The Bible provides numerous admonitions against engaging in bad or evil behavior, emphasizing the importance of righteousness and moral integrity. These admonitions serve as guidance for believers to live lives that are pleasing to God and beneficial to others.

Old Testament Warnings

The Old Testament is replete with warnings against evil actions and thoughts. In the book of Proverbs, wisdom literature offers practical advice on avoiding bad behavior. Proverbs 4:14-15 advises, "Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evildoers. Avoid it; do not travel on it. Turn from it and go on your way." This passage underscores the importance of actively avoiding the influence of wickedness.

The prophet Isaiah also speaks against evil, calling the people to repentance. Isaiah 1:16-17 states, "Wash and cleanse yourselves. Remove your evil deeds from My sight. Stop doing evil. Learn to do right; seek justice and correct the oppressor. Defend the fatherless and plead the case of the widow." Here, the emphasis is on turning away from evil and pursuing justice and righteousness.

New Testament Teachings

In the New Testament, Jesus and the apostles continue to admonish against bad behavior. Jesus, in His Sermon on the Mount, teaches about the heart's condition, emphasizing that evil actions stem from within. Matthew 15:19-20 records Jesus saying, "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander. These are what defile a man."

The apostle Paul frequently addresses the issue of evil in his epistles. In Romans 12:9 , he exhorts believers, "Love must be sincere. Detest what is evil; cling to what is good." Paul encourages Christians to actively reject evil and embrace goodness, reflecting a life transformed by faith.

Practical Admonitions

The Bible also provides practical guidance on how to avoid bad behavior. In 1 Thessalonians 5:22 , Paul advises, "Abstain from every form of evil." This broad admonition calls for vigilance in avoiding any appearance or form of evil, highlighting the importance of maintaining a pure witness.

James, the brother of Jesus, offers wisdom on resisting evil influences. James 4:7 instructs, "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." Submission to God and resistance to the devil are key strategies in overcoming evil.

Consequences of Bad Behavior

The Bible warns of the consequences of engaging in bad behavior. Proverbs 11:21 declares, "Be assured that the wicked will not go unpunished, but the offspring of the righteous will escape." This assurance of divine justice serves as a deterrent against evil actions.

In the New Testament, Galatians 6:7-8 warns, "Do not be deceived: God is not to be mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return. The one who sows to please his flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; but the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life." This principle of sowing and reaping highlights the inevitable outcomes of one's actions, encouraging believers to pursue righteousness.

Conclusion

The Bible's admonitions against bad behavior are clear and consistent, urging believers to live lives marked by righteousness, integrity, and love. Through the teachings of both the Old and New Testaments, followers of Christ are called to reject evil and embrace the good, reflecting the character of God in their daily lives.Leviticus 18:2
Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, I am the LORD your God.
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Leviticus 20:23
And you shall not walk in the manners of the nation, which I cast out before you: for they committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them.
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Deuteronomy 18:9
When you are come into the land which the LORD your God gives you, you shall not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.
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2 Chronicles 30:7
And be not you like your fathers, and like your brothers, which trespassed against the LORD God of their fathers, who therefore gave them up to desolation, as you see.
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Proverbs 22:24,25
Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man you shall not go:
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Isaiah 8:11
For the LORD spoke thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying,
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Jeremiah 16:12
And you have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, you walk every one after the imagination of his evil heart, that they may not listen to me:
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Jeremiah 17:1,2
The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond: it is graven on the table of their heart, and on the horns of your altars;
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Ezekiel 20:18
But I said to their children in the wilderness, Walk you not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols:
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Hosea 4:9,15
And there shall be, like people, like priest: and I will punish them for their ways, and reward them their doings.
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Hosea 5:5
And the pride of Israel does testify to his face: therefore shall Israel and Ephraim fall in their iniquity: Judah also shall fall with them.
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Zechariah 1:4
Be you not as your fathers, to whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus said the LORD of hosts; Turn you now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor listen to me, said the LORD.
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Matthew 23:1-3
Then spoke Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,
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1 Corinthians 8:9-13
But take heed lest by any means this liberty of your's become a stumbling block to them that are weak.
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1 Corinthians 10:6
Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.
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Ephesians 4:17
This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you from now on walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
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3 John 1:11
Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that does good is of God: but he that does evil has not seen God.
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Degrees of Sin
... When a man sins after counsels, admonitions, warnings, he ... a head of influence: who
preach against the morality ... (2) Such as destroy others by their bad example. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watson/the ten commandments/3 2 degrees of sin.htm

The Blessing of God on Filial Piety.
... The family of Rechab might rise up against them and ... of duty would only extort such
admonitions from a ... reason to expect that a parent's bad example will be no ...
/.../lee/sermons on various important subjects/sermon xxiii the blessing of.htm

Of the Discipline of the Church, and Its Principal Use in Censures ...
... any one either perversely reject such admonitions, or by ... Wherefore, Chrysostom bitterly
inveighs against priests, who ... us from the right course by bad example. ...
/.../the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 12 of the discipline.htm

section second.
... own conduct he proposed as their example was only ... distinguishing the good and the
bad, the true ... relations, were Paul's reproofs and admonitions, his warnings ...
/.../the epistle of paul to the philippians practically explained/section second.htm

The Eighth Book
... of false praise than healed by the most salutary admonitions. ... good masters as a general
rule have bad slaves, it ... the Athenian Ecclesia cited as an example of a ...
//christianbookshelf.org/salvian/on the government of god/the eighth book.htm

Of the Jurisdiction of the Church, and the Abuses of It, as ...
... and abolish altogether excommunication, solemn admonitions, and everything ... is not
to punish the sinner against his will ... he who, by a bad example, gives offence ...
/.../the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 11 of the jurisdiction.htm

Moral Insanity.
... For example, they all know what Christ has said about ... affirmations of reason, and
reckless of the admonitions of conscience ... but this is not half so bad as to ...
//christianbookshelf.org/finney/sermons on gospel themes/ix moral insanity.htm

Philippians ii. 16-Dec
... a sharper rebuke; but here he is giving admonitions to prevent ... who do well, but one
of bad principles by ... Hebrews, he said, bringing forward the example of Esau ...
/.../homily viii philippians ii 16-dec.htm

The Great Schism
... driven out the Half-Way Covenant, against which the ... to add to these Calvinistic dogmas
admonitions to such ... in the revival had set a very bad example of calling ...
/.../chapter x the great schism.htm

Ephesians iv. 31, 32
... anxiety for us, does not let his admonitions stop at ... argument from physical subjects,
but draw our example from those ... He has taken away the bad seeds; he now ...
/.../homily xvi ephesians iv 31.htm

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