21 Bible Verses About Excellence, Including Daniel’s Excellent Spirit

Daniel 5:12

“…because an excellent spirit, knowledge, and understanding to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems were found in this Daniel.”

Reflection: The queen comes into King Belshazzar’s banqueting hall after his wise men have failed to read the writing on the wall (Daniel 5:5-9), and she recommends Daniel. The “excellent spirit” she describes stands in a list with knowledge and the ability to interpret dreams and solve problems, and in the verse before she says he has “the spirit of the holy gods”. Two verses later the king repeats the report back to Daniel: “light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you.”

Daniel 6:3

“Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him.”

Reflection: Under Darius, Daniel is one of three high officials over 120 satraps, and his “excellent spirit” is the reason the king plans to set him over the whole kingdom. The next verse shows how his rivals saw it: they looked for a ground for complaint and found none, “because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him.” The Aramaic word is yattir, surpassing, the same word the queen used in Daniel 5:12.

Philippians 4:8

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

Reflection: Near the end of the letter, Paul lists what the Philippians should “think about”, and excellence is one item alongside what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely and commendable. The Greek word is arete, which Thayer’s lexicon notes was used often by the Greek philosophers for virtue. The next verse moves from thinking to doing: “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”

2 Peter 1:5-7

“For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.”

Reflection: Virtue, the second quality in this chain, translates arete, the word rendered “excellence” two verses earlier, where God “called us to his own glory and excellence” (1:3). Peter asks for “every effort” to add each quality to the one before it, beginning with faith and ending with love. Verse 8 gives the reason: if these qualities are increasing, they keep believers “from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

1 Peter 2:9

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

Reflection: Peter calls the churches he writes to “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation”, and gives the purpose of those titles: to proclaim God’s excellencies. The Greek is the plural of arete, which Thayer’s lexicon reads here as God’s perfections. The excellencies belong to the one “who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light”, and the next verse describes the change: “once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

Philippians 1:9-10

“And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.”

Reflection: This is Paul’s prayer for the Philippians. The Greek behind “what is excellent” can mean “the things that differ” or “the things that excel”, and Thayer’s lexicon records both readings: telling good from evil, or choosing the better. On either reading the ability grows from love “with knowledge and all discernment”, and it leads to being “pure and blameless for the day of Christ.” Paul uses the same phrase in Romans 2:18, of a Jew who knows God’s will and “approve[s] what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law.”

Romans 12:2

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Reflection: “Testing” is dokimazo, the verb translated “approve” in Philippians 1:10: to test, and after testing to approve. The testing comes from a renewed mind, and it follows the appeal in verse 1 to present the body “as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God”. What the tested mind discerns is “the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

1 Corinthians 12:31

“But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.”

Reflection: Paul has listed the gifts God appointed in the church and asked a run of questions: “Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers?” He tells the Corinthians to desire the higher gifts, then promises “a still more excellent way”. The chapter that follows opens with love: “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.”

2 Corinthians 8:7

“But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you excel in this act of grace also.”

Reflection: Paul is gathering a collection for “the relief of the saints”, and he has just described the churches of Macedonia, who gave “beyond their means” out of “extreme poverty”. He lists where the Corinthians already excel, in faith, speech, knowledge and earnestness, and in “our love for you”, and asks them to excel in giving as well. The verb is perisseuo, to abound or overflow, and verse 9 grounds the request in Christ, who “though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor.”

Titus 3:8

“The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.”

Reflection: The trustworthy saying is the summary of the gospel in verses 4-7: God saved us “not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy.” Paul wants Titus to insist on it “so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works.” In the passage, mercy comes first and good works follow, and Paul calls these things “excellent and profitable for people.”

Colossians 3:23-24

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”

Reflection: Paul addresses these words to bondservants, who are told in the verse before to obey their earthly masters “not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart”. Work done heartily is done “as for the Lord and not for men”, and the reward named is “the inheritance”, received from the Lord. A few verses earlier Paul gave the whole church a similar rule: “whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus” (3:17).

1 Corinthians 10:31

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

Reflection: The “whatever you do” closes an argument about food that may have been offered to idols. Paul’s rule is to eat what is sold in the meat market without questions, but to decline when someone says “This has been offered in sacrifice”, for the sake of that person’s conscience. The next verses spell out what doing all to the glory of God means here: giving no offense, and seeking “not my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.”

Ecclesiastes 9:10

“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.”

Reflection: The Preacher gives this advice in a passage about enjoying ordinary life: eat bread with joy, drink wine with a merry heart, and enjoy life with the wife you love. The reason given for working with all your might is that work ends at death, since there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom “in Sheol, to which you are going.”

Proverbs 22:29

“Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.”

Reflection: The proverb is framed as a question about something the reader can observe: “Do you see a man skillful in his work?” The skill is competence in a trade or task, and the outcome it names is standing before kings rather than “obscure men”.

Proverbs 12:24

“The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labor.”

Reflection: The proverb sets two work habits side by side and gives each an outcome: the diligent rule, and the slothful end up in forced labor. Proverbs 10:4 draws the same contrast in terms of money: “A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.”

1 Corinthians 9:24-25

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.”

Reflection: Paul borrows the picture of a race, where all run but one receives the prize, and of athletes who exercise self-control for “a perishable wreath”. His own prize is imperishable. Two verses later he applies it to himself: “I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”

2 Timothy 2:15

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”

Reflection: Paul’s charge to Timothy sits between two warnings: against quarreling about words, “which does no good, but only ruins the hearers” (2:14), and against “irreverent babble” (2:16). The worker he describes is approved by God, and the work in view is handling “the word of truth” rightly.

Matthew 5:16

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Reflection: Jesus is teaching his disciples on the mountain, and he has just told them, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” A lamp is put on a stand so that it lights the whole house. In the same way the disciples’ good works are to be seen, and the glory goes to “your Father who is in heaven”.

1 Peter 2:12

“Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.”

Reflection: Three verses after 1 Peter 2:9, Peter addresses his readers as “sojourners and exiles” living among Gentiles who “speak against you as evildoers”. His answer to the accusation is honorable conduct: the accusers are to see the good deeds and “glorify God on the day of visitation”. Like Matthew 5:16, the verse expects outsiders to see the works and give the glory to God.

Titus 2:7-8

“Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.”

Reflection: Paul has told Titus to urge the younger men to be self-controlled (2:6), and now tells Titus to be a model of good works himself “in all respects”. His teaching is to show integrity, dignity and sound speech, so that an opponent will “be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.” Daniel 6:4 says something similar of Daniel’s rivals, who “could find no ground for complaint or any fault” in him.

Ephesians 2:10

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Reflection: The verse follows the statement that salvation is “by grace” and “through faith”, “not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (2:8-9). Good works come after, as what believers were “created in Christ Jesus for”. Believers are God’s workmanship, and the works themselves are ones God “prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”