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Romans 9:20-21
[Bible Verses]A passage asserting the potter's authority over the clay, declaring that the thing formed cannot say to him that formed it, "Why hast thou made me thus?" As the heart of Romans 9, which addresses God's sovereign election, it carries more weight than perhaps any other text in debates over predestination.
Romans 10:17
[Bible Verses]A verse stating that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ (KJV: "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God"). It is widely cited to support the importance of preaching and evangelism and has served as a starting point for various theological accounts of the relationship between the Word and faith.
1 Corinthians 11:3
[Bible Verses]A verse stating that the head of every man is Christ, "the head of the woman is the man," and the head of Christ is God. The meaning of "head" (kephalē) continues to be disputed in debates over the roles of men and women, the ordination of women, and order within the Trinity.
1 Corinthians 14:34–35
[Bible Verses]A Pauline passage instructing, "Let your women keep silence in the churches," and directing that if they wish to learn anything, they should "ask their husbands at home." It is a central text in debates over the ordination of women and the role of women in the church. Its position in the manuscript tradition is also debated.
1 Corinthians 15:3–4
[Bible Verses]A summary of the gospel stating that Christ died for our sins "according to the scriptures," was buried, and rose again the third day. The passage is regarded as preserving one of the earliest forms of Christian confession in the New Testament and is a central basis of faith in the resurrection.
1 Corinthians 15:29
[Bible Verses]A verse that mentions "them which are baptized for the dead" and asks what such people shall do if there is no resurrection. It is regarded as one of the most difficult passages in the New Testament to interpret, and it is the text that groups practicing proxy baptism cite as the basis for the practice.
Ephesians 1:4–5
[Bible Verses]A passage stating that God "hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world" and in love predestinated us "unto the adoption of children." It is a key text on predestination and election, which Calvinism, Arminianism, and Karl Barth's doctrine of election each read differently.
Ephesians 5:22-25
[Bible Verses]A passage that moves from "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord" to "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it." It is frequently read at wedding services, and interpretations of what it teaches about the relationship between men and women and about authority in the home differ sharply.
Philippians 2:5-8
[Bible Verses]A passage stating that Christ, though equal with God, "made himself of no reputation" (literally, "emptied himself"), took upon him the form of a servant, and became obedient unto death on the cross. It is the New Testament's most concentrated presentation of Christ's humiliation and became the starting point of the kenosis debate.
Philippians 2:12–13
[Bible Verses]A passage that sets the exhortation "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" alongside the declaration that "it is God which worketh in you." Christian traditions differ in how they understand the way God's work and the human part in salvation fit together.
1 Thessalonians 5:16–18
[Bible Verses]A passage containing three exhortations, "Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks," together with the statement that "this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." It is among the shortest and most widely memorized passages of Scripture and serves as a foundational text for teaching on prayer and thanksgiving.
1 Timothy 6:10
[Bible Verses]A warning that "the love of money is the root of all evil." Interpreters frequently stress that the verse targets the love of money rather than money itself. It is among the passages most often cited in discussions of church financial ethics and in critiques of prosperity theology.
2 Timothy 3:16–17
[Bible Verses]A passage declaring that "all scripture is given by inspiration of God" and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness. It is the classic text on the inspiration and authority of Scripture and serves as the starting point for debates over the doctrine of Scripture, including biblical inerrancy.
Hebrews 6:4–6
[Bible Verses]A warning that those who were once enlightened and made partakers of the Holy Ghost cannot be renewed again unto repentance if they fall away. It is a key text in the debate between Calvinism and Arminianism over whether a true believer can lose salvation.
1 Peter 2:9
[Bible Verses]A verse that calls believers "a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people." It is the principal text for the Reformation doctrine of the priesthood of all believers and the passage most often cited in discussions of the mission and identity of the laity.
1 John 4:7–8
[Bible Verses]A passage of Scripture that begins "Beloved, let us love one another" and concludes "for God is love." Widely cherished as a rare expression that describes the nature of God in a single word, it has also prompted theological discussion about the relationship among God's love, justice, and judgment.
Revelation 22:18–19
[Bible Verses]A warning that if any man shall add to or take away from the words of the prophecy of this book, God shall add to him the plagues written in it and take away his part out of the book of life. Although it originally concerns keeping the Book of Revelation itself intact, the passage is widely cited in support of the completeness of the whole Bible and the closure of the canon, and in refutation of claims to new revelation.
Luke 6:38
[Bible Verses]A saying of Jesus that begins, "Give, and it shall be given unto you." The verse is widely used to encourage offerings and generosity, but its original context concerns judging and forgiving others, and whether it should be read as a promise of reward is debated.
John 14:12–14
[Bible Verses]A passage in which Jesus says that whoever believes in him will do the works he does and "greater works than these shall he do," and promises to do whatever is asked in his name. Discussion centers on what the "greater works" are and on what it means to pray in Jesus' name.
Acts 2:44–45
[Bible Verses]A passage recording that, after Pentecost, the believers were together, had all things common, and sold their possessions and goods to distribute them to all as every man had need. It is often idealized as a portrait of the early church community, but interpreters have debated whether it sets a norm the church today should follow and how it relates to socialist thought.