[see the book info-page / buy Kindle or Nook versions]
*
Part two (pp. 201-235) of chapter four of my book, Bible Truths for Catholic Truths: A Source Book for Apologists and Inquirers (Manchester, New Hampshire: Sophia Institute Press, 2009); the paperback is now out-of-print. This book could also be known as Dave’s Topical Bible, and contains over 1,900 Bible passages, categorized under 115 thematic headings. I am now offering it online for free.
*
In these blog posts I use — for readers’ convenience — the original RSV of the manuscript (© 1971 by Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America), rather than KJV, which was mostly used in the paperback, due to copyright law. This book is all Bible, except for a few clarifying comments here and there. Subtitles sometimes differ from the published version. They are my own original titles.
*****
GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS IN THE PSALMS
Psalm 7:9 . . . thou who triest the minds and hearts, thou righteous God.
Psalm 7:17 I will give to the LORD the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High.
Psalm 11:7 For the LORD is righteous, . . .
Psalm 22:3 Yet thou art holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.
Psalm 33:5 He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD.
Psalm 50:6 The heavens declare his righteousness,
Psalm 71:16 . . . I will praise thy righteousness, thine alone.
Psalm 71:19 and thy righteousness, O God, reach the high heavens. Thou who hast done great things, O God, who is like thee?
Psalm 71:22 I will also praise thee with the harp for thy faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praises to thee with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel.
Psalm 77:13 Thy way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God?
Psalm 78:41 They tested him again and again, and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
Psalm 89:14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of thy throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before thee.
Psalm 89:18 For our shield belongs to the LORD, our king to the Holy One of Israel.
Psalm 92:15 . . . the LORD is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.
Psalm 97:6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness; and all the peoples behold his glory.
Psalm 99:5 Extol the LORD our God; worship at his footstool! Holy is he! (cf. 99:3,9)
Psalm 111:3 Full of honor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures for ever.
Psalm 116:5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; our God is merciful.
Psalm 119:137 Righteous art thou, O LORD, and right are thy judgments.
Psalm 119:142 Thy righteousness is righteous for ever, and thy law is true.
GOD ENABLING AND ESTABLISHING HUMAN RIGHTEOUSNESS IN THE PSALMS (50 PASSAGES)
Psalm 5:8 Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of my enemies; make thy way straight before me.
Psalm 7:9 O let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish thou the righteous, . . .
Psalm 7:10 My shield is with God, who saves the upright in heart.
Psalm 10:17 O LORD, thou wilt hear the desire of the meek; thou wilt strengthen their heart, thou wilt incline thy ear
Psalm 13:5 But I have trusted in thy steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.
Psalm 14:5 There they shall be in great terror, for God is with the generation of the righteous.
Psalm 18:35 Thou hast given me the shield of thy salvation, and thy right hand supported me, and thy help made me great.
Psalm 19:8 the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes
Psalm 21:2 Thou hast given him his heart’s desire, and hast not withheld the request of his lips.
Psalm 23:3 he restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Psalm 25:5 Lead me in thy truth, and teach me, for thou art the God of my salvation; for thee I wait all the day long.
Psalm 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts; so I am helped, and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.
Psalm 31:1 In thee, O LORD, do I seek refuge; let me never be put to shame; in thy righteousness deliver me!
Psalm 31:3 Yea, thou art my rock and my fortress; for thy name’s sake lead me and guide me,
Psalm 31:23 Love the LORD, all you his saints! The LORD preserves the faithful, . . .
Psalm 33:21 Yea, our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name.
Psalm 34:15 The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous, and his ears toward their cry.
Psalm 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the LORD delivers him out of them all.
Psalm 36:10 O continue thy steadfast love to those who know thee, and thy salvation to the upright of heart!
Psalm 37:17 . . . the LORD upholds the righteous.
Psalm 37:28 For the LORD loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. The righteous shall be preserved for ever, . . .
Psalm 37:31 The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not slip.
Psalm 37:39 The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; he is their refuge in the time of trouble.
Psalm 40:8 I delight to do thy will, O my God; thy law is within my heart.
Psalm 40:10 I have not hid thy saving help within my heart, I have spoken of thy faithfulness and thy salvation; I have not concealed thy steadfast love and thy faithfulness from the great congregation.
Psalm 40:11 Do not thou, O LORD, withhold thy mercy from me, let thy steadfast love and thy faithfulness ever preserve me!
Psalm 45:7 you love righteousness and hate wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows;
Psalm 51:6-7 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Psalm 51:8 Fill me with joy and gladness; let the bones which thou hast broken rejoice.
Psalm 51:9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.
Psalm 51:11 Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy holy Spirit from me.
Psalm 51:14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of thy deliverance.
Psalm 55:22 Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.
Psalm 71:2 In thy righteousness deliver me and rescue me; incline thy ear to me, and save me!
Psalm 71:24 And my tongue will talk of thy righteous help all the day long, . . .
Psalm 73:1 Truly God is good to the upright, to those who are pure in heart.
Psalm 78:72 With upright heart he tended them, and guided them with skilful hand.
Psalm 79:9 Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name; deliver us, and forgive our sins, for thy name’s sake!
Psalm 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; he bestows favor and honor. No good thing does the LORD withhold from those who walk uprightly.
Psalm 85:8 Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints, to those who turn to him in their hearts.
Psalm 86:11 Teach me thy way, O LORD, that I may walk in thy truth; unite my heart to fear thy name.
Psalm 104:15 and wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread to strengthen man’s heart.
Psalm 106:31 And that has been reckoned to him as righteousness from generation to generation for ever.
Psalm 118:14 The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.
Psalm 119:34 Give me understanding, that I may keep thy law and observe it with my whole heart.
Psalm 119:40 Behold, I long for thy precepts; in thy righteousness give me life!
Psalm 119:165 Great peace have those who love thy law; nothing can make them stumble.
Psalm 143:1 Hear my prayer, O LORD; give ear to my supplications! In thy faithfulness answer me, in thy righteousness!
Psalm 143:11 For thy name’s sake, O LORD, preserve my life! In thy righteousness bring me out of trouble!
HUMAN RIGHTEOUSNESS IN THE PSALMS
Psalm 1:5 . . . the congregation of the righteous;
Psalm 1:6 for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, . . .
Psalm 7:8 The LORD judges the peoples; judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me.
Psalm 11:7 For the LORD . . . loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face.
Psalm 15:2 He who walks blamelessly, and does what is right, and speaks truth from his heart;
Psalm 18:20 The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he recompensed me.
Psalm 18:24 Therefore the LORD has recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
Psalm 24:4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false, and does not swear deceitfully.
Psalm 26:3 For thy steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in faithfulness to thee.
Psalm 32:11 Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
Psalm 33:1 Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright.
Psalm 37:3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so you will dwell in the land, and enjoy security.
Psalm 37:18 The LORD knows the days of the blameless, and their heritage will abide for ever;
Psalm 37:27 Depart from evil, and do good; so shall you abide for ever.
Psalm 37:37 Mark the blameless man, and behold the upright, for there is posterity for the man of peace.
Psalm 44:18 Our heart has not turned back, nor have our steps departed from thy way,
Psalm 64:10 Let the righteous rejoice in the LORD, and take refuge in him! Let all the upright in heart glory!
Psalm 68:3 But let the righteous be joyful; . . .
Psalm 73:1 Truly God is good to the upright, to those who are pure in heart.
Psalm 89:5 Let the heavens praise thy wonders, O LORD, thy faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones!
Psalm 92:12 The righteous flourish like the palm tree, and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
Psalm 94:15 for justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it.
Psalm 97:11 Light dawns for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart.
Psalm 97:12 Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name!
Psalm 106:3 Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times!
Psalm 118:20 This is the gate of the LORD; the righteous shall enter through it.
Psalm 119:1 Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD!
Psalm 119:56 This blessing has fallen to me, that I have kept thy precepts.
Psalm 119:63 I am a companion of all who fear thee, of those who keep thy precepts.
Psalm 119:69 The godless besmear me with lies, but with my whole heart I keep thy precepts;
Psalm 119:87 . . . I have not forsaken thy precepts.
Psalm 119:100 I understand more than the aged, for I keep thy precepts.
Psalm 119:110 . . . I do not stray from thy precepts.
Psalm 119:168 I keep thy precepts and testimonies, for all my ways are before thee.
Psalm 125:4 Do good, O LORD, to those who are good, and to those who are upright in their hearts!
Psalm 140:13 Surely the righteous shall give thanks to thy name; the upright shall dwell in thy presence.
GOD’S ENABLING GRACE AND THE “RIGHTEOUS” ACCORDING TO THE PROPHETS
Isaiah 12:2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.
Isaiah 26:7 The way of the righteous is level; thou dost make smooth the path of the righteous.
Isaiah 26:9 My soul yearns for thee in the night, my spirit within me earnestly seeks thee. For when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.
Isaiah 33:5 The LORD is exalted, for he dwells on high; he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness;
Isaiah 45:13 I have aroused him in righteousness, and I will make straight all his ways; . . .
Isaiah 45:22 Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.
Isaiah 45:24 Only in the LORD, it shall be said of me, are righteousness and strength; . . .
Isaiah 48:18 O that you had hearkened to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea;
Isaiah 49:8 Thus says the LORD: “In a time of favor I have answered you, in a day of salvation I have helped you; I have kept you and given you as a covenant to the people, to establish the land, to apportion the desolate heritages;
Isaiah 51:7 Hearken to me, you who know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; . . .
Isaiah 54:14 In righteousness you shall be established . . .
Isaiah 56:1 Thus says the LORD: “Keep justice, and do righteousness, for soon my salvation will come, and my deliverance be revealed.”
Isaiah 57:15 For thus says the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite.”
Isaiah 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
Isaiah 61:11 For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.
Isaiah 62:12 And they shall be called The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD;
Isaiah 64:5 Thou meetest him that joyfully works righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways.
Jeremiah 3:15 And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.
Jeremiah 15:20 And I will make you to this people a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you, but they shall not prevail over you, for I am with you to save you and deliver you, says the LORD.
Jeremiah 17:14 Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved; for thou art my praise.
Jeremiah 30:11 For I am with you to save you, says the LORD; . . .
Jeremiah 31:33 But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Jeremiah 32:39 I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for their own good and the good of their children after them.
Jeremiah 32:40 I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them; and I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me.
Jeremiah 32:41 I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul.
Jeremiah 39:18 For I will surely save you, and you shall not fall by the sword; but you shall have your life as a prize of war, because you have put your trust in me, says the LORD.
Ezekiel 11:19 And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them; I will take the stony heart out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,
Ezekiel 18:31 Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed against me, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! . . .
Ezekiel 36:26 A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will take out of your flesh the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
Daniel 9:18 O my God, incline thy ear and hear; open thy eyes and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name; for we do not present our supplications before thee on the ground of our righteousness, but on the ground of thy great mercy.
Hosea 2:19 And I will betroth you to me for ever; I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love, and in mercy.
Hosea 10:12 Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and rain salvation upon you.
Hosea 14:4 I will heal their faithlessness; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them.
Habakkuk 2:4 Behold, he whose soul is not upright in him shall fail, but the righteous shall live by his faith.
SANCTIFICATION AS PART OF SALVATION / INFUSED JUSTIFICATION (50 PASSAGES)
Psalm 51:2, 7-10 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! . . . Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Fill me with joy and gladness; let the bones which thou hast broken rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.
Ezekiel 33:12-15, 18-19 And you, son of man, say to your people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him when he transgresses; and as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall by it when he turns from his wickedness; and the righteous shall not be able to live by his righteousness when he sins. Though I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, yet if he trusts in his righteousness and commits iniquity, none of his righteous deeds shall be remembered; but in the iniquity that he has committed he shall die. Again, though I say to the wicked, `You shall surely die,’ yet if he turns from his sin and does what is lawful and right, if the wicked restores the pledge, gives back what he has taken by robbery, and walks in the statutes of life, committing no iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die. . . . When the righteous turns from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, he shall die for it. And when the wicked turns from his wickedness, and does what is lawful and right, he shall live by it.
Ezekiel 37:23 They shall not defile themselves any more with their idols and their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions; but I will save them from all the backslidings in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.
Matthew 5:20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
John 17:17 Sanctify them in the truth; thy word is truth.
Acts 3:19 Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,
Acts 15:8-9 And God who knows the heart bore witness to them, giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us; and he made no distinction between us and them, but cleansed their hearts by faith.
Acts 20:32 And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
Acts 26:18 to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.
Romans 2:13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.
Romans 5:10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.
Romans 5:19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man’s obedience many will be made righteous.
Romans 6:13, 17 Do not yield your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but yield yourselves to God as men who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments of righteousness. . . . But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed,
Romans 6:19 I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once yielded your members to impurity and to greater and greater iniquity, so now yield your members to righteousness for sanctification.
Romans 6:22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the return you get is sanctification and its end, eternal life.
Romans 8:10 But if Christ is in you, although your bodies are dead because of sin, your spirits are alive because of righteousness.
Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit;
1 Corinthians 1:2 To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:
1 Corinthians 6:11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
2 Corinthians 7:1 Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, and make holiness perfect in the fear of God.
Ephesians 1:4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.
Ephesians 4:24 and put on the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
Ephesians 6:14 Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
Colossians 1:22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him,
Colossians 3:12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience,
1 Thessalonians 3:13 so that he may establish your hearts unblamable in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.
1 Thessalonians 4:3, 7 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from unchastity; . . . For God has not called us for uncleanness, but in holiness.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 May the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Thessalonians 2:13 But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.
1 Timothy 4:7 . . . Train yourself in godliness; (cf. 4:12; 6:3-6)
1 Timothy 6:11 But as for you, man of God, shun all this; aim at righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.
2 Timothy 2:21-22 If any one purifies himself from what is ignoble, then he will be a vessel for noble use, consecrated and useful to the master of the house, ready for any good work. So shun youthful passions and aim at righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call upon the Lord from a pure heart.
2 Timothy 3:12 Indeed all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
Titus 2:12, 14 training us to renounce irreligion and worldly passions, and to live sober, upright, and godly lives in this world, . . . who gave himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and to purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds. (cf. 1:1)
Hebrews 9:12-14 he entered once for all into the Holy Place, taking not the blood of goats and calves but his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies for the purification of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
Hebrews 10:10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Hebrews 10:14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.
Hebrews 10:29 How much worse punishment do you think will be deserved by the man who has spurned the Son of God, and profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and outraged the Spirit of grace?
Hebrews 12:10, 14 For they disciplined us for a short time at their pleasure, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. . . . Strive for peace with all men, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.
Hebrews 13:12 So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.
James 1:21, 26 Therefore put away all filthiness and rank growth of wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. . . . If any one thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this man’s religion is vain.
James 4:8 Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you men of double mind.
1 Peter 1:2 chosen and destined by God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: . . .
1 Peter 1:14-15 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct;
1 Peter 1:22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere love of the brethren, love one another earnestly from the heart.
1 Peter 2:5, 9 and like living stones be yourselves built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. . . . But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, (cf. 2:24)
2 Peter 1:9 For whoever lacks these things is blind and shortsighted and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
2 Peter 3:11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of persons ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, (cf. 1:3,6-7)
1 John 1:7, 9 but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 3:3 And every one who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. (cf. Jude 1:20-21)
THE OBEDIENCE OF FAITH / WORKS OF FAITH
John 3:36 He who believes in the Son has eternal life; he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God rests upon him.
John 6:27-29 “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you; for on him has God the Father set his seal.” Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
Acts 5:32 And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.
Romans 1:5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations,
Romans 10:16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel; . . .
Romans 16:26 but is now disclosed and through the prophetic writings is made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith –
1 Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God which is with me. (cf. 15:58)
2 Corinthians 8:7 Now as you excel in everything — in faith, in utterance, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in your love for us — see that you excel in this gracious work also.
2 Corinthians 9:13 Under the test of this service, you will glorify God by your obedience in acknowledging the gospel of Christ, and by the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others;
Galatians 5:6-7 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is of any avail, but faith working through love. You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth?
1 Thessalonians 1:3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Thessalonians 1:8, 11 inflicting vengeance upon those who do not know God and upon those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. . . . To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his call, and may fulfil every good resolve and work of faith by his power,
Titus 1:16 They profess to know God, but they deny him by their deeds; they are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good deed.
Hebrews 5:9 and being made perfect he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,
James 2:18 . . . I by my works will show you my faith.
James 2:22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by works,
1 Peter 4:17 For the time has come for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?
1 John 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments.
Revelation 2:19 I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first.
NO ABSOLUTE ASSURANCE OF FINAL SALVATION / SALVATION AS A PROCESS
1 Samuel 11:6; 18:12 And the spirit of God came mightily upon Saul when he heard these words, . . . Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him but had departed from Saul.
Ezekiel 18:24 But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity and does the same abominable things that the wicked man does, shall he live? None of the righteous deeds which he has done shall be remembered; for the treachery of which he is guilty and the sin he has committed, he shall die.
Ezekiel 33:12-15, 18-19 And you, son of man, say to your people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him when he transgresses; and as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall by it when he turns from his wickedness; and the righteous shall not be able to live by his righteousness when he sins. Though I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, yet if he trusts in his righteousness and commits iniquity, none of his righteous deeds shall be remembered; but in the iniquity that he has committed he shall die. Again, though I say to the wicked, `You shall surely die,’ yet if he turns from his sin and does what is lawful and right, if the wicked restores the pledge, gives back what he has taken by robbery, and walks in the statutes of life, committing no iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die. . . . When the righteous turns from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, he shall die for it. And when the wicked turns from his wickedness, and does what is lawful and right, he shall live by it.
Matthew 7:21 Not every one who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 13:19-21 When any one hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in his heart; this is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.
Matthew 24:10-13 And then many will fall away, and betray one another, and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because wickedness is multiplied, most men’s love will grow cold. But he who endures to the end will be saved. (cf. 10:22; Mk 13:13)
Mark 4:5-6, 14-19 Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it had not much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil; and when the sun rose it was scorched, and since it had no root it withered away. . . . The sower sows the word. And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown; when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word which is sown in them. And these in like manner are the ones sown upon rocky ground, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; and they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are the ones sown among thorns; they are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world, and the delight in riches, and the desire for other things, enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.
Luke 8:5-14 “A sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell along the path, and was trodden under foot, and the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock; and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns grew with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew, and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said this, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God; but for others they are in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand. Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, that they may not believe and be saved. And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy; but these have no root, they believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.”
1 Corinthians 9:27 but I pommel my body and subdue it, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
1 Corinthians 10:12 Therefore let any one who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.
Galatians 4:8-9 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were in bondage to beings that by nature are no gods; but now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and beggarly elemental spirits, whose slaves you want to be once more?
Galatians 5:1, 4 . . . stand fast therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery . . . You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.
Philippians 3:11-14 that if possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brethren, I do not consider that I have made it my own . . . I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Colossians 1:21-23 And you, who once were estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him, provided that you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel which you heard, . . .
1 Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by giving heed to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.
1 Timothy 5:15 For some have already strayed after Satan.
2 Timothy 2:12 if we endure, we shall also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us;
Hebrews 4:14 . . . let us hold fast our confession.
Hebrews 3:12-14 Take care, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day . . . that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we share in Christ, if only we hold our first confidence firm to the end.
Hebrews 6:4-6 For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God, and the powers of the age to come, if they then commit apostasy . . .
Hebrews 6:15 . . . Abraham, having patiently endured, obtained the promise.
Hebrews 10:26, 29 For if we sin deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, . . . How much worse punishment do you think will be deserved by the man who has spurned the Son of God, and profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and outraged the Spirit of grace?
Hebrews 10:36, 38-39 For you have need of endurance, so that you may do the will of God and receive what is promised. . . . but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and keep their souls.
Hebrews 12:15 See to it that no one fail to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” spring up and cause trouble, and by it the many become defiled;
James 1:25 But he who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer that forgets but a doer that acts, he shall be blessed in his doing.
2 Peter 1:10 Therefore, brethren, be the more zealous to confirm your call and election, for if you do this you will never fall;
2 Peter 2:15, 20-21 Forsaking the right way they have gone astray; they have followed the way of Balaam, . . . For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overpowered, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.
Revelation 2:3-5 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember then from what you have fallen, repent and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
Revelation 2:10-11 Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who conquers shall not be hurt by the second death.
Revelation 2:25-26 only hold fast what you have, until I come. He who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, I will give him power over the nations,
Revelation 3:3 Remember then what you received and heard; keep that, and repent. If you will not awake, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come upon you.
Revelation 3:5 He who conquers shall be clad thus in white garments, and I will not blot his name out of the book of life; I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. (cf. “blot” motif: Ex 17:14; 23:23; 32:32-33; Deut 9:14; 25:19; 29:20; 2 Ki 14:27; Ps 9:5; 69:28)
Revelation 3:11 I am coming soon; hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.
A VIGILANT MORAL ASSURANCE OF FAITH WITH PERSEVERANCE, IN HOPE
Romans 5:1-5 Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us.
Romans 8:16-17 it is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
Romans 12:12 Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
Romans 15:4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.
Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
1 Corinthians 13:13 So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Galatians 5:5-6 For through the Spirit, by faith, we wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is of any avail, but faith working through love.
Ephesians 1:9-14, 18 For he has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of his will, according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fulness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In him, according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will, we who first hoped in Christ have been destined and appointed to live for the praise of his glory. In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, which is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. . . . having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
Colossians 1:11-14 May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Colossians 3:24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you are serving the Lord Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:8 But, since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.
Titus 1:2 in hope of eternal life which God, who never lies, promised ages ago
Titus 3:7 so that we might be justified by his grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life.
Hebrews 3:6 but Christ was faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house if we hold fast our confidence and pride in our hope.
Hebrews 6:11-12 And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness in realizing the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
Hebrews 6:18-19 so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible that God should prove false, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner shrine behind the curtain,
Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful;
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
1 Peter 1:3-7 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while you may have to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold which though perishable is tested by fire, may redound to praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 1:13 Therefore gird up your minds, be sober, set your hope fully upon the grace that is coming to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 1:21 Through him you have confidence in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
1 Peter 3:15 . . . Always be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence;
1 John 3:3 And every one who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
*
*****
*
*
Summary: I provide the biblical rationale for Catholic beliefs with regard to salvation, by presenting categorized Bible passages about grace, justification, faith & works, merit, etc.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In