It’s a sticky proposition suggesting one section of Scripture is more important than 
another. Augustine’s maxim comes to mind: “In Essentials, Unity; in Non-essentials, Liberty; in All Things, Charity.” The idea is that certain biblical concepts are “essential” to the nature, structure, and practice of Christianity. Again, this is not meant to suggest that some doctrines are not important, but just not as foundational to the definition and/or defense of Christianity.
In that spirit, I’ve been thinking about essential Bible verses. Of course, there’s way more than ten. But if you had to whittle it down, what verses would rise to the top as being fundamental to our understanding of Christianity and the world we live in? What ten verses nail some biblical truth, encapsulate or illuminate some foundational Christian belief, in such a way that you’d call them essential, that without them our understanding of life would be incomplete?
Here’s the 10 I’ve come up with and the foundational concept they articulate. (All quotes are from the New King James version.)
- GENESIS 1:1 — “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Foundational concept: There is a God; the universe was made by Him and did not spontaneously generate from random forces.
- GENESIS 1:27 — ” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Human beings are distinct from animals and are imprinted with the likeness of their Creator.
- GENESIS 3:6-7 — “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.” The source of all suffering, evil and death has its roots in the Fall of Man, wherein the first Couple disobeyed God and yielded to sin.
- GENESIS 12:1-3 — “Now the LORD had said to Abram: ‘Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation;I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.'” The call of Abraham, the origins of the Jewish people; prefigures the walk of faith to a Land of Promise.
- ISAIAH 40:8 — “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” God’s word, His precepts and commands, are eternal, unbound by time, culture or society.
- ROMANS 3:23 — “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Sin is universal; no one is perfect or capable of perfection.
- JOHN 3:16 — “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” God loves all people and sent Christ as a means of rescue; belief in Him is the vehicle of salvation, without which we will “perish.”
- MATTHEW 22:37-40 — “Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the prophets.” Right relationship with God and others is the primary principle of Christianity.
- EPHESIANS 2:8-9 — “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Salvation is a result of God’s grace rather than man’s effort or religious duty; no amount of good works can save me, or keep me saved.
- HEBREWS 9:27 — “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” At death, all men will stand before God and give account of their lives.
The verses I struggled to include were those that articulated biblical principles of living (wisdom, self-denial, compassion, etc.), described the depth and depravity of sin, and those that emphasized the unique role of Christ (“I am the way, the truth, and the life,” Jn. 14:6 and “There is one Mediator between God and Man, I Tim. 2:5). But I believe these ten verses infer each of those concepts. Any verses that you would add or subtract from this list?
What? No vss on Heaven and Hell?
Hmm. You may be right. For now, I’m thinking John 3:16’s “everlasting life” and “shall not perish” imply places of eternal life or eternal torment. Furthermore, the Hebrews quote deals with “judgment” in the afterlife, with the implication being a verdict of “guilty” or “not guilty.” If I did have to replace one verse to elucidate Heaven and Hell more clearly, it’d probably be Heb. 9:27. But what verse would I replace it with?
I think I’d have something about the Resurrection in here, which is the center of our Christianity: both Christ’s historical (and physical) resurrection and our hope of a physical resurrection. It’s the end of the story. It’s that for which all creation groans. It’s the future hope which encroaches into today, causing us to live transformed lives, heal the sick, fight oppression, and spread God’s love.
Luke 24:5b-6 (NET)
Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has been raised! Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.
Revelation 21:1-2, and 21:22-22:5
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had ceased to exist, and the sea existed no more. And I saw the holy city – the new Jerusalem – descending out of heaven from God, made ready like a bride adorned for her husband.
Now I saw no temple in the city, because the Lord God – the All-Powerful – and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God lights it up, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light and the kings of the earth will bring their grandeur into it. Its gates will never be closed during the day (and there will be no night there). They will bring the grandeur and the wealth of the nations into it, but nothing ritually unclean will ever enter into it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or practices falsehood, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life – water as clear as crystal – pouring out from the throne of God and of the Lamb, flowing down the middle of the city’s main street. On each side of the river is the tree of life producing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month of the year. Its leaves are for the healing of the nations. And there will no longer be any curse, and the throne of God and the Lamb will be in the city. His servants will worship him, and they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
I wouldn’t subtract any, but I would officially add John 14:6. Then Heather’s are good. I’d also add Acts 1:8, Acts 2:4, Acts 2:38-40, and Colossians 2:8.
Oh, and two more: Hebrews 11:1 and 6
The Great Commission anyone? That seems rather critical. It’s our job description after all.
Heather, I really love the Resurrection verse! That question is one of my all time Bible faves: “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” You’re right: The Resurrection is pivotal to Christian thought and doctrine.
Nicole, I do think John 14:6 is crucial. It cuts to the quick of Jesus’ uniqueness. That one verse is the quickest way to start an argument and thin the crowd. Coupling that claim with the Resurrection is a powerful apologetic. Not only did Jesus claim to be the only way to God, He rose from the dead to prove it!
And Michael: You, too, are absolutely right. The Great Commission not only hearkens to methodology (a discipling model), but to Message (a transfer / articulation of concepts). Without the Great Commission, the Church’s purpose would be rather vague, wouldn’t it?
Alas, maybe it’s futile to try to narrow such a Big Book to ten verses. . .
I think God already whittled it down for us.
Maybe futile, MD, but still makes a worthy discussion. Great to be reminded of so many wonderful verses.
How about a Proverb?
You know “Fear of the Lord…” or “Wisdom.”
It seems that the Proverbs give us a proper view of ourselves, God, and our daily lives.
How about an essential chapter? Romans 8 — from “there is therefore now no condemnation…” to nothing can separate us from the love of Christ there’s a lot of theology. It’s one of my favorites.
Good job on picking 10 verses, that would be hard! There are so many that speak to me, John 11:25, Jer 29:11, Matt 6:33.
I have posted on my blog Romans Road along with scripture/clarification on the Armor of God which I feel are essential for everyone to know.
I think far too many people are lax or unknowing regarding the spiritual warfare taking place all around us.
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8
Hi! Really nice work.
I think that the resurrection verse should be on the list. If I was to tell what to take away, I’d go with wither of the sin verses. Even though their definitely not the same, one would be enough to bring up the idea of sin. Also the Jesus’ life as a God on Earth is quite a big topic, we are _christ_ians after all.
The big question actually is are we focusing on the everyday life of ours as christians or on what are the central doctrines. What I mean is that even though for example the final judgement (not sure what’s it called in English) and resurrection are important topics, they affect our acts more like as a reason to love God and follow the rules and laws that we find in the Bible.
That’s how I feel, feel free to disagree. And I still like your list a lot 🙂
-Petri