If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels
but do not have love,
I have become a sounding piece of brass or a clashing cymbal.
And if I have the gift of prophesying
and am acquainted with all the sacred secrets and all knowledge,
and if I have all the faith so as to transplant mountains,
but do not have love,
I am nothing.
And if I give all my belongings to feed others,
and if I hand over my body, that I may boast,
but do not have love,
I am not profited at all.
Love is long-suffering and kind.
Love is not jealous,
it does not brag,
does not get puffed up,
does not behave indecently,
does not look for its own interests,
does not become provoked.
It does not keep account of the injury.
It does not rejoice over unrighteousness,
but rejoices with the truth.
It bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails.
...Now, however, there remain faith, hope, love, these three;
but the greatest of these is love.
--1 Corinthians 13:1-8, 13
Do not you people be owing anybody a single thing,
except to love one another;
for he that loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.
For the law code, "You must not commit adultery, You must not murder,
You must not steal, You must not covet",
and whatever other commandment there is,
is summed up in this word, namely,
"You must love your neighbor as yourself."
Love does not work evil to one’s neighbor;
therefore love is the law’s fulfillment.
-–Romans 13:8-10
The form of worship that is clean and undefiled
from the standpoint of our God and Father is this:
to look after orphans and widows in their tribulation,
and to keep oneself without spot from the world.
--James 1:27
Of what benefit is it, my brothers,
if a certain one says he has faith but he does not have works?
That faith cannot save him, can it?
If a brother or a sister is in a naked state and lacking the food sufficient
for the day,
yet a certain one of you says to them:
"Go in peace, keep warm and well fed,"
but you do not give them the necessities for [their] body,
of what benefit is it?
Thus, too, faith, if it does not have works, is dead in itself.
Nevertheless, a certain one will say:
"You have faith and I have works.
Show me your faith apart from the works,
and I shall show you my faith by my works."
You believe there is one God, do you? You are doing quite well.
And yet the demons believe and shudder.
But do you care to know, O empty man,
that faith apart from works is inactive?
--James 2:14-20
On the other hand,
the fruitage of the spirit is
love,
joy,
peace,
long-suffering,
kindness,
goodness,
faith,
mildness,
self-control.
Against such things there is no law.
--Galatians 5:22-23
You heard that is was said,
"You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy."
However, I say to you:
Continue to love your enemies
and to pray for those persecuting you,
that you may prove yourselves sons of your Father who is in the heavens,
since he makes his sun rise upon wicked people and good
and makes it rain upon righteous people and unrighteous.
For if you love those loving you, what reward do you have?
--Matthew 5:43-46
Stop judging that you may not be judged;
for with what judgment you are judging,
you will be judged;
and with the measure that you are measuring out,
they will measure out to you.
Why, then, do you look at the straw in your brother's eye,
but do not consider the rafter in your own eye?
--Matthew 7:1-3
All things, therefore, that you want men to do
to you,
you also must likewise do to them;
this, in fact, is what the Law and the Prophets mean.
--Matthew 7:12
So, calling a young child to him, he set it in
their midst and said:
"Truly I say to you,
Unless you turn around and become as young children,
you will by no means enter into the kingdom of the heavens.
Therefore, whoever will humble himself like this young child
is the one that is the greatest in the kingdom of the heavens;
and whoever receives one such young child on the basis of my name
receives me also.
--Matthew 18:2-5
What do you think?
If a certain man comes to have a hundred sheep
and one of them gets strayed,
will he not leave the ninety-nine upon the mountains
and set out on a search for the one that is straying?
And if he happens to find it, I certainly tell you
he rejoices more over it
than over the ninety-nine that have not strayed.
Likewise it is not a desirable thing with my Father who is in heaven
for one of these little ones to perish.
--Matthew 18:12-14
Then Peter came up and said to him:
"Lord, how many times is my brother to sin against me and am I to forgive
him?
Up to seven times?"
Jesus said to him: "I say to you, not, Up to seven times,
but Up to seventy times seven."
--Matthew 18:21-22
Now, look! A certain one came up to him and said:
"Teacher, what good must I do in order to get everlasting life?"
He said to him: "Why do you ask me about what is good?
One there is that is good.
If, though you want to enter into life,
observe the commandments continually."
He said to him: "Which ones?"
Jesus said: "Why, You must not murder,
You must not commit adultery,
You must not steal,
You must not bear false witness,
Honor [your] father and [your] mother,
and You must love your neighbor as yourself."
The young man said to him:
"I have kept all these; what yet am I lacking?"
Jesus said to him: "If you want to be perfect,
go sell your belongings and give to the poor
and you will have treasure in heaven,
and come be my follower."
--Matthew 19:16-21
Then the king will say to those on his right,
"Come you who have been blessed by my Father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the founding of the world.
For I became hungry and you gave me something to eat;
I got thirsty and you gave me something to drink.
I was a stranger and you received me hospitably,
naked, and you clothed me.
I fell sick and you looked after me.
I was in prison and you came to me." ...
"Truly I say to you,
To the extent that you did it to one of the least of these my brothers,
you did it to me."
--Matthew 25:34-36, 40
He further said to them: "Pay attention
to what you are hearing.
With the measure that you are measuring out,
you will have it measured out to you,
yes, you will have more added to you.
For he that has will have more given to him;
but he that does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."
--Mark 4:24-25
And the crowds would ask him: "What, then,
shall we do?"
In reply he would say to them:
"Let the man that has two coats share with the man that has none,
and let him that has things to eat do the same."
--Luke 3:10-11
In answer Jesus said to him:
"If anyone loves me, he will observe my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we shall come to him and make our abode with him.
He that does not love me does not observe my words;
and the word that you are hearing is not mine,
but belongs to the Father who sent me.
--John 14:23-24
This is my commandment,
that you love one another just as I have loved you.
No one has love greater than this,
that someone should surrender his soul in behalf of his friends.
--John 15:12-13
Moreover, the multitude of those who had believed
had one heart and soul,
and not even one would say that any of the things he possessed was his own;
but they had all things in common.
Also, with great power the apostles continued giving forth the witness
concerning the resurrection of the Lord Jesus,
and great grace was upon them all.
In fact, there was not one in need among them;
for all those who possessed fields or houses would sell them
and bring the values of the things sold,
and they would deposit them at the feet of the apostles.
In turn distribution would be made to each one,
just as he would have the need.
--Acts 4:32-35
For I am convinced
that neither death nor life
nor angels nor governments
nor things now here nor things to come
nor powers nor height
nor depth nor any other creation
will be able to separate us from God's love
that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
--Romans 8:38-39
Do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your minds,
so that you may discern what is the will of God--
what is good and acceptable and perfect.
For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you
not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think,
but to think with sober judgment,
each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
For as in one body we have many members,
and not all the members have the same function,
so we, who are many, are one body in Christ,
and individually we are members one of another.
We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us:
prophecy, in proportion to faith;
ministry, in ministering;
the teacher, in teaching;
the exhorter, in exhortation;
the giver, in generosity;
the leader, in diligence;
the compassionate, in cheerfulness.
Let love be genuine;
hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good;
love one another with mutual affection;
outdo one another in showing honor.
Do not lag in zeal,
be aglow with the spirit,
serve the Lord.
Rejoice in hope,
be patient in suffering,
persevere in prayer.
Contribute to the needs of the holy ones;
extend hospitality to strangers.
Bless those who persecute you;
bless and do not curse them.
Rejoice with those who rejoice,
weep with those who weep.
Live in harmony with one another;
do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly;
do not claim to be wiser than you are.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil,
but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all.
If it is possible, so far as it depends on you,
live peaceably with all.
Beloved, never avenge yourselves,
but leave room for the wrath of God;
for it is written,
"Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord."
But, "if your enemies are hungry, feed them;
if they are thirsty, give them something to drink;
for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads."
Do not let yourself be conquered by the evil,
but keep conquering the evil with the good.
--Romans 12:2-21
"Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?"
He said to him,
"'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul,
and with all your mind.'
This is the greatest and first commandment.
And a second is like it:
'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
--Matthew 22:36-40
Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.
If anyone thinks he has acquired knowledge of something,
he does not yet know it just as he ought to know it.
But if anyone loves God, this one is known by him.
--1 Corinthians 8:2-3
Do not seek your own advantage, but that of the other person.
--1 Corinthians 10:24
Therefore, whether you are eating or drinking
or doing anything else,
do all things for God's glory.
--1 Corinthians 10:31
The point is this: the one who sows sparingly
will also reap sparingly,
and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
Each of you must give as you have made up your mind,
not reluctantly or under compulsion,
for God loves a cheerful giver.
And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance,
so that by always having enough of everything,
you may share abundantly in every good work.
As it is written, "He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever."
--2 Corinthians 9:6-9
Do not hold back good from those to whom it is
owing,
when it happens to be in the power of your hand to do it.
Do not say to your fellowman
"Go and come back and tomorow I shall give,"
when there is something with you.
--Proverbs 3:27-28
Really then, as long as we have time favorable
for it,
let us work what is good toward all,
but especially toward those related to us in the faith.
--Galatians 6:10
Husbands, continue loving your wives,
just as the Christ also loved the congregation and delivered up himself for
it, ...
In this way husbands ought to be loving their wives as their own bodies.
He who loves his wife loves himself,
for no man ever hated his own flesh; but he feeds and cherishes it,
as the Christ also does the congregation, because we are members of his body.
Nevertheless, also let each one of you individually so love his wife as he does
himself;
on the other hand, the wife should have deep respect for her husband.
--Ephesians 5:25, 28, 33
If, then, there is any encouragement in Christ,
if any consolation of love,
if any sharing of spirit,
if any tender affections and compassions,
make my joy full in that you are of the same mind and have the same love,
being joined together in soul, holding the one thought in mind,
doing nothing out of contentiousness or out of egotism,
but with lowliness of mind considering that the others are superior to you,
keeping an eye, not in personal interest upon just your own matters,
but also in personal interest upon those of the others.
--Philippians 2:1-4
As God's chosen ones, holy and loved,
clothe yourselves with compassion,
kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.
Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another,
forgive each other;
just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
Above all, clothe yourselves with love, for it is a perfect bond of union.
--Colossians 3:12-14
See that no one renders injury for injury to
anyone else,
but always pursue what is good toward one another and to all others.
--1 Thessalonians 5:15
Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus.
"Teacher," he said, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
He said to him, "What is written in the law? What do you read there?"
He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
and with all your soul,
and with all your strength,
and with all your mind;
and your neighbor as yourself."
And he said to him, "You have given the right answer;
do this, and you will live."
But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus,
"And who is my neighbor?"
Jesus replied,
"A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho,
and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him,
beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead.
Now by chance a priest was going down that road;
and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him,
passed by on the other side.
But a Samaritan while traveling came near him;
and when he saw him, he was moved with pity.
He went to him and bandaged his wounds,
having poured oil and wine on them.
Then he put him on his own animal,
brought him to an inn,
and took care of him.
The next day he took out two denarii,
gave them to the innkeeper, and said,
'Take care of him; and when I come back,
I will repay you whatever more you spend.'
Which of these three, do you think,
was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?"
He said, "The one who showed him mercy."
Jesus said to him,
"Go and do likewise."
--Luke 10:25-37
However, those who are determined to be rich
fall into temptation
and a snare
and many senseless and hurtful desires,
which plunge men into destruction and ruin.
For the love of money is a root of all sorts of injurious things,
and by reaching out for this love
some have been led astray from the faith
and have stabbed themselves all over with many pains.
However, you, O man of God, flee from these things.
But pursue righteousness,
godly devotion,
faith,
love,
endurance,
mildness of temper.
Fight the fine fight of the faith,
get a firm hold on the everlasting life for which you were called.
--1 Timothy 6:9-12