Bigotry

Passages on this topic

From Nave’s Topical Bible (1896), a historical reference index. The groupings are Nave’s; the verses are shown in the text used across this site.

General scriptures concerning

• Isaiah 65:5 They say, ‘Keep to yourself; do not come near me, for I am holier than you!’ Such people are smoke in My nostrils, a fire that burns all day long.
• Mark 2:16 When the scribes who were Pharisees saw Jesus eating with these people, they asked His disciples, “Why does He eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
• Luke 9:49–50 “Master,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in Your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not accompany us.” “Do not stop him,” Jesus replied, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”
• Luke 15:2 So the Pharisees and scribes began to grumble: “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
• Luke 18:9–14 To some who trusted in their own righteousness and viewed others with contempt, He also told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men — swindlers…
• Acts 10:28 He said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with a foreigner or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean.
• Acts 10:45 All the circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles.
• Acts 18:12–13 While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews coordinated an attack on Paul and brought him before the judgment seat. “This man is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law,” they said.

Paul's Argument Against

• Romans 3:1–23 What, then, is the advantage of being a Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? Much in every way. First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God. What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God’s faithfulness? Certainly not! Let God be true and every man…
• Romans 4:1–16 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has discovered? If Abraham was indeed justified by works, he had something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Now the wa…
• Romans 4:23–25 Now the words “it was credited to him” were written not only for Abraham, but also for us, to whom righteousness will be credited— for us who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our trespasses and was raised to life for our justification.

Instances of

Joshua, through envy, seeking to suppress Eldad and Medad, who were prophesying

• Numbers 11:27–29 A young man ran and reported to Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” Joshua son of Nun, the attendant to Moses since youth, spoke up and said, “Moses, my lord, stop them!” But Moses replied, “Are you jealous on my account? I wish that all the LORD’s people were prophets and that th…

Jews with regard to the Samaritans

• John 4:9 “You are a Jew,” said the woman. “How can You ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
• John 4:27 Just then His disciples returned and were surprised that He was speaking with a woman. But no one asked Him, “What do You want from her?” or “Why are You talking with her?”

In rejecting the teachings of Jesus at Nazareth

• Luke 4:28 On hearing this, all the people in the synagogue were enraged.

Falsely accusing Jesus of blasphemy

• John 5:18 Because of this, the Jews tried all the harder to kill Him. Not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but He was even calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.

Of being a gluttonous man and a winebibber (a wino)

• Matthew 11:18–19 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at this glutton and drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is vindicated by her actions.”

Of keeping company with sinners

• Luke 7:39 When the Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, He would know who this is and what kind of woman is touching Him — for she is a sinner!”
• Luke 15:2 So the Pharisees and scribes began to grumble: “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
• Luke 19:5–7 When Jesus came to that place, He looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, hurry down, for I must stay at your house today.” So Zacchaeus hurried down and welcomed Him joyfully. And all who saw this began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinful man!”

Of not conforming to the traditions

• Luke 11:38–39 But the Pharisee was surprised to see that Jesus did not first wash before the meal. Then the Lord said, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.

In their treatment of the young man who was born blind, whom Jesus restored to sight

• John 9:28–29 Then they heaped insults on him and said, “You are His disciple; we are disciples of Moses. We know that God spoke to Moses, but we do not know where this man is from.”
• John 9:34 They replied, “You were born in utter sin, and you are instructing us?” And they threw him out.

With regard to Paul's preaching

• Acts 21:28–29 crying out, “Men of Israel, help us! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people and against our law and against this place. Furthermore, he has brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this holy place.” For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the ci…
• Acts 22:22 The crowd listened to Paul until he made this statement. Then they lifted up their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him! He is not fit to live!”

Of the Samaritans in refusing to receive Jesus

• Luke 9:52–53 He sent messengers on ahead, who went into a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for Him. But the people there refused to welcome Him, because He was heading for Jerusalem.

Of the disciples in forbidding children to be brought to Jesus

• Matthew 19:13 Then little children were brought to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them and pray for them. And the disciples rebuked those who brought them.
• Mark 10:13 Now people were bringing the little children to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them, and the disciples rebuked those who brought them.
• Luke 18:15 Now people were even bringing their babies to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them. And when the disciples saw this, they rebuked those who brought them.

Of the early Christians

In opposing the preaching of the gospel to the Gentiles

• Acts 10:45 All the circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles.
• Acts 11:2–3 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers took issue with him and said, “You visited uncircumcised men and ate with them.”
• Acts 21:20–25 When they heard this, they glorified God. Then they said to Paul, “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law. But they are under the impression that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to cir…

In regard to circumcision

• Acts 15:1–10 Then some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” And after engaging these men in sharp debate, Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers , to go up to Jerusalem to see the a…
• Acts 15:24 It has come to our attention that some went out from us without our authorization and unsettled you, troubling your minds by what they said.
• Galatians 2:3–5 Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. This issue arose because some false brothers had come in under false pretenses to spy on our freedom in Christ Jesus, in order to enslave us. We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth…

In zeal

• Romans 10:2–3 For I testify about them that they are zealous for God, but not on the basis of knowledge. Because they were ignorant of God’s righteousness and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.

In persecutions

• 1 Thessalonians 2:15–16 who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets and drove us out as well. They are displeasing to God and hostile to all men, hindering us from telling the Gentiles how they may be saved. As a result, they continue to heap up their sins to full capacity; the utmost wrath has come upon them.

Of John in forbidding the casting out of demons by one who did not follow Jesus

• Mark 9:38–40 John said to Him, “Teacher, we saw someone else driving out demons in Your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not accompany us.” “Do not stop him,” Jesus replied. “For no one who performs a miracle in My name can turn around and speak evil of Me. For whoever is not against us is for us.
• Luke 9:49–50 “Master,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in Your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not accompany us.” “Do not stop him,” Jesus replied, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”

James and John in desiring to call down fire upon the Samaritans who would not receive Jesus

• Luke 9:51–56 As the day of His ascension approached, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. He sent messengers on ahead, who went into a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for Him. But the people there refused to welcome Him, because He was heading for Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John s…

Of Saul, in persecuting the Christians

• Acts 22:3–4 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but raised in this city. I was educated at the feet of Gamaliel in strict conformity to the law of our fathers. I was just as zealous for God as any of you are today. I persecuted this Way even to the death, detaining both men and women and throwing them into…
• Acts 9:1–5 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord. He approached the high priest and requested letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any men or women belonging to the Way, he could bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As Saul drew near…
• Acts 26:9 So then, I too was convinced that I ought to do all I could to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
• Galatians 1:13–14 For you have heard of my former way of life in Judaism, how severely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.
• Philippians 3:6 as to zeal, persecuting the church; as to righteousness in the law, faultless.

See Intolerance, Religious

See Persecution

See Uncharitableness