29 Bible Verses about Exclusiveness

And, later on, when he was at table in the house, a number of tax-gatherers and outcasts came in and took their places at table with Jesus and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples: "Why does your Teacher eat in the company of tax-gatherers and outcasts?"

And later on he was in his house at table, and a number of tax-gatherers and outcasts took their places at table with Jesus and his disciples; for many of them were following him. When the Teachers of the Law belonging to the party of the Pharisees saw that he was eating in the company of such people, they said to his disciples: "He is eating in the company of tax- gatherers and outcasts!"

And Levi gave a great entertainment at his house, in honor of Jesus; and a large number of tax-gatherers and others were at table with them. The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law belonging to their party complained of this to the disciples of Jesus."

The tax-gatherers and the outcasts were all drawing near to Jesus to listen to him; But the Pharisees and the Teachers of the Law found fault. "This man always welcomes outcasts, and takes meals with them!" they complained.

Before certain persons came from James, he had been in the habit of eating with the Gentile converts; but, when they came, he began to withdraw and hold aloof, for fear of offending those who still held to circumcision.

Then God made with Abraham the Covenant of Circumcision; and under it Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him when he was eight days old; and Isaac became the father of Jacob; and Jacob of the Twelve Patriarchs.

That you abstain from food offered to idols, from blood, from eating the flesh of strangled animals, and from impurity. If you guard yourselves against such things, it will be well with you. Farewell.'

"How is it," replied the Samaritan woman, "that you who are a Jew ask for water from a Samaritan woman like me?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans).

These twelve Jesus sent out as his Messengers, after giving them these instructions-- "Do not go to the Gentiles, nor enter any Samaritan town, But make your way rather to the lost sheep of Israel.

As the days before his being taken up to Heaven were growing few, Jesus set his face resolutely in the direction of Jerusalem; and he sent on messengers in advance. On their way, they went into a Samaritan village to make preparations for him, But the people there did not welcome him, because his face was set in the direction of Jerusalem.

"You are doubtless aware that it is forbidden for a Jew to be intimate with a foreigner, or even to enter his house; and yet God has shown me that I ought not to call any man 'defiled' or 'unclean.'

These twelve Jesus sent out as his Messengers, after giving them these instructions-- "Do not go to the Gentiles, nor enter any Samaritan town,

On going away from that place, Jesus retired to the country round Tyre and Sidon. There, a Canaanite woman of that district came out and began calling to Jesus: "Take pity on me, Master, Son of David; my daughter is grievously possessed by a demon." But Jesus did not answer her a word; and his disciples came up and begged him to send her away. "She keeps calling out after us," they said.read more.
"I was not sent," replied Jesus, "to any one except the lost sheep of Israel." But the woman came, and, bowing to the ground before him, said: "Master, help me." "It is not fair," replied Jesus, "to take the children's food and throw it to dogs." "Yes, Master," she said, "for even dogs do feed on the scraps that fall from their owners' table." "Your faith is great," was his reply to the woman; "it shall be as you wish!" And her daughter was cured that very hour.

On leaving that place, Jesus went to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And he went into a house, and did not wish anyone to know it, but could not escape notice. For a woman, whose little daughter had a foul spirit in her, heard of him immediately, and came and threw herself at his feet-- The woman was a foreigner, a native of Syrian Phoenicia--and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter.read more.
"Let the children be satisfied first," answered Jesus. "For it is not fair to take the children's food, and throw it to dogs." "Yes, Master," she replied; "even the dogs under the table do feed on the children's crumbs." "For saying that," he answered, "you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter." The woman went home, and found the child lying on her bed, and the demon gone.

From Caiaphas they took Jesus to the Government House. It was early in the morning. But they did not enter the Government House themselves, lest they should become 'defiled,' and so be unable to eat the Passover.

The Apostles and the Brethren throughout Judea heard that even the Gentiles had welcomed God's Message. But, when Peter went up to Jerusalem, those who were converts from Judaism began to attack him, On the ground that he had visited people who were not circumcised, and had taken meals with them.read more.
So Peter began to relate the facts to them as they had occurred. "I was in the town of Jaffa," he said, "and was praying; and, while in a trance, I saw a vision. There was something like a great sail descending, let down by its four corners out of the heavens; and it came right down to me. Looking intently at it, I began to distinguish quadrupeds, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds; And I also heard a voice saying to me-- 'Stand up, Peter, kill something and eat.' 'No, Lord, I cannot,' I answered, 'for nothing 'defiled' or 'unclean' has ever passed my lips.' Then a second time there came a voice from the heavens. "What God has pronounced 'clean'," it said, "you must not call 'defiled'." This happened three times, and then all was drawn up again into the heavens. At that moment three men, who had been sent from Caesarea to see me, came up to the house in which we were. The Spirit told me to go with them without hesitation. These six Brothers also went with me. And, when we came into the man's house, He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house, and how the angel had said to him--'Send to Jaffa and fetch the Simon, who is also known as Peter; For he will tell you truths, which will prove the means of Salvation to you and all your household.' I had but just begun to speak," continued Peter, "when the Holy Spirit fell on them, exactly as on us at the first; And I recalled the saying of the Master-- 'John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' Since then, God had given them the very same gift as he gave us when we became believers in Jesus Christ the Master--who was I that I could thwart God?" On hearing this statement, they said no more, but broke out into praise of God. "So even to the Gentiles," they exclaimed, "God has granted the repentance which leads to Life!"

But, when Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face; for he stood self-condemned. Before certain persons came from James, he had been in the habit of eating with the Gentile converts; but, when they came, he began to withdraw and hold aloof, for fear of offending those who still held to circumcision. The rest of the Jewish converts were guilty of the same hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was led away by it.

But certain persons came down from Judea, and began to teach the Brethren that, unless they were circumcised, in accordance with the custom enjoined by Moses, they could not be saved.

Some of the Pharisees' party, however, who had become believers in Christ, came forward and declared that they were bound to circumcise converts and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses.

Understand that I, Paul, myself tell you that if you allow yourselves to be circumcised, Christ will avail you nothing. I again declare to every one who receives circumcision, that he binds himself to obey the whole Law. You have severed yourselves from Christ--you who are seeking to be pronounced righteous through Law; you have fallen away from love.read more.
For we, by the help of the Spirit, are eagerly waiting for the fulfillment of our hope--that we may be pronounced righteous as the result of faith. If a man is in union with Christ Jesus, neither is circumcision nor the omission of it anything, but faith, working through love, is everything.

Those who wish to appear to advantage in regard to outward observances are the very people who are trying to compel you to be circumcised; and they do it only to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Jesus, the Christ.

There are, indeed, many unruly persons--great talkers who deceive themselves, principally converts from Judaism,

Now God, who reads all hearts, declared his acceptance of the Gentiles, by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us.

For it was by one Spirit that we were all baptized to form one Body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free men, and were all imbued with one Spirit.

Here is the one thing that I want to find out from you--Did you receive the Spirit as the result of obedience to Law, or of your having listened with faith? Can you be so foolish? After beginning with what is spiritual, do you now end with what is external? Did you go through so much to no purpose?--if indeed it really was to no purpose!read more.
He who supplies you abundantly with his Spirit and endows you with such powers--does he do this as the result of obedience to Law? or as the result of your having listened with faith?

We, though we are Jews by birth and not outcasts of Gentile origin, know that no one is pronounced righteous as the result of obedience to Law, but only through faith in Christ Jesus. So we placed our faith in Christ Jesus, in order that we might be pronounced righteous, as the result of faith in Christ, and not of obedience to Law; for such obedience 'will not result in even one soul's being pronounced righteous.'

He made no distinction between them and us, when he purified their hearts by their faith. Why, then, do you now provoke God, by putting on the necks of these disciples a yoke which neither our ancestors nor we were able to bear? No, it is through the loving-kindness of the Lord Jesus that we, just as they do, believe that we have been saved."

For we conclude that a man is pronounced righteous on the ground of faith, quite apart from obedience to Law. Or can it be that God is the God only of the Jews? Is not he also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, since there is only one God, and he will pronounce those who are circumcised righteous as the result of faith, and also those who are uncircumcised on their showing the same faith.

Is this blessing, then, pronounced upon the circumcised only or upon the uncircumcised as well? We say that-'Abraham's faith was regarded by God as righteousness.' Under what circumstances, then, did this take place? After his circumcision or before it? Not after, but before. And it was as a sign of this that he received the rite of circumcision-to attest the righteousness due to the faith of an uncircumcised man-in order that he might be the father of all who have faith in God even when uncircumcised, that they also may be regarded by God as righteous;read more.
As well as father of the circumcised-to those who are not only circumcised, but who also follow our father Abraham in that faith which he had while still uncircumcised.