What Does The Bible Say About Affirmative Action? (35 Bible Verses)
In a world grappling with issues of equality and justice, the concept of affirmative action is often debated. But what does the Bible say about taking affirmative action? Let’s explore how scripture informs our understanding of standing up for what’s right and ensuring fairness and equity in society, as we seek to align our actions with God’s principles of justice.
What Does The Bible Say About Affirmative Action
Romans 2:11 – God Shows No Partiality
“For God shows no partiality.”
Proverbs 22:2 – The Rich and Poor Alike
“The rich and the poor meet together; the Lord is the maker of them all.”
Acts 10:34-35 – God Accepts All
“So Peter opened his mouth and said: ‘Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.’”
Galatians 3:28 – Unity in Christ
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
James 2:1-4 – Do Not Show Favoritism
“My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, ‘Here’s a good seat for you,’ but say to the poor man, ‘You stand there’ or ‘Sit on the floor by my feet,’ have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?”
1 Timothy 5:21 – Show No Partiality
“In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels, I charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, doing nothing from partiality.”
Colossians 3:11 – Christ is All and in All
“Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.”
Matthew 23:8-12 – Humble Yourselves
“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
1 Samuel 16:7 – God Looks at the Heart
“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’”
Proverbs 29:7 – Cares for the Poor
“The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.”
Leviticus 19:15 – No Favoritism
“Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.”
James 2:14-17 – Faith Without Deeds is Dead
“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
Proverbs 28:27 – Do Not Withhold Good
“Those who give to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses.”
Psalm 82:3-4 – Defend the Weak and the Fatherless
“Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”
Proverbs 14:21 – Blessings for the Poor
“Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner, but blessed is he who is generous to the poor.”
Matthew 25:40 – Whatever You Do for the Least
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
Isaiah 58:10 – Share with the Hungry
“And if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.”
Proverbs 19:17 – Lending to the Lord
“Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.”
Matthew 5:42 – Give to the One Who Asks
“Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.”
Job 29:15 – Eyes for the Needy
“I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame.”
Proverbs 22:9 – Generosity Brings Blessings
“The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.”
Psalm 12:5 – Oppressed and Needy
“Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan, I will now arise,” says the Lord. “I will protect them from those who malign them.”
Deuteronomy 15:11 – Open Your Hand
“There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore, I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.”
1 John 3:17 – Meet Physical Needs
“If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?”
Proverbs 31:9 – Speak Out for the Poor
“Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
Matthew 25:35-36 – Serve the Needy
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”
Proverbs 31:20 – Reach Out to the Poor
“She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.”
Proverbs 31:8 – Speak up for the Downtrodden
“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.”
Psalm 41:1 – God Helps the Needy
“Blessed are those who have regard for the weak; the Lord delivers them in times of trouble.”
Proverbs 17:5 – Mocking the Poor
“Whoever mocks the poor insults his Maker; he who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.”
Luke 14:13-14 – Invite the Poor
“But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”
Galatians 6:2 – Bear One Another’s Burdens
“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
Psalm 72:12 – Help the Needy
“For he delivers the needy when he calls, the poor and him who has no helper.”
Proverbs 19:17 – Lending to the Lord
“Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.”
Proverbs 14:31 – Oppressing the Poor
“Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him.”
Psalm 140:12 – God Defends the Needy
“I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and justice for the poor.”
Proverbs 21:13 – No Mercy for the Poor
“Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered.”
Isaiah 1:17 – Learn to Do Good
“Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.”
Proverbs 14:20 – Hating the Poor
“The poor is disliked even by his neighbor, but the rich has many friends.”
James 5:1-6 – Woe to the Rich
“Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.”
Proverbs 22:16 – Oppressing the Poor
“Oppressing the poor to enrich oneself, and giving to the rich, will lead only to loss.”
Psalm 37:21 – Generosity to the Poor
“The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives.”
Luke 6:38 – Giving and Receiving
“Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
1 John 3:18 – Love in Deed and Truth
“Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”
2 Corinthians 9:7 – Give Cheerfully
“Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
