29 Bible Verses about Exclusiveness

And he rose and followed him. And while he was at table in Matthew's house, there came many tax-gatherers and sinners, and they dined with Jesus and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw it, they kept saying to his disciples, "Why does your Teacher eat with the tax-gatherers and sinners?"

Later on Levi was sitting at table in his house, and together with Jesus and his disciples a number of tax-gatherers and sinners were guests, for there were many of them who used to follow him. But when some scribes of the Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax-gatherers, they said to his disciples, "Is he eating and drinking with tax-gatherers and sinners?"

Levi also made him a great reception at his house. There was a large party of tax-gatherers and others who were dining with them. And the Pharisees and their scribes began complaining to his disciples, saying, "Why are you eating and drinking with tax-gatherers and sinners?"

Now all the tax-gatherers and sinners continued to draw near him, and to listen to him. And the Pharisees and Scribes began to complain, saying, "He is welcoming sinners and eating with them!"

For until certain men came from James he used to eat with the Gentile Christians, but when they came, he began to draw back and to separate himself, because he was afraid of the circumcision party.

"Then he gave him a covenant of circumcision, and under this covenant he became the father of Isaac, whom he circumcised on the eighth day, and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob became the father of the twelve Patriarchs.

"that you abstain from food that has been sacrificed to idols, and from tasting blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication. Keep yourselves clear from these things and it will be well with you. Farewell."

"How is it," answered the Samaritan woman, "that you who are a Jew ask a drink from me, a woman, and a Samaritan?" (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)

These men, the Twelve, Jesus sent forth, after giving them the following instructions. "Do not go among the Gentiles, or enter any Samaritan town, "but rather be on your way to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

When now when the time drew near for him to be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before him. These went and entered into a Samaritan village to make ready for him. But they did not receive him because his face was set to go to Jerusalem.

To them he said: "You know, yourselves, that it is illegal for a Jew to associate with or to visit one of another nation; but God has taught me that I should not call any man common or unclean. For this reason, when sent for, I came without demur.

These men, the Twelve, Jesus sent forth, after giving them the following instructions. "Do not go among the Gentiles, or enter any Samaritan town,

Jesus then left that place, and withdrew into the region of Tyre and Sidon. Behold, there came to him a Canaanite woman of those parts. She wailed loudly, saying. "Pity me, Lord, thou Son of David! My daughter is possessed of an evil spirit." But he answered her not a word. Then the disciples came up and kept beseeching him. "Send her away," they said, "because she wails after us."read more.
In reply he said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But the woman came and knelt to him and said, "Lord, do help me." He answered, "It is not seemly to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs." "True, Lord," she said, "but even the little dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table." Then Jesus answered her. "O woman, great is your faith. It shall be for you even as you desire." And from that hour her daughter was healed.

After he rose and left that place, he went away into the region of Tyre and Sidon. Here he went into a house and wished no one to know it but he could not be hid. Forthwith a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet (the woman was a Greek, a Syro-phoenician by race), and again and again she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter.read more.
"Let the children be filled first," he said to her. "It is unseemly to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." "True, Master," she answered, "but the dogs under the table do pick up the children's crumbs." "For that saying of yours, go home," he replied; "the demon has departed from your daughter." So she went home, and found the child lying in her bed and the demon departed.

From the house of Caiaphas they took Jesus to the Praetorium, and it was dawn. They themselves would not enter the Praetorium, in order that they might not be ceremonially defiled, but might be able to eat the Passover.

Now the apostles and the brothers that were in Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God; so, when Peter came up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party disputed with him, saying, "You went into the houses of the uncircumcised and ate with them!"read more.
Then Peter began and explained the whole matter to them in order, saying. "I was in the city of Joppa, praying, and while in a trance I saw a vision; a certain vessel descending, what seemed to be an enormous sail let down to me, and while I gazed at it, I examined it carefully, and saw the quadrupeds of the earth and the wild beasts and creeping things and the wild birds. I also heard a voice saying to me, 'Rise, Peter, kill and eat.' "'Not so, my Lord' said I, 'for nothing common or unclean has ever gone into my mouth.' "But for the second time a voice spoke from the sky, 'What God has cleansed, you must not call common.' "This was said three times, and then everything was drawn up again into the sky. "And lo! at that very moment, three men who had been sent for me from Caesarea stood before the house in which I was. "And the Spirit bade me accompany them without misgiving. There also accompanied me these six brothers, and we went into the man's house. "Then he told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying. "'Send to Joppa and fetch Simon who is also called Peter. "'He will speak words to you by which you and all your family will be saved.' "And," said Peter, "as soon as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, just as he fell upon us at the beginning. "Then I remembered the words of the Lord, how he used to say, "John indeed baptized in water, but you shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit.' "So if God gave them the same gift as he gave to us, when we first believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?" On hearing this they held their peace and glorified God, saying, "Forsooth then, to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance unto life."

But when Cephas came to Antioch I resisted him to his face, because he stood self-condemned. For until certain men came from James he used to eat with the Gentile Christians, but when they came, he began to draw back and to separate himself, because he was afraid of the circumcision party. And the rest of the Jewish Christians also dissimulated with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy.

But some men came down from Judea and attempted to teach the brethren, saying, "Unless you are circumcised according to Moses' custom, you cannot be saved."

But certain men who had belonged to the sect of the Pharisees, but were now believers, stood up and said, "It is necessary to circumcise Gentile, and to order them to keep the Law of Moses."

Listen to me! I, Paul, declare to you that if you are to continue to follow the rite of circumcision, Christ will be no profit to you. I solemnly testify to every man who submits to circumcision that he obligates himself to keep the whole Law. If you are being justified by law, you are cut off from Christ; you are fallen away from grace.read more.
But we are not, for we through the Spirit are eagerly waiting by faith for a hope of righteousness (a hope well founded); because in Christ neither circumcision has any value, nor uncircumcision, but faith which works through love.

Those who are trying to compel you to be circumcised are such as wish to make a fair show in the flesh, only that they may not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ.

For there are many individuals who are unruly, empty talkers and deceivers, particularly those of the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped;

"And God, who knows the hearts of all, gave this testimony in their behalf, by bestowing upon them the Holy Spirit just as he did upon us;

And we can see this, for in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jew or Gentile, whether slave or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

Answer me this one question. "When you received the Spirit, was it from doing what the Law commands or from believing the message heard?" Are you so without sense? After beginning with the Spirit, will you now end with the flesh? Did you have such experience to no purpose??f indeed it was really to no purpose?read more.
Does he then who supplies you with his Spirit and works miracles among you, do it because you do what the law commands of because you believe the message heard?

"We are Jews by birth, and not 'Gentile sinners'; "yet because we know that no man is justified by the works of the Law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, we ourselves also have put our faith in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the Law; for "By the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified."

"and he made no distinction between us and them, in cleansing their hearts by faith. "Now then, why are you tempting God by laying on the necks of these disciples a yoke which neither our forefathers nor we have been able to bear? "On the contrary we believe that it is by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ that we and they shall be saved."

For I conclude that a man is justified by faith, altogether apart from the deeds of the Law. Is God then the God of the Jews alone, and not of the Gentiles also? He is God of the Gentiles also, since there is one God who will justify the circumcised through faith, and by their faith will he justify the uncircumcised.

Is this blessing, then, for the circumcised alone? or for the uncircumcised also? Abraham's faith, I say, was imputed to him for righteousness. How then was it imputed to him? When he was circumcised? or uncircumcised? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision; and he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the faith-righteousness which he had while he was in uncircumcision; in order that he might be the father of all who believe, even though they are uncircumcised; so that righteousness might be imputed to them.read more.
He is the father of circumcision to those who are not merely circumcised, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham which he held while he was as yet uncircumcised.