Bible verses about "patriotism" | Moffatt

³⁷ He replied, "You must love the Lord your God with your whole heart, with your whole soul, and with your whole mind. ³⁸ This is the greatest and chief command. ³⁹ There is a second like it: you must love your neighbour as yourself. ⁴⁰ The whole Law and the prophets hang upon these two commands."

⁶ You will hear of wars and rumours of wars; see and do not be alarmed. These have to come, but it is not the end yet.

¹³ To lay life down for his friends, man has no greater love than that.

¹ Every subject must obey the government-authorities, for no authority exists apart from God; the existing authorities have been constituted by God. ² Hence anyone who resists authority is opposing the divine order, and the opposition will bring judgment on themselves. ³ Magistrates are no terror to an honest man, though they are to a bad man. If you want to avoid being alarmed at the government-authorities, lead an honest life and you will be commended for it; ⁴ the magistrate is God's servant for your benefit. But if you do wrong, you may well be alarmed; a magistrate does not wield the power of the sword for nothing, he is God's servant for the infliction of divine vengeance upon evil-doers. ⁵ You must be obedient, therefore, not only to avoid the divine vengeance but as a matter of conscience, ⁶ for the same reason as you pay taxes — since magistrates are God's officers, bent upon the maintenance of order and authority. ⁷ Pay them all their respective dues, tribute to one, taxes to another, respect to this man, honour to that. ⁸ Be in debt to no man — apart from the debt of love one to another. He who loves his fellow-man has fulfilled the law. ⁹ You must not commit adultery, you must not kill, you must not steal, you must not covet — these and any other command are summed up in a single word, You must love your neighbour as yourself. ¹⁰ Love never wrongs a neighbour; that is why love is the fulfilment of the law. ¹¹ And then you know what this Crisis means, you know it is high time to waken up; for Salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. ¹² It is far on in the night, the day is almost here; so let us drop the deeds of darkness and put on the armour of the light; ¹³ let us live decorously as in the open light of day — no revelry or bouts of drinking, no debauchery or sensuality, no quarrelling or jealousy. ¹⁴ No, put on the character of the Lord Jesus Christ, and never think how to gratify the cravings of the flesh.

¹⁶ Live like free men, only do not make your freedom a pretext for misconduct; live like servants of God.

²⁹ Peter and the apostles answered, "One must obey God rather than men.

³⁶ Jesus replied, "My realm does not belong to this world; if my realm did belong to this world, my men would have fought to prevent me being handed over to the Jews. No, my realm lies elsewhere."

⁹ But you are the elect race, the royal priesthood, the consecrated nation, the People who belong to Him, that you may proclaim the wondrous deeds of Him who has called you from darkness to his wonderful light — ¹⁰ you who once were no people and now are God's people, you who once were unpitied and now are pitied.

¹⁷ Do honour to all, love the brotherhood, reverence God, honour the emperor.

¹ Well, my very first counsel is that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgiving, are to be offered for all men — ² for kings and all in authority, that we may lead a tranquil life in all piety and gravity; ³ it is good to pray thus, it is acceptable to our Saviour,

¹ Every subject must obey the government-authorities, for no authority exists apart from God; the existing authorities have been constituted by God. ² Hence anyone who resists authority is opposing the divine order, and the opposition will bring judgment on themselves. ³ Magistrates are no terror to an honest man, though they are to a bad man. If you want to avoid being alarmed at the government-authorities, lead an honest life and you will be commended for it; ⁴ the magistrate is God's servant for your benefit. But if you do wrong, you may well be alarmed; a magistrate does not wield the power of the sword for nothing, he is God's servant for the infliction of divine vengeance upon evil-doers. ⁵ You must be obedient, therefore, not only to avoid the divine vengeance but as a matter of conscience,

¹³ (These all died in faith without obtaining the promises; they only saw them far away and hailed them, owning they were 'strangers and exiles upon earth.' ¹⁴ Now people who speak in this way plainly show they are in search of a fatherland. ¹⁵ If they thought of the land they have left behind, they would have time to go back, ¹⁶ but they really aspire to the better land in heaven. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God; he has prepared a City for them.)

²⁰ But we are a colony of heaven, and we wait for the Saviour who comes from heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ,