died]. For
since by man [Adam] came death. By Man [Jesus] also came the resurrection
of the dead.
- 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 says: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all
our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any
trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by
God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our
consolation also abounds through Christ.
- 2 Corinthians 6:16 says:
And what agreement has the temple of God with
idols? For you are the temple of
the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them And walk among
them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.”
- Romans 3:21-26 says:
But now the righteousness of God apart
from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,
even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and
on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and
fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as the
propitiation [substitute] by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His
righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins
that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His
righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has
faith in Jesus.
- Galatians 3:20 says:
Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one.
- Galatians
4:7-8 says: Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by
nature are not gods.
- Ephesians 4:4-6 says:
There is one body and one Spirit, just as
you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one
baptism; one God and Father of all,
who is above all, and through all, and in
you all. But to each one of us grace
was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. [This Bible passage tells of God the Father, Holy Spirit and Jesus
Christ, all of one God. Additionally, it briefly addresses our salvation
through the grace of Christ, who gave His life the ransom for many.]
- 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 says: For they themselves declare concerning us
what manner of entry we had to you, and
how you turned to God from idols
to serve the Living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He
raised from the dead, even Jesus
who delivers us from the wrath to come. [This passage is pretty significant, because it notes Salvation is
also for those who used to worship false gods, but turned around and chose
to worship the Lord God. It also mentioned how Jesus Christ is the one who
delivers us from the wrath of the judgment we deserve as sinful human
beings. He paid the price for our sin in His death on the cross and
Resurrection, so that all who believe in Him as their Savior can someday
have Salvation with Him when He calls us to join Him in heaven.]
- 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 says:
For the Lord Himself will descend from
heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet
of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and
remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the
Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore
comfort one another with these words.
- 1 Timothy 2:5-7 says:
For there is one God and one Mediator
between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for
all, to be testified in due time,
for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle- I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying- a teacher of the Gentiles in
faith and truth.
- 2
Timothy 2:22 says: Flee also youthful lusts; but
pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord
out of a pure heart.
- 2
Timothy 3:16-17 says: All Scripture is
given by inspiration of God, and is
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped
for every good work.
- Hebrews 10:8-9 says:
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today,
and forever. Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines.
For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with
foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with
them.
- Hebrews 13:5 says:
Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as
you have. For He Himself has said, “I will
never leave you nor forsake you.”
- James 1:5-6 says:
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of
God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given
to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who
doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
- James 2:19 says:
You believe that there is one God. You do
well. Even the demons believe- and tremble!
- James 4:7-8 says:
Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts you double-minded.
- 1 Peter 1:17-21 says: And if you call on the Father, who without
partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves
throughout the time of your stay here in fear: knowing that you were not
redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless
conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb
without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the
foundation of the world, but was manifest
in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him
from the dead and gave Him [Jesus] glory, so that your faith and hope are
in God.
- 1 Peter 5:6-7 says:
Therefore humble yourselves under the
mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your
care upon Him, for He cares for you.
- 2 Peter 1:17-18 says:
For he [Jesus] received from God the
Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent
Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in
whom I am well pleased.” And we
heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy
mountain.
- 2 Peter 3:9 says:
The Lord is not slack concerning His
promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not
willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
- 1 John 3:5 says:
And you know that He was manifested to
take away our sins, and in Him [Jesus] there is no sin.
- 1 John 4:9 says: In this the love of God was manifested toward
us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world that we
might live through Him. [This is a powerful Bible verse telling how God loved us so much,
that He gave His only Son, Jesus, to live, be betrayed, mocked, beaten,
spit upon, crucified on a cross, died, was buried, and rose again
according to what Jesus had predicted...All that those who believe in Him
as their Lord and Savior could some day join Him in heaven, when He calls
us.]
- 1 John 5:11-13 says:
And this is the testimony; that God has
given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has
life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe
in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal
life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.
- 1 John 5:20-21 says:
And we know that the Son of God has come
and has given us an understanding,
that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His
Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. Little
children, keep yourselves from idols.
Amen. [Again, this
clarifies that Jesus Christ is part of the One True God.]
- Jude
1:4 says: For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were
marked out for this condemnation, ungodly
men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.
[This Bible verse also includes Jesus
Christ as part of God.]
- Revelation 3:20-22 Jesus says:
“Behold, I
stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door,
I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who
overcomes I will grant to seit with Me on My throne as I also overcame and
sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit says to the churches.”
- Revelation 11:17 says:
“We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One who is and who was
and who is to come, Because You
have taken Your great power and reigned.”
- Revelation 21:3-6 says: And I [the Apostle John] heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes: there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.”
[Time and time again, the Israelites were led astray by worshiping the false gods and idols of the neighboring areas. God would warn them or have prophets tell them the consequences for going astray, but they rarely listened. When they had the consequences for turning their backs on the Lord God, they would cry out to the Lord and when they would turn back to worshiping only Him, the Lord God would take them back again and again.]
[Sometimes, the Lord God gave them a judge or a prophet to lead and refocus them, and they did well until the judge or the prophet died. Then, they fell back into their old patterns of worshiping false gods and idols. Fortunately, the Lord God never totally gave up and continued to provide ways for them to see the error of their ways, so that they would turn back to worshiping Him.]
[The Lord God even had consequences like famine, captivity, and death to help them turn from their evil ways and turn back to faith in the Lord God. When they genuinely turned back to worshiping the Lord God and no longer worshiped idols, images, the sun, moon, stars, and host of heaven [Zodiac], witchcraft, sorcery, turned to mediums and spiritists, no longer followed evil rituals to sacrifice their children to their idols or to make them walk through fire for their idols, the Lord God would forgive them and welcome them back.]
[No matter what we’ve done in our lives before, the Lord God welcomes all who come to Him and believe that Jesus Christ is their Lord and Savior, even those who come doubting, but are open to knowing the Lord.]
In John 3:16-21 Jesus says: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him [Jesus Christ] is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the lights, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”
[My advice, Follow Jesus, the Light of the World!]