31 Bible Verses about Ritual

When the period of purification of mother and child, enjoined by the Law of Moses, came to an end, his parents took the child up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, In compliance with the Law of the Lord that 'every first-born male shall be dedicated to the Lord,' And also to offer the sacrifice enjoined in the Law of the Lord--'a pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons.'

One day a leper came to Jesus and, falling on his knees, begged him for help. "If only you are willing," he said, "you are able to make me clean." Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying as he did so: "I am willing; become clean." Instantly the leprosy left the man, and he became clean;read more.
And then Jesus, after sternly warning him, immediately sent him away, and said to him: "Be careful not to say anything to any one; but go and show yourself to the Priest, and make the offerings for your cleansing directed by Moses, as evidence of your cure."

And he saw a leper who came up, and bowed to the ground before him, and said: "Master, if only you are willing, you are able to make me clean." Stretching out his hand, Jesus touched him, saying as he did so: "I am willing; become clean." Instantly he was made clean from his leprosy; And then Jesus said to him: "Be careful not to say a word to any one, but go and show yourself to the Priest, and offer the gift directed by Moses, as evidence of your cure."

On one occasion Jesus was staying in a town, when he saw a man who was covered with leprosy. When the leper saw Jesus, he threw himself on his face and implored his help: "Master, if only you are willing, you are able to make me clean." Stretching out his hand, Jesus touched him, saying as he did so: "I am willing; become clean." Instantly the leprosy left the man; And then Jesus impressed upon him that he was not to say a word to any one, "but," he added, "set out and show yourself to the priest, and make the offerings for your cleansing, in the manner directed by Moses, as evidence of your cure."

But we should write to them to abstain from food that has been polluted by being sacrificed to idols, from impurity, from eating the flesh of strangled animals, and from blood.

But, when the Pharisees saw this, they said: "Look! your disciples are doing what it is not allowable to do on a Sabbath!"

"Look!" the Pharisees said to him, "why are they doing what is not allowed on the Sabbath?"

"Why are you doing what it is not allowable to do on the Sabbath?" asked some of the Pharisees.

Circumcision has its value, if you are obeying the Law. But, if you are a breaker of the Law, your circumcision is no better than uncircumcision.

"What, do even you understand nothing yet?" Jesus exclaimed. "Do not you see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is afterwards expelled? But the things that come out from the mouth proceed from the heart, and it is these that defile a man;read more.
For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts--murder, adultery, unchastity, theft, perjury, slander. These are the things that defile a man; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile a man."

"What, do even you understand so little?" exclaimed Jesus. "Do not you see that there is nothing external to a man, which by going into a man, can 'defile' him, Because it does not pass into his heart, but into his stomach, and is afterwards got rid of?--in saying this Jesus pronounced all food 'clean.' "It is what comes out from a man," he added, "that defiles him,read more.
For it is from within, out of the hearts of men, that there come evil thoughts--unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, Greed, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, haughtiness, folly; All these wicked things come from within, and do defile a man."

Alas for you, Teachers of the Law and Pharisees, hypocrites that you are! You clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside they are filled with the results of greed and self-indulgence.

For a man who is only a Jew outwardly is not a real Jew; nor is outward bodily circumcision real circumcision. The real Jew is the man who is a Jew in soul; And the real circumcision is the circumcision of the heart, a spiritual and not a literal thing. Such a man wins praise from God, though not from men.

Circumcision is nothing; the want of it is nothing; but to keep the commands of God is everything.

What we eat, however, will not bring us nearer to God. We lose nothing by not eating this food, and we gain nothing by eating it.

These things are only the shadow of what is to come; the substance is in the Christ.

Then Jesus added: "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath; So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath."

By your union with him you received a circumcision that was not performed by human hands, when you threw off the tyranny of the earthly body, and received the circumcision of the Christ.

The Law, though able to foreshadow the Better System which was coming, never had its actual substance. Its priests, with those sacrifices which they offer continuously year after year, can never make those who come to worship perfect. Otherwise, would not the offering of these sacrifices have been abandoned, as the worshipers, having been once purified, would have had their consciences clear from sins? But, on the contrary, these sacrifices recall their sins to mind year after year.

the whole system being concerned only with food and drink and various ablutions--external ceremonials imposed until the coming of the New Order.

Because it does not pass into his heart, but into his stomach, and is afterwards got rid of?--in saying this Jesus pronounced all food 'clean.'

On the next day, while these men were on their way, just as they were nearing the town, Peter went up on the housetop about mid-day to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat; but while it was being prepared, he fell into a trance, And saw that the heavens were open, and that something like a great sail was descending, let down by its four corners towards the earth.read more.
In it were all kinds of quadrupeds, reptiles, and birds. Then he was aware of a voice which said-- "Stand up, Peter, kill something, and eat." "No, Lord, I cannot," answered Peter, "for I have never eaten anything 'defiled' and 'unclean'." Again he was aware of a voice which said-- "What God has pronounced 'clean', do not regard as 'defiled'."

But now we are set free from the Law, because we are dead to that which once kept us under restraint; and so we serve under new, spiritual conditions, and not under old, written regulations.

Through my union with the Lord Jesus, I know and am persuaded that nothing is 'defiling in itself.' A thing is 'defiling' only to him who holds it to be so.

If a man is in union with Christ Jesus, neither is circumcision nor the omission of it anything, but faith, working through love, is everything.

For neither is circumcision nor the omission of it anything; but a new nature is everything.

And in his human nature put an end to the cause of enmity between them--the Law with its injunctions and ordinances--in order to create, through union with himself, from Jew and Gentile, one New Man and thus make peace.

And to you, who once were 'dead,' by reason of your sins and your uncircumcised nature--to you God gave Life in giving life to Christ! He pardoned all our sins! He canceled the bond which stood against us--the bond that consisted of ordinances--and which was directly hostile to us! He has taken it out of our way by nailing it to the cross! He rid himself of all the Powers of Evil, and held them up to open contempt, when he celebrated his triumph over them on the cross!read more.
Do not, then, allow any one to take you to task on questions of eating or drinking, or in the matter of annual or monthly or weekly festivals.