Doors are a significant motif in the Bible, symbolizing various spiritual metaphors such as opportunities, transitions, and even divine intervention. Employed frequently throughout the Old and New Testaments, doors are often mentioned in profound contexts that extend beyond their physical role into the realm of the metaphorical and spiritual. This summary elucidates the significance of doors in the Bible and their multifaceted implications in different scriptures.
What Role Do Doors Play in the Bible?
In the Bible, doors hold a substantial amount of symbolism and deep spiritual meaning. They are often used to illustrate transitions, opportunities, and turning points in life. In some instances, doors are depicted as portals between earthly realms and divine experiences, facilitating encounters with God and revealing his divine purpose. They also symbolize the decision point between two choices, such as obedience to God versus disobedience, or choosing righteousness over sin. The depiction of doors within the Bible offers a glimpse into the profound spiritual undertones that permeate through the text, adding depth to its teachings.
Where Are References of Doors Found in the Bible?
References to doors are scattered throughout the entire Bible. They are found in narratives, prophecies, psalms, proverbs, and the teachings of Jesus in the Gospels. These instances range from literal to metaphorical uses: ranging from depictions of physical doors in earthly dwellings, to symbolic doors representing divine intervention, faith, salvation, wisdom, and spiritual growth. Their spiritual and practical importance is underlined consistently in both the Old and New Testaments, suggesting their integral role throughout the biblical narrative.
Why Are Doors Significant in Biblical Narratives?
The usage of doors in the Bible goes beyond mere architectural references. They deliver powerful lessons and insights. They signify opportunities for spiritual growth, callings from God, transition periods, and decision points of moral choices. Their significance in biblical narratives helps readers comprehend deeper meanings, and navigate through the recurring themes of faith, obedience, righteousness, and spiritual experience. Furthermore, they are used in the allegorical sense to portray the covenant of God’s salvation, embodied in the key teachings of Christianity.
When Do Doors Symbolize Human Choices and Actions in the Bible?
There are numerous occasions in the Bible when doors are employed to illustrate human choices. These instances underscore our free will and the personal responsibility to choose between good and bad, right and wrong. They represent the privacy, isolation, or protection during personal introspection or decision-making. Doors in the Bible also serve to enlighten readers regarding the paths that lead to spiritual prosperity and the ones that culminate in spiritual downfall. Thus, they emphasize the weight of our choices and actions and their implications for our lives and spiritual well-being.
Who Stands at the Door According to the Bible?
In the New Testament, Jesus himself employs the motif of a door to illustrate his teachings. Likening himself to a door or a gate, he conveys that he is the entry point to salvation and eternal life. He depicts himself standing at the door of human hearts, knocking and seeking entrance. Here, the door represents the human heart or mind, and the act of opening the door signifies accepting Jesus and his teachings. This metaphor is a striking commentary on personal choice, spiritual transformation, and the path to salvation through faith in Jesus.
Below is our full list of bible verses on doors (King James Version – KJV) provided in ranked order.
Most Popular Bible Verses About Doors
Revelation 3:8
“8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.”
Matthew 7:7
“7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:”
Related Themes: New Beginnings Guidance Confusion Dating
Revelation 3:20
“20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”
Related Themes: Loneliness Fidelity Reputation Hope
John 10:9
“9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
Related Themes: Deliverance Salvation
Psalm 24:7
“7 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.”
Matthew 6:6
“6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.”
Related Themes: Prayer Omnipresence Omnipotence Solitude Reaping
Proverbs 8:34
“34 Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.”
Matthew 7:13-14
“13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”
1 Corinthians 16:9
“9 For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.”
Hosea 2:15
“15 And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.”
1 Corinthians 16:8-9
“8 But I will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost.9 For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.”
Isaiah 22:22
“22 And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.”
Related Themes: Keys
James 5:9
“9 Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.”
Related Themes: Complaining Criticism Judging Others Gossip Patience
Revelation 4:1
“1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.”
Genesis 4:7
“7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.”
Psalm 141:3
“3 Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.”
Related Themes: Gossip Communication Silence Self-Control Speech
2 Corinthians 2:12
“12 Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, and a door was opened unto me of the Lord,”
Colossians 4:3
“3 Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:”
Acts 5:19
“19 But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said,”
Related Themes: Angels
2 Kings 4:4
“4 And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.”
2 Chronicles 29:3
“3 He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the LORD, and repaired them.”
Acts 16:26
“26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.”
Related Themes: Foundation
1 Timothy 2:8
“8 I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.”
Related Themes: Complaining Arguing Prayer Jewelry Doubt
Acts 16:14
“14 And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.”
Related Themes: Heart
Acts 14:27
“27 And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles.”
Luke 10:38
“38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.”
Related Themes: Priorities Hospitality Distraction Worship
Acts 13:47
“47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.”
John 3:16
“16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Related Themes: Trespassing Life Love Money Omnipotence
Revelation 3:7-8
“7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.”
Related Themes: Omnipotence Keys
John 14:1
“1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.”
Related Themes: Sadness Restoration Loneliness Afterlife Worry
