The Bible is filled with all wisdom. In one verse it can both convict and encourage us. It holds all truth and allows us to have an intimate knowledge of our Savior. Sometimes we can struggle with applying God’s Word to our life but He has called us to be doers of the Word (James 1:22).
I have gathered some common verses we can use to help guide others (or ourselves) into biblical living through the power of the Holy Spirit. When we are walking with and discipling others these verses can be a quick reference for us to help point others back to Christ.
Many of the following verses focus on Christian living and how we are to live to please God and how to act towards others. All verses are quoted in the New King James Version (NKJV). I hope they are helpful and encouraging. I have broken them into four categories:
- Our Responsibility as Biblical Disciplers/Counselors
- Basic Knowledge of the Christian Faith
- Living to Please God
- Biblical Encouragement
Our Responsibility as Biblical Disciplers/Counselors
When I write “counselor,” I do not mean a licensed counselor or therapist but rather someone who is knowledgeable in the Word and who is able to instruct others in biblical truth. A biblical counselor is someone who relies fully and completely on the Word of God as the only complete source of truth and the only way to deal with and face life’s problems.
Some verses in the Bible serve as challenges and reminders to us as biblical disciplers/counselors. These are thoughts or principles that need to be at the forefront of our minds as we counsel others. We also need to practice the additional verses we share with others.
Matthew 28:19-20
19“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
This passage is called “the Great Commission” and is the crux of spreading the Christian faith. Right before Jesus leaves this earth for heaven, He speaks to His disciples (and all believers) about how to spread the gospel (“the good news”).
First, He tells us that the gospel is for everyone, everywhere. There are no limits on who can come to faith in Him. We are told to baptize new believers and to acknowledge the Holy Trinity in the process. Baptism is an outward sign of inward spiritual renewal, a sign that we are a new creation in Christ.
Once someone believes in Jesus, we must also teach them how to walk the Christian walk and live out their faith. We must make disciples (students) rather than just converts. Luckily, thanks to God’s great grace, we do not have to do this alone. Jesus promises to be with us every day as we work out the Great Commission to preach the gospel and make disciples.
Galatians 6:1-2
1Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. 2Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Paul is writing to the Galatians, explaining to them how to correct other believers. To be spiritual means those of us who are exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit, as listed just before this verse in chapter five. If we notice a believer is sinning, it is our duty to humbly and gently redirect them. We must do this with gentleness and respect.
Resist the temptation to sin against other believers by getting angry or having a haughty spirit as we lovingly show them where they may have sinned. We are to endure with one another and show compassion to one another, just as Christ did.
Proverbs 11:14
14Where there is no counsel, the people fall;
But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.
God knows that we need each other and that we can learn and glean wisdom from one another. With no guidance or direction, people fail. Instead, they need biblical counsel. If possible, having more than one counselor is always beneficial; there is wisdom in having many spirit-filled people aiding in a counseling session, when possible.
Proverbs 18:13
13He who answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and shame to him.
As biblical counselors, we must be careful not to take sides and to be discerning in all things. We must be quick to listen and slow to speak. This verse tells us that if we speak too quickly or before learning the whole of a situation or circumstance, we are fools. We must be diligent in representing Christ well by taking our time before answering or responding to matters that require our input.
Basic Knowledge of the Christian Faith
The basic knowledge that I have included here relates to Jesus’s divinity (fully God and fully man), the working of the Holy Spirit, the sufficiency of Scripture, and how those doctrines relate to us and our view of self.
Colossians 2:9
9For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
The “Him” this verse refers to is Jesus. He walked this earth fully God and fully man. Throughout His ministry, He claimed oneness with the Father and to be equal with God. This subject alone could be an entire blog post but this is an essential doctrine of the Christian faith. Philippians 2:5-8 provides a strong case for Christ’s deity as well.
John 14:26
26But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
All believers have the Holy Spirit living inside of us. He is there to guide us, comfort us, and convict us of sin. He reminds us of scripture and helps us walk faithful lives in pursuit of Christ. In all counseling sessions, the primary counselor is the Holy Spirit.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
16All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
The Bible contains the very words of God! It is our standard for living, is inerrant, and complete. It is sufficient for solving and dealing with all of life’s problems. We as believers get to use God’s Word to transform us. We can use it to teach one another (and ourselves) as well as lovingly correct our fellow believers.
As Christians should utilize the Word of God in all areas of our life to grow in righteousness to become more and more like Christ. We can use God’s Word to be prepared for every situation and circumstance and to be equipped for every good work.
1 John 1:9
9If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
This verse offers us great hope! As believers, we are not to live in unrepentant sin. When we do sin and fail in this life, we must confess our sins to God. His forgiveness is free, and He gladly pours out His grace on us when we confess sin. He cleanses us and wipes our slate clean once again. We can be free from the guilt of sin by confessing to the Lord! What a loving God we serve.
Ezekiel 18:20
20The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.
Our world thinks and believes that we must atone for and are responsible for the sins of our forefathers. This is contrary to the Bible. This verse tells us that we are all responsible for our own sins. The son is not responsible for the sins of his father but he is responsible for his own conduct and sins. Likewise, parents are not responsible or guilty of their children’s sins. Each person makes their own decisions whether to be righteous or to be wicked. We are all responsible for our own thoughts, words, and actions. We can choose to live righteously or sinfully. Sin leads to death but choosing to live a righteous life through faith in Jesus leads to abundant life!
James 1:22
22But be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
God does not want us to be inactive or stagnant in our Christian walk. He commands us in His Word to be doers of the Word, to walk out our faith daily. We are not to merely listen to the Word but to act out and practice the principles it teaches. If we only hear the Word but do not act it out, we deceive ourselves into thinking that we are faithful servants of Christ. We may think our Christian walk is stronger than it is.
Living to Please God
This section details how to live to please God. It showcases some verses that address common sins and how God calls us to live instead. These verses show us how to live out our faith and how to be doers of the Word (James 1:22).
Matthew 22:37-40
37Jesus said to him, “’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38This is the first and great commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
Jesus calls us to love Him passionately, with everything in us! He wants us to focus on Him and give Him all the glory: physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. In all our deeds we are to worship Him! One of the ways (and the greatest way) that we do this is by loving others. Jesus knows that loving God and loving others is so important that He says all the Old Testament can be summed up by these two commandments. We are commanded to love others.
Psalm 119:11
11Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.
As a part of being faithful followers of Christ, the Lord commands us to memorize and study scripture. Psalm 1 and Psalm 119 are great places to study the importance of learning and memorizing God’s Word. If we want to have a relationship with God, we have to know what His Word says.
1 Thessalonians 5:17
17pray without ceasing
This deceptively simple verse is a command to pray at all times of the day, no matter what we are doing. One of the best ways for us to stay connected and communicate with God is through prayer. It is one of the three resources we have been given as believers to walk out our faith.
Hebrews 10:24-25
24And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
God does not want us to be alone in this life. We were created to crave community, especially with other believers. Meeting with our fellow believers allows us to consider one another and love, serve, and encourage each other. When we forsake meeting together, we can easily become discouraged in our Christian walk.
Matthew 7:1
1“Judge not, that you be not judged.”
Jesus is speaking here, encouraging all believers to not self-righteously condemn others. We cannot hypocritically call others out on their sins if we have not first addressed the sins in our own life. Jesus is not telling us to condone and accept the sins of others but to instead check our own hearts before helping others address their sins.
Matthew 7:5
5“Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”
Jesus is commanding believers to first address our own sins and to assess ourselves through the lens of His truth before helping others work through their sins. Confronting ourselves is an essential part of the Christian faith and is a continual process. The Holy Spirit can help us identify areas where sin needs to be addressed in our lives.
Ephesians 4:22-24
22that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
We are to be separate from our old self. When we accept Jesus as the Lord of our life, we are to have a renewed spirit and a renewed outlook on life. Our old self was dead in sin and now we can focus on living a holy, set apart life in Christ. It is absolutely necessary to focus on putting on new, righteous practices instead of focusing on our old, sinful practices.
Luke 9:23-24
23Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.”
Jesus never told us to love ourselves more or to grow our “self-esteem.” In fact, He said the opposite. In this passage, Jesus calls us to follow Him with everything in us. He says that if we want to follow Him, we must deny ourselves, including our wants and our selfishness, and daily take up our cross and follow Him. To take up our cross we must be in His Word daily, seeking Him through prayer and loving others as He commanded.
If we desire to save our life and look only to our own interests, we will ultimately lose our life by not experiencing eternal life with Christ. If we are willing to lose our life and give up our fleshly desires to follow Him, we will gain a heavenly reward. We are to love ourselves less by pursuing Christ first above all else. We are to be faithful, consistent followers of Jesus.
James 4:17
17Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.
The Bible holds all wisdom and there are many verses instructing believers on how to conduct themselves as followers of Christ. This is one such verse. It tells us that if there is something we know that we ought to be doing but are not doing, we are sinning against God. Often the Holy Spirit will prompt us to do good, especially for others. When we ignore this prompting, we sinned. God wants us to be obedient to Him in all things.
Ephesians 4:31-32
31Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
There are many verses in the Bible where God has prescribed how we are to act towards one another. This is one such passage. God’s Word tells us to put off bitterness and anger, as well as evil speaking, or hurtful speech. Instead, we are to be kind, gentle, and forgiving.
We remember the grace and forgiveness God has given us through Christ and, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we are able to extend love and show forgiveness to others. In pursuit of God, we are to let go of bitterness and anger towards others and to love and forgive others instead because God forgave us through Christ.
James 1:19-20
19So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 20for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
God does not want us to be angry. He wants us to be willing to listen and careful when we speak. James tells us that we are to be quick to listen and slow to speak. We must be slow to anger. Our anger is often not righteous and can cause us to sin when not handled properly. Being quick to anger does not help us to grow in righteousness or to be more like Christ. Anger can never make things right in God’s eyes.
Matthew 5:23-24
23“Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”
Through belief in Jesus, God has granted us undeserved forgiveness. He wants us to extend that forgiveness to others and to ask for forgiveness from others when needed. These verses tell us that being at peace with others is important to Him.
If we remember something that we have done that requires us to ask for forgiveness from someone, we are to drop everything and seek reconciliation. Once we are again at peace, we can resume worship.
Mark 11:25
25“And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.”
Forgiveness is important to God. He knows that unforgiveness in our lives will only drive us farther from Him. These verses tell us that we are to forgive everyone who may have sinned against us. This can be difficult but we must remember how much we have been forgiven by God and how He cleanses us of our sins. When we forgive others through the power of the Holy Spirit, God also forgives us of our sins.
Philippians 2:3-4
3Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
We do not need to love ourselves more, we do not need to build our “self-esteem.” God says that we already esteem ourselves. Instead, we are called to do nothing out of our own selfishness and self-interests but in humility consider others as better than ourselves. We are to put the interests of others above our own.
We are to love others more than we love ourselves and think about and show love to others – no matter who they are. This sentiment is the opposite of what our culture says to do. Our culture tells us to look out for ourselves and to pursue our own happiness without concern or consideration for others.
When we focus on loving God and loving others more than we love ourselves, we are being obedient to the Lord and demonstrating our commitment to following Him.
Ephesians 5:21-22, 25
21Submitting to one another in the fear of God.
22Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her.
Marriage is a blessing from God – a covenant He has forged between two people, one man and one woman, to live as one flesh and to reflect the relationship between Christ and His church. It is not always easy but God’s Word has outlined some principles each spouse can follow to honor God in their marriage.
In Ephesians 5:21, all believers are called to submit to one another, including our spouse. We are called to please God and serve our spouse. Wives have the special role of submitting to (aligning with) their husbands. This includes being loving and respectful, not argumentative or nagging.
Husbands are commanded to love their wives as Christ loved the church. This is a tall order and should lead husbands to love, care for, and sacrifice for their wives just as Christ did for us.
Biblical Encouragement
Sometimes when biblically counseling others it will be apparent that the fellow believer is downtrodden and walking through some difficult times. In these moments, they need to be reminded of God’s hope, whether it is overcoming a life-dominating sin or going through unimaginable hardship. We can come alongside them and offer encouragement and hope through difficult times.
1 Corinthians 10:13
13No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
This is both a hope-giving verse as well as a warning. Paul is writing to the Corinthians here, telling them (and us) that there are no new temptations. A temptation I struggle with can be and is a temptation for someone else as well. Temptation is a shared experience for humanity. The good news is that, as believers, God helps us fight temptation. When we rely on Him, He provides a way out of our tempting circumstances. He empowers us to withstand temptation, overcome it, and be triumphant!
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
9Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.
Before we knew Jesus, we were all dead in our sins. We had no hope and no way to save ourselves. Those who continually practice the sins listed in these verses will not inherit the kingdom of God.
The great hope of this passage is that some of us practiced these sins but God did not prevent us from becoming His children. We disobeyed God and ran from Him until He saved us through His grace. He cleansed us and gave us new hope. He justified us so we no longer carry the weight and guilt of our past sins; we are renewed by Him. What an amazing God we serve!
Romans 8:28-29
28And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
When we love and follow God, He works every circumstance and situation for our good. This does not mean that we will not have trials in this life but rather that God will bring about good in the midst of or through our suffering. There may be times that we do not immediately see the good in our trials but we trust what God’s Word says and that He is faithful. God knew from the beginning of time that we would follow Him and believe in Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7
6Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
God wants us to come to Him with everything. He wants us to rely solely on Him for all our needs. God does not want us to be anxious. Instead, God would have us turn to Him in every circumstance with consistent prayer. We are to be thankful as well as honest with the Lord.
When we communicate with God in prayer, He provides a transcendent peace beyond our understanding. We no longer have to carry our anxieties and burdens when we turn them over to God. He will protect our hearts and minds through Christ by providing us with restful peace only He can give.
James 1:2-4
2My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
In this world, we will all go through suffering of some kind at some point or another. Trials are an opportunity to demonstrate our faith in Christ. In this passage, we are told to be joyful when (not if) we experience trials and suffering.
We know that our trials test our faith and challenge us to remain faithful to God. Our trials produce patience and allow us to grow in holiness and to become complete in Christ. God knows that our trials strengthen our walk with Him when we solely depend on Him for joy and peace.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
God cares for us. He cares about our suffering. He sees us and He loves us. These verses offer hope for us during overwhelming or seemingly impossible circumstances. When we do not have words, God comforts us. He is the God of all comfort. He is the Father of mercies. We can pass on the comfort we receive from God to our fellow believers who are going through a trial.
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I hope you enjoyed this compilation. Please let me know if there are any other verses you would like explanations for! I could do a similar compilation by topic (such as verse explanations about anger, pride, love, etc.).
Do not lose heart. Keep fighting the good fight of faith. Christ is with us to bring peace that surpasses understanding.
To God be the glory!
Jasmine