32 Bible Verses about Good Works

You know the story that has gone all over Judea, starting from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed, about Jesus of Nazareth, and how God endowed him with the power of the holy Spirit, and he went about doing good and curing all who were in the power of the devil, because God was with him.

What does this mean? Are we Jews at a disadvantage? Not at all. We have already charged Jews and Greeks all alike with being under the control of sin. As the Scripture says, "There is not a single man who is upright, No one understands, no one searches for God.read more.
All have turned away, they are one and all worthless, No one does right, not a single one! Their throats are like open graves, They use their tongues to deceive; The venom of asps is behind their lips, And their mouths are full of bitter curses. Their feet are swift when it comes to shedding blood, Ruin and wretchedness mark their paths, They do not know the way of peace. There is no reverence for God before their eyes!"

Did what was good, then, prove the death of me? Certainly not! It was sin that did so, so that it might be recognized as sin, because even through something that was good it effected my death, so that through the command it might appear how immeasurably sinful sin was. We know that the Law is spiritual, but I am physical, sold into slavery to sin. I do not understand what I am doing, for I do not do what I want to do; I do things that I hate.read more.
But if I do what I do not want to do, I acknowledge that the Law is right. In reality, it is not I that do these things; it is sin, which has possession of me. For I know that nothing good resides in me, that is, in my physical self; I can will, but I cannot do what is right. I do not do the good things that I want to do; I do the wrong things that I do not want to do. But if I do the things that I do not want to do, it is not I that am acting, it is sin, which has possession of me. I find the law to be that I who want to do right am dogged by what is wrong. My inner nature agrees with the divine law, but all through my body I see another principle in conflict with the law of my reason, which makes me a prisoner to that law of sin that runs through my body.

Let us not get tired of doing right, for at the proper time we shall reap, if we do not give out. So then whenever we have an opportunity, let us do good to all men, especially to those who belong to the family of the faith.

"You have heard that they were told, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I tell you not to resist injury, but if anyone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other to him too; and if anyone wants to sue you for your shirt, let him have your coat too.read more.
And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go two miles with him. If anyone begs from you, give to him, and when anyone wants to borrow from you, do not turn away. "You have heard that they were told, 'You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for your persecutors, so that you may show yourselves true sons of your Father in heaven, for he makes his sun rise on bad and good alike, and makes the rain fall on the upright and the wrongdoers. For if you love only those who love you, what reward can you expect? Do not the very tax-collectors do that? And if you are polite to your brothers and no one else, what is there remarkable in that? Do not the very heathen do that? So you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is.

"But I tell you who hear me, love your enemies, treat those who hate you well, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To the man that strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from the man who takes away your coat, do not keep back your shirt either.read more.
Give to everyone that asks of you, and if anyone takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. And treat men just as you wish them to treat you. If you love only those who love you, what merit is there in that? For even godless people love those who love them. And if you help only those who help you, what merit is there in that? Even godless people act in that way. And if you lend only to people from whom you expect to get something, what merit is there in that? Even godless people lend to godless people, meaning to get it back again in full. But love your enemies, and help them and lend to them, never despairing, and you will be richly rewarded, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind even to the ungrateful and the wicked. You must be merciful, just as your Father is.

Finally, you must all be harmonious, sympathizing, loving, tender-hearted, modest, not returning evil for evil, or abuse for abuse. You must bless people instead. It is for this that you were called??o obtain blessing. For "Let him who would enjoy life And see happy days, Keep his tongue from evil, And his lips from uttering deceit.read more.
Let him turn away from evil and do right, Let him seek peace and go after it. For the eyes of the Lord are upon upright men, And his ears are open to their entreaty, But the Lord's face is set against men that do wrong." And who is there that can hurt you if you are eager to do what is right?

Therefore, those who suffer by the will of God must intrust their souls to a Creator who is faithful, and continue to do what is right.

But do not forget to be helpful and generous, for that is the kind of sacrifice that pleases God.

For it is better to suffer for doing right, if that should be God's will, than for doing wrong.

Do not be surprised at this, for the time is coming when all who are in their graves will listen to his voice, and those who have done right will come out to resurrection and life, and those who have done wrong, to resurrection and judgment.

But love your enemies, and help them and lend to them, never despairing, and you will be richly rewarded, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind even to the ungrateful and the wicked.

But in your obstinacy and impenitence you are storing up wrath for yourself on the Day of Wrath, when the justice of God will burst forth. For he will pay every man for what he has done. Those who by persistently doing right strive for glory, honor, and immortality will have eternal life,read more.
but self-seeking people who are disloyal to the truth and responsive only to what is wrong will experience anger and fury, crushing distress and anguish, every human soul of them that actually does what is wrong??he Jew first, and the Greek also; but there will be glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does right, the Jew first, and the Greek also, for God shows no partiality.

Charge the rich of this world not to be arrogant, nor to set their hopes on such an uncertain thing as riches, but on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Charge them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, open-handed and generous, storing up a valuable treasure for themselves for the future, so as to grasp the life that is life indeed.

In any large house there are not only gold and silver dishes but also wooden and earthen ones, some for great occasions and some for ordinary use. So if a man will cleanse himself from these things, he will be put to great uses, consecrated and used by the master of the house himself, and ready for any good use.

My brothers, what is the good of a man's saying he has faith, if he has no good deeds to show? Can faith save him? If some brother or sister has no clothes and has not food enough for a day, and one of you says to them, "Goodbye, keep warm and have plenty to eat," without giving them the necessaries of life, what good does it do?read more.
So faith by itself, if it has no good deeds to show, is dead. But someone may say, "You have faith, and I good deeds." Show me your faith without any good deeds, and I will show you my faith by my good deeds. Do you believe in one God? Very well! So do the demons, and they shudder. But do you want proof, my senseless friend, that faith without good deeds amounts to nothing? Was not our forefather Abraham made upright for his good deeds, for offering his son Isaac on the altar?

What wise, intelligent man is there among you? Let him show by his good life that what he does is done in the humility of wisdom.

For "Let him who would enjoy life And see happy days, Keep his tongue from evil, And his lips from uttering deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do right, Let him seek peace and go after it. For the eyes of the Lord are upon upright men, And his ears are open to their entreaty, But the Lord's face is set against men that do wrong."

God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance so that you will always have enough for every situation, and ample means for every good enterprise:

Among the disciples at Joppa there was a woman named Tabitha, which is in Greek Dorcas, that is, gazelle. She had devoted herself to doing good and to acts of charity.

So, my dear friends, as you have always been obedient, with reverence and awe make every effort to insure your salvation, not simply as though I were with you, but all the more because I am away. For it is God who in his good will is at work in your hearts, inspiring your will and your action.

so that the lives you live may be worthy of your Master and wholly pleasing to him, and you may be fruitful in all kinds of good deeds, and may grow into fuller knowledge of God. Then, so mighty is his majesty, he will nerve you perfectly with strength for the cheerful exercise of endurance and forbearance in every situation, and you will thank the Father who has entitled you to share the lot of God's people in the realm of light.

For he has made us, creating us through our union with Christ Jesus for the life of goodness which God had predestined us to live.

So if a man will cleanse himself from these things, he will be put to great uses, consecrated and used by the master of the house himself, and ready for any good use.

All Scripture is divinely inspired, and useful in teaching, in reproof, in correcting faults, and in training in uprightness, so that the man of God will be adequate, and equipped for any good work.

Submit to all human authority, for the Master's sake; to the emperor, as supreme, and to governors, as sent by him to punish evil-doers, and to encourage those who do right. For it is the will of God that by doing right you should silence the ignorant charges of foolish people.

And he left the place and went into their synagogue. There was a man there with one hand withered. And in order to get a charge to bring against him, they asked him, "Is it right to cure people on the Sabbath?" But he said to them, "Who among you if he has even a single sheep and it falls into a hole on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out?read more.
And how much more a man is worth than a sheep! Therefore, it is right to do people good on the Sabbath." Then he said to the man, "Hold out your hand!" And he held it out, and it was restored and became as well as the other. But the Pharisees left the synagogue and consulted about him, with a view to putting him to death.

He went again to a synagogue, and there was a man there with one hand withered. And they were watching him closely, to see whether he would cure him on the Sabbath, in order to get a charge to bring against him. He said to the man with the withered hand, "Get up and come forward."read more.
And he said to them, "Is it allowable to do people good on the Sabbath, or to do them harm? To save life or kill?" But they made no answer. And he looked around at them with anger, hurt by their obstinacy, and he said to the man, "Hold out your hand!" And he held it out, and his hand was cured. Then the Pharisees left the synagogue and immediately consulted with the Herodians about Jesus, with a view to putting him to death.

On another Sabbath he happened to go to the synagogue and teach. There was a man there whose right hand was withered. And the scribes and the Pharisees were on the watch to see whether he would cure people on the Sabbath, in order to find a charge to bring against him. But he knew what they were thinking, and he said to the man with the withered hand, "Get up and stand in front." And he got up and stood there.read more.
Jesus said to them, "I want to ask you, Is it allowable on the Sabbath to do people good or to do them harm? to save life or to destroy it?" And he looked around at them all and said to the man, "Hold out your hand!" And he did so, and his hand was restored. But they were perfectly furious, and discussed with one another what they could do to Jesus.

One Sabbath he was teaching in one of the synagogues, and there was a woman there who for eighteen years had had a sickness caused by a spirit. She was bent double and could not straighten herself up at all. When Jesus saw her he called to her, "You are freed from your sickness!"read more.
And he laid his hands on her, and she instantly became erect, and praised God. But the leader of the synagogue, in his vexation because Jesus had cured her on the Sabbath, spoke out and said to the crowd, "There are six days on which it is right to work. Come on them and be cured, but not on the Sabbath day." But the Master answered, "You hypocrites! Does not every one of you untie his ox or his donkey from the stall on the Sabbath and lead him away to water him? And did not this woman, who is a descendant of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen years, have to be released from those bonds on the Sabbath day?" When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, and all the people were delighted at all the splendid things that he did.

As he passed along, he saw a man who had been blind from his birth. His disciples asked him, "Master, for whose sin was this man born blind? For his own, or for that of his parents?" Jesus answered, "It was neither for his own sin nor for that of his parents, but to let what God can do be illustrated in his case.read more.
We must carry on the work of him who has sent me while the daylight lasts. Night is coming, when no one can do any work. As long as I am in the world, I am a light for the world." As he said this he spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and he put the clay on the man's eyes, and said to him, "Go and wash them in the Pool of Siloam"?? name which means One who has been sent. So he went and washed them, and went home able to see. Then his neighbors and people who had formerly seen him begging, said, "Is not this the man who used to sit and beg?" Some said, "Yes! It is he!" Others said, "No! but he looks like him." He himself said, "I am the man." So they said to him, "Then how does it happen that you can see?" He answered, "The man they call Jesus made some clay and rubbed it on my eyes, and said to me, 'Go to Siloam and wash them.' So I went and when I had washed them I could see." They said to him, "Where is he?" He answered, "I do not know." They took the man who had been blind to the Pharisees. Now it was on the Sabbath that Jesus had made the clay and made him able to see. So once more the Pharisees asked him how he had become able to see, and he said to them, "He put some clay on my eyes, and I washed them, and I can see." Then some of the Pharisees said, "This man does not come from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath." But others said, "How can a sinful man show such signs as this?" And there was a division of opinion among them. So they asked the blind man again, "What have you to say about him, because he has made you able to see?" He said, "He is a prophet!" But the Jews would not believe that he had been blind and had become able to see until they summoned the parents of the man who had been given his sight, and asked them, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How is it that he can see now?" His parents answered, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind. But we do not know how it is that he can see now, or who has made him able to see. You must ask him. He is grown up. Let him tell you about himself." His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for the Jews had already made an agreement that if anyone acknowledged Jesus as the Christ, he should be excluded from the synagogues. That was why his parents said, "He is grown up; you must ask him." So they again summoned the man who had been blind, and they said to him, "Give God the praise. This man we know is a sinful man." He answered, "I do not know about his being a sinful man. All I know is that I was blind before and now I can see." They said to him, "What did he do to you? How did he make you able to see?" He answered, "I have already told you and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become disciples of his too?" Then they sneered at him, and said, "You are a disciple of his yourself, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God spoke to Moses, but we do not know where this man came from." The man answered, "There is something very strange about this! You do not know where he came from, and yet he has made me able to see! We know that God does not listen to sinful people, but if a man is devout and obeys God, God will listen to him. It was never heard of in this world that anyone made a man born blind able to see. If this man were not from God, he could not do anything." They answered, "You were born in utter sin, and are you trying to teach us?" So they excluded him from the synagogue. Jesus learned that they had excluded him, and he found the man and said to him, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" The man answered, "Who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him." Jesus said to him, "You have seen him already, and it is he who is now talking to you." And he said, "I believe, sir!" and he fell on his knees before him. And Jesus said, "I have come into this world to judge men, that those who cannot see may see, and that those who can see may become blind." Some Pharisees who were present heard this, and they said to him, "Then are we blind too?" Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would be guilty of no sin, but as it is, you say 'We can see'; so your sin continues.