Top 7 Bible Verses About Doing the Right Thing

Choices…the greatest power we have in our lives are our choices. As Christians, this should always involve choosing to do the right thing. In any discussion about doing the right thing, we must also bring up the word “love.” This is because God’s love for us and our love for him compels us to want to do good as well. We love and serve others, because he first loved us. In light of this, here are my top 7 Bible verses about doing the right thing.

Acts 10:38 “…how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.” 

Jesus is our ultimate example of always doing the right thing. He lived his life to obey the father in every way, and he was always doing good everywhere he went. As Christians and his followers, we should likewise seek to do the right thing in every circumstance.

Romans 7:19 “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.” 

I included this verse in my top 7 Bible verses, because I think it describes our human condition as Christians. Our spirit wants to do the right thing, but our earthly flesh pulls us down like gravity to choose unwisely sometimes. So we are in a spiritual battle against good and evil inside of ourselves as well as against our mortal enemy—Satan. The good news is that the Lord is continually encouraging us to do what is right through the whisperings of the Holy Spirit.

I Corinthians 13:4 “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant…” 

God’s love compels and propels us forward to do the right things in our lives. Because he first loved us, we also try to be patient and kind in all circumstances. This is not from ourselves, but it is in response to his unmerited grace and mercy towards us each day. It reminds me of the song that says, “And they’ll know we are Christians by our love,” because God is love.

Galatians 6:9 “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” 

This is such an encouraging verse, in my opinion, as it reminds us that doing good is not a sprinting event—it is a life long marathon. Even though we are tempted by our own selfish desires or when we face life’s hardships to look out for ourselves, our choice should always be to do the right thing. We will never regret doing good, because our consciences will be clean and we will reap a heavenly reward one day. This command is repeated several times in Scripture in order to spur us on in the right direction.

Colossians 3:17 “ And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” 

This verse has been a continual theme in my life, because I do feel that everything I do should be to glorify and honor the Lord. As Christians, we are a living Bible, as well as representatives of Jesus with skin on, for the world to see. We can either choose to be salt and light to the world or bring disgrace and shame to our Lord, and my greatest hope for myself is to hear one day the following words, “Well done, good and faithful servant…” (Matthew 25:23).

I Thessalonians 5:15 “See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.” 

Human nature will usually lead us into wanting revenge or payback for the hurtful things that others do to us. However, the paradox of Christianity is that we should “love our enemies,” and as it says in this verse to do good to everyone. In spite of how we are treated, we need to exercise our gift of “choice,” and choose to do the right thing no matter what others to do us. The world will tell us repay evil for evil, but the Lord says to love one another unconditionally.

James 4:17 “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” 

This is a powerful warning, and a key thought to wrap up a discussion on doing the right thing. As Christians, we know we should be loving, moral, and ethical people who do good to everyone we come into contact with as much as it is humanly possible. However, the truth is that we sometimes fail to do just this. When this happens, we should be quick to repent, and turn to our heavenly father who is lovingly calling us back into a right relationship with him. Our deliberate disobedience is sin, and this is a gentle reminder to rush back to our Savior’s arms.

CONCLUSION

Doing the right thing is often counter-cultural in today’s “what’s in it for me” society. However, that is exactly what the Lord encourages us to do. As we choose to love and serve others by putting their needs before our own, we will actually live happier and more fulfilled lives. So doing the right thing in every circumstance will not only bless our friends, neighbors and even our enemies, but it will especially be a blessing and a gift to ourselves.

Written by Karla Hawkins

God has been good to me over the years, and I have much for which to be grateful to Him. First of all, I feel blessed to be the pastor’s wife of a thriving church in northern Michigan and the mother of four amazing grown children. It is also very rewarding to be a Christian author, editor and translator for the Kingdom of God. Some of my favorite pastimes include supporting my children’s contemporary Christian band ONLY9AM, singing on the worship team at church, traveling, and connecting with family and friends via social media. When I am not working, I love spending time with my family and especially with my precious three-year-old grandson.