60 Bible Verses about Unselfishness

I cannot do anything of my own accord. I pass judgment just as I am told to do, and my judgment is just, for I am not seeking to do what I please, but what pleases him who has sent me.

Christ did not please himself, but as the Scripture says, "The reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me."

Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said to them, "I pity these people for they have been staying with me three days now and they have nothing left to eat, and I do not mean to send them away hungry, for they may give out on the way."

rose from the table, took off his outer clothing, and fastened a towel about his waist. Then he poured water into the basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, wiping them with the towel that was about his waist.

You know how gracious the Lord Jesus Christ was. Though he was rich, he became poor for your sake, in order that by his poverty you might become rich.

It is not to be so among you, but whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to hold the first place among you must be your slave, just as the Son of Man has come not to be waited on, but to wait on other people, and to give his life to ransom many others."

but it is not to be so among you. Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to hold the first place among you must be everybody's slave. For the Son of Man himself has not come to be waited on, but to wait on other people, and to give his life to free many others."

Have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he possessed the nature of God, he did not grasp at equality with God, but laid it aside to take on the nature of a slave and become like other men.read more.
When he had assumed human form, he still further humbled himself and carried his obedience so far as to die, and to die upon the cross.

This is why the Father loves me, because I am giving my life, but giving it to take it back again. No one has taken it from me, but I am giving it of my own accord. I have power to give it, and I have power to take it back again. These are the orders I have received from my Father."

For when we were still helpless, at the decisive moment Christ died for us godless men. Why, a man will hardly give his life for an upright person, though perhaps for a really good man some may be brave enough to die. But God proves his love for us by the fact that Christ died for us when we were still sinners.

For I passed on to you, as of first importance, the account I had received, that Christ died for our sins, as the Scriptures foretold,

It is Christ's love that controls me, for I have become convinced that as one has died for all, all have died,

who died for us so that whether we are still alive or fall asleep we may live with him.

He committed no sin, and deceit was never on his lips. He was abused but he did not retort. He suffered but he did not threaten, but committed his case to him who judges justly. He carried the burden of our sins in his own body on the cross, in order that we might die to sin and live for uprightness. By his wounds you have been healed.

For Christ himself died once for all, for sin, an upright man for unrighteous men, to bring us to God, and was physically put to death, but he was made alive in the Spirit.

who gave himself as a ransom for all men. This is what was testified to at the proper times,

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone wants to go with me, he must disregard himself and take his cross and follow me.

And he called the people and his disciples to him and said to them, "If anyone wants to go with me, he must disregard himself, and take his cross and follow me.

And he said to everyone, "If anyone wants to go with me, he must disregard himself, and take his cross day after day and follow me.

For the Son of Man himself has not come to be waited on, but to wait on other people, and to give his life to free many others."

for we know that our old self was crucified with him, to do away with our sinful body, so that we might not be enslaved to sin any longer,

and he died for all that those who live might no longer live for themselves, but for him who died for them and rose again.

You must lay aside with your former habits your old self which is going to ruin through its deceptive passions.

You must not lie to one another. For you have stripped off your old self with its ways

For, as I see it, living means Christ and dying something even better. But if living on here means having my labor bear fruit, I cannot tell which to choose. I am undecided between the two, for I long to depart and be with Christ, for that is far, far better,read more.
and yet your needs make it very necessary for me to stay on here.

But for the sake of Christ I have come to count my former gains as loss. Why, I count everything as loss compared with the supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have lost everything, and think it rubbish, in order to gain Christ and be known to be united to him, with any uprightness I may have not based on law but coming through faith in Christ??he uprightness that comes from God through faith.read more.
I want to know him in the power of resurrection, and to share his sufferings and even his death, in the hope of attaining resurrection from the dead.

Do not take account of your own interests, but of the interests of others as well. Have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

If I then, your Master and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another's feet too. For I have set you an example, in order that you may do what I have done to you.

We know what love means from the fact that he laid down his life for us; so we also ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

We love because he loved us first. If anyone says, "I love God," and yet hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. This is the command that we get from him, that whoever loves God must love his brother also.

But what the Spirit produces is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. There is no law against such things! Those who belong to Jesus the Christ have crucified the physical nature with its propensities and cravings.read more.
If we live by the Spirit, let us be guided by the Spirit. Let us not in our vanity challenge one another or envy one another.

Be affectionate in your love for the brotherhood, eager to show one another honor,

We are free to do anything, but not everything is good for us. We are free to do anything, but not everything builds up character. No one should look after his own advantage but after that of his neighbor.

None of us lives only to himself, and none of us dies only to himself;

It is the duty of us who are strong to put up with the weaknesses of those who are immature, and not just suit ourselves. Everyone of us must try to please his neighbor, to do him good, and help in his development.

But you must take care that this right of yours does not prove a hindrance to the overscrupulous.

You must bear with one another and forgive one another, if anyone has reason to be offended with anyone else. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must forgive.

Charge them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, open-handed and generous,

Do not act for selfish ends or from vanity, but modestly treat one another as your superiors.

Live in harmony with one another. Do not be too ambitious, but accept humble tasks. Do not be conceited.

Bear one another's burdens, and in that way carry out the law of the Christ. For if anyone thinks he is somebody when he is really nobody, he is deceiving himself.

with perfect humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another lovingly.

and subordinate yourselves to one another out of reverence to Christ.

Finally, you must all be harmonious, sympathizing, loving, tender-hearted, modest,

You younger men must show deference to the elders. And you must all clothe yourselves in humility toward one another, for God opposes the proud, but shows mercy to the humble.

But you are not to do so, but whoever is greatest among you must be like the youngest, and the leader like a servant.

For you, brothers, have been called to freedom; only do not make your freedom an excuse for the physical, but in love be slaves to one another.

Whatever the endowment God has given you, use it in service to one another, like good dispensers of God's varied mercy.

And he sat down facing the treasury and watched the people dropping money into it; and many rich people were putting in large sums. A poor widow came up and dropped in two little copper coins which make a cent. And he called his disciples to him and said, "I tell you that this poor widow has put in more than all these others who have been putting money into the treasury.read more.
For they all gave of what they had to spare, but she in her want has put in everything she possessed??ll she had to live on."

And Jesus left that place and retired to the neighborhood of Tyre and Sidon. And a Canaanite woman of that district came out and screamed, "Son of David, take pity on me, sir! My daughter is dreadfully possessed by a demon!" But he would not answer her a word. And his disciples came up and urged him, saying, "Send her away, for she keeps screaming after us."read more.
But he answered, "I am sent only to the lost sheep of Israel's house." And she came and fell down before him, and said, "Help me, sir!" He said, "It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs!" But she said, "O yes, sir! For even dogs eat the scraps that fall from their masters' table!" Then Jesus answered, "You have great faith! You shall have what you want." And her daughter was cured from that time.

When Jesus got back to Bethany, to the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive perfume and poured it upon his head, while he was at table. When his disciples saw it, they said indignantly, "What was the use of wasting it like that?read more.
It might have been sold for a large sum, and the money given to the poor." But Jesus observed this and said to them, "Why do you bother the woman? It is a fine thing that she has done to me. For you always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me. In pouring this perfume on me she has done something to prepare me for burial. I tell you, wherever this good news is preached all over the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."

Jesus was in Bethany, at the house of Simon the leper, and as he was at table, a woman came in, with an alabaster flask of pure nard perfume, very expensive; she broke the flask and poured the perfume on his head. But there were some who said indignantly to themselves, "What was the use of wasting the perfume like that? It might have been sold for more than sixty dollars, and the money have been given to the poor."read more.
And they grumbled at her. But Jesus said, "Leave her alone. Why do you bother her? It is a fine thing that she has done to me. For you always have the poor among you, and whenever you please you can do for them, but you will not always have me. She has done all she could; she has perfumed my body in preparation for my burial. I tell you, wherever the good news is preached all over the world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her."

John answered, "A man cannot get anything unless it is given to him from heaven. You will bear me witness that I said, 'I am not the Christ; I have been sent in advance of him.' It is the bridegroom who has the bride; but the bridegroom's friend who stands outside and listens for his voice is very glad when he hears the bridegroom speak. So this happiness of mine is now complete.read more.
He must grow greater and greater, but I less and less."

There was but one heart and soul in the multitude who had become believers, and not one of them claimed anything that belonged to him as his own, but they shared everything they had with one another. The apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus with great power, and God's favor rested richly upon them. No one among them was in any want, for any who owned lands or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the saleread more.
and put them at the disposal of the apostles; then they were shared with everyone in proportion to his need. Joseph, a Levite, and a native of Cyprus, whom the apostles had named Barnabas, which means Son of Encouragement, sold a piece of land that belonged to him, and brought the proceeds and put them at the disposal of the apostles.

Remember me to Prisca and Aquila, my fellow-workers in the cause of Christ Jesus, who risked their necks to save my life. Not only I but also all the churches among the heathen thank them. Remember me also to the church that meets at their house.

Now I urge you, brothers??ou know that the family of Stephanas was the first to be converted in Greece, and that they have devoted themselves to the service of God's people??16 I want you to enlist under such leaders, and under anyone who joins with you and works hard.

For I have no one like him who would take such a real interest in you. For they are all looking out for their own interests, not for those of Jesus Christ.

So give him a hearty Christian welcome, and value men like him very highly, for he came near dying for the Lord's work, and risked his life to make up for what was lacking in the service you have done me.

You must not be hindrances to Jews or Greeks or to the church of God either, just as I for my part try to please everyone in all I do, not aiming at my own advantage, but at that of people generally, in order that they may be saved.

You must follow my example in this, as I am following Christ's.