Matthew Chapter 7
Showing all 29 verses for Matthew Chapter 7.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"Judge not, that ye be not judged. "
"Don't judge others, so that you won't be judged yourself."
Be careful about the harsh verdicts you pass on other people, because that same measuring stick tends to get used on you. Lead with humility rather than condemnation.
"For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. "
"Because the standard you use to judge others is the standard that will be used on you, and the measure you give out is the measure you'll get back."
Think of judgement as a boomerang - whatever standard you throw at other people has a way of coming back to you. Choose generosity, because that's what you'll want returned to you.
"And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? "
"Why do you focus on the tiny speck of dust in someone else's eye, while ignoring the great plank of wood in your own?"
I'm asking you to notice how easily you spot small flaws in other people while missing the far bigger ones in yourself. A little self-awareness first would go a long way.
"Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? "
"How can you say to someone, "Let me get that speck out of your eye," while you've got a plank in your own?"
Before you offer to fix someone else's problem, be honest about the bigger one you're carrying yourself. Genuine help starts with humility, not superiority.
"Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye. "
"You hypocrite - first deal with the plank in your own eye, and then you'll see clearly enough to help your friend with their speck."
Deal with your own faults first - not to disqualify yourself from ever helping others, but so that when you do, you can see clearly and speak with genuine humility instead of judgement.
"Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you. "
"Don't give what's sacred to those who'll treat it with contempt, and don't offer your most valuable things to people who will just trample them and turn on you."
I want you to be generous and non-judgemental, but that doesn't mean handing your best, most precious things to people who will only trample them. Discernment and generosity can coexist.
"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: "
"Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you'll find; knock, and the door will open for you."
Don't hold back from asking for what you genuinely need - persistence isn't pushy here, it's welcomed. I want you approaching with confidence, not timid hesitation.
"For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. "
"Because everyone who asks receives, everyone who searches finds, and to everyone who knocks the door is opened."
I'm not offering an occasional exception - this is a reliable pattern. Bring your honest requests, and expect to be met, not ignored.
"Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? "
"Which of you, if your child asked for bread, would hand them a stone instead?"
Think about how naturally you'd want to give a child what they actually need, not something worthless or harmful instead. That instinct in you is a small reflection of something far bigger.
"Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? "
"Or if they asked for a fish, would you give them a snake?"
No good parent meets a genuine need with something dangerous instead. Hold onto that same trust when you bring your own needs forward.
"If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? "
"So if you, flawed as you are, know how to give good things to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him?"
If you, imperfect as you are, can still love generously, imagine a generosity far greater than yours behind everything you're offered. You can trust that what comes to you is meant for your good.
"Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. "
"So treat other people exactly the way you'd want to be treated - that's the whole point of the Law and the Prophets."
Before you act towards anyone, put yourself in their position and ask if you'd want to be on the receiving end of it. That single habit will do more good than almost any rule I could give you.
"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: "
"Go in through the narrow gate, because the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and plenty of people go that way."
Don't assume the easy, crowded path is the right one just because it's popular and comfortable. I'm asking you to be willing to choose differently, even if it's harder.
"Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. "
"But the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to real life, and only a few find it."
The path that actually leads somewhere worthwhile is rarely the easiest one, and that's precisely why so few stay on it. I'm not promising it's simple - I'm promising it's real.
"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. "
"Watch out for false prophets - they come to you looking harmless, like sheep, but underneath they're vicious wolves."
Don't just judge people by how convincing or harmless they seem on the surface - I want you looking deeper than appearances. Genuine character eventually shows itself, even under a good disguise.
"Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? "
"You'll recognise them by the results they produce. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?"
Judge people, including me, by what actually comes out of their life and teaching - the real fruit - not by how persuasive or attractive they present themselves. Character shows in outcomes over time.
"Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. "
"In the same way, a healthy tree produces good fruit, and a diseased tree produces bad fruit."
What you are on the inside will eventually show up in what you produce - you can't permanently fake good fruit from a rotten root. Focus on the root, and the fruit will follow honestly.
"A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. "
"A good tree can't produce bad fruit, and a diseased tree can't produce good fruit."
I'm telling you plainly - you can't permanently disguise what's really at your core. Real change has to happen at the root, not just in how things look on the surface.
"Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. "
"Every tree that doesn't produce good fruit gets cut down and thrown into the fire."
I'm not indifferent to whether your life actually produces anything good - there are real consequences to a life that never does. This isn't meant to frighten you into paralysis, but to matter enough that you take it seriously.
"Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. "
"So then, you'll recognise them by their fruit."
Keep coming back to this simple test, for others and for yourself - not words or claims, but actual results over time. That's the honest measure.
"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. "
"Not everyone who calls me "Lord, Lord" will get into the kingdom of heaven - only the one who actually does what my Father in heaven wants."
I care far more about what you actually do than about what you call me or claim to believe. Saying the right words about me means nothing if it isn't backed up by how you live.
"Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? "
"Many will say to me on that day, "Lord, Lord, didn't we prophesy in your name, drive out demons in your name, and do many miracles in your name?""
Don't mistake impressive achievements, even ones done in my name, for evidence that you've actually followed what I taught. It's possible to do remarkable things and still miss what matters most.
"And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. "
"And then I'll tell them plainly: I never knew you. Get away from me, you who did wrong."
What I want isn't your performance or your claims about me - I want a real, honest connection that actually shows in how you live. Don't settle for the appearance of that when the real thing is what matters.
"Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: "
"So everyone who hears what I've been saying and actually acts on it is like a sensible person who built their house on solid rock."
Don't just admire what I've said - build your actual life on it. That's what gives you something solid to stand on when things get difficult.
"And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. "
"The rain came down, the floods rose, and the winds battered against that house - but it didn't collapse, because it was built on rock."
Difficult times will come to everyone - that's not in question. What matters is whether what you've built your life on can actually hold when they arrive.
"And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: "
"And everyone who hears what I've said and doesn't act on it is like a foolish person who built their house on sand."
Hearing me isn't the same as following me - the foolish builder in this story heard exactly what the wise one did. It's what you actually do with what you've heard that determines whether it holds you up.
"And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. "
"The rain came down, the floods rose, and the winds battered against that house - and it collapsed, and its collapse was total."
This is why I've asked so much of you throughout this teaching - not to burden you, but because only a life actually built on it will hold when the storm comes. Don't wait for the storm to find out your foundation was never real.
"And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: "
"When Jesus finished saying all this, the crowds were astonished at his teaching."
I didn't teach this to be admired from a safe distance - I taught it to be lived. Let your astonishment turn into action, not just appreciation.
"For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. "
"Because he taught them as someone with real authority, not like their religious scholars."
I didn't come to add another opinion to a long chain of quoted authorities - I spoke plainly and directly about what's actually true and how to live. Let that same directness shape how you carry what I've taught you.