Saturday, June 21, 2008

The 10 Greatest Bible Verses

This morning, I thought I would put together a list that I considered as the 10 Greatest Bible Verses of all-time. Now I know that all the Bible is 'God's Word" and that it is all good stuff. Yet, I love God's Word, and so I wanted to share what is my quick list of the greatest verses in the Bible. If you have any additions, I would enjoy hearing your suggestions. Or if you just want to share a favorite Bible verses, please share it. Without further ado (and you know, I have much dew in my writing), here is my favorites list:


 

Genesis 1:1        In the beginning, God created the heavens and the Earth… If you have this one down, you've won half the battle;

Exodus    3:14        14 God said to Moses, "I am who I am… The name of God first revealed to man. An awesome moment in history;

Exodus 34:10-34    The Ten Commandments. What else is there that is written over 4,000 years ago, that we still fight over today? What else but the 10 Commandments, which were originally given by God to Moses. These verses are still so powerful, still so teachable to our children, and still cause fear in our judges. There is nothing like the Commandments to teach us right from wrong, to help us to see we can never be good enough before God, and to also help us to see that we need a Savior to rescue us from our sins. There is nothing more powerful than God's Law, except perhaps the Good News.

Jeremiah 31:31-34    "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…For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." This is the promise of one day a New Covenant coming. The promise of a New Covenant fulfilled in Jesus Christ;

Matthew 1:23    Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel" (which means, God with us). The fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy in Isaiah 7:14, saying a virgin will give birth to a son and he shall be called Immanuel which means God with us.

Matthew 6:9-13    Lord teach us to pray. The Lord's Prayer is seminal in so many ways. Never before in Judeo-Christian tradition, had God been described as a 'Father'. Let alone as a loving, kind, caring Father (Abba Father is used in this prayer). This prayer also tells us to pray for our daily needs. The prayer describes that God's Kingdom is present, yet still coming. And finally, that there is an evil enemy from whom we need deliverance. The Lord's Prayer is the best way to start a conversation with God.

Matthew 7:12    Do unto others as you would have them do to you. The Golden Rule is influential as a standard of conduct for many generations, even through today.

John 3:16    The Gospel shrunk down to one verse – Jesus died as God's sacrifice for the world's sins. But this sacrifice must be received in order to obtain the gracious gift of eternal life. And those who do not accept this sacrifice will perish. So clear, concise yet powerful.

John 14:6    I've talked a lot about this verse. Jesus is the only way to heaven. Enough said. Period.

Romans 3:23-24 (and 5:1, 6:23, 8:1)    all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Yes, all of Romans could be added to this List. But the Romans verses listed here make the Gospel message of our sinfulness, and our only hope we have is to be justified through faith in Jesus and His sacrifice on the Cross in our place.

Ephesians 2:8-9    For it is by grace that you have been saved through faith… The Protestant Reformation's trumpet call – we are saved by God's Grace and not by being a nice person or doing good things.

1 John 1:9    If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all our unrighteousness. This is a foundational verse, which teaches us that even though Jesus died for our sins, we still need to confess our sins to be forgiven. And what a great verse to show our wonderful Maker is both faithful and just.

Revelation 20:11-15    Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it… Revelation is so important because we see such a clear picture of Jesus. Right from the start in Revelation, we see Jesus saying He is the Alpha and the Omega (1:8). That His hair is white as wool, His eyes are like a flame of fire (1:14). And of course, in Revelation 20:11-15 we see He is going to return one day to judge the dead. There


 

OK, for those counting, I've already reached 13 verses. But I hope you are feeling the excitement that I have for God's Word. I hope that I Have also glorified the Lord through His Word. My prayer is that you are likewise blessed through God's Word, that you have other verses that have blessed you, and that you would also like to share with others.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

to help us to see we can never be good enough before God, and to also help us to see that we need a Savior to rescue us from our sins.

Hmmm... I think you may be reading a bit much into the 10... What evidence supports these two statements?

Never before in Judeo-Christian tradition, had God been described as a 'Father'.

And She hasn't forgiven us yet...

Matthew 7:12 Do unto others as you would have them do to you. The Golden Rule is influential as a standard of conduct for many generations, even through today.

Although they were not the first to expound this view, they did popularize it, and that remains Christianity's greatest contribution to modern society.

John 14:6 I've talked a lot about this verse. Jesus is the only way to heaven. Enough said. Period.

And this, sadly, its' greatest hubris.


Joyous Solstice!
~E~

tom wolff said...

Ed asks if I am reading too much intot he 10 Commandments when I ay that "it helps us to see we can never be good enough before God, and to also help us to see that we need a Savior to rescue us from our sins."

In the Apostle Paul's writings in the New Testament, he refers to the 10 Commandments as "the Law". And so here are few of the NT passages discussing what the Law does:

no one perfectly keeps the Law (Romans 3:23);

The Law makes the sinner conscious of their sin (Romans 3:20, Romans 7:7, 1 John 3:4);

The Law is meant to lead us to see our guilt before God, and our need for a Savior (story of the Rich Young Ruler, Mark 10:17-29; see also, Galatians 3:13, 3:24).

Here is what Romans 3:20 says about the Law: Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.

Therefore, the 10 Commandments are more important than being just a Code of civil law. It is used by God through our conscience to show us that we have sinned, and of God's anger because of our rebellion.

Peggy said...

Hey Babes, I love how analytical your list is, everything is very orderly. Although you have wonderful verses, my favorites are verses that just touch my heart. They are not in order or tell a story, they just speak to me. Also because we have a living Bible, different things speak to us on different days and depend what we are going through. I am trying to choose some verses that have stayed with me, words I need to repeat often. I am only going to add to yours even though many deserve to be repeated.

Isaiah 41:10 Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.

Ephesians 4:32 Be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God though Christ has forgiven you.

Psalm 145:8 The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to get angry, full of unfailing love.

James 4:17 Remember, it is a sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.

Philippians 2:10-11 At the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 1:20-24 For I will live in eager expectation and hope, that I will always be bold for Christ, and that my life will always honor Christ.

Luke 5:12-13 "Lord." he said, "If you want to, your can make me will again." Jesus reached out and touched the man. "I want to," he said. "Be healed!"

Proverbs 18:4 A person's words can be life-giving water.

James 4:8 Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you.

Galatians 5 :22-23 When the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Anonymous said...

James 4:17 Remember, it is a sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.

now, THERE is one we can all agree on...

I think this was a good time to post your faves, both of you... When there is so much to draw from, you really can tell what kind of Christian a person is through their favorites. That seems especially relevant right now, when the more extremely conservative Christians are having trouble finding a candidate who speaks for them.

Rev. Dobson, whose grasp of reality has often seemed ... tenuous ... over the years, recently recorded a brutal 18 minute diatribe against Sen. Obama and his set of Christian beliefs. An Ad hoc mob of self-proclaimed "leaders" of the Evangelical community issue a strong call to return the nation to its' Puritanical roots... A lawyer from Burnsville joins at least hundreds, and more likely thousands upon thousands, of newly vocal Christians who aren't afraid to say, "There IS a right way to practice Christianity!" and blogs it out there for everyone to see.

But now, after 8 years of an Administration that actively fanned these new fires of faith, we would seem to headed toward an election of religious moderates...

Dobson's public remarks have left him unable to vote for either major candidate, and the speculation is that he will leave the President slot blank on his Nov. ballot.

Tom, do you think this might lead to a large chunk of the religious Right just staying home this November? Will the change in Admin change the course of the newly energized "traditionalist" movement?

What do you think Dobson's favorite verses are?

Shalom and Aloha!
~E~

ps: First Tim Russert, now George Carlin... Two influential voices for the political left, together capable of mobilizing huge numbers of voters (in totally different demographics and for totally different reasons), suddenly dead of "natural" causes... Conspiracy theorists playground, or is God just being a little testy?

Anonymous said...

My Favorite bible verse is the one I first learned at bible study fellowship. Deuteronomy 8:6 Observe the commanda of the Lord your God walking in his ways and reverend him.

Asia

Anonymous said...

My favorite comes from the Gospel of Thomas (53):

His disciples said to him, "is circumcision useful or not?"

He said to them, "If it were useful, their father would produce children already circumcised from their mother. Rather, the true circumcision in spirit has become profitable in every respect."


This shows that Jesus understood mutation and adaptation. Since anyone with a true understanding of mutations realizes that "micro" and "macro" evolution are all part of the same process, it is strong evidence that Jesus believes in Evolution.

Note the small "f" used in father... several sources I checked all used this, but nowhere in the Gospel of Thomas does he refer to God as the Father, so he was clearly talking about the human progenitor.

No wonder that Constantine insisted that this book not be included in the Bible. I wonder what else we missed out on by letting a half-tamed, Johnny-come-lately convert (who was clearly motivated more by politics than faith) decide what should be canon and what should be burned...

~E~

Anonymous said...

My favorite verse is ephesians 2:8-9.
Olivia

Anonymous said...

Elijah says my favorite verse is God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16.

Anonymous said...

my faveorite verse is John 14-15. it says, I am the good shepherd.I know my sheep as the Father knows me. And my sheep know me as I Know the Father. I give my life for the sheep.
from maggie

Anonymous said...

Papa's favorite verse is Romans 12:12, which says:  Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. (reported by tom).

Anonymous said...

My favourite would have to be the 13th chapter of Paul's first letter to the Corinthians. It talks about love. 'nuff said

Anonymous said...

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Anonymous said...

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Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing the Bible verses. There are more on http://www.vietchristian.com/bible/favorites.asp . Please put more on it too. :)

Anonymous said...

thanks for posting this.

Anonymous said...

totally agree with you.


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