67 Bible Verses about Unselfishness

I can of my own self do nothing; as I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just because I seek not my own will, but the will of the Father who has sent me.

For the Christ did not please himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of those that reproached thee fell on me.

Then Jesus called his disciples unto him and said, I have mercy on the multitude because they persevere with me now three days and have nothing to eat, and I desire not to send them away fasting lest they faint in the way.

Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands and that he had come from God and was going to God, arose from the supper and laid aside his garments and took a towel and girded himself. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel with which he was girded.

For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor that ye through his poverty might be enriched.

But it shall not be so among you, but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your slave, even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many.

But it shall not be like this among you, for whosoever desires to make himself great among you shall be your servant; and whosoever of you that desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to serve and to give his life in ransom for many.

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, made in the likeness of men,read more.
and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross .

He is despised and rejected among men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with weakness; and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our sicknesses and suffered our pain: and we considered him stricken, smitten of God, and cast down. But he was wounded for our rebellions; he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and by his stripes healing was provided for us.read more.
All we like sheep have become lost; we have turned each one to his own way; and the LORD transposed in him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he did not open his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment; and who shall count his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living; for the rebellion of my people he was smitten. And he made his grave with the wicked, and his death with the rich; even though he had never done evil, neither was any deceit in his mouth. With all this the LORD chose to bruise him; subjecting him to grief. When he shall have offered his soul for atonement, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the will of the LORD shall be prospered in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied. And by his knowledge shall my righteous slave justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil unto the strong because he has poured out his soul unto death, and he was numbered with the rebellious, having born the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Therefore does my Father love me, because I lay down my soul that I might take it again. No man takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment I have received of my Father.

For the Christ, when we were yet weak, in his time died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die, yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God increased the price of his charity toward us in that while we were yet sinners the Christ died for us.

For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received: how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures

For the charity of the Christ constrains us because we judge thus: that if one died for all, then all are dead:

who died for us, that whether we watch or sleep, we should live together with him.

who did no sin neither was guile found in his mouth, who, when he was cursed, did not return the curse; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but committed himself to him that judges righteously; he himself bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness; by whose wound ye were healed.

For the Christ also has once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in spirit,

who gave himself in ransom for all, the testimony of which was confirmed at the time,

Then Jesus said unto his disciples, If anyone will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

And calling the multitude unto him with his disciples, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

And he said to them all, If anyone will come after me, let them deny themself and take up their cross daily and follow me.

For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to serve and to give his life in ransom for many.

knowing this: that our old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed that we should not serve sin any longer.

And that he died for all that those who live should not live from now on unto themselves, but unto him who died and rose again for them.

that ye put off everything concerning the old way of life, that is, the old man who corrupts himself according to deceitful desires,

Lie not one to another, putting off the old man with his deeds

For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour, yet I do not know what to choose. For I am in a strait between the two, having a desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better:read more.
nevertheless, to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.

But those things which were gain to me, I counted loss for Christ. And doubtless I even count all things as loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ and be found in him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:read more.
That I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death, if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

with each one not looking to their own things, but also to the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus,

If I then, the Lord and the Master, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example that ye should do as I have done to you.

In this we have known the charity of God because he laid down his life for us; we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

We love him, because he first loved us. If anyone says, I love God and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he that does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And we have this commandment from him, That he who loves God loves his brother also.

But the fruit of the Spirit is this: Charity, joy, peace, tolerance, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. For those that are of the Christ have crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts.read more.
If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

loving one another with brotherly love, with honour preferring one another;

All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient; all things are lawful for me, but all things do not edify. Let no one seek his own good, but that of the other.

For none of us live for ourselves, and no one dies for himself.

We then that are stronger ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not please ourselves. Let each one of us please his neighbour in that which is good, unto edification.

But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours becomes a stumblingblock to those that are weak.

forbearing one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a quarrel against another: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

but charge them to do good, that they be rich in good works, liberal to distribute, willing to communicate,

Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory, but in humility let each esteem others better than themselves,

Be unanimous among yourselves, not high minded, but accommodating the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.

Bear ye one another's burdens and so fulfil the law of the Christ. For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

with all humility and meekness, with tolerance, forbearing one another in love,

submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

And finally, be ye all of one consent, of one affection, loving each other fraternally, merciful, courteous,

Likewise, young people, be subject to the elders in such a manner that you are all subject to one another. Be clothed with humility of will, for God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble.

But ye shall not be so, but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is prince, as he that doth serve.

For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only do not use liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by charity serve one another.

Let each one according to the gift that he has received, administer it unto the others, as a good steward of the diverse graces of God.

Feed the flock of God which is among you, caring for her, not by force, but willingly; not for shameful lucre, but with willing desire;

Then Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee and between my pastors and thine, for we are brethren. Is not the whole land before thee? Separate thyself, I pray thee, from me; if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.

Then Moses returned unto the LORD and said, I pray thee, for, this people who have sinned a great sin and have made themselves gods of gold, that thou wilt forgive their sin; and if not, blot me now out of thy book which thou hast written.

And Ruth said, Do not intreat me to leave thee or to return from following after thee, for wherever thou goest, I will go; and wherever thou shalt lodge, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people and thy God my God. Where thou diest, I will die, and there will I be buried; let the LORD do so unto me and let him give unto me that only death shall part thee and me.

Behold, here I am; witness against me before the LORD and before his anointed. If I have taken anyone's ox or if I have taken anyone's ass or if I have defrauded anyone or if I have oppressed anyone or if I have received a bribe from anyone to blind my eyes, I will restore it you. And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us nor oppressed us; neither hast thou taken anything of any man's hand. And he said unto them, The LORD is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day that ye have not found anything in my hand. And they answered, He is witness.

Moreover, from the day that I was appointed by the king to be their captain in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even unto the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes, the king, that is, twelve years, I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the captain. But the former captains that had been before me had charged the people and had taken of them for bread and wine, upon forty shekels of silver; and in addition to this their servants bore rule over the people; but I did not do so because of the fear of God. In addition to this, I restored my part in the work of this wall, neither did we buy any inheritance; and all my servants were gathered together unto the work.read more.
I also had at my table one hundred and fifty of the Jews and rulers, besides those that came unto us from among the Gentiles that are around us. Now that which was prepared for each day was one ox and six choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and every ten days wine in all abundance; yet with all this I did not require the bread of the captain because the bondage was heavy upon this people.

And with Jesus sitting in front of the ark of the offering, he beheld how the people cast money into the ark and many that were rich cast in much. And as there came a certain poor widow, she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. Then calling his disciples, he said unto them, Verily I say unto you that this poor widow has cast more in than all those who have cast into the treasury,read more.
for they all did cast in of their abundance, but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.

Then Jesus left there and departed into the parts of Tyre and Sidon. And, behold, a woman of Canaan having come out of the same borders cried unto him, saying, Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me; my daughter is sick, possessed by a demon. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away, for she cries out after us.read more.
But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then she came and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not good to take the children's bread and to cast it to the little dogs. And she said, Yes, Lord, yet the little dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith; be it unto thee even as thou desire. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came unto him having an alabaster box of very precious ointment and poured it on his head as he sat at the table. But when his disciples saw it, they became indignant, saying, To what purpose is this waste?read more.
For this ointment might have been sold for much and given to the poor. But Jesus, understanding this, said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she has wrought a good work upon me. For ye have the poor always with you, but me ye have not always. For in that she has poured this ointment on my body, she did it to prepare for my burial. Verily I say unto you, Wherever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman has done, be told for a memorial of her.

And he being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, sitting at the table, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and breaking the alabaster, she poured it over his head. And there were some that had indignation within themselves and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made? For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarius and given to the poor. And they murmured against her.read more.
But Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? She has wrought a good work on me. For ye have the poor with you always, and whenever ye will, ye may do them good; but me ye have not always. She has done what she could, for she has anticipated anointing my body for the burial. Verily I say unto you, Wherever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she has done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.

John answered and said, A man can receive nothing except it is given him from the heaven. Ye yourselves are my witnesses that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. He that has the bride is the bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice; this my joy therefore is fulfilled.read more.
It is expedient unto him to increase, but unto me, to decrease.

And of the multitude of those that had believed was one heart and one soul; no one said that anything he possessed was his own, but they had all things common. And with great power the apostles gave witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. Neither was there any among them that lacked, for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them and brought the prices of the things that were soldread more.
and laid them down at the apostles' feet; and distribution was made unto each one according to their need. Then Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation), a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, having land, sold it and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet.

Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus (who have for my life laid down their own necks; unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the congregations of the Gentiles);

I beseech you, brethren (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia and that they have dedicated themselves to the ministry of the saints),

For I have no one likeminded, who will naturally care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's.

Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness and esteem such because for the work of the Christ he was near unto death, not regarding his life, to supply your lack of service toward me.

Be without offense, neither to the Jews nor to the Gentiles nor to the congregation of God; even as I please everyone in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.

Be ye imitators of me, even as I also am of Christ.