61 Bible Verses about Unselfishness

"I can of my own self do nothing. As I am bidden, so I judge; and mine is a just judgement, because it is not my own will that guides me, but the will of Him who sent me.

For even the Christ did not seek His own pleasure. His principle was, "The reproaches which they addressed to Thee have fallen on me."

But Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, "My heart yearns over this mass of people, for it is now the third day that they have been with me and they have nothing to eat. I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they should faint on the road."

although He knew that the Father had put everything into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was now going to God, rose from the table, threw off His upper garments, and took a towel and tied it round Him. Then He poured water into a basin, and proceeded to wash the feet of the disciples and to wipe them with the towel which He had put round Him.

For you know the condescending goodness of our Lord Jesus Christ--how for your sakes He became poor, though He was rich, in order that you through His poverty might grow rich.

Not so shall it be among you; but whoever desires to be great among you shall be your servant, and whoever desires to be first among you shall be your bondservant; just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as the redemption-price for many."

but it is not to be so among you. No, whoever desires to be great among you must be your servant; and whoever desires to be first among you must be the bondservant of all. For the Son of Man also did not come to be waited upon, but to wait on others, and to give His life as the redemption-price for a multitude of people."

Let the same disposition be in you which was in Christ Jesus. Although from the beginning He had the nature of God He did not reckon His equality with God a treasure to be tightly grasped. Nay, He stripped Himself of His glory, and took on Him the nature of a bondservant by becoming a man like other men.read more.
And being recognized as truly human, He humbled Himself and even stooped to die; yes, to die on a cross.

For this reason my Father loves me, because I am laying down my life in order to receive it back again. No one is taking it away from me, but I myself am laying it down. I am authorized to lay it down, and I am authorized to receive it back again. This is the command I received from my Father."

For already, while we were still helpless, Christ at the right moment died for the ungodly. Why, it is scarcely conceivable that any one would die for a simply just man, although for a good and lovable man perhaps some one, here and there, will have the courage even to lay down his life. But God gives proof of His love to us in Christ's dying for us while we were still sinners.

For I repeated to you the all-important fact which also I had been taught, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures;

For the love of Christ overmasters us, the conclusion at which we have arrived being this--that One having died for all, His death was their death,

who died on our behalf, so that whether we are awake or are sleeping we may share His Life.

He never sinned, and no deceitful language was ever heard from His mouth. When He was reviled, He did not answer with reviling; when He suffered He uttered no threats, but left His wrongs in the hands of the righteous Judge. The burden of our sins He Himself carried in His own body to the Cross and bore it there, so that we, having died so far as our sins are concerned, may live righteous lives. By His wounds yours have been healed.

because Christ also once for all died for sins, the innocent One for the guilty many, in order to bring us to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit,

who gave Himself as the redemption price for all--a fact testified to at its own appointed time,

Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If any one desires to follow me, let him renounce self and take up his cross, and so be my follower.

Then calling to Him the crowd and also His disciples, He said to them, "If any one is desirous of following me, let him ignore self and take up his cross, and so be my follower.

And He said to all, "If any one is desirous of following me, let him ignore self and take up his cross day by day, and so be my follower.

For the Son of Man also did not come to be waited upon, but to wait on others, and to give His life as the redemption-price for a multitude of people."

This we know--that our old self was nailed to the cross with Him, in order that our sinful nature might be deprived of its power, so that we should no longer be the slaves of sin;

and that He died for all in order that the living may no longer live to themselves, but to Him who died for them and rose again.

to put away, in regard to your former mode of life, your original evil nature which is doomed to perish as befits its misleading impulses,

Do not speak falsehoods to one another, for you have stripped off the old self with its doings,

For, with me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. But since to live means a longer stay on earth, that implies more labour for me--and not unsuccessful labour; and which I am to choose I cannot tell. I am in a dilemma, my earnest desire being to depart and be with Christ, for that is far, far better.read more.
But for your sakes it is more important that I should still remain in the body.

Yet all that was gain to me--for Christ's sake I have reckoned it loss. Nay, I even reckon all things as pure loss because of the priceless privilege of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. And for His sake I have suffered the loss of everything, and reckon it all as mere refuse, in order that I may win Christ and be found in union with Him, not having a righteousness of my own, derived from the Law, but that which arises from faith in Christ--the righteousness which comes from God through faith.read more.
I long to know Christ and the power which is in His resurrection, and to share in His sufferings and die even as He died; in the hope that I may attain to the resurrection from among the dead.

each fixing his attention, not simply on his own interests, but on those of others also. Let the same disposition be in you which was in Christ Jesus.

If I then, your Master and Rabbi, have washed your feet, it is also your duty to wash one another's feet. For I have set you an example in order that you may do what I have done to you.

We know what love is--through Christ's having laid down His life on our behalf; and in the same way we ought to lay down our lives for our brother men.

We love because God first loved us. If any one says that he loves God, while he hates his brother man, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother man whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And the command which we have from Him is that he who loves God must love his brother man also.

The Spirit, on the other hand, brings a harvest of love, joy, peace; patience towards others, kindness, benevolence; good faith, meekness, self-restraint. Against such things as these there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their lower nature with its passions and appetites.read more.
If we are living by the Spirit's power, let our conduct also be governed by the Spirit's power. Let us not become vain-glorious, challenging one another, envying one another.

As for brotherly love, be affectionate to one another; in matters of worldly honour, yield to one another.

Everything is allowable, but not everything is profitable. Everything is allowable, but everything does not build others up. Let no one be for ever seeking his own good, but let each seek that of his fellow man.

For not one of us lives to himself, and not one dies to himself.

As for us who are strong, our duty is to bear with the weaknesses of those who are not strong, and not seek our own pleasure. Let each of us endeavour to please his fellow Christian, aiming at a blessing calculated to build him up.

But take care lest this liberty of yours should prove a hindrance to the progress of weak believers.

bearing with one another and readily forgiving each other, if any one has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, you also must forgive.

They must be beneficent, rich in noble deeds, open-handed and liberal;

Do nothing in a spirit of factiousness or of vainglory, but, with true humility, let every one regard the rest as being of more account than himself;

Have full sympathy with one another. Do not give your mind to high things, but let humble ways content you. Do not be wise in your own conceits.

Always carry one another's burdens, and so obey the whole of Christ's Law. For if there is any one who thinks himself to be somebody when he is nobody, he is deluding himself.

with all lowliness of mind and unselfishness, and with patience, bearing with one another lovingly, and earnestly striving to maintain,

and submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

In conclusion, all of you should be of one mind, quick to sympathize, kind to the brethren, tenderhearted, lowly-minded,

In the same way you younger men must submit to your elders; and all of you must gird yourselves with humility towards one another, for God sets Himself against the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

With you it is not so; but let the greatest among you be as the younger, and the leader be like him who serves.

You however, brethren, were called to freedom. Only do not turn your freedom into an excuse for giving way to your lower natures; but become bondservants to one another in a spirit of love.

Whatever be the gifts which each has received, you must use them for one another's benefit, as good stewards of God's many-sided kindness.

Be shepherds of God's flock which is among you. Exercise the oversight not reluctantly but eagerly, in accordance with the will of God; not for base gain but with cheerful minds;

Having taken a seat opposite the Treasury, He observed how the people were dropping money into the Treasury, and that many of the wealthy threw in large sums. But there came one poor widow and dropped in two farthings, equal in value to a halfpenny. So He called His disciples to Him and said, "In solemn truth I tell you that this widow, poor as she is, has thrown in more than all the other contributors to the Treasury;read more.
for they have all contributed out of what they could well spare, but she out of her need has thrown in all she possessed--all she had to live on."

Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew into the vicinity of Tyre and Sidon. Here a Canaanitish woman of the district came out and persistently cried out, "Sir, Son of David, pity me; my daughter is cruelly harassed by a demon." But He answered her not a word. Then the disciples interposed, and begged Him, saying, "Send her away because she keeps crying behind us."read more.
"I have only been sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel," He replied. Then she came and threw herself at His feet and entreated Him. "O Sir, help me," she said. "It is not right," He said, "to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." "Be it so, Sir," she said, "for even the dogs eat the scraps which fall from their masters' tables." "O woman," replied Jesus, "great is your faith: be it done to you as you desire." And from that moment her daughter was restored to health.

Now when Jesus was come to Bethany and was at the house of Simon the Leper, a woman came to Him with a jar of very costly, sweet-scented ointment, which she poured over His head as He reclined at table. "Why such waste?" indignantly exclaimed the disciples;read more.
"for this might have been sold for a considerable sum, and the money given to the poor." But Jesus heard it, and said to them, "Why are you vexing her? For she has done a most gracious act towards me. The poor you always have with you, but me you have not always. In pouring this ointment over me, her object was to prepare me for burial. In solemn truth I tell you that wherever in the whole world this Good News shall be proclaimed, this deed of hers shall be spoken of in memory of her."

Now when He was at Bethany, in the house of Simon the Leper, while He was at table, there came a woman with a jar of pure, sweet-scented ointment very costly: she broke the jar and poured the ointment over His head. But there were some who said indignantly among themselves, "Why has the ointment been thus wasted? For that ointment might have been sold for fifteen pounds or more, and the money have been given to the poor." And they were exceedingly angry with her.read more.
But Jesus said, "Leave her alone: why are you troubling her? She has done a most gracious act towards me. For you always have the poor among you, and whenever you choose you can do acts of kindness to them; but me you have not always. What she could she did: she has perfumed my body in preparation for my burial. And I solemnly tell you that wherever in the whole world the Good News shall be proclaimed, this which she has done shall also be told in remembrance of her."

"A man cannot obtain anything," replied John, "unless it has been granted to him from Heaven. You yourselves can bear witness to my having said, 'I am not the Christ,' but 'I am His appointed forerunner.' He who has the bride is the bridegroom; and the bridegroom's friend who stands by his side and listens to him, rejoices heartily on account of the bridegroom's happiness. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete.read more.
He must grow greater, but I must grow less.

Among all those who had embraced the faith there was but one heart and soul, so that none of them claimed any of his possessions as his own, but everything they had was common property; while the Apostles with great force of conviction delivered their testimony as to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus; and great grace was upon them all. And, in fact, there was not a needy man among them, for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the money which they realised,read more.
and gave it to the Apostles, and distribution was made to every one according to his wants. In this way Joseph, whom the Apostles gave the name of Bar-nabas--signifying 'Son of Encouragement' --a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a farm which he had, and brought the money and gave it to the Apostles.

Greetings to Prisca and Aquila my fellow labourers in the work of Christ Jesus-- friends who have endangered their own lives for mine. I am grateful to them, and not I alone, but all the Gentile Churches also.

And I beseech you, brethren--you know the household of Stephanas, how they were the earliest Greek converts to Christ, and have devoted themselves to the service of God's people--

For I have no one likeminded with him, who will cherish a genuine care for you. Everybody concerns himself about his own interests, not about those of Jesus Christ.

Receive him therefore with heartfelt Christian joy, and hold in honour men like him; because it was for the sake of Christ's work that he came so near death, hazarding, as he did, his very life in endeavouring to make good any deficiency that there might be in your gifts to me.

Do not be causes of stumbling either to Jews or to Gentiles, nor to the Church of God. That is the way that I also seek in everything the approval of all men, not aiming at my own profit, but at that of the many, in the hope that they may be saved.

Be imitators of me, in so far as I in turn am an imitator of Christ.