I rarely, if ever, read the Bible so, to say I’m unfamiliar with passages in the Bible doesn’t do the word “unfamiliar” justice. However, I was at the funeral of a friend’s grandfather yesterday when the pastor read 1 Corinthians 13. Maybe it was the combination of the words and that lugubrious music they pipe in at funerals but the passage moved me. This got me to wonder what other gems of Biblical proportions I’ve missed. I’d like to hear what other Dopers have experienced as moving and/or profound passages in the Bible.
Now THAT is cool.
John 8:58
“In all truth,” Jesus said to them, “before Abraham was born, I am.”
It was the verse that triggered my epiphany and my conversion from atheism to Christianity.
“Love thy neighbor as thyself” has always seemed to be the forest that is forever being obscured by trees, to me.
As soon as I saw the title, I immediately thought of the passage posted by the OP, but especially (in the version familiar to me) “Even though I give up my body to be burned, without love, I am nothing.” Wow.
“And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
– My pal “Mikey”
Luke 2: 8-13
And there were in the same country shepherds, abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them! And they were sore afraid … And the angel said unto them, “Fear not! For, behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ, the Lord.”
“And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” And suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the Heavenly Host praising God, and saying, “Glory to God in the Highest, and on Earth peace, and good will toward men.”
…and that’s what Christmas is all about, Charlile Brown!
3 of my favorites…
John 3:30 “He must increase and I must decrease.”
Galatians 6:14 “But God forbid I should glory, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, though which the world is crucified to me and I am crucified to the world.”
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave…” *
*I heard a sermon on this verse recently and it was all about the two verbs…Loved and Gave. The pastor really brought out things in that verse that I hadn’t considered so strongly before but just said the verse by rote. Very interesting.
James 1:13-14
“When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.”
We wrongly give God the blame and Satan the credit for things we do all by ourselves.
I like: “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”. It says a lot about human judgement.
Though some find it depressing, I always found the book of Ecclesiastes very comforting. Especially so in the King James Version, which I grew up with. Some of my favorite quotes:
Chapter 1
2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.
3 What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?
14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
Chapter 2
15 Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity.
16 For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool.
Can you expound on why you find that particular line so powerful and life-changing? I must admit that it doesn’t seem particularly special to me…
“Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.”
Cliche, yes, but very powerful imho.
I love 1 john 4:16:
God is love; he who abides in love, abides in God, and God in him."
StG
“Madam, I’m Adam.”
See? It reads the same backwards and forwards! :eek:
Not necessarily “the most profound”
but many Psalms are pretty. As is Song of Solomon and Ecclesiastes.
I like this from Proverbs
A lot of the other proverbs are worth reading as well.
Someone already mentioned Micah 6:8.
Also, Matthew 5:3-10, Matthew 5:43-47, Luke 10:30-37
James 2:15-16:
If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, " Go in peace, be warmed and be filled," and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?
and Philippians 4:8:
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
John 1.1
“In the Beginning Was the Word”
Genesis 4:9
“Am I my brothers keeper?”
Psalm 8:3-9
“When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him?”
Corinthians 13, verse 11
“When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.”
To me, the most important is what Jesus said is most important. It’s recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, but I’ll post Mark’s version of it one more time (Mark 12:26-34):
As AugustWest said, this seems to get overlooked far too often.
For me, however, the most profound is this, when Christ is awaiting His execution in the Garden of Gethsemane, Matthew 26:38-40:
To me, Jesus is very fully human at this point, faced with overwhelming sorrow and even, perhaps, fear at the prospect of what is to come. He doesn’t want the things that are to come to happen. He doesn’t want to die. Still, He does it. Still He subsumes His will to the Father’s.
I am an unwilling Christian sometimes. I don’t always want to do what I know is right because it’s difficult or painful or I’m simply tired of always having to do the right thing. In this passage, I remember that Christ knows what it is to be tired and unwilling and in pain, and maybe even a bit fearful. It’s all right. He’s known my fear and my pain and will not condemn me for it, only strengthen me as I go through it. To me, this passage contains the essence of Christ’s humanity and His divinity. It is why I am a Christian.
Humbly,
CJ