My Top 10 Excerpts from Scripture

In keeping with the “religion and story” balance, I think it is only right that I follow up my list of movies a couple weeks ago with a list of Bible verses. The following passages are not only my personal favorite, but also what I think are some of the key verses in the Bible, demonstrating the main doctrines of Scripture or representing the crucial turning-points of the Bible’s narrative.


10. The Priestly Blessing, Numbers 6:24-26
The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

9. A Definition of Faith, Hebrews 11:1
         Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

8. Double Entendre, Matthew 27:24-25
         So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves.” And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!”

7. The Beatitudes, Matthew 5:2-12
And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
“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 satisfied.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive 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 others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

6. Things of First Importance, I Corinthians 15:3-5
         For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

5. A New Covenant, Jeremiah 31:31-33
         “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

4. The Word, John 1
…And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,
and we have seen his glory,
glory as of the only Son from the Father,
full of grace and truth.…

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

2. The Greatest Commandment & Shema, Matthew 22:36-40
         “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

1. The Christ Hymn, Philippians 2:5-11
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,

but made himself nothing, 
taking the very nature of a servant, 
being made in human likeness. 
And being found in appearance as a man, 
he humbled himself 
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place 
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, 
in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 
and every tongue confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord, 
to the glory of God the Father.
Amen.

Labels: , , , ,