33 Bible Verses about Good Works

the story, I mean, which has spread through the length and breadth of Judaea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism which John proclaimed. It tells how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, so that He went about everywhere doing acts of kindness, and curing all who were being continually oppressed by the Devil--for God was with Jesus.

What then? Are we Jews more highly estimated than they? Not in the least; for we have already charged all Jews and Gentiles alike with being in thraldom to sin. Thus it stands written, "There is not one righteous man. There is not one who is really wise, nor one who is a diligent seeker after God.read more.
All have turned aside from the right path; they have every one of them become corrupt. There is no one who does what is right--no, not so much as one." "Their throats resemble an opened grave; with their tongues they have been talking deceitfully." "The venom of vipers lies hidden behind their lips." "Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness." "Their feet move swiftly to shed blood. Ruin and misery mark their path; and the way to peace they have not known." "There is no fear of God before their eyes."

Did then a thing which is good become death to me? No, indeed, but sin did; so that through its bringing about death by means of what was good, it might be seen in its true light as sin, in order that by means of the Commandment the unspeakable sinfulness of sin might be plainly shown. For we know that the Law is a spiritual thing; but I am unspiritual--the slave, bought and sold, of sin. For what I do, I do not recognize as my own action. What I desire to do is not what I do, but what I am averse to is what I do.read more.
But if I do that which I do not desire to do, I admit the excellence of the Law, and now it is no longer I that do these things, but the sin which has its home within me does them. For I know that in me, that is, in my lower self, nothing good has its home; for while the will to do right is present with me, the power to carry it out is not. For what I do is not the good thing that I desire to do; but the evil thing that I desire not to do, is what I constantly do. But if I do that which I desire not to do, it can no longer be said that it is I who do it, but the sin which has its home within me does it. I find therefore the law of my nature to be that when I desire to do what is right, evil is lying in ambush for me. For in my inmost self all my sympathy is with the Law of God; but I discover within me a different Law at war with the Law of my understanding, and leading me captive to the Law which is everywhere at work in my body--the Law of sin.

Let us not abate our courage in doing what is right; for in due time we shall reap a reward, if we do not faint. So then, as we have opportunity, let us labour for the good of all, and especially of those who belong to the household of the faith.

"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.' But I tell you not to resist a wicked man, but if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other to him as well. If any one wishes to go to law with you and to deprive you of your under garment, let him take your outer one also.read more.
And whoever shall compel you to convey his goods one mile, go with him two. To him who asks, give: from him who would borrow, turn not away. "You have heard that it was said, 'Thou shalt love thy neighbour and hate thine enemy.' But I command you all, love your enemies, and pray for your persecutors; that so you may become true sons of your Father in Heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the wicked as well as the good, and sends rain upon those who do right and those who do wrong. For if you love only those who love you, what reward have you earned? Do not even the tax-gatherers do that? And if you salute only your near relatives, what praise is due to you? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You however are to be complete in goodness, as your Heavenly Father is complete.

"But to you who are listening to me I say, Love your enemies; seek the welfare of those who hate you; bless those who curse you; pray for those who revile you. To him who gives you a blow on one side of the face offer the other side also; and to him who is robbing you of your outer garment refuse not the under one also.read more.
To every one who asks, give; and from him who takes away your property, do not demand it back. And behave to your fellow men just as you would have them behave to you. "If you love those who love you, what credit is it to you? Why, even bad men love those who love them. And if you are kind to those who are kind to you, what credit is it to you? Even bad men act thus. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is it to you? Even bad men lend to their fellows so as to receive back an equal amount. Nevertheless love your enemies, be beneficent; and lend without hoping for any repayment. Then your recompense shall be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be compassionate just as your Father is compassionate.

In conclusion, all of you should be of one mind, quick to sympathize, kind to the brethren, tenderhearted, lowly-minded, not requiting evil with evil nor abuse with abuse, but, on the contrary, giving a blessing in return, because a blessing is what you have been called by God to inherit. For "He who wishes to be well-satisfied with life and see happy days-- let him restrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from deceitful words;read more.
Let him turn from evil, and do good; Let him inquire for peace and go in pursuit of it. For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears are open to their supplication; but the face of the Lord is set against evil-doers." And who will be able to harm you, if you show yourselves zealous for that which is good?

Therefore also, let those who are suffering in accordance with the will of God entrust their souls in well-doing to a faithful Creator.

And do not forget to be kind and liberal; for with sacrifices of that sort God is greatly pleased.

If you do wrong and receive a blow for it, what credit is there in your bearing it patiently? But if when you do right and suffer for it you bear it patiently, this is an acceptable thing with God.

For it is better that you should suffer for doing right, if such be God's will, than for doing evil;

Wonder not at this. For a time is coming when all who are in the graves will hear His voice and will come forth-- they who have done what is right to the resurrection of Life, and they whose actions have been evil to the resurrection of judgement.

Nevertheless love your enemies, be beneficent; and lend without hoping for any repayment. Then your recompense shall be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.

The fact is that in the stubbornness of your impenitent heart you are treasuring up against yourself anger on the day of Anger--the day when the righteousness of God's judgements will stand revealed. To each man He will make an award corresponding to his actions; to those on the one hand who, by lives of persistent right-doing, are striving for glory, honour and immortality, the Life of the Ages;read more.
while on the other hand upon the self-willed who disobey the truth and obey unrighteousness will fall anger and fury, affliction and awful distress, coming upon the soul of every man and woman who deliberately does wrong--upon the Jew first, and then upon the Gentile; whereas glory, honour and peace will be given to every one who does what is good and right--to the Jew first and then to the Gentile. For God pays no attention to this world's distinctions.

Impress on those who are rich in the present age that they must not be haughty nor set their hopes on riches--that unstable foundation--but on God who provides us richly with all things for our enjoyment. They must be beneficent, rich in noble deeds, open-handed and liberal; storing up for themselves that which shall be a solid foundation for the future, that they may lay hold of the Life which is life indeed.

Now in a great house there are not only articles of gold and silver, but also others of wood and of earthenware; and some are for specially honourable, and others for common use. If therefore a man keeps himself clear of these latter, he himself will be for specially honourable use, consecrated, fit for the Master's service, and fully equipped for every good work.

What good is it, my brethren, if a man professes to have faith, and yet his actions do not correspond? Can such faith save him? Suppose a Christian brother or sister is poorly clad or lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, "I wish you well; keep yourselves warm and well fed," and yet you do not give them what they need; what is the use of that?read more.
So also faith, if it is unaccompanied by obedience, has no life in it--so long as it stands alone. Nay, some one will say, "You have faith, I have actions: prove to me your faith apart from corresponding actions and I will prove mine to you by my actions. You believe that God is one, and you are quite right: evil spirits also believe this, and shudder." But, idle boaster, are you willing to be taught how it is that faith apart from obedience is worthless? Take the case of Abraham our forefather. Was it, or was it not, because of his actions that he was declared to be righteous as the result of his having offered up his son Isaac upon the altar?

Which of you is a wise and well-instructed man? Let him prove it by a right life with conduct guided by a wisely teachable spirit.

For "He who wishes to be well-satisfied with life and see happy days-- let him restrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from deceitful words; Let him turn from evil, and do good; Let him inquire for peace and go in pursuit of it. For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears are open to their supplication; but the face of the Lord is set against evil-doers."

And God is able to bestow every blessing on you in abundance, so that richly enjoying all sufficiency at all times, you may have ample means for all good works.

Among the disciples at Jaffa was a woman called Tabitha, or, as the name may be translated, 'Dorcas.' Her life was wholly devoted to the good and charitable actions which she was constantly doing.

Therefore, my dearly-loved friends, as I have always found you obedient, labour earnestly with fear and trembling--not merely as though I were present with you, but much more now since I am absent from you--labour earnestly, I say, to make sure of your own salvation. For it is God Himself whose power creates within you the desire to do His gracious will and also brings about the accomplishment of the desire.

so that your lives may be worthy of the Lord and perfectly pleasing to Him, while you exhibit the results of right action of every sort and grow into a fuller knowledge of God. Since His power is so glorious, may you be strengthened with strength of every kind, and be prepared for cheerfully enduring all things with patience and long-suffering; and give thanks to the Father who has made us fit to receive our share of the inheritance of God's people in Light.

For we are God's own handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for good works which He has pre-destined us to practise.

If therefore a man keeps himself clear of these latter, he himself will be for specially honourable use, consecrated, fit for the Master's service, and fully equipped for every good work.

Every Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for convincing, for correction of error, and for instruction in right doing; so that the man of God may himself be complete and may be perfectly equipped for every good work.

Submit, for the Lord's sake, to every authority set up by man, whether it be to the Emperor as supreme ruler, or to provincial Governors as sent by him for the punishment of evil-doers and the encouragement of those who do what is right. For it is God's will that by doing what is right you should thus silence the ignorant talk of foolish persons.

Departing thence He went to their synagogue, where there was a man with a shrivelled arm. And they questioned Him, "Is it right to cure people on the Sabbath?" Their intention was to bring a charge against Him. "Which of you is there," He replied, "who, if he has but a single sheep and it falls into a hole on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out?read more.
Is not a man, however, far superior to a sheep? Therefore it is right to do good on the Sabbath." Then He said to the man, "Stretch out your arm." And he stretched it out, and it was restored quite sound like the other. But the Pharisees after leaving the synagogue consulted together against Him, how they might destroy Him.

At another time, when He went to the synagogue, there was a man there with one arm shrivelled up. They closely watched Him to see whether He would cure him on the Sabbath--so as to have a charge to bring against Him. "Come forward," said He to the man with the shrivelled arm.read more.
Then He asked them, "Are we allowed to do good on the Sabbath, or to do evil? to save a life, or to destroy one?" They remained silent. Grieved and indignant at the hardening of their hearts, He looked round on them with anger, and said to the man, "Stretch out your arm." He stretched it out, and the arm was completely restored. But no sooner had the Pharisees left the synagogue than they held a consultation with the Herodians against Jesus, to devise some means of destroying Him.

On another Sabbath He had gone to the synagogue and was teaching there; and in the congregation was a man whose right arm was withered. The Scribes and the Pharisees were on the watch to see whether He would cure him on the Sabbath that they might be able to bring an accusation against Him. He knew their thoughts, and said to the man with the withered arm, "Rise, and stand there in the middle." And he rose and stood there.read more.
Then Jesus said to them, "I put it to you all whether we are allowed to do good on the Sabbath, or to do evil; to save a life, or to destroy it." And looking round upon them all He said to the man, "Stretch out your arm." He did so, and the arm was restored. But they were filled with madness, and began to discuss with one another what they should do to Jesus.

Once He was teaching on the Sabbath in one of the synagogues where a woman was present who for eighteen years had been a confirmed invalid: she was bent double, and was unable to lift herself to her full height. But Jesus saw her, and calling to her, He said to her, "Woman, you are free from your weakness."read more.
And He put His hands on her, and she immediately stood upright and began to give glory to God. Then the Warden of the Synagogue, indignant that Jesus had cured her on a Sabbath, said to the crowd, "There are six days in the week on which people ought to work. On those days therefore come and get yourselves cured, and not on the Sabbath day." But the Lord's reply to him was, "Hypocrites, does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his bullock or his ass from the stall and lead him to water? And this woman, daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan had bound for no less than eighteen years, was she not to be loosed from this chain because it is the Sabbath day?" When He had said this, all His opponents were ashamed, while the whole multitude was delighted at the many glorious things continually done by Him.

As He passed by, He saw a man who had been blind from his birth. So His disciples asked Him, "Rabbi, who sinned--this man or his parents--that he was born blind?" "Neither he nor his parents sinned," answered Jesus, "but he was born blind in order that God's mercy might be openly shown in him.read more.
We must do the works of Him who sent me while there is daylight. Night is coming on, when no one can work. When I am in the world, I am the Light of the world." After thus speaking, He spat on the ground, and then, kneading the dust and spittle into clay, He smeared the clay over the man's eyes and said to him, "Go and wash in the pool of Siloam" --the name means 'Sent.' So he went and washed his eyes, and returned able to see. His neighbours, therefore, and the other people to whom he had been a familiar object because he was a beggar, began asking, "Is not this the man who used to sit and beg?" "Yes it is," replied some of them. "No it is not," said others, "but he is like him." His own statement was, "I am the man." "How then were your eyes opened?" they asked. "He whose name is Jesus," he answered, "made clay and smeared my eyes with it, and then told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed and obtained sight." "Where is he?" they inquired, but the man did not know. They brought him to the Pharisees--the man who had been blind. Now the day on which Jesus made the clay and opened the man's eyes was the Sabbath. So the Pharisees renewed their questioning as to how he had obtained his sight. "He put clay on my eyes," he replied, "and I washed, and now I can see." This led some of the Pharisees to say, "That man has not come from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath." "How is it possible for a bad man to do such miracles?" argued others. And there was a division among them. So again they asked the once blind man, "What is your account of him? --for he opened your eyes." "He is a Prophet," he replied. The Jews, however, did not believe the statement concerning him--that he had been blind and had obtained his sight--until they called his parents and asked them, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How is it then that he can now see?" "We know," replied the parents, "that this is our son and that he was born blind; but how it is that he can now see or who has opened his eyes we do not know. Ask him himself; he is of full age; he himself will give his own account of it." Such was their answer, because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already settled among themselves that if any one should acknowledge Jesus as the Christ, he should be excluded from the synagogue. That was why his parents said, "He is of full age: ask him himself." A second time therefore they called the man who had been blind, and said, "Give God the praise: we know that that man is a sinner." "Whether he is a sinner or not, I do not know," he replied; "one thing I know--that I was once blind and that now I can see." "What did he do to you?" they asked; "how did he open your eyes?" "I have told you already," he replied, "and you did not listen to me. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also mean to be disciples of his?" Then they railed at him, and said, "You are that man's disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God spoke to Moses; but as for this fellow we do not know where he comes from." "Why, this is marvellous!" the man replied; "you do not know where he comes from, and yet he has opened my eyes! We know that God does not listen to bad people, but that if any one is a God-fearing man and obeys Him, to him He listens. From the beginning of the world such a thing was never heard of as that any one should open the eyes of a man blind from his birth. Had that man not come from God, he could have done nothing." "You," they replied, "were wholly begotten and born in sin, and do *you* teach *us*?" And they put him out of the synagogue. Jesus heard that they had done this. So having found him, He asked him, "Do you believe in the Son of God?" "Who is He, Sir?" replied the man. "Tell me, so that I may believe in Him." "You have seen Him," said Jesus; "and not only so: He is now speaking to you." "I believe, Sir," he said. And he threw himself at His feet. "I came into this world," said Jesus, "to judge men, that those who do not see may see, and that those who do see may become blind." These words were heard by those of the Pharisees who were present, and they asked Him, "Are *we* also blind?" "If you were blind," answered Jesus, "you would have no sin; but as a matter of fact you boast that you see. So your sin remains!"