51 Bible Verses about Privileges

For who regards you as different? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Hail, O highly favored one, the Lord is with you!"read more.
But she was greatly troubled at his saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. And he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end." And Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible." Then Mary said, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

though I myself have reasons for confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.read more.
But whatever was gain to me, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count everything to be loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christthe righteousness that comes from God and is by faith,

They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. Of them are the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, forever blessed. Amen.

I ask, then, has God rejected his people? Certainly not! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? "Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life."read more.
But what is God's reply to him? "I have reserved for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal." So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. And if it is by grace, then it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise, grace would no longer be grace. What then? Israel did not obtain what it sought. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, as it is written: "God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that they should not see and ears that they should not hear, down to this very day." And David says: "Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them. Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their backs forever." So I ask, have they stumbled so as to fall? Certainly not! But through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make Israel jealous. Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fullness mean!

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will,read more.
to the praise of his glorious grace, which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace which he lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight

Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.read more.
We are therefore ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making his appeal through us. We beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Among them we all once lived in the lusts of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and mind, and so we were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),read more.
and raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the surpassing riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

for through him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of the glory of God.

Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which he opened for us through the curtain, that is, his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God,read more.
let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, and the blast of a trumpet, and the sound of a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further word be spoken to them. For they could not endure the order that was given, "If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned."read more.
The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, "I am trembling with fear." But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the joyful assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks better than the blood of Abel.

And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

Then Jesus cried out and said, "He who believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. And he who sees me sees him who sent me. I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in me should not remain in darkness.

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also; and from now on you know him and have seen him."

But when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"read more.
So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,read more.
and if children, then heirsheirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him, in order that we may also be glorified with him.

For you are all sons of God, through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.read more.
And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.

And have you forgotten the exhortation which addresses you as sons? "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor lose courage when you are rebuked by him. For those whom the Lord loves he disciplines, and he scourges every son whom he receives." It is for discipline that you endure. God is treating you as sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?read more.
If you are left without discipline, in which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had fathers of our flesh to discipline us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant; but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are members of God's household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord;read more.
in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.

Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes which see what you see. For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it."

The disciples came and said to him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?" And he answered them, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him will more be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.read more.
This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which says: 'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand; and seeing you will see and not perceive. For this people's heart has grown dull. And their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and they understand with their hearts, and turn so that I should heal them.' But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. And he said to them, "To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but to those outside everything is in parables; so that 'seeing they may see but not perceive, and hearing may hear but not understand; lest they should turn again, and be forgiven.'"

When his disciples asked him what this parable meant, he said, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God; but to others it is given in parables, so that 'Seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.'

No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.

Yet we do speak a wisdom among the mature, a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away. But we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and which God destined for our glory before the ages. None of the rulers of this age understood it; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.read more.
But, as it is written, "No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived what God has prepared for those who love him," God has revealed them to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit which is in him? Even so no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand the things freely given to us by God.

As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you inquired and searched carefully, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaventhings into which angels long to look.

No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.

And last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared to me also. For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. No, I worked harder than all of themyet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.

I have coveted no one's silver or gold or clothes. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to the men who were with me. In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"

Now, brethren, we want you to know about the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in the wealth of their liberality. For I testify that according to their ability, and even beyond their ability, they gave of their own free will,read more.
urgently pleading with us for the privilege of sharing in the relief of the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God. So we urged Titus that as he had previously made a beginning, he would also complete in you this work of grace. But as you excel in everythingin faith, in utterance, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in your love for ussee that you excel in this work of grace also. I am not speaking this as a command, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that through his poverty you might become rich. And in this matter I give my advice: it is best for you now to complete what a year ago you began not only to do but to desire. Now finish the work, so that your readiness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a man has, not according to what he does not have. For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened; but at the present time your abundance should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be equality. As it is written, "He who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack."

The point is this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give just as he has purposed in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, so that you, always having all sufficiency in everything, may have an abundance for every good work.read more.
As it is written, "He has scattered abroad, he gives to the poor; his righteousness endures forever." Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will multiply the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way for great generosity, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.

This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy.

"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master when he comes will find so doing. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.read more.
But if that servant is wicked and says to himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,' and he then begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of, and he will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

And the Lord said, "Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.read more.
But if that servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed in coming,' and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him, and at an hour he is not aware of, and he will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers. And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not ready himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he who did not know, and committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask the more.

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.

Obey your leaders and submit to them; for they are keeping watch over your souls, as men who will have to give account. Let them do this with joy, and not with grief, for that would be of no advantage to you.

But when it was day, the magistrates sent their police, saying, "Release those men." And the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, "The chief magistrates have sent to release you. Therefore come out now and go in peace." But Paul said to them, "They have beaten us publicly, without trial, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now cast us out secretly? No! Let them come themselves and take us out."read more.
The police reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens. So they came and apologized to them, and they took them out and asked them to leave the city.

And Paul, looking intently at the council, said, "Brethren, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day." The high priest Ananias commanded those standing beside him to strike him on the mouth. Then Paul said to him, "God shall strike you, you whitewashed wall! Do you sit to judge me according to the law, and yet contrary to the law you order me to be struck?"

"Hear another parable: there was a landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vine dressers and went into a far country. When the harvest time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants, to get his fruit. And the tenants took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another.read more.
Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did the same to them. Last of all, he sent his son to them saying, 'They will respect my son,' But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.' So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" They said to him, "He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons." Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: 'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone; this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'? "Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.

Then he began to speak to them in parables: "A man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a place for the wine vat and built a tower. And he leased it to vine dressers and went into a far country. At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants, to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. And they took him and beat him, and sent him away empty-handed.read more.
Again he sent to them another servant, and they wounded him in the head, and treated him shamefully. And he sent another, and him they killed; and so with many others, some they beat and some they killed. He still had one left to send, a beloved son. He sent him to them last, saying, 'They will respect my son.' But those tenants said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' So they took him and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants, and give the vineyard to others.

Then he began to tell the people this parable: "A man planted a vineyard, leased it to vine-dressers, and went into another country for a long time. At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants, that they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. He sent another servant; him also they beat and treated shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed.read more.
He sent a third; and they wounded him and cast him out. Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.' But when the tenants saw him, they reasoned among themselves and said, 'This is the heir. Let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.' So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and destroy those tenants, and give the vineyard to others." When they heard this, they said, "May this never be!"

"For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them; and he made five talents more.read more.
So also, he who had the two talents gained two more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground, and hid his master's money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. So he who had received the five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents.' His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your master.' He also who had received the two talents came and said, 'Master, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents.' Then he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.' But his master answered him, 'You wicked and lazy servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed? Then you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to every one who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

Therefore he said: "A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. So he called ten of his servants, gave them ten minas, and said to them, 'Do business till I come.' But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We do not want this man to reign over us.'read more.
And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by trading. Then came the first, saying, ' Master, your mina has earned ten minas more.' And he said to him, 'Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, be in authority over ten cities.' And the second came, saying, 'Master, your mina has earned five minas.' Likewise he said to him, 'You also be over five cities.' Then another came, saying, 'Master, here is your mina, which I have kept laid away in a handkerchief; for I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take up what you did not lay down, and reap what you did not sow.' He said to him, 'I will judge you out of your own mouth, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a hard man, taking up what I did not lay down and reaping what I did not sow? Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?' And he said to those who stood by, 'Take the mina from him, and give it to him who has ten minas.' And they said to him, 'Master, he has ten minas already!' 'I tell you, that to every one who has will more be given; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. But those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them before me.'"