Bible Teachings in a Nutshell

THE OLD TESTAMENT :-

Exodus:-

# “Honor thy father and thy mother.” 20:12

# “Thou shalt not kill.” 20:13

# “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” 20:14

# “Thou shalt not steal.” 20:15

# “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.” 20:16

# Be kind to strangers, widows, and fatherless children. 22:21-22

# Value the truth; don’t lie. 23:1

# Don’t do what everyone else does, if what they do is wrong. 23:2

# Be kind to your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. 23:4-5

# Treat the poor fairly. 23:6

# Be honest. Don’t kill the innocent. 23:7

# Don’t mistreat strangers. 23:9

# Every seventh year the Israelites were to leave their fields unharvested, so that the poor would have something to eat. 23:11

Leviticus:-

# What is stolen or wrongfully acquired should be returned to the owner. 6:2-5

# Leave some grapes on the vine for travelers and the poor. 19:10

# Don’t steal or lie 19:11, 13

# “Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind.” 19:14

# Don’t gossip. 19:16

# Don’t hate people. 19:17

# “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” 19:18

# Respect your elders. 19:32

# Be kind to strangers. 19:33-34

# Treat others fairly. Don’t cheat. 19:35-36

# To help feed the poor and strangers, farmers should not harvest the corners of their fields. 23:22

# “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.” 25:10

# Do not oppress one another. 25:17

Deuteronomy:-

# “Honor thy father and thy mother.” 5:16

# “Thou shalt not kill.” 5:17

# Don’t commit adultery. 5:18

# Don’t steal. 5:19

# Don’t lie. 5:20

# “Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.” 10:19

# Help the poor. 15:7-8

# “Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy.” 15:11

# Judges and officers should strive to be impartial and should never take a bribe. 16:18-19

# Look out for your neighbor’s animals and protect them from harm. 22:1-4

# Be careful when making a roof to ensure that no one falls off the edge. 22:8

# Don’t return runaway slaves to their masters. Let them live with you in peace and freedom. 23:15-16

# Do not oppress the poor, whether they be slaves, neighbors, or strangers. 24:14-15

# “It shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.”
Be kind to widows, orphans, fatherless children and strangers. Share whatever you have with them. 24:17-21

# “Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn.” Let the animal eat while it works. 25:4

# “Thou shalt have a perfect and just weight.”
Be honest when you deal with others. Don’t cheat. 25:13-15

# Take care of those who need help. 26:12-13

Job:-

# “He that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more.” 7:7-9

# “Will ye speak wickedly for God? and talk deceitfully for him?”
This is a good question for apologists to ask themselves. 13:7

# Job says that humans perish at death like their own dung. Well, one might fault him for his choice of words, but the idea seems sound enough. 20:7

Psalms:-

# “Blessed is he that considereth the poor.” 41:1

# “Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.” Though this seems to be directed at other gods, it is good advice for humans as well. 82:3-4

# “The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence.” 115:17

Proverbs:-

# “My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother.” 1:8

# A beautiful proverb about mercy and truth. 3:3

# Wisdom and understanding lead to happiness. 3:13

# “Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.” 3:27

# Help your neighbor, if you can. 3:28

# Don’t devise plots against your neighbor, fight without cause, or imitate an oppressor. 3:29-31

# “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” 4:7

# Speak plainly and honestly to others. 4:24

# “Rejoice with the wife of thy youth…. Let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love.” 5:18-19

# Wisdom is better than wealth. Nothing else compares with it. 8:11

# “A wise son maketh a glad father.” 10:1, 23:24, 29:3

# “Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.” 10:12

# “When pride cometh, then cometh shame.” 11:2

# “The merciful man doeth good to his own soul: but he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh.” Okay, I don’t know about the soul stuff, but I like the general idea. 11:17

# “He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind.” A nice thought and a great movie. 11:29

# “Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge.” 12:1

# Be kind to animals. (Don’t eat them.) 12:10

# “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.” 12:15

# “The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment.” 12:19

# “A wise son heareth his father’s instruction.” 13:1

# “A righteous man hateth lying.” 13:5

# “Every prudent man dealeth with knowledge: but a fool layeth open his folly.” 13:16

# Some nice proverbs about wisdom, anger, mercy and folly. 14:7-8, 14:16-18, 14:21-22, 29, 16:21-22

# “The simple believeth every word.” I wonder if this would apply to the fundamentalists who believe every word of the Bible. 14:15

# “The poor is hated even of his own neighbour: but the rich hath many friends.” Can’t argue with this one. 14:20

# “A soft answer turneth away wrath.” 15:1

# Some good remarks about wisdom. 15:2, 7

# “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” 16:18

# Don’t gossip about others. Avoid saying hurtful things. 16:28

# “He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.” 16:32

# “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine.” 17:22

# “Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.” 17:28

# “A fool hath no delight in understanding” and his “mouth is his destruction.” 18:2, 7

# “He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.” 18:13

# Be careful how you speak; words can do great damage. 21:23

# “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches.” 22:1

# “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” 22:6

# “He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.” 22:9

# Don’t rob the poor or oppress the afflicted. 22:22

# “Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.” 23:9

# “Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.” 23:12

# “Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.” 23:22

# Find the truth and hang on to it; Value wisdom, instruction, and understanding 23:23

# “Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth.” 24:17

# “Be not a witness against thy neighbour without cause; and deceive not with thy lips.” 24:28

# “Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me: I will render to the man according to his work.” 24:29

# “If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink.” 25:21

# “Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him.” 26:12

# “As the door turneth upon his hinges, so doth the slothful upon his bed.” 26:14

# “Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” 27:1

# “Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.” 27:2

# “Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds.” Take care of your animals. 27:23

# “A man that flattereth his neighbour spreadeth a net for his feet.” 29:5

# “The righteous considereth the cause of the poor: but the wicked regardeth not to know it.” 29:7

# “A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.” 29:23

# As a sailor and birdwatcher, I agree with this proverb that says that the way a ship sails and an eagle flies are two of the most wonderful things. 30:18-19

# “Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts. Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.” 31:6-7

# “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” (NIV) 31:8-9

Ecclesiastes:-

# “The place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.”
Good description of the water cycle. 1:7

# Wisdom is better than folly, but the same fate awaits us all. 2:13-14

# “There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour.” 2:24

# “To everything there is a season….” Some nice poetry and a great Byrds song. (“Turn, Turn, Turn” — written by Pete Seeger) 3:1-8

# Strive to do good in this life. You only get one chance. 3:12

# Eat, drink, and enjoy the good of your labor. 3:13

# Men and animals both die and their spirits don’t survive death. “A man hath no pre-eminence above a beast … All goeth unto one place … Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?” 3:19-21

# “Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works.” 3:22

# “Two are better than one” — the value of friendship. 4:9-12

# “Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king.” 4:13

# “A fool’s voice is known by multitude of words.” 5:3

# Greedy folks are never satisfied. 5:10

# “As he came forth of his mother’s womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.” 5:15

# “It is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life.” 5:18

# No one knows what happens after we die and no one can tell another how to live. 6:12

# “A good name is better than precious ointment.” 7:1

# “It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.” 7:5

# “The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.” 7:8

# “Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.” 7:9

# Don’t waste time thinking about “the good old days.” 7:10

# Don’t pay attention to everything people say. 7:21

# Always strive “to know, and to search; and to seek out wisdom, and the reasonableness of things.” 7:25

# There is nothing better for us to do than “to eat, to drink, and to be merry.” 8:15

# The same death comes to us all, the good and the bad alike. 9:2-3

# As long as we are alive there is hope. After that there is nothing. “A live dog is better than a dead lion.” 9:4

# Dead people know nothing and receive no reward. 9:5

# “Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart.” 9:7

# “Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest.” 9:9

# “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might,” because dead people don’t work and they know nothing 9:10

# Human life is subject to indifferent laws and random events — just like the lives of other animals. 9:11-12

# Wisdom, though often ignored and despised, is better than strength. 9:16-17

# “Wisdom is profitable to direct.” 10:10

# “The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.” 10:12

# “A fool also is full of words.” 10:14

# “Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.” I don’t know what this means, but it sure sounds cool. 11:1

# However long you may live, enjoy your life to the fullest. But do not forget the dark days and know that the end is both certain and final. 11:8

# “Walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes.” 11:9

# “Much study is a weariness of the flesh.” 12:12

Isaiah:-

# “Cease to do evil; learn to do well … relieve the oppressed … plead for the widow.” 1:16-17

# “Come now, let us reason together.” 1:18

# “And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” Well, it’s a nice thought, but Joel 3:10 says just the opposite. But what do you expect from a “God of Peace” (Rom.15:33, Heb.13:20) who calls himself a “man of war”? (Ex.15:3) 2:4

# “The liberal deviseth liberal things; and by liberal things shall he stand.” — A Bible verse for Howard Dean and the US Democratic Party! 32:8

# “All flesh is grass.”
Since all animals, including humans, survive by eating plants or other animals that have eaten plants, it is true that “all flesh is grass.” 40:6

# This verse appear to condemn slavery. However the bible is far from clear on this issue. 58:6

# Feed the hungry, house the homeless, clothe the naked. 58:7, 10

# “He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man.” 66:3

Jeremiah:-

# Defend the helpless and oppressed; don’t harm strangers, widows, orphans, or other innocent people. 22:3

# Pay a fair wage to your employees. 22:13

Hosea:-

# “For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice.” 6:6

Micah:-

# “They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” Well, it’s a nice thought, but Joel 3:10 says just the opposite. But what do you expect from a “God of Peace” (Rom.15:33, Heb.13:20) who calls himself a “man of war”? (Ex.15:3) 4:3

# “O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” 6:8
(Well, it’s a nice thought, but there are a few things more that Micah forgot to mention. Like you must believe certain unlikely things or you will be tormented forever in hell (Mk.16:16, Jn.3:18, 36); you must kill witches Ex.22:18, homosexuals Lev.20:13, those who believe differently than you Dt.13:6-10, disobedient children Dt.21:18-21, etc.6:8)

Zechariah:-

# “Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother: And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.” 7:9-10

# “These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates: And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath.” 8:16-17

Malachi:-

# “Let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.” 2:15

# God disapproves of adultery, lying, oppressing workers, and mistreating widows, orphans, and strangers. 3:5

THE NEW TESTAMENT :-

Matthew:-

# Blessed are the merciful” 5:7

# “Blessed are the peacemakers” 5:9

# “Love your enemies.” Well, it’s a nice thought. But it seems strange coming from someone who damns his enemies to hell. (Mark 16:16) 5:44

# Don’t brag about the good things that you do. 6:1-3

# Jesus tells his disciples not to pray in public. Those who favor school prayer, National Day of Prayer, etc. should take his advice. 6:5-6

# “Consider the lilies of the field….” A nice analogy, good advice (unless you live in cold climates), and a great movie. 6:28

# “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” 7:1

# Avoid hypocrisy. Consider your own faults rather than criticizing others. 7:3-4

# “Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.” 7:12

# Forgive those who repeatedly offend you. 18:21-22

# Jesus lists the “ten commandments,” but his list has only six, and the sixth is not one of the ten. The commandments given by Jesus are secular, not religious, in nature. 19:18

# Jesus quotes Lev.19:18: “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” This is by far the best verse in Leviticus, and one of the best in the entire bible. 22:39

# “For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in.” 25:35

# “All they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.” 26:52

Mark:-

# When Jesus lists the “ten” commandments, he only mentions five — the humanistic ones that make no mention of God. He also gives one that is not included in the so-called ten commandments: “defraud not.” Just where he got this one is anyone’s guess. 10:19

# “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” 12:31

Luke:-

# Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely. 3:14

# Love you enemies; do good to those who hate you. 6:27

# The Golden Rule: Treat others as you would like to be treated. 6:31-34

# “Love your enemies.” Well, it’s a nice thought. But it seems strange coming from someone who damns his enemies to hell. (Mk.16:16) 6:35

# “Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.” Well I’m glad Jesus thinks we should be merciful. But the Old Testament God is a strange role model for mercy! (See 1 Sam.15:2-3 for an example of the OT God’s mercy.) 6:36

# Don’t judge or condemn others. Forgive those who have offended you. 6:37

# Jesus warns against hypocrisy. The Christian right should pay more attention to this verse. 6:41

# Love thy neighbor as thyself. 10:27

# The story of the good Samaritan gets my vote for the best bible story. We should all “go and do likewise.” 10:30-37

# From his comments on the widow’s mites, it appears that Jesus, contrary to today’s Christian right, favored progressive taxation. 21:1-3

John:-

# Jesus tells those who’d like to stone to death an adulteress that whoever among them that is without sin should “cast the first stone.” Good advice — but it directly contradicts the teachings of the Old Testament (Lev.20:20). If that wasn’t a good law then why did God make it? Has he since changed his mind? Shouldn’t it then be removed (along with most of the OT) from the bible? 8:7

# “The truth shall make you free.” 8:32

# “Love one another.” 13:34

# “This is my commandment, That ye love one another.” If this is what it takes to be a Christian, then count me in. Unfortunately, Christians often take Jesus’ commandment to mean that Christians should love other, like minded, Christians, and to hell with everybody else. 15:12, 17

# Pilate asked Jesus a very good question: “What is truth?” 18:38

Acts:-

# It’s better to give than to receive. (Jesus didn’t say it, but it’s a nice thought anyway.) 20:35

Romans:-

# Let your love be genuine. Do good; avoid evil. 12:9

# Be kind to others. 12:10

# Show empathy toward others. 12:15

# Associate with the lowly. Don’t pretend to be wiser than you are. 12:16

# Don’t return evil for evil. 12:17

# Try to “live peaceably with all men.” 12:18

# Be kind to your enemies. Overcome evil with good. 12:19-21

# Love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. 13:8

# “If there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” 13:9-10

# Be honest; avoid drunkenness. 13:13

# “Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.” 14:5

# Don’t judge other people or cause them to fall. 14:13

# “Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.” 14:19

1 Corinthians :-

# Husbands and wives should be kind to each other. 7:3

# Love is a good thing. 8:1

# Some nice thoughts about love (or charity). 13:4-6

# “Put away childish things.” (Like believing in the bible?) 13:11

# Speak clearly. Too bad the whole Bible doesn’t follow this principle. 14:8-9

# “Be not children in understanding.” 14:20

# Do all things with love. 16:14

Galatians:-

# “By love serve one another.” 5:13

# “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” 5:14

# “Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, … meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” 5:22

# Don’t be conceited or envious of others. 5:26

# Forgive others. Someday you might make a mistake, too. 6:1

# Bear one another’s burdens. 6:2

Ephesians:-

# Don’t lie. Speak the truth to your neighbor. 4:25

# “Let not the sun go down upon your wrath.” 4:26

# Don’t steal, but rather work so that you will have something to give to those who are in need. 4:28

# “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying.” 4:29

# Be kind and forgiving to one another. 4:31-32

# “So ought men to love their wives.” 5:28

# Love your wife as yourself. 5:33

Philippians:-

# Don’t fight, be humble, and look after the needs of others. 2:3-4

# “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.” 4:8

Colossians:-

# Avoid anger, wrath, and malice. 3:8

# Don’t lie. 3:9

# Be merciful, kind, humble, and forgiving toward one another. 3:12-13

# “Husbands, love your wives.” 3:19

# “Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.” 3:21

# “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” 4:6

1 Thessalonians :-

# “Comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.” 5:14

# Don’t return evil for evil, but be good to yourselves and all others. 5:15

# “Prove all things; hold fast to what is good.” 5:21

1 Timothy :-

# “Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies.” If we follow this advice we would ignore most of the Bible — especially the genealogies found in Gen.10, 1 Chr.1-9, Mt.1, and Lk.3. 1:4

# Paul says to “refuse … old wives’ fables.” What about old husbands’ fables? Old Bible fables? 4:7

# “We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” 6:7

2 Timothy :-

# Be gentle and patient with all others. 2:24

Titus:-

# Disregard “Jewish fables and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.” Like most of the bible, maybe? 1:14

# Do good works; be gentle toward others; avoid fighting or speaking unkindly about others. 3:1-2

# “Avoid … genealogies.” Like Gen.10, 1 Chr.1-9, and Lk.3? 3:9

Hebrews:-

# “Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works.” 10:24

# Let brotherly love continue. 13:1

# Be hospitable to strangers. 13:2

# Avoid “strange doctrines.” Those who do so will avoid nearly everything that the Bible teaches. 13:9

James:-

# “Be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.” 1:19

# “Pure religion … is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” 1:27

# The rich should not be treated better than the poor. 2:2-4

# “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” 2:8

# Help others that are in need; don’t just wish them well. This is good advice, though it’s unfortunate that James restricted this help to “brothers”. Did he mean by this that you only need to help fellow believers? 2:15-16

# James ridicules those who say salvation is by faith alone. He says the devils believe in God. Will their faith save them? 2:19

# “Speak not evil of one another.” 4:11

# Don’t judge other people. 4:12

# “Ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” (All we are is dust in the wind.) 4:14

# Workers should be treated fairly. 5:4

1 Peter :-

# “For all flesh is as grass.”
Life is ephemeral. Enjoy it while you can. 1:24

# Avoid evil, malice, hypocrisy, and envy. Don’t speak badly about others. 2:1

# Be compassionate and courteous. Don’t seek revenge when you are harmed by another. Speak kindly of others. Do good and avoid evil. 3:8-11

# Peter says that Christians should be ready to explain why they believe what they do. This is a good verse to remember when Christians refuse to debate you. 3:15

# Be hospitable to one another without grudging. 4:9

# Don’t murder, steal, do evil things, or interfere needlessly in the lives of others. I wish Christians would follow Peter’s advice here, especially the “busybody” part, and stay out of the beliefs and sex lives of nonchristians. 4:15

2 Peter :-

# Paul’s epistles are hard to understand. And that those who try to understand them, as with the other scriptures, do so “unto their own destruction. 3:16

1 John :-

# Those who love others are “in the light”; those who hate are “in darkness”. 2:9-11

# “Let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.” 3:18

# “Love one another.” 4:7-8, 4:16

# “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear.” 4:18

2 John :-

# “Love one another.”
Except for all those antichrists (non-Christians), that is. (See verses 7-10) 5

3 John :-

# Do good; avoid evil. 11

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