Bible verses about "entitlement" | Riverside

¹⁶ See, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Be as wise as serpents and as pure as doves.

⁷ Observing how the guests were choosing the best couches, he gave them an illustration: ⁸ "When you are invited by any one to a wedding, do not recline on the best couch, for some one more honored than you may have been invited, ⁹ and when he who invited you and him comes he may say to you, 'Give place to this man,' and then you will with shame begin and take the humblest place. ¹⁰ But when you are invited, go and recline in the humblest place, so that when he who has invited you comes he may say, 'Friend, come up higher.' Then you will have honor before all your fellow guests. ¹¹ For every one who exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

¹ THEN Jesus addressed the crowd and his disciples. ² He said, "The scribes and Pharisees have seated themselves on Moses' seat. ³ So whatever they tell you, do and observe, but do not do as they do. For they say and do not. ⁴ They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men's shoulders, but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. ⁵ All their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and make their tassels large. ⁶ They love the best couches at dinners and the front seats in the synagogues ⁷ and salutations in the markets and to be called by men Rabbi. ⁸ But do not you be called Rabbi. For one is your Teacher and all of you are brothers. ⁹ And do not call any one on earth Father, for one is your Father in heaven. ¹⁰ Neither be called guides, for your Guide is one alone — the Christ. ¹¹ The greatest of you will be your servant. ¹² Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. ¹³ "But alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you shut the kingdom of heaven before men. You yourselves do not enter nor do you permit those who are entering to go in. ¹⁴ TEXT OMITTED ¹⁵ Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is won you make him twice as much a son of Gehenna as yourselves. ¹⁶ Alas for you, blind guides! You say, 'Whoever swears by the Temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the Temple is bound.' ¹⁷ Fools and blind, which is greater, the gold or the Temple that makes the gold holy? ¹⁸ You say, 'Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on the altar is bound.' ¹⁹ You blind, which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift holy? ²⁰ He, then, who swears by the altar swears by it and everything on it, ²¹ and he who swears by the Temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it, ²² and he who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it. ²³ "Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you pay tithes of mint, dill, and carraway and have disregarded the weightier matters of the law — justice and kindness and good faith. These you should have practiced, without neglecting those other things. ²⁴ Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and drink down a camel! ²⁵ Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside they are full through greed and self-indulgence. ²⁶ Blind Pharisees, cleanse first the inside of your cup so that the outside of it may become clean also. ²⁷ Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are like whitewashed tombs which outside appear beautiful, but inside are full of dead men's bones and every kind of uncleanness. ²⁸ So you, too, outwardly appear to men to be righteous, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. ²⁹ "Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous ³⁰ and say, 'If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.' ³¹ So you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. ³² Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers' guilt. ³³ Serpents, brood of vipers, how can you escape being sentenced to Gehenna? ³⁴ Therefore I am sending to you prophets and wise men and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and some you will scourge in your synagogues and will persecute from city to city, ³⁵ so that all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zachariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the Temple and the altar, may come on you. ³⁶ I tell you truly all this will come on this generation. ³⁷ Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you, how often would I fain have gathered your children as a bird gathers her nestlings under her wings, and you would not. ³⁸ See, your house is left to you desolate, ³⁹ for I tell you, you will not see me from now on until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!' "

¹ "THEN the kingdom of heaven will be like ten maidens who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ² Five of them were foolish and five were wise; ³ for the foolish ones took their lamps, but took with them no oil; ⁴ while the wise took oil in their flasks with their lamps. ⁵ As the bridegroom was late in coining, all grew drowsy and slept. ⁶ At midnight a cry was raised, 'Here is the bridegroom. Come out to meet him!' ⁷ Then all those maidens arose and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ But the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' ⁹ But the wise answered, 'There may not be enough for us and you. Go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.' ¹⁰ While they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding, and the door was shut. ¹¹ Afterwards came the rest of the maidens, saying, 'Master, Master, open for us.' ¹² But he answered, 'I tell you truly I do not know you.' ¹³ Watch, therefore, for you do not know the day nor the hour. ¹⁴ "It is just as when a man going abroad called his servants and committed to them his property. ¹⁵ To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his particular ability. Then he went abroad. ¹⁶ At once he who received the five talents went and traded with them and gained five more. ¹⁷ In the same way he who received the two gained two more. ¹⁸ But he who received the one talent went away and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. ¹⁹ After a long time the master of those servants came and had an accounting with them. ²⁰ The man who had received the five talents came and brought five talents more, saying, 'Master, you committed to me five talents; see, I have gained five talents more.' ²¹ His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will place you over many things. Enter into the joy of your master.' ²² The man who had received the two talents came and said, 'Master, you committed to me two talents; see, I have gained two talents more.' ²³ His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant, you have been faithful over a few things, I will place you over many things. Enter into the joy of your master.' ²⁴ Then the man who had received the one talent came and said, 'Master, I knew that you were a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you did not thresh, ²⁵ and I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. There, you have your own.' ²⁶ His master replied, 'You wicked and idle servant. Did you know that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I did not thresh? ²⁷ Then you ought to have turned over my money to the bankers, and at my coming I should have received my own with interest. ²⁸ Take from him the talent and give it to him who has the ten talents. ²⁹ For to every one who has will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken. ³⁰ And the worthless servant throw out into the darkness outside. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.' ³¹ "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne ³² and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will divide them one from another as a shepherd divides the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will place the sheep on his right hand and the goats on his left. ³⁴ Then will the King say to those on his right hand, 'Come, you who have been blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world! ³⁵ 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; ³⁶ naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you cared for me. I was in prison and you came to me.' ³⁷ Then will the righteous answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and take you in, or naked and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and come to you?' ⁴⁰ The King will answer, 'I tell you truly, inasmuch as you did it to one of these my brothers — even the least — you did it to me.' ⁴¹ Then he will say to those on his left hand, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the fire eternal prepared for the Devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me no food; I was thirsty and you gave me no drink; ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not take me in; naked and you did not clothe me; sick and in prison and you did not care for me.' ⁴⁴ Then they too will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not serve you?' ⁴⁵ He will answer them, 'I tell you truly inasmuch as you did not do it to one of these least, you did not do it to me.' ⁴⁶ These will go away into punishment eternal, but the righteous into life eternal."

¹⁹ Do not revenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to God's wrath. For it is written, "Vengeance is mine; I will repay, says the Lord."

¹⁶ We have come to know and have put our trust in the love which God has for us. God is love, and he who remains in love remains in God and God remains in him.

¹ "THE kingdom of heaven is like a man who was a householder, who went out in the early morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. ² After agreeing with the laborers for a shilling a day, he sent them into his vineyard. ³ He went out about nine o'clock and saw others standing in the market-place idle ⁴ and said to them, 'You too go into my vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.' So they went. ⁵ Again he went out about noon and about three o'clock and did the same. ⁶ About five o'clock he went out and found others standing and said to them, 'Why have you been standing the whole day idle?' ⁷ They said, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You go too into my vineyard.' ⁸ When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, 'Call the laborers and pay their hire, beginning with the last and going on to the first.' ⁹ When those who were hired about five o'clock came, they received a shilling apiece, ¹⁰ and when those who were hired first came, they thought that they would get more. But they too received a shilling apiece. ¹¹ When they received it, they grumbled at the householder ¹² and said, 'These last worked one hour and you have made them equal to us who bore the burden of the day and the heat.' ¹³ But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am not wronging you. Did you not agree with me for a shilling? ¹⁴ Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last man the same as to you. ¹⁵ Have I not the right to do what I will with my own? Is your eye evil because I am good?' ¹⁶ So the last will be first and the first last."

¹⁸ "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to captives and sight to the blind, to set at liberty the crushed,

⁸ If any one does not provide for his own, and especially those of his own household, he has disowned the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

¹ I, THE prisoner of the Lord, beg you, then, to live worthily of the calling with which you have been called, ² with all modesty and gentleness, being slow to anger, bearing with one another in love, ³ earnest in keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called with one hope that belongs to your calling, ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. ⁷ To each one of us grace was given according to the measure of the gift of Christ. ⁸ Therefore it says, "He ascended on high; he led away captives; he gave gifts to men." ⁹ What does "he ascended" mean, except that he had descended into the lowest parts of the earth? ¹⁰ He who descended is also he who "ascended" high above all the heavens to fill all things. ¹¹ And he "gave" to some to be apostles, some prophets, some tellers of the good news, some shepherds and teachers, ¹² for the equipment of the saints, for the work of service, for building up the body of Christ, ¹³ until we all attain oneness in the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, and the maturity of manhood and the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. ¹⁴ Then we shall be no longer children tossed and borne about by every wind of teaching through the trickery of men and craftiness in the devices of deceit, ¹⁵ but speaking the truth in love we shall grow wholly into him who is the head, Christ, ¹⁶ from whom the whole body framed together and strengthened by what every joint supplies vigorously, in the measure of each, makes growth in building itself up in love. ¹⁷ This then I say and solemnly protest in the Lord: that you are no longer to live as the Gentiles live in vacancy of mind, ¹⁸ having their understanding darkened, aliens from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, and because of the hardness of their hearts. ¹⁹ Lost to any sense of shame they have abandoned themselves to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. ²⁰ But you have not so learned Christ, ²¹ if you have heard him and have been taught in him as the truth is in Jesus, ²² that you should put away the old man who belonged to your former way of life and was perishing in deluding passions, ²³ and that you should be made new in the spirit of your minds ²⁴ and put on the new man formed as God approves in the righteousness and holiness of truth. ²⁵ Therefore put aside lying and speak truth every one to his neighbor, for we are members one of another. ²⁶ "Be angry and do not sin." Do not let the sun go down on your wrath, ²⁷ neither give place for the Devil. ²⁸ He who steals must steal no longer, but rather he must labor, working with his own hands something good, so as to have something to share with any one in need. ²⁹ Let no vile word come out of your mouth, but, if anything, a good word for needed upbuilding of character to give grace to those who hear. ³⁰ Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by whom you have been sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹ Let all bitterness and anger and wrath and clamor and abusive language be put away from you with every kind of malice. ³² Be kind to one another, sympathetic, forgiving one another just as God in Christ has forgiven you.

¹² Such we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to work quietly and eat their own bread.

⁶ But he gives greater grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

¹⁰ For when we were with you we gave you this command, "If any one will not work, neither is he to eat."

¹ WHENCE come wars and whence come strifes among you? Is it not from your pleasures which carry on war in your members? ² You long for something and do not have it. You murder and envy and cannot obtain it. You battle and war. You do not have, because of your not asking. ³ You ask and do not receive, because you ask wickedly to waste it on your pleasures. ⁴ You adulteresses, do you not know that the friendship of the world is enmity to God? Whoever chooses to be a friend to the world stands as an enemy of God. ⁵ Do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose? Does the Spirit which he made dwell in us long enviously? ⁶ But he gives greater grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." ⁷ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the Devil and he will flee from you. ⁸ Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Make your hands clean, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹ Be sorrowful and mourn and lament. Let your laughter be turned into grief and your gladness into gloom. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you. ¹¹ Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against his brother speaks against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law you are not a doer of the law, but a judge. ¹² One is the Lawgiver and Judge — he who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you, to judge your neighbor?