The response of human beings to the revelation and grace of God. It is seen in receiving Jesus Christ, his words and the message of the gospel, and in the acceptance of one another for his sake. Believers are called, too, to accept instruction and discipline and to submit to God's will for their lives. Passages gathered in the Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin H. Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God—
Therefore, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to walk in Him,
Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever receives the one I send receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives the One who sent Me."
He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives the One who sent Me.
"Whoever welcomes one of these little children in My name welcomes Me, and whoever welcomes Me welcomes not only Me, but the One who sent Me."
And He said to them, "Whoever welcomes this little child in My name welcomes Me, and whoever welcomes Me welcomes the One who sent Me. For whoever is the least among all of you, he is the greatest."
Whoever listens to you listens to Me; whoever rejects you rejects Me; and whoever rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me."
Then Jesus cried out, "Whoever believes in Me does not believe in Me alone, but in the One who sent Me.
For I have given them the words You gave Me, and they have received them. They knew with certainty that I came from You, and they believed that You sent Me.
"Not everyone can accept this word," He replied, "but only those to whom it has been given. For there are eunuchs who were born that way; others were made that way by men; and still others live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it."
Whoever accepts His testimony has certified that God is truthful. For the One whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.
Truly, truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, and yet you people do not accept our testimony.
I have come in My Father's name, and you have not received Me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe if you accept glory from one another, yet do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?
On hearing it, many of His disciples said, "This is a difficult teaching. Who can accept it?"
This is a trustworthy saying, worthy of full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst.
Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and every expression of evil, and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save your souls.
But the seed sown on good soil is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and produces a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold."
Still others are like the seeds sown on good soil. They hear the word, receive it, and produce a crop—thirtyfold, sixtyfold, or a hundredfold."
But the seeds on good soil are those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, cling to it, and by persevering produce a crop.
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
This is a trustworthy saying, worthy of full acceptance. To this end we labor and strive, because we have set our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of everyone, and especially of those who believe.
Those who embraced his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to the believers that day.
When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.
The apostles and brothers throughout Judea soon heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.
Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, and in which you stand firm.
For if someone comes and proclaims a Jesus other than the One we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit than the One you received, or a different gospel than the one you accepted, you put up with it way too easily.
As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be under a curse!
And you became imitators of us and of the Lord when you welcomed the message with the joy of the Holy Spirit, in spite of your great suffering.
But we should always thank God for you, brothers who are loved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning to be saved by the sanctification of the Spirit and by faith in the truth.
and saw the Lord saying to me, 'Hurry! Leave Jerusalem quickly, because the people here will not accept your testimony about Me.'
For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?
The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not in vain. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.
The entire law is fulfilled in a single decree: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against any of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.
The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these."
and to love Him with all your heart and with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself, which is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."
The commandments "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and any other commandments, are summed up in this one decree: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, that He considered me faithful and appointed me to service. I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent man; yet because I had acted in ignorance and unbelief, I was shown mercy. And the grace of our Lord overflowed to me, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
If you really fulfill the royal law stated in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing well.
Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring glory to God.
A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another.
He executes justice for the fatherless and widow, and He loves the foreigner, giving him food and clothing. So you also must love the foreigner, since you yourselves were foreigners in the land of Egypt.
Then the 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. But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
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. But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and told them, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
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. But Jesus called the children to Him and said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
"Get up!" the Lord told him. "Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight." But Ananias answered, "Lord, many people have told me about this man and all the harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. And now he is here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on Your name." "Go!" said the Lord. "This man is My chosen instrument to carry My name before the Gentiles and their kings, and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for My name." So Ananias went to the house, and when he arrived, he placed his hands on Saul. "Brother Saul," he said, "the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here, has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit."
There a man named Ananias, a devout observer of the law who was highly regarded by all the Jews living there, came and stood beside me. 'Brother Saul,' he said, 'receive your sight.' And at that moment I could see him.
Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and described how Saul had seen the Lord, who spoke to him on the road to Damascus, and how Saul had spoken boldly in that city in the name of Jesus.
The voice spoke to him a second time: "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean."
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.
"Can anyone withhold the water to baptize these people? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have!"
When a foreigner resides with you in your land, you must not oppress him. You must treat the foreigner living among you as native-born and love him as yourself, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.
You shall allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the foreigners who dwell among you and who have children. You are to treat them as native-born Israelites; along with you, they shall be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. In whatever tribe a foreigner dwells, you are to assign his inheritance there," declares the Lord GOD.
And although my illness was a trial to you, you did not despise or reject me. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus Himself.
If Timothy comes, see to it that he has nothing to fear while he is with you, for he is doing the work of the Lord, just as I am. No one, then, should treat him with contempt. Send him on his way in peace so that he can return to me, for I am expecting him along with the brothers.
Welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor men like him, because he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for your deficit of service to me.
Then David accepted from her hand what she had brought him, and he said to her, "Go home in peace. See, I have heeded your voice and granted your request."
But Jacob insisted, "No, please! If I have found favor in your sight, then receive this gift from my hand. For indeed, I have seen your face, and it is like seeing the face of God, since you have received me favorably. Please accept my gift that was brought to you, because God has been gracious to me and I have all I need." So Jacob pressed him until he accepted.
They will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from their hands.
They will prohibit marriage and require abstinence from certain foods that God has created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For every creation of God is good, and nothing that is received with thanksgiving should be rejected,
that I will not accept even a thread, or a strap of a sandal, or anything that belongs to you, lest you should say, 'I have made Abram rich.' I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share for the men who went with me—Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre. They may take their portion."
Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God, stood before him, and declared, "Now I know for sure that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant." But Elisha replied, "As surely as the LORD lives, before whom I stand, I will not accept it." And although Naaman urged him to accept it, he refused.
When Esther's maidens and eunuchs came and told her about Mordecai, the queen was overcome with distress. She sent clothes for Mordecai to wear instead of his sackcloth, but he would not accept them.
Listen to counsel and accept discipline, that you may be wise the rest of your days.
Then the wayward in spirit will come to understanding, and those who grumble will accept instruction."
Blessed indeed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.
If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who does not obey his father and mother and does not listen to them when disciplined,
My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD, and do not loathe His rebuke; for the LORD disciplines the one He loves, as does a father the son in whom he delights.
Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life, but he who ignores reproof goes astray.
And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not take lightly the discipline of the Lord, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you. For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises every son He receives." Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?
Going a little farther, He fell facedown and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will."
"Abba, Father," He said, "all things are possible for You. Take this cup from Me. Yet not what I will, but what You will."
"Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me. Yet not My will, but Yours be done."
"You speak as a foolish woman speaks," he told her. "Should we accept from God only good and not adversity?" In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.
The Lord GOD has opened My ears, and I have not been rebellious, nor have I turned back.
And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.
Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the righteous.
For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God, showing no partiality and accepting no bribe.
And now, may the fear of the LORD be upon you. Be careful what you do, for with the LORD our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery."
who lends his money without interest and refuses a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.
He who walks righteously and speaks with sincerity, who refuses gain from extortion, whose hand never takes a bribe, who stops his ears against murderous plots and shuts his eyes tightly against evil—