Patience gives love staying power when another person is difficult, weak, or slow to respond. Gentleness shapes the way you use your words and strength in caring for that person. The passages below explain these qualities through life together: forgiving, listening, helping, teaching, and continuing in goodness before God.
Bear with one another in love
Treat the people around you with the compassion and patience that belong to life with Christ. Colossians 3:12–14 addresses believers as chosen, holy, and loved, then tells them to put on mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, and longsuffering. The clothing image makes these qualities part of their ordinary conduct. Earlier, Colossians 3:1–11 explains the reason: they share Christ’s life and have put off the old life of anger, malice, and falsehood. Give another person the kindness that fits the Lord to whom you now belong.
Bearing with someone means continuing to treat that person with love when living together requires patience. Colossians 3:13 joins this with forgiving one another when there is a complaint; the KJV calls that complaint a “quarrel”. Christ’s forgiveness supplies the pattern and reason. When irritation rises, remember the mercy you have received, put aside the desire to repay the offense, and consider what will serve the other person’s good. Verse 16 includes teaching and admonishing one another, so this patient relationship has room for truthful help and correction.
Ephesians 4:1–6 gives patience a shared purpose. Believers are to walk worthily of their calling through humility, meekness, and longsuffering, bearing with one another in love and working to preserve the unity of the Spirit in peace. Paul names one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father. They have received a common life that they are to honor in their treatment of each other. Make an effort to preserve that fellowship through a humble response, a willing hearing, and continuing care.
First Corinthians 13:1–7 explains why the heart behind that conduct matters. Even extraordinary speech, knowledge, faith, and costly giving are empty without love. “Charity suffereth long, and is kind”: love is patient and actively kind. It relinquishes boasting and self-seeking, and it rejoices in truth rather than wrongdoing. Its bearing, hoping, and enduring therefore mean faithful commitment to another’s good. Cultivate that commitment as you speak and act; outward restraint should express a heart learning to love.
Further study: Chris Blumhofer · Biblical Studies Press
Learn the gentleness of Christ
Begin as someone who receives care and instruction from Jesus. In Matthew 11:25–30, he gives thanks for the Father’s revelation, declares that he makes the Father known, and invites the weary to come to him for rest. He tells them to take his yoke and learn from him, describing himself as “meek and lowly in heart”. The yoke belongs to following his teaching: the one who has authority to reveal the Father receives burdened people with gentleness. Let his words govern your life and his manner shape the way you help others.
Matthew 12:9–13 shows that gentleness at work in a dispute about healing on the Sabbath. Jesus asks whether his questioners would lift a sheep from a pit on that day, then reasons that a human being is worth much more. He declares it lawful to do good and restores the man’s withered hand. His concern for the man gives his answer its direction. Attending to a person’s need and speaking clearly about what is right belong together in his conduct.
When opponents plot against him, Jesus withdraws and continues healing. Matthew 12:14–21 explains this through Isaiah’s servant: he brings justice to the nations, refrains from quarrelsome display, and will not break a bruised reed or extinguish a smoldering lamp wick, the meaning of “smoking flax”. These images describe care for what is already fragile, alongside determination to bring judgment to victory. Isaiah 42:1–9 likewise joins the servant’s tender manner with his unwearied work of justice and liberation. Matthew identifies Jesus as this promised servant. As his disciple, learn to help with regard for another’s frailty while remaining committed to what God calls good.
This character grows through life in God’s Spirit. Galatians 5:13–26 begins by directing Christian freedom toward serving one another in love. It exposes the destruction caused by hostility and rivalry, then names patience, kindness, meekness, and self-control among the Spirit’s fruit. The KJV’s “gentleness” in verse 22 describes kindness; its “Meekness” in verse 23 describes a humble, gentle manner toward others. Paul joins God’s work to a present responsibility: those who live by the Spirit are to walk by the Spirit. Follow his direction as you give up provocation and envy and choose the patient, loving action before you.
Further study: Dale C. Allison Jr. · Biblical Studies Press · Biblical Studies Press · Biblical Studies Press
Listen patiently and give a fitting answer
Give yourself time to hear and understand before you speak. James 1:19–21 calls believers to be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger, because human anger does not produce God’s righteousness. This instruction belongs with receiving God’s word in meekness and putting it into practice in James 1:22–27. Remember that you, too, need to listen to God. Let his word correct your first impulse and direct the response you give.
Proverbs 18:13 identifies answering before hearing as foolish and shameful. Verse 17 adds a reason to listen carefully: the first account can appear right until another person examines it. Proverbs 15:28 says that the righteous heart considers how to answer. Together these sayings call for attention to the actual matter, including what you have not yet understood. Hear the person out, weigh what is being said, and choose words that address the real need. Proverbs 16:32 prizes ruling one’s spirit above conquering a city; this restraint is an achievement worth pursuing.
A gentle answer can help quiet anger. Proverbs 15:1–4 contrasts a soft answer with painful words that stir up wrath, and it compares wholesome speech to a life-giving tree. Proverbs 25:15 presses the point through a striking image: persistent patience can persuade a ruler, and a soft tongue can break a bone. The image commends the power of a gentle appeal to overcome hard resistance. These wisdom sayings give you reason to speak patiently and seek peace; they do not place another person’s response under your control. Choose words for their truth and healing purpose.
Patience also includes letting an offense pass without demanding a quarrel over it. Proverbs 19:11 links discretion with delaying anger and calls passing over a transgression a person’s glory. Exercise that generosity where you can release the personal grievance. When an answer or correction is needed, Ephesians 4:25–32 supplies its direction: speak truth because you belong to one another, put away bitterness and malicious speech, and say what will build up and benefit the hearer. The passage grounds tenderhearted forgiveness in God’s forgiveness through Christ, and Ephesians 5:1–2 calls his loved children to walk in love. Let that purpose determine both the words and the manner.
Further study: Biblical Studies Press
Give the help each person needs
Patient care pays attention to the person’s actual need. First Thessalonians 5:14 gives several different responsibilities: warn the unruly, comfort the discouraged, support the weak, and be patient toward everyone. The KJV’s “feebleminded” here means fainthearted or discouraged. Someone who has lost courage needs encouragement; someone who lacks strength needs support; someone acting in a disorderly way needs a clear warning that calls them back to faithful conduct. Learn enough about the person and the difficulty to give the help the passage calls for.
These responsibilities are shared by the congregation. First Thessalonians 5:12–13 first recognizes those who labor and lead among the believers, and verse 14 then addresses the brothers and sisters themselves. Patience belongs in the work of all who help. Verse 15 continues by requiring the pursuit of good for one another and for everyone, including when someone has done wrong. Keep helping with that purpose, rather than allowing frustration to decide how you treat a person.
Bearing with someone can also require setting aside a permitted preference for that person’s good. Romans 14:1–6 describes believers who differ over foods and observance of days. Paul calls them to welcome one another because God has received them, while each remains responsible to the Lord. In Romans 14:13–23, he directs those confident about eating to consider whether their conduct will lead a brother to act against his own conviction. He urges them to pursue peace and mutual strengthening. Patient fellowship therefore includes restraint and respect for another believer’s conscience.
Romans 15:1–7 gives the reason for such generosity. The strong are to bear the weaknesses of the weak and please their neighbor for the neighbor’s good and edification. Christ is the pattern: he did not please himself, but bore reproach. Paul applies to him the scriptural words about bearing insults directed against God, making Christ’s costly faithfulness the example for their care. Paul then prays that the God who gives patience and encouragement will enable a united life of praise. Give up an insistence on your own convenience when doing so helps someone grow faithfully. The aim is the person’s good before God, and the resulting welcome is to resemble Christ’s welcome of you.
Further study: Biblical Studies Press
Help a person who has fallen with humility
When a person is caught in wrongdoing, seek to help that person return to faithful conduct. Galatians 6:1 tells those who are spiritual to restore the person “in the spirit of meekness”. The instruction follows the Spirit’s fruit in Galatians 5:22–26, including meekness and the rejection of rivalry. Spiritual maturity should therefore appear in the care used to help a fallen person. Make the wrong clear and seek restoration with a manner that expresses humility and love.
Paul immediately adds that the helper must watch himself, because he too can be tempted. Galatians 6:2 then directs believers to bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill Christ’s law. Helping carries a cost: you give attention and assistance to a difficulty that belongs to someone else. This is one way to practice the service of love commanded in Galatians 5:13–14. Approach the person as a fellow believer who also depends on grace and needs the help of others.
Shared help belongs with honest responsibility. Galatians 6:3–5 exposes self-importance, directs each person to examine his own work, and says that each will bear his own burden. You cannot measure your faithfulness by feeling superior to someone who has fallen. Examine your own conduct while helping the other person attend to theirs. Verse 6 adds a practical form of sharing: the one taught is to share good things with the teacher. Mutual care involves both giving and receiving, with each person answering for the part entrusted to them.
Further study: Amy L. B. Peeler · Biblical Studies Press · Biblical Studies Press
Give correction with truth, patience, and a gentle spirit
Gentle correction makes the truth understandable and seeks the other person’s recovery. In 2 Timothy 2:14–18, Paul identifies teaching that harms faith, including the claim that the resurrection has already happened. He charges Timothy to handle the word of truth faithfully. Then, in 2 Timothy 2:22–26, he tells the Lord’s servant to pursue righteousness and peace, avoid quarrels, be gentle to everyone, and teach patiently. The truth matters enough to correct error, and the people affected matter enough to be treated with care.
The hope governing this work is repentance and knowledge of the truth. Second Timothy 2:25–26 places that change in God’s hands: God may grant repentance so that those opposed recover from the devil’s snare. The KJV’s “peradventure” means perhaps. Timothy is responsible to teach faithfully and gently; the passage gives him no technique for forcing an inward change. Carry out the help entrusted to you, speak with patience, and depend on God for the response that teaching seeks.
Firm action can serve that same concern. Second Thessalonians 3:6–15 addresses people who refuse to work and become busybodies. Paul commands them to work quietly, directs the church to withdraw company from persistent disobedience, and states the purpose of making the offender ashamed. He then insists that the person be admonished as a brother rather than counted an enemy. The passage concerns unwillingness to work, not inability. Its disciplinary action belongs to this stated situation, and its manner keeps the person’s restoration in view. Fulfill a real responsibility to confront wrongdoing with that continuing brotherly concern.
Remain teachable while you speak. James 3:13–18 requires wisdom to show itself in good conduct and meekness, then describes wisdom from above as pure, peaceable, gentle, and “easy to be intreated”—open to a reasonable appeal. Purity and receptivity stand together. Hear a truthful correction to your own judgment and pursue the peace in which righteousness grows. Paul’s appeal by Christ’s meekness in 2 Corinthians 10:1–11 likewise sits beside his readiness to act against disobedience. He explains that the Lord entrusted him with apostolic authority to build the church up. That particular responsibility shows how firm correction can serve a gentle, loving concern.
When you recognize pride or selfish desire in your own impatience, turn to God and receive correction yourself. James 4:1–3 traces the community’s quarrels to desires that fight within its members. James 4:6–10 answers that condition with God’s grace to the humble and the call to submit to him, draw near, cleanse one’s conduct, and turn from divided loyalties. Examine what you have been demanding, acknowledge the wrong before God, and change the conduct his word exposes. The person offering help remains someone who needs grace and must keep learning obedience.
Further study: Biblical Studies Press · Dale C. Allison Jr.
Show gentleness to those who oppose you
Extend this manner beyond people who respond well to you. Titus 3:1–3 directs believers to be ready for good work, peaceable, and gentle toward all people. It supplies a reason: they themselves once lived in disobedience, envy, and mutual hatred. Titus 3:4–8 then describes God’s kindness and mercy in saving them through Jesus Christ and renewing them by the Holy Spirit. Remembering that undeserved mercy gives you reason to treat others with humility and to devote yourself to good works that benefit them.
Moses’ prayer for Miriam gives a particular biblical example of seeking good for someone who has spoken against you. In Numbers 12:1–8, Miriam and Aaron challenge Moses, the narrator describes him as very meek, and the LORD declares his exceptional place as a faithful servant with whom he speaks directly. When Miriam becomes leprous and Aaron acknowledges their sin, Moses cries to God for her healing (Numbers 12:9–15). Miriam remains outside the camp for seven days, and the people wait for her return. The account preserves God’s judgment while showing Moses asking mercy for the person who opposed him. His unique authority is part of Israel’s history; his prayer illustrates concern for another’s good in the midst of a real wrong.
First Peter 3:8–17 gives believers their own direct instruction. They are to respond to evil with blessing, seek peace, and keep a good conscience. Even when they suffer for doing right, they are to honor the Lord in their hearts and explain their hope “with meekness and fear”. The answer belongs with good conduct, so that false accusations meet a life faithful to Christ. Speak truth about your hope with reverence and gentleness, and keep seeking the good of the person to whom you speak.
Keep doing good while you wait for the Lord
Keep your treatment of people faithful while you wait for what God will do. Psalm 37:1–11 addresses the distress caused by people who prosper in wrongdoing. It calls for trust, doing good, committing one’s way to the LORD, and waiting patiently for him. Its instruction to cease from anger belongs with confidence that the wicked will not prevail forever. The meek are promised an inheritance and peace. Let that confidence steady your conduct: continue doing what is right without taking another person’s apparent success as permission to become like them.
James 5:1–11 gives waiting a similar moral setting. Before asking believers to be patient, James condemns wealth gained through withheld wages and the oppression of the righteous. God has heard the laborers’ cries. James then points to the farmer who waits for the precious crop and the rains, and calls believers to strengthen their hearts because the Lord’s coming is near. Verse 9 brings that hope directly into their relationships: they must not grumble against one another, for the Judge stands at the door. Waiting for God includes attending to the words and attitudes you direct toward the people beside you.
Continue the good work that is yours to do. Galatians 6:7–10 compares conduct to sowing and harvest: sowing to the flesh leads to corruption, while sowing to the Spirit leads to eternal life. The promised harvest gives believers reason to persevere in doing good to all, especially the household of faith. This promise concerns life before God; it does not assign a date by which the person you help must change. Take the opportunities you have to offer patient attention, encouragement, practical support, and truthful help.
Ask God for the strength to keep living this way. In Colossians 1:9–14, Paul prays for understanding that leads to a life worthy of the Lord and fruitful in good works. He also prays for strength according to God’s power for patience and longsuffering with joy. The prayer rests in the Father’s deliverance and the Son’s redemption and forgiveness. Bring your need for patience to this God, receive his instruction, and return to the next act of love with gratitude for his care.
Further study: Richard Carlson
Read the passages
Scripture in context
29 contextual selections for this subject, including the passages cited above and further related reading. Every selected range is reproduced in full from the KJV. Context notes identify the setting and kind of evidence.
Evaluated narrative 1 selections
Numbers 12:1–16 KJV · In this guide
Context: Miriam and Aaron speak against Moses; God declares his exceptional prophetic standing, Miriam is afflicted, Moses intercedes, and the camp waits for her return.
12:1 And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman.
12:2 And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it.
12:3 (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)
12:4 And the LORD spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out.
12:5 And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth.
12:6 And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.
12:7 My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.
12:8 With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?
12:9 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them; and he departed.
12:10 And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous.
12:11 And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned.
12:12 Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother’s womb.
12:13 And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee.
12:14 And the LORD said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? let her be shut out from the camp seven days, and after that let her be received in again.
12:15 And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days: and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again.
12:16 And afterward the people removed from Hazeroth, and pitched in the wilderness of Paran.
Wisdom psalm 1 selections
Psalms 37:1–40 KJV · In this guide
Context: The complete wisdom psalm contrasts the temporary success of the wicked with God’s sustaining care and the inheritance of the righteous.
37:1 Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
37:2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.
37:3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
37:4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
37:5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
37:6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.
37:7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
37:8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.
37:9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.
37:10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.
37:11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
37:12 The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.
37:13 The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.
37:14 The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation.
37:15 Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.
37:16 A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.
37:17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the LORD upholdeth the righteous.
37:18 The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever.
37:19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
37:20 But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.
37:21 The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.
37:22 For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.
37:23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.
37:24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.
37:25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
37:26 He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.
37:27 Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.
37:28 For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.
37:29 The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.
37:30 The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.
37:31 The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.
37:32 The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.
37:33 The LORD will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.
37:34 Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.
37:35 I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree.
37:36 Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.
37:37 Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.
37:38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.
37:39 But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble.
37:40 And the LORD shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.
Wisdom sayings 3 selections
Proverbs 15:1–4 KJV · In this guide
Context: Four complete sayings contrast wise and foolish speech, recognize the LORD’s knowledge, and use the tree-of-life image for wholesome words.
15:1 A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.
15:2 The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.
15:3 The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.
15:4 A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.
Proverbs 15:28–33 KJV · In this guide
Context: Complete sayings about considered speech, prayer, encouraging news, receptive hearing, and humility conclude the chapter.
15:28 The heart of the righteous studieth to answer: but the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things.
15:29 The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.
15:30 The light of the eyes rejoiceth the heart: and a good report maketh the bones fat.
15:31 The ear that heareth the reproof of life abideth among the wise.
15:32 He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding.
15:33 The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility.
Proverbs 18:13–17 KJV · In this guide
Context: Complete neighboring anthology sayings concern hearing, a wounded spirit, seeking knowledge, gifts, and examination of a first account; each retains its own subject.
18:13 He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.
18:14 The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear?
18:15 The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.
18:16 A man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.
18:17 He that is first in his own cause seemeth just; but his neighbour cometh and searcheth him.
Complete wisdom saying 2 selections
Proverbs 16:32 KJV · In this guide
Context: The complete proverb uses a comparison of two achievements: slow anger and self-government are better than military might and conquest.
16:32 He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.
Proverbs 19:11 KJV · In this guide
Context: This complete two-part proverb praises discretion that delays anger and the honorable act of passing over a transgression.
19:11 The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.
Complete wisdom saying with metaphor 1 selections
Proverbs 25:15 KJV · In this guide
Context: This complete paired proverb joins patience toward a ruler with the surprising image of a soft tongue breaking bone.
25:15 By long forbearing is a prince persuaded, and a soft tongue breaketh the bone.
Prophetic servant oracle 1 selections
Isaiah 42:1–9 KJV · In this guide
Context: The servant oracle describes the Spirit-endowed servant’s manner and worldwide justice; the LORD who creates and gives breath announces his calling and purpose.
42:1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.
42:2 He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.
42:3 A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.
42:4 He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.
42:5 Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:
42:6 I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;
42:7 To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.
42:8 I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.
42:9 Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.
Jesus’ prayer, declaration, and invitation 1 selections
Matthew 11:25–30 KJV · In this guide
Context: Following responses of unbelief, Jesus thanks the Father for revelation, declares the Son’s unique knowledge, and invites the weary to take his yoke and learn.
11:25 At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.
11:26 Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.
11:27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.
11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Gospel narrative and fulfillment explanation 1 selections
Matthew 12:9–21 KJV · In this guide
Context: The Sabbath healing dispute leads to an opponents’ plot, Jesus’ withdrawal and healing, and Matthew’s explicit fulfillment citation from Isaiah.
12:9 And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue:
12:10 And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him.
12:11 And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?
12:12 How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.
12:13 Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other.
12:14 Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.
12:15 But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all;
12:16 And charged them that they should not make him known:
12:17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
12:18 Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.
12:19 He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets.
12:20 A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.
12:21 And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.
Apostolic instruction about disputed practices 1 selections
Romans 14:1–15:13 KJV · In this guide
Context: The extended argument treats disputes over eating and days, judgment before God, conscience, restraint, Christ’s example, and the united praise of Jews and Gentiles.
14:1 Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.
14:2 For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.
14:3 Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.
14:4 Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.
14:5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
14:6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.
14:7 For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.
14:8 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.
14:9 For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.
14:10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
14:11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
14:12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
14:13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.
14:14 I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.
14:15 But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.
14:16 Let not then your good be evil spoken of:
14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
14:18 For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.
14:19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.
14:20 For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.
14:21 It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.
14:22 Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.
14:23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
15:1 We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
15:2 Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.
15:3 For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.
15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
15:5 Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:
15:6 That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
15:7 Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.
15:8 Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:
15:9 And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name.
15:10 And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people.
15:11 And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people.
15:12 And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust.
15:13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
Apostolic instruction and praise of love 1 selections
1 Corinthians 13:1–13 KJV · In this guide
Context: Within the larger discussion of spiritual gifts, Paul gives love priority, describes its conduct, and distinguishes its abiding worth from present partial knowledge.
13:1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
13:2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
13:3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
13:4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
13:5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
13:6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
13:7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
13:8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
13:9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
13:10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
13:11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
13:12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
Apostolic self-defense and exhortation 1 selections
2 Corinthians 10:1–11 KJV · In this guide
Context: Paul defends his ministry against charges about weakness and boldness, appeals through Christ’s gentleness, and states the constructive purpose of his authority.
10:1 Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you:
10:2 But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh.
10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
10:6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
10:7 Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? If any man trust to himself that he is Christ’s, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ’s, even so are we Christ’s.
10:8 For though I should boast somewhat more of our authority, which the Lord hath given us for edification, and not for your destruction, I should not be ashamed:
10:9 That I may not seem as if I would terrify you by letters.
10:10 For his letters, say they, are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.
10:11 Let such an one think this, that, such as we are in word by letters when we are absent, such will we be also in deed when we are present.
Shared Christian instruction 10 selections
Galatians 5:13–26 KJV · In this guide
Context: Paul directs Christian freedom toward love, contrasts the flesh and the Spirit, and applies walking by the Spirit against rivalry and provocation.
5:13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
5:14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
5:15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.
5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
5:18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
5:20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
5:21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
5:24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
5:26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
Galatians 6:1–10 KJV · In this guide
Context: Restoration and shared burdens lead into self-examination, sharing with teachers, sowing to the Spirit, and persevering in good for all.
6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
6:2 Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
6:3 For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.
6:4 But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.
6:5 For every man shall bear his own burden.
6:6 Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.
6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
6:8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
Ephesians 4:1–6 KJV · In this guide
Context: The appeal to a worthy walk opens the letter’s sustained instruction about life in the body of Christ and names the shared realities that ground unity.
4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
4:2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
4:3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4:4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
4:5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
4:6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
Ephesians 4:25–5:2 KJV · In this guide
Context: Concrete new-life commands about truth, anger, work, speech, and forgiveness culminate in imitating God and walking in Christ’s self-giving love.
4:25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.
4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
4:27 Neither give place to the devil.
4:28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
4:31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
5:1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
Colossians 3:1–17 KJV · In this guide
Context: Life with the risen Christ leads to putting off former conduct, putting on the new self, and practicing compassion, forgiveness, love, shared teaching, and gratitude.
3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
3:2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
3:3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
3:4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
3:6 For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
3:7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.
3:8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
3:9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
3:11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
3:12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
3:13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
3:14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
3:17 And what soever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
1 Thessalonians 5:12–24 KJV · In this guide
Context: Closing community instructions move from regard for leaders and peace to differentiated help, goodness, prayer, testing, and God’s sanctifying faithfulness.
5:12 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;
5:13 And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.
5:14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.
5:15 See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.
5:16 Rejoice evermore.
5:17 Pray without ceasing.
5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
5:19 Quench not the Spirit.
5:20 Despise not prophesyings.
5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.
5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
5:24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.
James 1:16–27 KJV · In this guide
Context: God’s good giving and birth through the word of truth lead into receptive hearing, restrained speech and anger, doing the word, and concrete care.
1:16 Do not err, my beloved brethren.
1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
1:18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
1:19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
1:20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
1:21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
1:23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
1:24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
1:26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.
1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
James 3:13–18 KJV · In this guide
Context: After instruction about the tongue, James contrasts rivalrous wisdom with wisdom from above by motives, conduct, and fruit.
3:13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
3:14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
3:15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
3:16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
3:18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.
James 4:1–10 KJV · In this guide
Context: James diagnoses quarrels through disordered desire and divided loyalty, then calls the community to receive grace through submission, repentance, and humility.
4:1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?
4:2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
4:5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
4:9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
1 Peter 3:8–17 KJV · In this guide
Context: Peter addresses the whole community, joins blessing and peace with the possibility of unjust suffering, and calls for an answer grounded in hope and good conduct.
3:8 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:
3:9 Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.
3:10 For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:
3:11 Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.
3:12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
3:13 And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?
3:14 But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;
3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
3:16 Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.
3:17 For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.
Apostolic prayer 1 selections
Colossians 1:9–14 KJV · In this guide
Context: Paul prays for understanding that bears fruit in worthy conduct, endurance, longsuffering, and gratitude for the Father’s deliverance and the Son’s redemption.
1:9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
1:10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
1:11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;
1:12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Congregational discipline in a stated situation 1 selections
2 Thessalonians 3:6–16 KJV · In this guide
Context: Paul’s example of work frames commands to those refusing to work, continued goodness, disciplined withdrawal, brotherly admonition, and the prayer for peace.
3:6 Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.
3:7 For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you;
3:8 Neither did we eat any man’s bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you:
3:9 Not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us.
3:10 For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
3:11 For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.
3:12 Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.
3:13 But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.
3:14 And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.
3:15 Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.
3:16 Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all.
Ministerial instruction 1 selections
2 Timothy 2:14–26 KJV · In this guide
Context: Timothy is charged to handle truth, reject teaching that destroys faith, become useful to his master, and correct opponents with patience and meekness.
2:14 Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers.
2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
2:16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
2:17 And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
2:18 Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.
2:19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
2:20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.
2:21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.
2:22 Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
2:23 But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.
2:24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,
2:25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
2:26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
Instruction through Titus to believers 1 selections
Titus 3:1–11 KJV · In this guide
Context: Instructions for public conduct are grounded in former disobedience and God’s saving mercy, then directed toward good works and away from divisive controversy.
3:1 Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work,
3:2 To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.
3:3 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.
3:4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
3:6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
3:7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
3:8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.
3:9 But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.
3:10 A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;
3:11 Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.
Prophetic denunciation and Christian exhortation 1 selections
James 5:1–11 KJV · In this guide
Context: The denunciation of exploitative wealth precedes the call to patient hope, the farmer comparison, restraint from mutual grumbling, and the prophets and Job as examples.
5:1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
5:2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
5:3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.
5:4 Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.
5:5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.
5:6 Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.
5:7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
5:8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.
5:9 Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.
5:10 Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.
5:11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
Go deeper
Sources & interpretation
The teaching starts with the cited Scripture. These consulted works inform wording, context, and interpretive questions. No qualified human review has been recorded for this guide.
Who are the unruly, discouraged, and weak?
First Thessalonians 5:14 distinguishes three forms of help but does not give a biography of each group. Second Thessalonians 3:6–15 explicitly identifies refusal to work and disruptive meddling. Romans 14 identifies a different, context-specific weakness concerning faith and foods.
- The unruly in 1 Thessalonians 5:14 are specifically idle people, as several translations render it.
- The expression refers more broadly to disorderly conduct, of which the later-described idleness is one relevant instance.
- The discouraged and weak can be reduced to the same moral failure as the unruly.
PROBABLE on the exact scope of unruly; VERY_STRONG that the verse calls for differentiated help and patience toward all. The main article retains disorderly as the broader description and explains the separate case of deliberate refusal to work. It does not assign a moral defect to everyone lacking courage or strength.
Further study: Biblical Studies Press
Further examination: Why does Paul choose a different action for each group, and what evidence would be needed before deciding that a person needs admonition rather than encouragement or support?
What confidence do the proverbs about gentle speech give?
Proverbs 15:1 contrasts the characteristic effects of gentle and hurtful speech. Proverbs 25:15 uses a deliberately surprising soft-tongue/bone image. First Peter 3:13–17 still allows that good conduct may be met with suffering.
- The sayings guarantee that a gentle speaker can secure agreement or safety in every encounter.
- They commend the effective wisdom of patient, fitting speech without making another person’s response a guaranteed result.
- The bone image authorizes force or manipulation in order to obtain agreement.
STRONG for the second reading. The metaphor commends gentle persistence; the actual action is speech and forbearance. Wisdom’s confidence should be retained alongside the wider recognition that good conduct can be opposed.
Further study: Biblical Studies Press
Further examination: How do the paired contrasts establish a wise manner of speaking, and why does that counsel remain valuable when another person refuses to listen?
How should Christ’s gentleness shape the use of authority?
Jesus’ invitation is given by the Son who reveals the Father; Matthew’s servant citation includes victorious justice. Timothy is required to teach gently, while Paul describes apostolic authority given for edification. Numbers 12 expressly distinguishes Moses from other prophets.
- Meekness rules out any firm judgment, correction, or exercise of authority.
- Meekness governs how a real, textually warranted responsibility is exercised, with concern for truth and the other person’s good.
- Every action of Jesus, Moses, or an apostle creates an identical authority for every reader.
STRONG for the second reading. Shared Christian duties and specifically entrusted offices remain distinct. Jesus’ saving identity, Moses’ prophetic standing, and Paul’s apostleship cannot be inferred for the reader merely from the call to gentleness.
Further study: Dale C. Allison Jr.
Further examination: Which responsibilities are directly addressed to believers, which belong to a particular office, and how does the stated aim of helping or building up govern their manner?
- Commentary on Colossians 3:12–17
Chris Blumhofer · Working Preacher / Luther Seminary · 2024-12-29
Relates the virtues to new identity in Christ and the actual life of the community.
What was reviewed
Complete commentary body, including the five virtues, complaints and forgiveness, love, communal peace, teaching, and note 1. Accessed 2026-09-25.
The baptismal-formula reconstruction is not needed here. The article mislabels the peace command as verse 16; it is verse 15. Thompson and Bonhoeffer were not independently read.
- NET Bible: Colossians 3
Biblical Studies Press · NET Bible, hosted chapter text
Translation comparison checks compassion, gentleness, patience, and the sense of a complaint in verse 13.
What was reviewed
Displayed chapter text, verses 1–17, especially verses 12–16; the separately linked notes were not opened. Accessed 2026-09-25 · Read in part.
Translation text only. No historical or lexical argument is attributed to unopened notes; the pinned KJV remains the display source.
- Commentary on Matthew 11:16–19, 25–30
Dale C. Allison Jr. · Working Preacher / Luther Seminary · 2008-07-06
Connects discipleship to Jesus’ character and questions an interpretation of meekness as incapacity to confront.
What was reviewed
Complete commentary body; particular use of the final paragraphs on revelation, learning, gentleness, and Jesus’ forceful actions. Accessed 2026-09-25.
His Moses-background proposal is not a premise of the main article. Jesus’ and Paul’s particular authority is not automatically transferred to the reader.
- NET Bible: Galatians 5:22
Biblical Studies Press · NET Bible
Checks the Spirit’s production of the fruit and the rendering of the KJV’s gentleness as kindness.
What was reviewed
Verse rendering, comparison translations, and all three numbered notes. Accessed 2026-09-25 · Read in part.
The proposed alternative punctuation and the cited BDAG entry were not independently investigated; neither controls this guide.
- NET Bible: Matthew 12:20, translation comparison
Biblical Studies Press · NET Bible
Checks smoking flax as a smoldering wick, making the fragile-light image understandable.
What was reviewed
NET rendering and displayed comparison translations; the notes field was empty. Accessed 2026-09-25 · Read in part.
Translation comparison only; no explanatory note or new textual study is claimed.
- NET Bible: Galatians 5:23, translation comparison
Biblical Studies Press · NET Bible
Checks the KJV’s meekness and temperance against gentleness and self-control.
What was reviewed
Verse rendering, comparison translations, and note 1, which concerns the supplied conjunction. Accessed 2026-09-25 · Read in part.
The numbered note addresses English style, not the meanings of the two virtues.
- NET Bible: Proverbs 15:1, notes 1–3
Biblical Studies Press · NET Bible
Explains soft and grievous through the contrasting effects of conciliatory and painful speech.
What was reviewed
Verse and all three translator notes; the cited biblical parallels Judges 8:1–3 and 12:1–7 were then read in the pinned corpus. Accessed 2026-09-25 · Read in part.
McKane and BDB were not read directly. The Jephthah narrative includes threats, contested help, insults, and violence; it does not establish tone as the sole cause of war.
- NET Bible: 1 Thessalonians 5:14
Biblical Studies Press · NET Bible
Checks the older feebleminded wording against discouraged/fainthearted and shows the undisciplined/unruly/idle translation range.
What was reviewed
NET and displayed translation comparisons, plus note 1; that note concerns the address to brothers and sisters. Accessed 2026-09-25 · Read in part.
Lexical comparison is not a full historical reconstruction of the congregation. The page has no dedicated explanatory note on those three groups.
- Commentary on Galatians 6:[1–6] 7–16
Amy L. B. Peeler · Working Preacher / Luther Seminary · 2019-07-07
Connects restoration with the Spirit’s fruit and offers an alternative account of the individual burden in verse 5.
What was reviewed
Complete commentary body; principal use of The communal fruit of the spirit continued, especially the proposed counterexample reading of verses 3–5. Accessed 2026-09-25.
Her reading of verses 3–5 as a hypothetical counterexample is explicitly tentative. This guide prefers the direct self-examination instruction; her other claims about Israel are outside its argument.
- NET Bible: Galatians 6:1, notes 1–6
Biblical Studies Press · NET Bible
Explains the spiritual as those directed by God’s Spirit and relates restoration’s manner to gentleness.
What was reviewed
Verse and all six translator/study notes. Accessed 2026-09-25 · Read in part.
Brief notes; their cited lexical resources were not separately inspected.
- NET Bible: Galatians 6:5, note 1
Biblical Studies Press · NET Bible
Records the choice between a predictive future and an imperatival future concerning each person’s load.
What was reviewed
Verse, comparison renderings, and the single translator note. Accessed 2026-09-25 · Read in part.
The note does not settle present responsibility versus final judgment and supplies no license to cancel verse 2.
- NET Bible: James 3:17, notes 1–3
Biblical Studies Press · NET Bible
Clarifies easy to be intreated as willingness to yield or openness to persuasion.
What was reviewed
Verse and all three translator notes, especially note 1 on receptivity. Accessed 2026-09-25 · Read in part.
Its short gloss is governed here by the verse’s purity, mercy, and sincerity and the surrounding contrast with rivalry.
- Commentary on James 5:7–10
Richard Carlson · Working Preacher / Luther Seminary · 2022-12-11
Connects patient waiting with judgment against oppression and peaceable conduct within the community.
What was reviewed
Complete commentary body, from the opening on future and present through the conclusion; specific use of the paragraphs on 5:1–6, the farmer, and 5:9–11. Accessed 2026-09-25.
The stronger claim that the coming is already unfolding, and the reconstruction excluding the rich from the entire addressed audience, are not required or adopted.