Topic

Character

Passages from across the Bible

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From Nave’s Topical Bible (1896), a historical reference index.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.

Of Saints

Attentive to Christ's voice

John 10:3–4 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen for his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.

Blameless and harmless

Philippians 2:15 so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine as lights in the world

Bold

Proverbs 28:1 The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.

Contrite

Isaiah 57:15 For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in a high and holy place, and with the oppressed and humble in spirit, to restore the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the contrite.
Isaiah 66:2 Has not My hand made all these things? And so they came into being,” declares the LORD. “This is the one I will esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, who trembles at My word.

Devout

Acts 8:2 God-fearing men buried Stephen and mourned deeply over him.
Acts 22:12 There a man named Ananias, a devout observer of the law who was highly regarded by all the Jews living there,

Faithful

Revelation 17:14 They will make war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will triumph over them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and He will be accompanied by His called and chosen and faithful ones.”

Fearing God

Malachi 3:16 At that time those who feared the LORD spoke with one another, and the LORD listened and heard them. So a scroll of remembrance was written before Him regarding those who feared the LORD and honored His name.
Acts 10:2 He and all his household were devout and God-fearing. He gave generously to the people and prayed to God regularly.

Following Christ

John 10:4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.
John 10:27 My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.

Godly

Psalm 4:3 Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for Himself; the LORD hears when I call to Him.
2 Peter 2:9 if all this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.

Guileless

John 1:47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, He said of him, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is no deceit.”

Holy

Deuteronomy 7:6 For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His prized possession out of all peoples on the face of the earth.
Deuteronomy 14:2 for you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD has chosen you to be a people for His prized possession out of all the peoples on the face of the earth.
Colossians 3:12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

Humble

Psalm 34:2 My soul boasts in the LORD; let the oppressed hear and rejoice.
1 Peter 5:5 Young men, in the same way, submit yourselves to your elders. And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

Hungering for righteousness

Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Just

Genesis 6:9 This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God.
Habakkuk 2:4 Look at the proud one; his soul is not upright — but the righteous will live by faith —
Luke 2:25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

Led by the Spirit

Romans 8:14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

Liberal

Isaiah 32:8 But a noble man makes honorable plans; he stands up for worthy causes.
2 Corinthians 9:13 Because of the proof this ministry provides, the saints will glorify God for your obedient confession of the gospel of Christ, and for the generosity of your contribution to them and to all the others.

Loathing themselves

Ezekiel 20:43 There you will remember your ways and all the deeds with which you have defiled yourselves, and you will loathe yourselves for all the evils you have done.

Loving

Colossians 1:4 because we have heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all the saints —
1 Thessalonians 4:9 Now about brotherly love, you do not need anyone to write to you, because you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another.

Lowly

Proverbs 16:19 It is better to be lowly in spirit among the humble than to divide the spoil with the proud.

Meek

Isaiah 29:19 The humble will increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Merciful

Psalm 37:26 They are ever generous and quick to lend, and their children are a blessing.
Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

New creatures

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!
Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.

Obedient

Romans 16:19 Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice over you. But I want you to be wise about what is good and innocent about what is evil.
1 Peter 1:14 As obedient children, do not conform to the passions of your former ignorance.

Poor in spirit

Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Prudent

Proverbs 16:21 The wise in heart are called discerning, and pleasant speech promotes instruction.

Pure in heart

Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
1 John 3:3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as Christ is pure.

Righteous

Isaiah 60:21 Then all your people will be righteous; they will possess the land forever; they are the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, so that I may be glorified.
Luke 1:6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and decrees of the Lord.

Sincere

2 Corinthians 1:12 For this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in relation to you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God — not in worldly wisdom, but in the grace of God.
2 Corinthians 2:17 For we are not like so many others, who peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as men sent from God.

Steadfast

Acts 2:42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
Colossians 2:5 For although I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit, and I delight to see your orderly condition and firm faith in Christ.

Taught by God

Isaiah 54:13 Then all your sons will be taught by the LORD, and great will be their prosperity.
1 John 2:27 And as for you, the anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But just as His true and genuine anointing teaches you about all things, so remain in Him as you have been taught.

True

2 Corinthians 6:8 through glory and dishonor, slander and praise; viewed as imposters, yet genuine;

Undefiled

Psalm 119:1 Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the Law of the LORD.

Upright

1 Kings 3:6 Solomon replied, “You have shown much loving devotion to Your servant, my father David, because he walked before You in faithfulness, righteousness, and uprightness of heart. And You have maintained this loving devotion by giving him a son to sit on his throne this very day.
Psalm 15:2 He who walks with integrity and practices righteousness, who speaks the truth from his heart,

Watchful

Luke 12:37 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds on watch when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve and will have them recline at the table, and he himself will come and wait on them.

Zealous of good works

Titus 2:14 He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.

See RIGHTEOUS, DESCRIBED

Of the Wicked

Abominable

Revelation 21:8 But to the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”

Alienated from God

Ephesians 4:18 They are darkened in their understanding and alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts.
Colossians 1:21 Once you were alienated from God and were hostile in your minds, engaging in evil deeds.

Blasphemous

Luke 22:65 And they said many other blasphemous things against Him.
Revelation 16:9 And the people were scorched by intense heat, and they cursed the name of God, who had authority over these plagues. Yet they did not repent and give Him glory.

Blinded

2 Corinthians 4:4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
Ephesians 4:18 They are darkened in their understanding and alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts.

Boastful

Psalm 10:3 For the wicked man boasts in the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD.
Psalm 49:6 They trust in their wealth and boast in their great riches.

Conspiring against saints

Nehemiah 4:8 and all of them conspired to come and fight against Jerusalem and create a hindrance.
Nehemiah 6:2 Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.” But they were planning to harm me.
Psalm 38:12 Those who seek my life lay snares; those who wish me harm speak destruction, plotting deceit all day long.

Corrupt

Matthew 7:17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
Ephesians 4:22 to put off your former way of life, your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;

Covetous

Micah 2:2 They covet fields and seize them; they take away houses. They deprive a man of his home, a fellow man of his inheritance.
Romans 1:29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. They are gossips,

Deceitful

Psalm 5:6 You destroy those who tell lies; the LORD abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.
Romans 3:13 “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The venom of vipers is on their lips.”

Delighting in the iniquity of others

Proverbs 2:14 from those who enjoy doing evil and rejoice in the twistedness of evil,
Romans 1:32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things are worthy of death, they not only continue to do these things, but also approve of those who practice them.

Despising saints

Nehemiah 2:19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard about this, they mocked us and ridiculed us, saying, “What is this you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?”
Nehemiah 4:2 before his associates and the army of Samaria, saying, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Can they restore the wall by themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Can they bring these burnt stones back to life from the mounds of rubble?”
2 Timothy 3:3–4 unloving, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, without love of good, traitorous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

Destructive

Isaiah 59:7 Their feet run to evil; they are swift to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are sinful thoughts; ruin and destruction lie in their wake.

Disobedient

Nehemiah 9:26 But they were disobedient and rebelled against You; they flung Your law behind their backs. They killed Your prophets, who had admonished them to return to You. They committed terrible blasphemies.
Titus 3:3 For at one time we too were foolish, disobedient, misled, and enslaved to all sorts of desires and pleasures — living in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.
1 Peter 2:7 To you who believe, then, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,”

Enticing to evil

Proverbs 1:10–14 My son, if sinners entice you, do not yield to them. If they say, “Come along, let us lie in wait for blood, let us ambush the innocent without cause, let us swallow them alive like Sheol, and whole like those descending into the Pit. We will find all manner of precious goods; we will fill our hous…
2 Timothy 3:6 They are the kind who worm their way into households and captivate vulnerable women who are weighed down with sins and led astray by various passions,

Envious

Nehemiah 2:10 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were deeply disturbed that someone had come to seek the well-being of the Israelites.
Titus 3:3 For at one time we too were foolish, disobedient, misled, and enslaved to all sorts of desires and pleasures — living in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.

Evildoers

Jeremiah 13:23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? Neither are you able to do good — you who are accustomed to doing evil.
Micah 7:3 Both hands are skilled at evil; the prince and the judge demand a bribe. When the powerful utters his evil desire, they all conspire together.

Fearful

Proverbs 28:1 The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.
Revelation 21:8 But to the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”

Fierce

Proverbs 16:29 A violent man entices his neighbor and leads him down a path that is not good.
2 Timothy 3:3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, without love of good,

Foolish

Deuteronomy 32:6 Is this how you repay the LORD, O foolish and senseless people? Is He not your Father and Creator? Has He not made you and established you?
Psalm 5:5 The boastful cannot stand in Your presence; You hate all workers of iniquity.

Forgetting God

Job 8:13 Such is the destiny of all who forget God; so the hope of the godless will perish.

Fraudulent

Psalm 37:21 The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous are gracious and giving.
Micah 6:11 Can I excuse dishonest scales or bags of false weights?

Froward

Proverbs 21:8 The way of a guilty man is crooked, but the conduct of the innocent is upright.
Isaiah 57:17 I was enraged by his sinful greed, so I struck him and hid My face in anger; yet he kept turning back to the desires of his heart.

Glorying in their shame

Philippians 3:19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and their glory is in their shame. Their minds are set on earthly things.

Hard-hearted

Ezekiel 3:7 But the house of Israel will be unwilling to listen to you, since they are unwilling to listen to Me. For the whole house of Israel is hard-headed and hard-hearted.

Hating the light

Job 24:13 Then there are those who rebel against the light, not knowing its ways or staying on its paths.
John 3:20 Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.

Heady and high-minded

2 Timothy 3:4 traitorous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

Hostile to God

Romans 8:7 because the mind of the flesh is hostile to God: It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.
Colossians 1:21 Once you were alienated from God and were hostile in your minds, engaging in evil deeds.

Hypocritical

Isaiah 29:13 Therefore the Lord said: “These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is but rules taught by men.
2 Timothy 3:5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Turn away from such as these!

Ignorant of God

Hosea 4:1 Hear the word of the LORD, O children of Israel, for the LORD has a case against the people of the land: “There is no truth, no loving devotion, and no knowledge of God in the land!
2 Thessalonians 1:8 in blazing fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

Impudent

Ezekiel 2:4 They are obstinate and stubborn children. I am sending you to them, and you are to say to them, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says.’

Incontinent

2 Timothy 3:3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, without love of good,

Infidel

Psalm 10:4 In his pride the wicked man does not seek Him; in all his schemes there is no God.
Psalm 14:1 For the choirmaster. Of David. The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt; their acts are vile. There is no one who does good.

Loathsome

Proverbs 13:5 The righteous hate falsehood, but the wicked bring shame and disgrace.

Lovers of pleasure, not of God

2 Timothy 3:4 traitorous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

Lying

Psalm 58:3 The wicked are estranged from the womb; the liars go astray from birth.
Psalm 62:4 They fully intend to cast him down from his lofty perch; they delight in lies; with their mouths they bless, but inwardly they curse. Selah
Isaiah 59:4 No one calls for justice; no one pleads his case honestly. They rely on empty pleas; they tell lies; they conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity.

Mischievous

Proverbs 24:8 He who plots evil will be called a schemer.
Micah 7:3 Both hands are skilled at evil; the prince and the judge demand a bribe. When the powerful utters his evil desire, they all conspire together.

Murderous

Psalm 10:8 He lies in wait near the villages; in ambush he slays the innocent; his eyes watch in stealth for the helpless.
Psalm 94:6 They kill the widow and the foreigner; they murder the fatherless.
Romans 1:29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. They are gossips,

Prayerless

Job 21:15 Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him, and what would we gain if we pray to Him?’
Psalm 53:4 Will the workers of iniquity never learn? They devour my people like bread; they refuse to call upon God.

Persecuting

Psalm 69:26 For they persecute the one You struck and recount the pain of those You wounded.
Psalm 109:16 For he never thought to show kindness, but pursued the poor and needy and brokenhearted, even to their death.

Perverse

Deuteronomy 32:5 His people have acted corruptly toward Him; the blemish on them is not that of His children, but of a perverse and crooked generation.

Proud

Psalm 59:12 By the sins of their mouths and the words of their lips, let them be trapped in their pride, in the curses and lies they utter.
Obadiah 1:3 The pride of your heart has deceived you, O dwellers in the clefts of the rocks whose habitation is the heights, who say in your heart, ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’
2 Timothy 3:2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,

Rebellious

Isaiah 1:2 Listen, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the LORD has spoken: “I have raised children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against Me.
Isaiah 30:9 These are rebellious people, deceitful children, children unwilling to obey the LORD’s instruction.

Rejoicing in the affliction of saints

Psalm 35:15 But when I stumbled, they assembled in glee; they gathered together against me. Assailants I did not know slandered me without ceasing.

Reprobate

2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you — unless you fail the test?
2 Timothy 3:8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth. They are depraved in mind and disqualified from the faith.
Titus 1:16 They profess to know God, but by their actions they deny Him. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good deed.

Selfish

2 Timothy 3:2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,

Sensual

Philippians 3:19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and their glory is in their shame. Their minds are set on earthly things.
Philippians 1:19 because I know that through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, my distress will turn out for my deliverance.

Sold under sin

1 Kings 21:20 When Elijah arrived, Ahab said to him, “So you have found me out, my enemy.” He replied, “I have found you out because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the LORD.
2 Kings 17:17 They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire and practiced divination and soothsaying. They devoted themselves to doing evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.

Stiff-hearted

Ezekiel 2:4 They are obstinate and stubborn children. I am sending you to them, and you are to say to them, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says.’

Stiff-necked

Exodus 33:5 For the LORD had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. If I should go with you for a single moment, I would destroy you. Now take off your jewelry, and I will decide what to do with you.’”
Acts 7:51 You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit, just as your fathers did.

Uncircumcised in heart

Jeremiah 9:26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab, and all the inhabitants of the desert who clip the hair of their temples. For all these nations are uncircumcised, and the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.”

Unclean

Isaiah 64:6 Each of us has become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind.

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Ephesians 4:19