# verses

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“I am, too,”</t> the commander muttered, <t>“and it cost me plenty!”</t> Paul answered, <t>“But I am a citizen by birth!”</t>


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The soldiers who were about to interrogate Paul quickly withdrew when they heard he was a Roman citizen, and the commander was frightened because he had ordered him bound and whipped.


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<pb/>Paul before the High Council The next day the commander ordered the leading priests into session with the Jewish high council. He wanted to find out what the trouble was all about, so he released Paul to have him stand before them.


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<pb/>Gazing intently at the high council, Paul began: “Brothers, I have always lived before God with a clear conscience!”


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But Paul said to him, <t>“God will slap you, you corrupt hypocrite! What kind of judge are you to break the law yourself by ordering me struck like that?”</t>


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“I’m sorry, brothers. I didn’t realize he was the high priest,”</t> Paul replied, <t>“for the Scriptures say, ‘You must not speak evil of any of your rulers.’”</t>


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Paul realized that some members of the high council were Sadducees and some were Pharisees, so he shouted, <t>“Brothers, I am a Pharisee, as were my ancestors! And I am on trial because my hope is in the resurrection of the dead!”</t>


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for the Sadducees say there is no resurrection or angels or spirits, but the Pharisees believe in all of these.


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So there was a great uproar. Some of the teachers of religious law who were Pharisees jumped up and began to argue forcefully. <t>“We see nothing wrong with him,”</t> they shouted. <t>“Perhaps a spirit or an angel spoke to him.”</t>


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As the conflict grew more violent, the commander was afraid they would tear Paul apart. So he ordered his soldiers to go and rescue him by force and take him back to the fortress.


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<pb/>That night the Lord appeared to Paul and said, <J>“Be encouraged, Paul. Just as you have been a witness to me here in Jerusalem, you must preach the Good News in Rome as well.”</J>


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<pb/>The Plan to Kill Paul The next morning a group of Jews got together and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul.


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They went to the leading priests and elders and told them, <t>“We have bound ourselves with an oath to eat nothing until we have killed Paul.


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So you and the high council should ask the commander to bring Paul back to the council again. Pretend you want to examine his case more fully. We will kill him on the way.”</t>


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Paul called for one of the Roman officers and said, <t>“Take this young man to the commander. He has something important to tell him.”</t>


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So the officer did, explaining, <t>“Paul, the prisoner, called me over and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you.”</t>


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Paul’s nephew told him, <t>“Some Jews are going to ask you to bring Paul before the high council tomorrow, pretending they want to get some more information.


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But don’t do it! There are more than forty men hiding along the way ready to ambush him. They have vowed not to eat or drink anything until they have killed him. They are ready now, just waiting for your consent.”</t>


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<pb/>Paul Is Sent to Caesarea Then the commander called two of his officers and ordered, “Get 200 soldiers ready to leave for Caesarea at nine o’clock tonight. Also take 200 spearmen and 70 mounted troops.


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“This man was seized by some Jews, and they were about to kill him when I arrived with the troops. When I learned that he was a Roman citizen, I removed him to safety.


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I soon discovered the charge was something regarding their religious law—certainly nothing worthy of imprisonment or death.


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But when I was informed of a plot to kill him, I immediately sent him on to you. I have told his accusers to bring their charges before you.”</t>


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<pb/>They returned to the fortress the next morning, while the mounted troops took him on to Caesarea.


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“I will hear your case myself when your accusers arrive,”</t> the governor told him. Then the governor ordered him kept in the prison at Herod’s headquarters.


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<pb/>Paul Appears before Felix Five days later Ananias, the high priest, arrived with some of the Jewish elders and the lawyer Tertullus, to present their case against Paul to the governor.


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When Paul was called in, Tertullus presented the charges against Paul in the following address to the governor: <t>“You have provided a long period of peace for us Jews and with foresight have enacted reforms for us.


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We have found this man to be a troublemaker who is constantly stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the cult known as the Nazarenes.


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<pb/>The governor then motioned for Paul to speak. Paul said, “I know, sir, that you have been a judge of Jewish affairs for many years, so I gladly present my defense before you.


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You can quickly discover that I arrived in Jerusalem no more than twelve days ago to worship at the Temple.


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My accusers never found me arguing with anyone in the Temple, nor stirring up a riot in any synagogue or on the streets of the city.


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“But I admit that I follow the Way, which they call a cult. I worship the God of our ancestors, and I firmly believe the Jewish law and everything written in the prophets.


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I have the same hope in God that these men have, that he will raise both the righteous and the unrighteous.


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“After several years away, I returned to Jerusalem with money to aid my people and to offer sacrifices to God.


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My accusers saw me in the Temple as I was completing a purification ceremony. There was no crowd around me and no rioting.


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But some Jews from the province of Asia were there—and they ought to be here to bring charges if they have anything against me!


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except for the one time I shouted out, ‘I am on trial before you today because I believe in the resurrection of the dead!’”</t>


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<pb/>At that point Felix, who was quite familiar with the Way, adjourned the hearing and said, “Wait until Lysias, the garrison commander, arrives. Then I will decide the case.”


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He ordered an officer to keep Paul in custody but to give him some freedom and allow his friends to visit him and take care of his needs.


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<pb/>A few days later Felix came back with his wife, Drusilla, who was Jewish. Sending for Paul, they listened as he told them about faith in Christ Jesus.


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As he reasoned with them about righteousness and self-control and the coming day of judgment, Felix became frightened. <t>“Go away for now,”</t> he replied. <t>“When it is more convenient, I’ll call for you again.”</t>


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<pb/>After two years went by in this way, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. And because Felix wanted to gain favor with the Jewish people, he left Paul in prison.


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<pb/>Paul Appears before Festus Three days after Festus arrived in Caesarea to take over his new responsibilities, he left for Jerusalem,


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where the leading priests and other Jewish leaders met with him and made their accusations against Paul.


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They asked Festus as a favor to transfer Paul to Jerusalem (planning to ambush and kill him on the way).


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So he said, <t>“Those of you in authority can return with me. If Paul has done anything wrong, you can make your accusations.”</t>


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<pb/>About eight or ten days later Festus returned to Caesarea, and on the following day he took his seat in court and ordered that Paul be brought in.


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When Paul arrived, the Jewish leaders from Jerusalem gathered around and made many serious accusations they couldn’t prove.


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Paul denied the charges. <t>“I am not guilty of any crime against the Jewish laws or the Temple or the Roman government,”</t> he said.


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Then Festus, wanting to please the Jews, asked him, <t>“Are you willing to go to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there?”</t>


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But Paul replied, <t>“No! This is the official Roman court, so I ought to be tried right here. You know very well I am not guilty of harming the Jews.</t>


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<t>If I have done something worthy of death, I don’t refuse to die. But if I am innocent, no one has a right to turn me over to these men to kill me. I appeal to Caesar!”</t>


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Festus conferred with his advisers and then replied, <t>“Very well! You have appealed to Caesar, and to Caesar you will go!”</t>


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<pb/>A few days later King Agrippa arrived with his sister, Bernice, to pay their respects to Festus.


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During their stay of several days, Festus discussed Paul’s case with the king. <t>“There is a prisoner here,”</t> he told him, <t>“whose case was left for me by Felix.


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When I was in Jerusalem, the leading priests and Jewish elders pressed charges against him and asked me to condemn him.


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I pointed out to them that Roman law does not convict people without a trial. They must be given an opportunity to confront their accusers and defend themselves.


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“When his accusers came here for the trial, I didn’t delay. I called the case the very next day and ordered Paul brought in.


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<pb/>Instead, it was something about their religion and a dead man named Jesus, who Paul insists is alive.


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I was at a loss to know how to investigate these things, so I asked him whether he would be willing to stand trial on these charges in Jerusalem.


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But Paul appealed to have his case decided by the emperor. So I ordered that he be held in custody until I could arrange to send him to Caesar.”</t>


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“I’d like to hear the man myself,”</t> Agrippa said. And Festus replied, <t>“You will—tomorrow!”</t>


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<pb/>Paul Speaks to Agrippa So the next day Agrippa and Bernice arrived at the auditorium with great pomp, accompanied by military officers and prominent men of the city. Festus ordered that Paul be brought in.


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Then Festus said, <t>“King Agrippa and all who are here, this is the man whose death is demanded by all the Jews, both here and in Jerusalem.


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But in my opinion he has done nothing deserving death. However, since he appealed his case to the emperor, I have decided to send him to Rome.


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“But what shall I write the emperor? For there is no clear charge against him. So I have brought him before all of you, and especially you, King Agrippa, so that after we examine him, I might have something to write.


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For it makes no sense to send a prisoner to the emperor without specifying the charges against him!”</t>


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<pb/>Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You may speak in your defense.” So Paul, gesturing with his hand, started his defense:


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“I am fortunate, King Agrippa, that you are the one hearing my defense today against all these accusations made by the Jewish leaders,


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for I know you are an expert on all Jewish customs and controversies. Now please listen to me patiently!


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“As the Jewish leaders are well aware, I was given a thorough Jewish training from my earliest childhood among my own people and in Jerusalem.


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If they would admit it, they know that I have been a member of the Pharisees, the strictest sect of our religion.


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In fact, that is why the twelve tribes of Israel zealously worship God night and day, and they share the same hope I have. Yet, Your Majesty, they accuse me for having this hope!


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“I used to believe that I ought to do everything I could to oppose the very name of Jesus the Nazarene.


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<pb/>Indeed, I did just that in Jerusalem. Authorized by the leading priests, I caused many believers there to be sent to prison. And I cast my vote against them when they were condemned to death.


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Many times I had them punished in the synagogues to get them to curse Jesus. I was so violently opposed to them that I even chased them down in foreign cities.


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<pb/>“One day I was on such a mission to Damascus, armed with the authority and commission of the leading priests.


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About noon, Your Majesty, as I was on the road, a light from heaven brighter than the sun shone down on me and my companions.


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We all fell down, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, <J>‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is useless for you to fight against my will.’</J>


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“‘Who are you, lord?’ I asked. <t>“And the Lord replied, <J>‘I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting.</J></t>


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<J>Now get to your feet! For I have appeared to you to appoint you as my servant and witness. Tell people that you have seen me, and tell them what I will show you in the future.</J>


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<J>And I will rescue you from both your own people and the Gentiles. Yes, I am sending you to the Gentiles</J>


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<J>to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me.’</J>


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I preached first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that all must repent of their sins and turn to God—and prove they have changed by the good things they do.


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But God has protected me right up to this present time so I can testify to everyone, from the least to the greatest. I teach nothing except what the prophets and Moses said would happen—


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that the Messiah would suffer and be the first to rise from the dead, and in this way announce God’s light to Jews and Gentiles alike.”</t>


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And King Agrippa knows about these things. I speak boldly, for I am sure these events are all familiar to him, for they were not done in a corner!


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Agrippa interrupted him. <t>“Do you think you can persuade me to become a Christian so quickly?”</t>


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Paul replied, <t>“Whether quickly or not, I pray to God that both you and everyone here in this audience might become the same as I am, except for these chains.”</t>


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As they went out, they talked it over and agreed, <t>“This man hasn’t done anything to deserve death or imprisonment.”</t>


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<pb/>Paul Sails for Rome When the time came, we set sail for Italy. Paul and several other prisoners were placed in the custody of a Roman officer named Julius, a captain of the Imperial Regiment.


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Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was also with us. We left on a ship whose home port was Adramyttium on the northwest coast of the province of Asia; it was scheduled to make several stops at ports along the coast of the province.


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<pb/>The next day when we docked at Sidon, Julius was very kind to Paul and let him go ashore to visit with friends so they could provide for his needs.


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Putting out to sea from there, we encountered strong headwinds that made it difficult to keep the ship on course, so we sailed north of Cyprus between the island and the mainland.


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Keeping to the open sea, we passed along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, landing at Myra, in the province of Lycia.


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There the commanding officer found an Egyptian ship from Alexandria that was bound for Italy, and he put us on board.


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We had several days of slow sailing, and after great difficulty we finally neared Cnidus. But the wind was against us, so we sailed across to Crete and along the sheltered coast of the island, past the cape of Salmone.


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We struggled along the coast with great difficulty and finally arrived at Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea.


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<pb/>We had lost a lot of time. The weather was becoming dangerous for sea travel because it was so late in the fall, and Paul spoke to the ship’s officers about it.


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“Men,”</t> he said, <t>“I believe there is trouble ahead if we go on—shipwreck, loss of cargo, and danger to our lives as well.”</t>


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But the officer in charge of the prisoners listened more to the ship’s captain and the owner than to Paul.


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And since Fair Havens was an exposed harbor—a poor place to spend the winter—most of the crew wanted to go on to Phoenix, farther up the coast of Crete, and spend the winter there. Phoenix was a good harbor with only a southwest and northwest exposure.


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<pb/>The Storm at Sea When a light wind began blowing from the south, the sailors thought they could make it. So they pulled up anchor and sailed close to the shore of Crete.


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But the weather changed abruptly, and a wind of typhoon strength (called a <t>“northeaster”) burst across the island and blew us out to sea.


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<pb/>The sailors couldn’t turn the ship into the wind, so they gave up and let it run before the gale.


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We sailed along the sheltered side of a small island named Cauda, where with great difficulty we hoisted aboard the lifeboat being towed behind us.


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Then the sailors bound ropes around the hull of the ship to strengthen it. They were afraid of being driven across to the sandbars of Syrtis off the African coast, so they lowered the sea anchor to slow the ship and were driven before the wind.


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The next day, as gale-force winds continued to batter the ship, the crew began throwing the cargo overboard.


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The terrible storm raged for many days, blotting out the sun and the stars, until at last all hope was gone.


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<pb/>No one had eaten for a long time. Finally, Paul called the crew together and said, “Men, you should have listened to me in the first place and not left Crete. You would have avoided all this damage and loss.


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and he said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What’s more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you.’


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<pb/>The Shipwreck About midnight on the fourteenth night of the storm, as we were being driven across the Sea of Adria, the sailors sensed land was near.


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They dropped a weighted line and found that the water was 120 feet deep. But a little later they measured again and found it was only 90 feet deep.


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At this rate they were afraid we would soon be driven against the rocks along the shore, so they threw out four anchors from the back of the ship and prayed for daylight.


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Then the sailors tried to abandon the ship; they lowered the lifeboat as though they were going to put out anchors from the front of the ship.


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But Paul said to the commanding officer and the soldiers, <t>“You will all die unless the sailors stay aboard.”</t>


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<pb/>Just as day was dawning, Paul urged everyone to eat. “You have been so worried that you haven’t touched food for two weeks,” he said.


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<pb/>When morning dawned, they didn’t recognize the coastline, but they saw a bay with a beach and wondered if they could get to shore by running the ship aground.


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So they cut off the anchors and left them in the sea. Then they lowered the rudders, raised the foresail, and headed toward shore.


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But they hit a shoal and ran the ship aground too soon. The bow of the ship stuck fast, while the stern was repeatedly smashed by the force of the waves and began to break apart.


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But the commanding officer wanted to spare Paul, so he didn’t let them carry out their plan. Then he ordered all who could swim to jump overboard first and make for land.


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<pb/>Paul on the Island of Malta Once we were safe on shore, we learned that we were on the island of Malta.


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The people of the island were very kind to us. It was cold and rainy, so they built a fire on the shore to welcome us.


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As Paul gathered an armful of sticks and was laying them on the fire, a poisonous snake, driven out by the heat, bit him on the hand.


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The people of the island saw it hanging from his hand and said to each other, <t>“A murderer, no doubt! Though he escaped the sea, justice will not permit him to live.”</t>


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The people waited for him to swell up or suddenly drop dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw that he wasn’t harmed, they changed their minds and decided he was a god.


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Near the shore where we landed was an estate belonging to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us and treated us kindly for three days.


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As it happened, Publius’s father was ill with fever and dysentery. Paul went in and prayed for him, and laying his hands on him, he healed him.


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As a result we were showered with honors, and when the time came to sail, people supplied us with everything we would need for the trip.


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<pb/>Paul Arrives at Rome It was three months after the shipwreck that we set sail on another ship that had wintered at the island—an Alexandrian ship with the twin gods as its figurehead.


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From there we sailed across to Rhegium. A day later a south wind began blowing, so the following day we sailed up the coast to Puteoli.


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The brothers and sisters in Rome had heard we were coming, and they came to meet us at the Forum on the Appian Way. Others joined us at The Three Taverns. When Paul saw them, he was encouraged and thanked God.


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<pb/>When we arrived in Rome, Paul was permitted to have his own private lodging, though he was guarded by a soldier.


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<pb/>Paul Preaches at Rome under Guard Three days after Paul’s arrival, he called together the local Jewish leaders. He said to them, “Brothers, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Roman government, even though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors.


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But when the Jewish leaders protested the decision, I felt it necessary to appeal to Caesar, even though I had no desire to press charges against my own people.


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I asked you to come here today so we could get acquainted and so I could explain to you that I am bound with this chain because I believe that the hope of Israel—the Messiah—has already come.”</t>


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They replied, <t>“We have had no letters from Judea or reports against you from anyone who has come here.


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But we want to hear what you believe, for the only thing we know about this movement is that it is denounced everywhere.”</t>


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<pb/>So a time was set, and on that day a large number of people came to Paul’s lodging. He explained and testified about the Kingdom of God and tried to persuade them about Jesus from the Scriptures. Using the law of Moses and the books of the prophets, he spoke to them from morning until evening.


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And after they had argued back and forth among themselves, they left with this final word from Paul: <t>“The Holy Spirit was right when he said to your ancestors through Isaiah the prophet,


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<pb/><t>‘Go and say to this people: When you hear what I say, you will not understand. When you see what I do, you will not comprehend.</t>


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<t>For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes— so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’</t>


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<pb/>So I want you to know that this salvation from God has also been offered to the Gentiles, and they will accept it.”


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<pb/>boldly proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. And no one tried to stop him.


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<pb/>Greetings from Paul This letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News.


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and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord.


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Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority as apostles to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name.


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I am writing to all of you in Rome who are loved by God and are called to be his own holy people. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.


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<pb/>God’s Good News Let me say first that I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith in him is being talked about all over the world.


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<pb/>God knows how often I pray for you. Day and night I bring you and your needs in prayer to God, whom I serve with all my heart by spreading the Good News about his Son.


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For I long to visit you so I can bring you some spiritual gift that will help you grow strong in the Lord.


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When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours.


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I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to visit you, but I was prevented until now. I want to work among you and see spiritual fruit, just as I have seen among other Gentiles.


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For I have a great sense of obligation to people in both the civilized world and the rest of the world, to the educated and uneducated alike.


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<pb/>For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.


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This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, <t>“It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”</t>


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<pb/>God’s Anger at Sin But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.


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For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.


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Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused.


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And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.


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<pb/>So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies.


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<pb/>They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.


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That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other.


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And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved.


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Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done.


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Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip.


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They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents.


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They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.


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<pb/>God’s Judgment of Sin You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things.


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Since you judge others for doing these things, why do you think you can avoid God’s judgment when you do the same things?


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Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?


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But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.


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He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers.


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But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness.


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There will be trouble and calamity for everyone who keeps on doing what is evil—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile.


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But there will be glory and honor and peace from God for all who do good—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile.


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When the Gentiles sin, they will be destroyed, even though they never had God’s written law. And the Jews, who do have God’s law, will be judged by that law when they fail to obey it.


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For merely listening to the law doesn’t make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in his sight.


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Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it.


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<pb/>They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right.


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And this is the message I proclaim—that the day is coming when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone’s secret life.


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<pb/>The Jews and the Law You who call yourselves Jews are relying on God’s law, and you boast about your special relationship with him.


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You are convinced that you are a guide for the blind and a light for people who are lost in darkness.


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You think you can instruct the ignorant and teach children the ways of God. For you are certain that God’s law gives you complete knowledge and truth.


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Well then, if you teach others, why don’t you teach yourself? You tell others not to steal, but do you steal?


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You say it is wrong to commit adultery, but do you commit adultery? You condemn idolatry, but do you use items stolen from pagan temples?


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<pb/>The Jewish ceremony of circumcision has value only if you obey God’s law. But if you don’t obey God’s law, you are no better off than an uncircumcised Gentile.


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In fact, uncircumcised Gentiles who keep God’s law will condemn you Jews who are circumcised and possess God’s law but don’t obey it.


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For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision.


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No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by the Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people.


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<pb/>God Remains Faithful Then what’s the advantage of being a Jew? Is there any value in the ceremony of circumcision?


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Yes, there are great benefits! First of all, the Jews were entrusted with the whole revelation of God.


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True, some of them were unfaithful; but just because they were unfaithful, does that mean God will be unfaithful?


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Of course not! Even if everyone else is a liar, God is true. As the Scriptures say about him, <t>“You will be proved right in what you say, and you will win your case in court.”</t>


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<pb/>“But,” some might say, “our sinfulness serves a good purpose, for it helps people see how righteous God is. Isn’t it unfair, then, for him to punish us?” (This is merely a human point of view.)


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“But,”</t> someone might still argue, <t>“how can God condemn me as a sinner if my dishonesty highlights his truthfulness and brings him more glory?”</t>


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And some people even slander us by claiming that we say, <t>“The more we sin, the better it is!”</t> Those who say such things deserve to be condemned.


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<pb/>All People Are Sinners Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin.


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<t>“Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with lies.” “Snake venom drips from their lips.”</t>


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<pb/>Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God.


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For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.


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<pb/>Christ Took Our Punishment But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago.


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We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.


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Yet God freely and graciously declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.


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For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past,


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for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.


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<pb/>Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith.


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There is only one God, and he makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles.


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Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.


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<pb/>The Faith of Abraham Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God?


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If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God’s way.


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For the Scriptures tell us, <t>“Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”</t>


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But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners.


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David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who are declared righteous without working for it:


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<pb/>Now, is this blessing only for the Jews, or is it also for uncircumcised Gentiles? Well, we have been saying that Abraham was counted as righteous by God because of his faith.


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But how did this happen? Was he counted as righteous only after he was circumcised, or was it before he was circumcised? Clearly, God accepted Abraham before he was circumcised!


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Circumcision was a sign that Abraham already had faith and that God had already accepted him and declared him to be righteous—even before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the spiritual father of those who have faith but have not been circumcised. They are counted as righteous because of their faith.


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And Abraham is also the spiritual father of those who have been circumcised, but only if they have the same kind of faith Abraham had before he was circumcised.


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<pb/>Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith.


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If God’s promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary and the promise is pointless.


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For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!)


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So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe.


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That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, <t>“I have made you the father of many nations.”</t> This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.


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Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, <t>“That’s how many descendants you will have!”</t>


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And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb.


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Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God.


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for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.


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<pb/>Faith Brings Joy Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.


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Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.


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We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.


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And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.


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And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.


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Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good.


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And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation.


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For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son.


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So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.


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<pb/>Adam and Christ Contrasted When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.


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Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break.


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Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come.


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<pb/>But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ.


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And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins.


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For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.


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Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone.


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Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.


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God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant.


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So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.


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<pb/>Sin’s Power Is Broken Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace?


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Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death?


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For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.


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<pb/>We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.


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We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him.


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When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God.


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So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.


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Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.


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Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.


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<pb/>Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not!


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Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.


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Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you.


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Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy.


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And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom.


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But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life.


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For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.


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<pb/>No Longer Bound to the Law Now, dear brothers and sisters—you who are familiar with the law—don’t you know that the law applies only while a person is living?


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For example, when a woman marries, the law binds her to her husband as long as he is alive. But if he dies, the laws of marriage no longer apply to her.


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So while her husband is alive, she would be committing adultery if she married another man. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law and does not commit adultery when she remarries.


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So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God.


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<pb/>When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death.


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But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit.


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<pb/>God’s Law Reveals Our Sin Well then, am I suggesting that the law of God is sinful? Of course not! In fact, it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, “You must not covet.”


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But sin used this command to arouse all kinds of covetous desires within me! If there were no law, sin would not have that power.


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At one time I lived without understanding the law. But when I learned the command not to covet, for instance, the power of sin came to life,


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and I died. So I discovered that the law’s commands, which were supposed to bring life, brought spiritual death instead.


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<pb/>But how can that be? Did the law, which is good, cause my death? Of course not! Sin used what was good to bring about my condemnation to death. So we can see how terrible sin really is. It uses God’s good commands for its own evil purposes.


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Struggling with Sin So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin.


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I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.


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And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t.


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But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.


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I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong.


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But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.


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Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?


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<pb/>Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.


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And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.


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The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.


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He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.


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Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.


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So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.


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But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)


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And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God.


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The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.


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<pb/>Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do.


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For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live.


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So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, <t>“Abba, Father.”</t>


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And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.


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<pb/>The Future Glory Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.


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For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are.


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the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay.


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For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.


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And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.


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We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it.


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<pb/>And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.


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And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.


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And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.


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For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.


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And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.


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<pb/>Nothing Can Separate Us from God’s Love What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?


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<pb/>Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?


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<pb/>Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself.


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Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.


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Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?


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(As the Scriptures say, <t>“For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”)</t>


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<pb/>And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.


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No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.


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<pb/>God’s Selection of Israel With Christ as my witness, I speak with utter truthfulness. My conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm it.


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for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters. I would be willing to be forever cursed—cut off from Christ!—if that would save them.


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They are the people of Israel, chosen to be God’s adopted children. God revealed his glory to them. He made covenants with them and gave them his law. He gave them the privilege of worshiping him and receiving his wonderful promises.


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Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are their ancestors, and Christ himself was an Israelite as far as his human nature is concerned. And he is God, the one who rules over everything and is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.


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<pb/>Well then, has God failed to fulfill his promise to Israel? No, for not all who are born into the nation of Israel are truly members of God’s people!


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Being descendants of Abraham doesn’t make them truly Abraham’s children. For the Scriptures say, <t>“Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted,”</t> though Abraham had other children, too.


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This means that Abraham’s physical descendants are not necessarily children of God. Only the children of the promise are considered to be Abraham’s children.


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But before they were born, before they had done anything good or bad, she received a message from God. (This message shows that God chooses people according to his own purposes;


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he calls people, but not according to their good or bad works.) She was told, <t>“Your older son will serve your younger son.”</t>


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For God said to Moses, <t>“I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose.”</t>


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For the Scriptures say that God told Pharaoh, <t>“I have appointed you for the very purpose of displaying my power in you and to spread my fame throughout the earth.”</t>


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So you see, God chooses to show mercy to some, and he chooses to harden the hearts of others so they refuse to listen.


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<pb/>Well then, you might say, “Why does God blame people for not responding? Haven’t they simply done what he makes them do?”


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No, don’t say that. Who are you, a mere human being, to argue with God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who created it, <t>“Why have you made me like this?”</t>


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When a potter makes jars out of clay, doesn’t he have a right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar for decoration and another to throw garbage into?


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In the same way, even though God has the right to show his anger and his power, he is very patient with those on whom his anger falls, who are destined for destruction.


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He does this to make the riches of his glory shine even brighter on those to whom he shows mercy, who were prepared in advance for glory.


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Concerning the Gentiles, God says in the prophecy of Hosea, <t>“Those who were not my people, I will now call my people. And I will love those whom I did not love before.”</t>


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<t>And, “Then, at the place where they were told, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘children of the living God.’”</t>


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<pb/>And concerning Israel, Isaiah the prophet cried out, “Though the people of Israel are as numerous as the sand of the seashore, only a remnant will be saved.


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<pb/>And Isaiah said the same thing in another place: <t>“If the Lord of Heaven’s Armies had not spared a few of our children, we would have been wiped out like Sodom, destroyed like Gomorrah.”</t>


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<pb/>Israel’s Unbelief What does all this mean? Even though the Gentiles were not trying to follow God’s standards, they were made right with God. And it was by faith that this took place.


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But the people of Israel, who tried so hard to get right with God by keeping the law, never succeeded.


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Why not? Because they were trying to get right with God by keeping the law instead of by trusting in him. They stumbled over the great rock in their path.


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God warned them of this in the Scriptures when he said, <t>“I am placing a stone in Jerusalem that makes people stumble, a rock that makes them fall. But anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.”</t>


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<pb/>Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved.


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For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law.


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For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God.


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<pb/>Salvation Is for Everyone For Moses writes that the law’s way of making a person right with God requires obedience to all of its commands.


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But faith’s way of getting right with God says, <t>“Don’t say in your heart, ‘Who will go up to heaven?’ (to bring Christ down to earth).


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And don’t say, ‘Who will go down to the place of the dead?’ (to bring Christ back to life again).”</t>


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In fact, it says, <t>“The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart.”</t> And that message is the very message about faith that we preach:


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If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.


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For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.


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Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him.


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But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?


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And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, <t>“How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”</t>


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But not everyone welcomes the Good News, for Isaiah the prophet said, <t>“Lord, who has believed our message?”</t>


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But I ask, have the people of Israel actually heard the message? Yes, they have: <t>“The message has gone throughout the earth, and the words to all the world.”</t>


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<pb/>But I ask, did the people of Israel really understand? Yes, they did, for even in the time of Moses, God said, <t>“I will rouse your jealousy through people who are not even a nation. I will provoke your anger through the foolish Gentiles.”</t>


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<pb/>And later Isaiah spoke boldly for God, saying, <t>“I was found by people who were not looking for me. I showed myself to those who were not asking for me.”</t>


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<pb/>But regarding Israel, God said, “All day long I opened my arms to them, but they were disobedient and rebellious.”


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<pb/>God’s Mercy on Israel I ask, then, has God rejected his own people, the nation of Israel? Of course not! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham and a member of the tribe of Benjamin.


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No, God has not rejected his own people, whom he chose from the very beginning. Do you realize what the Scriptures say about this? Elijah the prophet complained to God about the people of Israel and said,


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“Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”</t>


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And do you remember God’s reply? He said, <t>“No, I have 7,000 others who have never bowed down to Baal!”</t>


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It is the same today, for a few of the people of Israel have remained faithful because of God’s grace—his undeserved kindness in choosing them.


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And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is—free and undeserved.


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So this is the situation: Most of the people of Israel have not found the favor of God they are looking for so earnestly. A few have—the ones God has chosen—but the hearts of the rest were hardened.


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As the Scriptures say, <t>“God has put them into a deep sleep. To this day he has shut their eyes so they do not see, and closed their ears so they do not hear.”</t>


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<pb/>Likewise, David said, <t>“Let their bountiful table become a snare, a trap that makes them think all is well. Let their blessings cause them to stumble, and let them get what they deserve.</t>


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<pb/>Did God’s people stumble and fall beyond recovery? Of course not! They were disobedient, so God made salvation available to the Gentiles. But he wanted his own people to become jealous and claim it for themselves.


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<pb/>Now if the Gentiles were enriched because the people of Israel turned down God’s offer of salvation, think how much greater a blessing the world will share when they finally accept it.


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<pb/>I am saying all this especially for you Gentiles. God has appointed me as the apostle to the Gentiles. I stress this,


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for I want somehow to make the people of Israel jealous of what you Gentiles have, so I might save some of them.


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For since their rejection meant that God offered salvation to the rest of the world, their acceptance will be even more wonderful. It will be life for those who were dead!


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And since Abraham and the other patriarchs were holy, their descendants will also be holy—just as the entire batch of dough is holy because the portion given as an offering is holy. For if the roots of the tree are holy, the branches will be, too.


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<pb/>But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree—some of the people of Israel—have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree.


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But you must not brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. You are just a branch, not the root.


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Yes, but remember—those branches were broken off because they didn’t believe in Christ, and you are there because you do believe. So don’t think highly of yourself, but fear what could happen.


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Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe toward those who disobeyed, but kind to you if you continue to trust in his kindness. But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off.


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And if the people of Israel turn from their unbelief, they will be grafted in again, for God has the power to graft them back into the tree.


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You, by nature, were a branch cut from a wild olive tree. So if God was willing to do something contrary to nature by grafting you into his cultivated tree, he will be far more eager to graft the original branches back into the tree where they belong.


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<pb/>God’s Mercy Is for Everyone I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters, so that you will not feel proud about yourselves. Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ.


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And so all Israel will be saved. As the Scriptures say, <t>“The one who rescues will come from Jerusalem, and he will turn Israel away from ungodliness.</t>


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<pb/>Many of the people of Israel are now enemies of the Good News, and this benefits you Gentiles. Yet they are still the people he loves because he chose their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.


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Once, you Gentiles were rebels against God, but when the people of Israel rebelled against him, God was merciful to you instead.


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Now they are the rebels, and God’s mercy has come to you so that they, too, will share in God’s mercy.


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Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!


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<pb/>For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.


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<pb/>A Living Sacrifice to God And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.


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Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.


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<pb/>Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.


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In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you.


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If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.


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<pb/>Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.


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Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!


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Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable.


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Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, <t>“I will take revenge; I will pay them back,”</t> says the Lord.


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Instead, <t>“If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.”</t>


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<pb/>Respect for Authority Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God.


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So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished.


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For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like to live without fear of the authorities? Do what is right, and they will honor you.


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The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong.


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<pb/>Pay your taxes, too, for these same reasons. For government workers need to be paid. They are serving God in what they do.


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Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them, and give respect and honor to those who are in authority.


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<pb/>Love Fulfills God’s Requirements Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law.


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For the commandments say, <t>“You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.”</t> These—and other such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: <t>“Love your neighbor as yourself.”</t>


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<pb/>This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.


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<pb/>The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living.


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Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy.


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Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.


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<pb/>The Danger of Criticism Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong.


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For instance, one person believes it’s all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables.


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Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don’t. And those who don’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them.


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Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? Their own master will judge whether they stand or fall. And with the Lord’s help, they will stand and receive his approval.


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In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable.


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Those who worship the Lord on a special day do it to honor him. Those who eat any kind of food do so to honor the Lord, since they give thanks to God before eating. And those who refuse to eat certain foods also want to please the Lord and give thanks to God.


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If we live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.


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So why do you condemn another believer? Why do you look down on another believer? Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.


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For the Scriptures say, <t>“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will declare allegiance to God.’”</t>


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<pb/>So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall.


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I know and am convinced on the authority of the Lord Jesus that no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat. But if someone believes it is wrong, then for that person it is wrong.


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And if another believer is distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it. Don’t let your eating ruin someone for whom Christ died.


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For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.


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Don’t tear apart the work of God over what you eat. Remember, all foods are acceptable, but it is wrong to eat something if it makes another person stumble.


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It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another believer to stumble.


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<pb/>You may believe there’s nothing wrong with what you are doing, but keep it between yourself and God. Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty for doing something they have decided is right.


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But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it. For you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.


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<pb/>Living to Please Others We who are strong must be considerate of those who are sensitive about things like this. We must not just please ourselves.


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For even Christ didn’t live to please himself. As the Scriptures say, <t>“The insults of those who insult you, O God, have fallen on me.”</t>


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Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.


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May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus.


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Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.


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Remember that Christ came as a servant to the Jews to show that God is true to the promises he made to their ancestors.


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He also came so that the Gentiles might give glory to God for his mercies to them. That is what the psalmist meant when he wrote: <t>“For this, I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing praises to your name.”</t>


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<pb/>And yet again, <t>“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles. Praise him, all you people of the earth.”</t>


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<pb/>And in another place Isaiah said, <t>“The heir to David’s throne will come, and he will rule over the Gentiles. They will place their hope on him.”</t>


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<pb/>I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.


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<pb/>Paul’s Reason for Writing I am fully convinced, my dear brothers and sisters, that you are full of goodness. You know these things so well you can teach each other all about them.


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Even so, I have been bold enough to write about some of these points, knowing that all you need is this reminder. For by God’s grace,


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I am a special messenger from Christ Jesus to you Gentiles. I bring you the Good News so that I might present you as an acceptable offering to God, made holy by the Holy Spirit.


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So I have reason to be enthusiastic about all Christ Jesus has done through me in my service to God.


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Yet I dare not boast about anything except what Christ has done through me, bringing the Gentiles to God by my message and by the way I worked among them.


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They were convinced by the power of miraculous signs and wonders and by the power of God’s Spirit. In this way, I have fully presented the Good News of Christ from Jerusalem all the way to Illyricum.


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My ambition has always been to preach the Good News where the name of Christ has never been heard, rather than where a church has already been started by someone else.


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I have been following the plan spoken of in the Scriptures, where it says, <t>“Those who have never been told about him will see, and those who have never heard of him will understand.”</t>


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<pb/>In fact, my visit to you has been delayed so long because I have been preaching in these places.


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Paul’s Travel Plans But now I have finished my work in these regions, and after all these long years of waiting, I am eager to visit you.


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I am planning to go to Spain, and when I do, I will stop off in Rome. And after I have enjoyed your fellowship for a little while, you can provide for my journey.


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For you see, the believers in Macedonia and Achaia have eagerly taken up an offering for the poor among the believers in Jerusalem.


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They were glad to do this because they feel they owe a real debt to them. Since the Gentiles received the spiritual blessings of the Good News from the believers in Jerusalem, they feel the least they can do in return is to help them financially.


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As soon as I have delivered this money and completed this good deed of theirs, I will come to see you on my way to Spain.


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<pb/>Dear brothers and sisters, I urge you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to join in my struggle by praying to God for me. Do this because of your love for me, given to you by the Holy Spirit.


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Pray that I will be rescued from those in Judea who refuse to obey God. Pray also that the believers there will be willing to accept the donation I am taking to Jerusalem.


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Then, by the will of God, I will be able to come to you with a joyful heart, and we will be an encouragement to each other.


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<pb/>Paul Greets His Friends I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a deacon in the church in Cenchrea.


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Welcome her in the Lord as one who is worthy of honor among God’s people. Help her in whatever she needs, for she has been helpful to many, and especially to me.


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In fact, they once risked their lives for me. I am thankful to them, and so are all the Gentile churches.


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Also give my greetings to the church that meets in their home. Greet my dear friend Epenetus. He was the first person from the province of Asia to become a follower of Christ.


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Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews, who were in prison with me. They are highly respected among the apostles and became followers of Christ before I did.


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Greet Apelles, a good man whom Christ approves. And give my greetings to the believers from the household of Aristobulus.


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Give my greetings to Tryphena and Tryphosa, the Lord’s workers, and to dear Persis, who has worked so hard for the Lord.


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Greet Rufus, whom the Lord picked out to be his very own; and also his dear mother, who has been a mother to me.


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Give my greetings to Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters who meet with them.


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Give my greetings to Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and to Olympas and all the believers who meet with them.


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<pb/>Paul’s Final Instructions And now I make one more appeal, my dear brothers and sisters. Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from them.


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Such people are not serving Christ our Lord; they are serving their own personal interests. By smooth talk and glowing words they deceive innocent people.


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But everyone knows that you are obedient to the Lord. This makes me very happy. I want you to be wise in doing right and to stay innocent of any wrong.


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The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.


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<pb/>Timothy, my fellow worker, sends you his greetings, as do Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my fellow Jews.


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I, Tertius, the one writing this letter for Paul, send my greetings, too, as one of the Lord’s followers.


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Gaius says hello to you. He is my host and also serves as host to the whole church. Erastus, the city treasurer, sends you his greetings, and so does our brother Quartus.


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<pb/>Now all glory to God, who is able to make you strong, just as my Good News says. This message about Jesus Christ has revealed his plan for you Gentiles, a plan kept secret from the beginning of time.


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But now as the prophets foretold and as the eternal God has commanded, this message is made known to all Gentiles everywhere, so that they too might believe and obey him.


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<pb/>Greetings from Paul This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Sosthenes.


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I am writing to God’s church in Corinth, to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.


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<pb/>Paul Gives Thanks to God I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus.


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Through him, God has enriched your church in every way—with all of your eloquent words and all of your knowledge.


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Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.


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He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns.


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God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.


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<pb/>Divisions in the Church I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.


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For some members of Chloe’s household have told me about your quarrels, my dear brothers and sisters.


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Some of you are saying, <t>“I am a follower of Paul.”</t> Others are saying, <t>“I follow Apollos,”</t> or <t>“I follow Peter,”</t> or <t>“I follow only Christ.”</t>


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Has Christ been divided into factions? Was I, Paul, crucified for you? Were any of you baptized in the name of Paul? Of course not!


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For Christ didn’t send me to baptize, but to preach the Good News—and not with clever speech, for fear that the cross of Christ would lose its power.


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<pb/>The Wisdom of God The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.


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As the Scriptures say, <t>“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.”</t>


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<pb/>So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish.


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Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe.


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It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom.


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So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.


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But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.


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This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.


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Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you.


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Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.


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God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important.


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God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin.


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<pb/>Paul’s Message of Wisdom When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan.


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For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified.


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And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit.


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<pb/>Yet when I am among mature believers, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world or to the rulers of this world, who are soon forgotten.


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<pb/>No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God—his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began.


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But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord.


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That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, <t>“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”</t>


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<pb/>But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets.


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No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit.


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And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.


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When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths.


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But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.


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<t>For, <t>“Who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?”</t> But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.


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<pb/>Paul and Apollos, Servants of Christ Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ.


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I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready,


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for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world?


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When one of you says, <t>“I am a follower of Paul,”</t> and another says, <t>“I follow Apollos,”</t> aren’t you acting just like people of the world?


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After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us.


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It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.


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The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work.


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<pb/>Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful.


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Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw.


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<pb/>But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value.


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But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.


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Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?


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God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.


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<pb/>Stop deceiving yourselves. If you think you are wise by this world’s standards, you need to become a fool to be truly wise.


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For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As the Scriptures say, <t>“He traps the wise in the snare of their own cleverness.”</t>


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<pb/>whether Paul or Apollos or Peter, or the world, or life and death, or the present and the future. Everything belongs to you,


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<pb/>Paul’s Relationship with the Corinthians So look at Apollos and me as mere servants of Christ who have been put in charge of explaining God’s mysteries.


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As for me, it matters very little how I might be evaluated by you or by any human authority. I don’t even trust my own judgment on this point.


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My conscience is clear, but that doesn’t prove I’m right. It is the Lord himself who will examine me and decide.


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So don’t make judgments about anyone ahead of time—before the Lord returns. For he will bring our darkest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. Then God will give to each one whatever praise is due.


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<pb/>Dear brothers and sisters, I have used Apollos and myself to illustrate what I’ve been saying. If you pay attention to what I have quoted from the Scriptures, you won’t be proud of one of your leaders at the expense of another.


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For what gives you the right to make such a judgment? What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift?


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You think you already have everything you need. You think you are already rich. You have begun to reign in God’s kingdom without us! I wish you really were reigning already, for then we would be reigning with you.


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Instead, I sometimes think God has put us apostles on display, like prisoners of war at the end of a victor’s parade, condemned to die. We have become a spectacle to the entire world—to people and angels alike.


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Our dedication to Christ makes us look like fools, but you claim to be so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are so powerful! You are honored, but we are ridiculed.


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Even now we go hungry and thirsty, and we don’t have enough clothes to keep warm. We are often beaten and have no home.


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We work wearily with our own hands to earn our living. We bless those who curse us. We are patient with those who abuse us.


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We appeal gently when evil things are said about us. Yet we are treated like the world’s garbage, like everybody’s trash—right up to the present moment.


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For even if you had ten thousand others to teach you about Christ, you have only one spiritual father. For I became your father in Christ Jesus when I preached the Good News to you.


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That’s why I have sent Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord. He will remind you of how I follow Christ Jesus, just as I teach in all the churches wherever I go.


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But I will come—and soon—if the Lord lets me, and then I’ll find out whether these arrogant people just give pretentious speeches or whether they really have God’s power.


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Which do you choose? Should I come with a rod to punish you, or should I come with love and a gentle spirit?


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<pb/>Paul Condemns Spiritual Pride I can hardly believe the report about the sexual immorality going on among you—something that even pagans don’t do. I am told that a man in your church is living in sin with his stepmother.


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You are so proud of yourselves, but you should be mourning in sorrow and shame. And you should remove this man from your fellowship.


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Even though I am not with you in person, I am with you in the Spirit. And as though I were there, I have already passed judgment on this man


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in the name of the Lord Jesus. You must call a meeting of the church. I will be present with you in spirit, and so will the power of our Lord Jesus.


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Then you must throw this man out and hand him over to Satan so that his sinful nature will be destroyed and he himself will be saved on the day the Lord returns.


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Your boasting about this is terrible. Don’t you realize that this sin is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough?


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Get rid of the old <t>“yeast”</t> by removing this wicked person from among you. Then you will be like a fresh batch of dough made without yeast, which is what you really are. Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us.


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So let us celebrate the festival, not with the old bread of wickedness and evil, but with the new bread of sincerity and truth.


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But I wasn’t talking about unbelievers who indulge in sexual sin, or are greedy, or cheat people, or worship idols. You would have to leave this world to avoid people like that.


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I meant that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. Don’t even eat with such people.


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It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning.


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God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, <t>“You must remove the evil person from among you.”</t>


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<pb/>Avoiding Lawsuits with Christians When one of you has a dispute with another believer, how dare you file a lawsuit and ask a secular court to decide the matter instead of taking it to other believers!


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Don’t you realize that someday we believers will judge the world? And since you are going to judge the world, can’t you decide even these little things among yourselves?


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Don’t you realize that we will judge angels? So you should surely be able to resolve ordinary disputes in this life.


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If you have legal disputes about such matters, why go to outside judges who are not respected by the church?


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I am saying this to shame you. Isn’t there anyone in all the church who is wise enough to decide these issues?


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Even to have such lawsuits with one another is a defeat for you. Why not just accept the injustice and leave it at that? Why not let yourselves be cheated?


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Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality,


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or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God.


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Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.


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<pb/>Avoiding Sexual Sin You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything.


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You say, <t>“Food was made for the stomach, and the stomach for food.”</t> (This is true, though someday God will do away with both of them.) But you can’t say that our bodies were made for sexual immorality. They were made for the Lord, and the Lord cares about our bodies.


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Don’t you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? Should a man take his body, which is part of Christ, and join it to a prostitute? Never!


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And don’t you realize that if a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her? For the Scriptures say, <t>“The two are united into one.”</t>


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Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body.


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Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself,


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<pb/>Instruction on Marriage Now regarding the questions you asked in your letter. Yes, it is good to abstain from sexual relations.


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<pb/>But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband.


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The husband should fulfill his wife’s sexual needs, and the wife should fulfill her husband’s needs.


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The wife gives authority over her body to her husband, and the husband gives authority over his body to his wife.


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Do not deprive each other of sexual relations, unless you both agree to refrain from sexual intimacy for a limited time so you can give yourselves more completely to prayer. Afterward, you should come together again so that Satan won’t be able to tempt you because of your lack of self-control.


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But I wish everyone were single, just as I am. Yet each person has a special gift from God, of one kind or another.


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<pb/>So I say to those who aren’t married and to widows—it’s better to stay unmarried, just as I am.


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But if they can’t control themselves, they should go ahead and marry. It’s better to marry than to burn with lust.


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But for those who are married, I have a command that comes not from me, but from the Lord. A wife must not leave her husband.


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But if she does leave him, let her remain single or else be reconciled to him. And the husband must not leave his wife.


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Now, I will speak to the rest of you, though I do not have a direct command from the Lord. If a fellow believer has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to continue living with him, he must not leave her.


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And if a believing woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to continue living with her, she must not leave him.


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For the believing wife brings holiness to her marriage, and the believing husband brings holiness to his marriage. Otherwise, your children would not be holy, but now they are holy.


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(But if the husband or wife who isn’t a believer insists on leaving, let them go. In such cases the believing husband or wife is no longer bound to the other, for God has called you to live in peace.)


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Don’t you wives realize that your husbands might be saved because of you? And don’t you husbands realize that your wives might be saved because of you?


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<pb/>Each of you should continue to live in whatever situation the Lord has placed you, and remain as you were when God first called you. This is my rule for all the churches.


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For instance, a man who was circumcised before he became a believer should not try to reverse it. And the man who was uncircumcised when he became a believer should not be circumcised now.


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For it makes no difference whether or not a man has been circumcised. The important thing is to keep God’s commandments.


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And remember, if you were a slave when the Lord called you, you are now free in the Lord. And if you were free when the Lord called you, you are now a slave of Christ.


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<pb/>Now regarding your question about the young women who are not yet married. I do not have a command from the Lord for them. But the Lord in his mercy has given me wisdom that can be trusted, and I will share it with you.


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If you have a wife, do not seek to end the marriage. If you do not have a wife, do not seek to get married.


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But if you do get married, it is not a sin. And if a young woman gets married, it is not a sin. However, those who get married at this time will have troubles, and I am trying to spare you those problems.


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But let me say this, dear brothers and sisters: The time that remains is very short. So from now on, those with wives should not focus only on their marriage.


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Those who weep or who rejoice or who buy things should not be absorbed by their weeping or their joy or their possessions.


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<pb/>Those who use the things of the world should not become attached to them. For this world as we know it will soon pass away.


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I want you to be free from the concerns of this life. An unmarried man can spend his time doing the Lord’s work and thinking how to please him.


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His interests are divided. In the same way, a woman who is no longer married or has never been married can be devoted to the Lord and holy in body and in spirit. But a married woman has to think about her earthly responsibilities and how to please her husband.


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I am saying this for your benefit, not to place restrictions on you. I want you to do whatever will help you serve the Lord best, with as few distractions as possible.


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<pb/>But if a man thinks that he’s treating his fiancée improperly and will inevitably give in to his passion, let him marry her as he wishes. It is not a sin.


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But if he has decided firmly not to marry and there is no urgency and he can control his passion, he does well not to marry.


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<pb/>A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. If her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but only if he loves the Lord.


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But in my opinion it would be better for her to stay single, and I think I am giving you counsel from God’s Spirit when I say this.


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<pb/>Food Sacrificed to Idols Now regarding your question about food that has been offered to idols. Yes, we know that “we all have knowledge” about this issue. But while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church.


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So, what about eating meat that has been offered to idols? Well, we all know that an idol is not really a god and that there is only one God.


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There may be so-called gods both in heaven and on earth, and some people actually worship many gods and many lords.


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But for us, There is one God, the Father, by whom all things were created, and for whom we live. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things were created, and through whom we live.


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<pb/>However, not all believers know this. Some are accustomed to thinking of idols as being real, so when they eat food that has been offered to idols, they think of it as the worship of real gods, and their weak consciences are violated.


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It’s true that we can’t win God’s approval by what we eat. We don’t lose anything if we don’t eat it, and we don’t gain anything if we do.


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But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble.


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For if others see you—with your <t>“superior knowledge”—eating in the temple of an idol, won’t they be encouraged to violate their conscience by eating food that has been offered to an idol?


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And when you sin against other believers by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong, you are sinning against Christ.


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So if what I eat causes another believer to sin, I will never eat meat again as long as I live—for I don’t want to cause another believer to stumble.


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<pb/>Paul Gives Up His Rights Am I not as free as anyone else? Am I not an apostle? Haven’t I seen Jesus our Lord with my own eyes? Isn’t it because of my work that you belong to the Lord?


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Even if others think I am not an apostle, I certainly am to you. You yourselves are proof that I am the Lord’s apostle.


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Don’t we have the right to bring a believing wife with us as the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers do, and as Peter does?


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What soldier has to pay his own expenses? What farmer plants a vineyard and doesn’t have the right to eat some of its fruit? What shepherd cares for a flock of sheep and isn’t allowed to drink some of the milk?


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For the law of Moses says, <t>“You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain.”</t> Was God thinking only about oxen when he said this?


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Wasn’t he actually speaking to us? Yes, it was written for us, so that the one who plows and the one who threshes the grain might both expect a share of the harvest.


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Since we have planted spiritual seed among you, aren’t we entitled to a harvest of physical food and drink?


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If you support others who preach to you, shouldn’t we have an even greater right to be supported? But we have never used this right. We would rather put up with anything than be an obstacle to the Good News about Christ.


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Don’t you realize that those who work in the temple get their meals from the offerings brought to the temple? And those who serve at the altar get a share of the sacrificial offerings.


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In the same way, the Lord ordered that those who preach the Good News should be supported by those who benefit from it.


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Yet I have never used any of these rights. And I am not writing this to suggest that I want to start now. In fact, I would rather die than lose my right to boast about preaching without charge.


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Yet preaching the Good News is not something I can boast about. I am compelled by God to do it. How terrible for me if I didn’t preach the Good News!


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If I were doing this on my own initiative, I would deserve payment. But I have no choice, for God has given me this sacred trust.


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What then is my pay? It is the opportunity to preach the Good News without charging anyone. That’s why I never demand my rights when I preach the Good News.


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<pb/>Even though I am a free man with no master, I have become a slave to all people to bring many to Christ.


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When I was with the Jews, I lived like a Jew to bring the Jews to Christ. When I was with those who follow the Jewish law, I too lived under that law. Even though I am not subject to the law, I did this so I could bring to Christ those who are under the law.


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When I am with the Gentiles who do not follow the Jewish law, I too live apart from that law so I can bring them to Christ. But I do not ignore the law of God; I obey the law of Christ.


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<pb/>When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some.


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<pb/>Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!


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All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.


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I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.


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<pb/>Lessons from Israel’s Idolatry I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground.


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and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ.


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or worship idols as some of them did. As the Scriptures say, <t>“The people celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.”</t>


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And we must not engage in sexual immorality as some of them did, causing 23,000 of them to die in one day.


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These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.


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The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.


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When we bless the cup at the Lord’s Table, aren’t we sharing in the blood of Christ? And when we break the bread, aren’t we sharing in the body of Christ?


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What am I trying to say? Am I saying that food offered to idols has some significance, or that idols are real gods?


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No, not at all. I am saying that these sacrifices are offered to demons, not to God. And I don’t want you to participate with demons.


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You cannot drink from the cup of the Lord and from the cup of demons, too. You cannot eat at the Lord’s Table and at the table of demons, too.


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<pb/>You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is beneficial.


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<pb/>So you may eat any meat that is sold in the marketplace without raising questions of conscience.


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<pb/>If someone who isn’t a believer asks you home for dinner, accept the invitation if you want to. Eat whatever is offered to you without raising questions of conscience.


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<pb/>(But suppose someone tells you, “This meat was offered to an idol.” Don’t eat it, out of consideration for the conscience of the one who told you.


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<pb/>It might not be a matter of conscience for you, but it is for the other person.) For why should my freedom be limited by what someone else thinks?


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I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved.


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<pb/>Instructions for Public Worship I am so glad that you always keep me in your thoughts, and that you are following the teachings I passed on to you.


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But there is one thing I want you to know: The head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.


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<pb/>But a woman dishonors her head if she prays or prophesies without a covering on her head, for this is the same as shaving her head.


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Yes, if she refuses to wear a head covering, she should cut off all her hair! But since it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut or her head shaved, she should wear a covering.


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A man should not wear anything on his head when worshiping, for man is made in God’s image and reflects God’s glory. And woman reflects man’s glory.


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For this reason, and because the angels are watching, a woman should wear a covering on her head to show she is under authority.


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But among the Lord’s people, women are not independent of men, and men are not independent of women.


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For although the first woman came from man, every other man was born from a woman, and everything comes from God.


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But if anyone wants to argue about this, I simply say that we have no other custom than this, and neither do God’s other churches.


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<pb/>Order at the Lord’s Supper But in the following instructions, I cannot praise you. For it sounds as if more harm than good is done when you meet together.


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First, I hear that there are divisions among you when you meet as a church, and to some extent I believe it.


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<pb/>But, of course, there must be divisions among you so that you who have God’s approval will be recognized!


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For some of you hurry to eat your own meal without sharing with others. As a result, some go hungry while others get drunk.


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What? Don’t you have your own homes for eating and drinking? Or do you really want to disgrace God’s church and shame the poor? What am I supposed to say? Do you want me to praise you? Well, I certainly will not praise you for this!


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<pb/>For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread


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and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, <J><t>“This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me.”</t></J>


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In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, <J><t>“This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this to remember me as often as you drink it.”</t></J>


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For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.


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<pb/>So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.


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For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself.


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Yet when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned along with the world.


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If you are really hungry, eat at home so you won’t bring judgment upon yourselves when you meet together. I’ll give you instructions about the other matters after I arrive.


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<pb/>Spiritual Gifts Now, dear brothers and sisters, regarding your question about the special abilities the Spirit gives us. I don’t want you to misunderstand this.


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<pb/>You know that when you were still pagans, you were led astray and swept along in worshiping speechless idols.


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So I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God will curse Jesus, and no one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit.


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<pb/>To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge.


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The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing.


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He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said.


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It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.


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<pb/>One Body with Many Parts The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ.


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Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.


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If the foot says, <t>“I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,”</t> that does not make it any less a part of the body.


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And if the ear says, <t>“I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,”</t> would that make it any less a part of the body?


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If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?


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The eye can never say to the hand, <t>“I don’t need you.”</t> The head can’t say to the feet, <t>“I don’t need you.”</t>


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In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary.


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And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen,


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while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity.


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If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.


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Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church: first are apostles, second are prophets, third are teachers, then those who do miracles, those who have the gift of healing, those who can help others, those who have the gift of leadership, those who speak in unknown languages.


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Are we all apostles? Are we all prophets? Are we all teachers? Do we all have the power to do miracles?


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Do we all have the gift of healing? Do we all have the ability to speak in unknown languages? Do we all have the ability to interpret unknown languages? Of course not!


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So you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts. But now let me show you a way of life that is best of all.


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<pb/>Love Is the Greatest If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.


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If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing.


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If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.


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or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.


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<pb/>Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever!


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Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture!


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When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.


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Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.


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<pb/>Tongues and Prophecy Let love be your highest goal! But you should also desire the special abilities the Spirit gives—especially the ability to prophesy.


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For if you have the ability to speak in tongues, you will be talking only to God, since people won’t be able to understand you. You will be speaking by the power of the Spirit, but it will all be mysterious.


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A person who speaks in tongues is strengthened personally, but one who speaks a word of prophecy strengthens the entire church.


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I wish you could all speak in tongues, but even more I wish you could all prophesy. For prophecy is greater than speaking in tongues, unless someone interprets what you are saying so that the whole church will be strengthened.


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<pb/>Dear brothers and sisters, if I should come to you speaking in an unknown language, how would that help you? But if I bring you a revelation or some special knowledge or prophecy or teaching, that will be helpful.


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Even lifeless instruments like the flute or the harp must play the notes clearly, or no one will recognize the melody.


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And if the bugler doesn’t sound a clear call, how will the soldiers know they are being called to battle?


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It’s the same for you. If you speak to people in words they don’t understand, how will they know what you are saying? You might as well be talking into empty space.


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But if I don’t understand a language, I will be a foreigner to someone who speaks it, and the one who speaks it will be a foreigner to me.


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And the same is true for you. Since you are so eager to have the special abilities the Spirit gives, seek those that will strengthen the whole church.


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Well then, what shall I do? I will pray in the spirit, and I will also pray in words I understand. I will sing in the spirit, and I will also sing in words I understand.


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For if you praise God only in the spirit, how can those who don’t understand you praise God along with you? How can they join you in giving thanks when they don’t understand what you are saying?


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But in a church meeting I would rather speak five understandable words to help others than ten thousand words in an unknown language.


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<pb/>Dear brothers and sisters, don’t be childish in your understanding of these things. Be innocent as babies when it comes to evil, but be mature in understanding matters of this kind.


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It is written in the Scriptures: <t>“I will speak to my own people through strange languages and through the lips of foreigners. But even then, they will not listen to me,”</t> says the Lord.


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So you see that speaking in tongues is a sign, not for believers, but for unbelievers. Prophecy, however, is for the benefit of believers, not unbelievers.


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Even so, if unbelievers or people who don’t understand these things come into your church meeting and hear everyone speaking in an unknown language, they will think you are crazy.


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But if all of you are prophesying, and unbelievers or people who don’t understand these things come into your meeting, they will be convicted of sin and judged by what you say.


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As they listen, their secret thoughts will be exposed, and they will fall to their knees and worship God, declaring, <t>“God is truly here among you.”</t>


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<pb/>A Call to Orderly Worship Well, my brothers and sisters, let’s summarize. When you meet together, one will sing, another will teach, another will tell some special revelation God has given, one will speak in tongues, and another will interpret what is said. But everything that is done must strengthen all of you.


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No more than two or three should speak in tongues. They must speak one at a time, and someone must interpret what they say.


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But if no one is present who can interpret, they must be silent in your church meeting and speak in tongues to God privately.


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But if someone is prophesying and another person receives a revelation from the Lord, the one who is speaking must stop.


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In this way, all who prophesy will have a turn to speak, one after the other, so that everyone will learn and be encouraged.


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Women should be silent during the church meetings. It is not proper for them to speak. They should be submissive, just as the law says.


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If they have any questions, they should ask their husbands at home, for it is improper for women to speak in church meetings.


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Or do you think God’s word originated with you Corinthians? Are you the only ones to whom it was given?


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<pb/>If you claim to be a prophet or think you are spiritual, you should recognize that what I am saying is a command from the Lord himself.


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<pb/>The Resurrection of Christ Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it.


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It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place.


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I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said.


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After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died.


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For I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God’s church.


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But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace.


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So it makes no difference whether I preach or they preach, for we all preach the same message you have already believed.


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<pb/>The Resurrection of the Dead But tell me this—since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead?


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<pb/>And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead.


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And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins.


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<pb/>But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.


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So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man.


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Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life.


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<pb/>But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back.


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After that the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power.


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For the Scriptures say, <t>“God has put all things under his authority.”</t> (Of course, when it says <t>“all things are under his authority,”</t> that does not include God himself, who gave Christ his authority.)


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Then, when all things are under his authority, the Son will put himself under God’s authority, so that God, who gave his Son authority over all things, will be utterly supreme over everything everywhere.


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<pb/>If the dead will not be raised, what point is there in people being baptized for those who are dead? Why do it unless the dead will someday rise again?


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For I swear, dear brothers and sisters, that I face death daily. This is as certain as my pride in what Christ Jesus our Lord has done in you.


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And what value was there in fighting wild beasts—those people of Ephesus—if there will be no resurrection from the dead? And if there is no resurrection, <t>“Let’s feast and drink, for tomorrow we die!”</t>


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<pb/>Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for <t>“bad company corrupts good character.”</t>


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<pb/>Think carefully about what is right, and stop sinning. For to your shame I say that some of you don’t know God at all.


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<pb/>The Resurrection Body But someone may ask, “How will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they have?”


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What a foolish question! When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn’t grow into a plant unless it dies first.


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<pb/>And what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow, but only a bare seed of wheat or whatever you are planting.


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Similarly there are different kinds of flesh—one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish.


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There are also bodies in the heavens and bodies on the earth. The glory of the heavenly bodies is different from the glory of the earthly bodies.


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The sun has one kind of glory, while the moon and stars each have another kind. And even the stars differ from each other in their glory.


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<pb/>It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever.


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Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength.


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They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.


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The Scriptures tell us, <t>“The first man, Adam, became a living person.”</t> But the last Adam—that is, Christ—is a life-giving Spirit.


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Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven.


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<pb/>What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever.


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<pb/>But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed!


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It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed.


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For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.


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Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: <t>“Death is swallowed up in victory.</t>


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So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.


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<pb/>The Collection for Jerusalem Now regarding your question about the money being collected for God’s people in Jerusalem. You should follow the same procedure I gave to the churches in Galatia.


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On the first day of each week, you should each put aside a portion of the money you have earned. Don’t wait until I get there and then try to collect it all at once.


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When I come, I will write letters of recommendation for the messengers you choose to deliver your gift to Jerusalem.


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<pb/>Paul’s Final Instructions I am coming to visit you after I have been to Macedonia, for I am planning to travel through Macedonia.


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Perhaps I will stay awhile with you, possibly all winter, and then you can send me on my way to my next destination.


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This time I don’t want to make just a short visit and then go right on. I want to come and stay awhile, if the Lord will let me.


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Don’t let anyone treat him with contempt. Send him on his way with your blessing when he returns to me. I expect him to come with the other believers.


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<pb/>Now about our brother Apollos—I urged him to visit you with the other believers, but he was not willing to go right now. He will see you later when he has the opportunity.


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<pb/>You know that Stephanas and his household were the first of the harvest of believers in Greece, and they are spending their lives in service to God’s people. I urge you, dear brothers and sisters,


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I am very glad that Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus have come here. They have been providing the help you weren’t here to give me.


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They have been a wonderful encouragement to me, as they have been to you. You must show your appreciation to all who serve so well.


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<pb/>Paul’s Final Greetings The churches here in the province of Asia send greetings in the Lord, as do Aquila and Priscilla and all the others who gather in their home for church meetings.


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<pb/>Greetings from Paul This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy. I am writing to God’s church in Corinth and to all of his holy people throughout Greece.


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<pb/>God Offers Comfort to All All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort.


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He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.


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Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer.


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We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us.


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<pb/>We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it.


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In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead.


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And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us.


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And you are helping us by praying for us. Then many people will give thanks because God has graciously answered so many prayers for our safety.


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<pb/>Paul’s Change of Plans We can say with confidence and a clear conscience that we have lived with a God-given holiness and sincerity in all our dealings. We have depended on God’s grace, not on our own human wisdom. That is how we have conducted ourselves before the world, and especially toward you.


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Our letters have been straightforward, and there is nothing written between the lines and nothing you can’t understand. I hope someday you will fully understand us,


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even if you don’t understand us now. Then on the day when the Lord Jesus returns, you will be proud of us in the same way we are proud of you.


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<pb/>Since I was so sure of your understanding and trust, I wanted to give you a double blessing by visiting you twice—


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first on my way to Macedonia and again when I returned from Macedonia. Then you could send me on my way to Judea.


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You may be asking why I changed my plan. Do you think I make my plans carelessly? Do you think I am like people of the world who say <t>“Yes”</t> when they really mean <t>“No”?


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For Jesus Christ, the Son of God, does not waver between <t>“Yes”</t> and <t>“No.”</t> He is the one whom Silas, Timothy, and I preached to you, and as God’s ultimate <t>“Yes,”</t> he always does what he says.


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For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding <t>“Yes!”</t> And through Christ, our <t>“Amen”</t> (which means <t>“Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.


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and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us.


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<pb/>Now I call upon God as my witness that I am telling the truth. The reason I didn’t return to Corinth was to spare you from a severe rebuke.


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But that does not mean we want to dominate you by telling you how to put your faith into practice. We want to work together with you so you will be full of joy, for it is by your own faith that you stand firm.


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That is why I wrote to you as I did, so that when I do come, I won’t be grieved by the very ones who ought to give me the greatest joy. Surely you all know that my joy comes from your being joyful.


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I wrote that letter in great anguish, with a troubled heart and many tears. I didn’t want to grieve you, but I wanted to let you know how much love I have for you.


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<pb/>Forgiveness for the Sinner I am not overstating it when I say that the man who caused all the trouble hurt all of you more than he hurt me.


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Now, however, it is time to forgive and comfort him. Otherwise he may be overcome by discouragement.


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<pb/>When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive whatever needs to be forgiven, I do so with Christ’s authority for your benefit,


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<pb/>When I came to the city of Troas to preach the Good News of Christ, the Lord opened a door of opportunity for me.


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But I had no peace of mind because my dear brother Titus hadn’t yet arrived with a report from you. So I said good-bye and went on to Macedonia to find him.


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<pb/>Ministers of the New Covenant But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume.


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Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing.


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To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?


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You see, we are not like the many hucksters who preach for personal profit. We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ’s authority, knowing that God is watching us.


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<pb/>Are we beginning to praise ourselves again? Are we like others, who need to bring you letters of recommendation, or who ask you to write such letters on their behalf? Surely not!


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The only letter of recommendation we need is you yourselves. Your lives are a letter written in our hearts; everyone can read it and recognize our good work among you.


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Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This <t>“letter”</t> is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts.


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It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God.


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He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life.


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<pb/>The Glory of the New Covenant The old way, with laws etched in stone, led to death, though it began with such glory that the people of Israel could not bear to look at Moses’ face. For his face shone with the glory of God, even though the brightness was already fading away.


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If the old way, which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new way, which makes us right with God!


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In fact, that first glory was not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the new way.


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So if the old way, which has been replaced, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new, which remains forever!


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We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory, even though it was destined to fade away.


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<pb/>But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ.


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Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand.


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So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.


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<pb/>Treasure in Fragile Clay Jars Therefore, since God in his mercy has given us this new way, we never give up.


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We reject all shameful deeds and underhanded methods. We don’t try to trick anyone or distort the word of God. We tell the truth before God, and all who are honest know this.


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If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing.


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Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.


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You see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake.


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<pb/>For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.


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<pb/>We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.


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We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair.


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Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.


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Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies.


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But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, <t>“I believed in God, so I spoke.”</t>


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We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you.


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All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.


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<pb/>That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.


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For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!


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So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.


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<pb/>New Bodies For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands.


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While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life.


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<pb/>So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord.


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Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.


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For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.


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<pb/>We Are God’s Ambassadors Because we understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord, we work hard to persuade others. God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too.


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Are we commending ourselves to you again? No, we are giving you a reason to be proud of us, so you can answer those who brag about having a spectacular ministry rather than having a sincere heart.


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If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit.


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Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life.


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He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.


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<pb/>So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now!


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This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!


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<pb/>And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him.


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<pb/>For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.


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So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, <t>“Come back to God!”</t>


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For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.


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<pb/>As God’s partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it.


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For God says, <t>“At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.”</t> Indeed, the <t>“right time”</t> is now. Today is the day of salvation.


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Paul’s Hardships We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry.


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In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind.


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We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food.


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We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love.


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We faithfully preach the truth. God’s power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense.


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We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors.


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We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed.


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Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.


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<pb/>The Temple of the Living God Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness?


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What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever?


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And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: <t>“I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.</t>


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<t>Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you.</t>


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<pb/>Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God.


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<pb/>Please open your hearts to us. We have not done wrong to anyone, nor led anyone astray, nor taken advantage of anyone.


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I’m not saying this to condemn you. I said before that you are in our hearts, and we live or die together with you.


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I have the highest confidence in you, and I take great pride in you. You have greatly encouraged me and made me happy despite all our troubles.


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<pb/>Paul’s Joy at the Church’s Repentance When we arrived in Macedonia, there was no rest for us. We faced conflict from every direction, with battles on the outside and fear on the inside.


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His presence was a joy, but so was the news he brought of the encouragement he received from you. When he told us how much you long to see me, and how sorry you are for what happened, and how loyal you are to me, I was filled with joy!


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I am not sorry that I sent that severe letter to you, though I was sorry at first, for I know it was painful to you for a little while.


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Now I am glad I sent it, not because it hurt you, but because the pain caused you to repent and change your ways. It was the kind of sorrow God wants his people to have, so you were not harmed by us in any way.


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For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.


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Just see what this godly sorrow produced in you! Such earnestness, such concern to clear yourselves, such indignation, such alarm, such longing to see me, such zeal, and such a readiness to punish wrong. You showed that you have done everything necessary to make things right.


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My purpose, then, was not to write about who did the wrong or who was wronged. I wrote to you so that in the sight of God you could see for yourselves how loyal you are to us.


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We have been greatly encouraged by this. In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was about the way all of you welcomed him and set his mind at ease.


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<pb/>I had told him how proud I was of you—and you didn’t disappoint me. I have always told you the truth, and now my boasting to Titus has also proved true!


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Now he cares for you more than ever when he remembers the way all of you obeyed him and welcomed him with such fear and deep respect.


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<pb/>A Call to Generous Giving Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia.


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They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity.


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<pb/>For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will.


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They begged us again and again for the privilege of sharing in the gift for the believers in Jerusalem.


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They even did more than we had hoped, for their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do.


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So we have urged Titus, who encouraged your giving in the first place, to return to you and encourage you to finish this ministry of giving.


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Since you excel in so many ways—in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from us—I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving.


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<pb/>I am not commanding you to do this. But I am testing how genuine your love is by comparing it with the eagerness of the other churches.


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You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.


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Here is my advice: It would be good for you to finish what you started a year ago. Last year you were the first who wanted to give, and you were the first to begin doing it.


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Now you should finish what you started. Let the eagerness you showed in the beginning be matched now by your giving. Give in proportion to what you have.


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Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have.


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Of course, I don’t mean your giving should make life easy for others and hard for yourselves. I only mean that there should be some equality.


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Right now you have plenty and can help those who are in need. Later, they will have plenty and can share with you when you need it. In this way, things will be equal.


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As the Scriptures say, <t>“Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered only a little had enough.”</t>


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<pb/>Titus and His Companions But thank God! He has given Titus the same enthusiasm for you that I have.


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Titus welcomed our request that he visit you again. In fact, he himself was very eager to go and see you.


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We are also sending another brother with Titus. All the churches praise him as a preacher of the Good News.


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He was appointed by the churches to accompany us as we take the offering to Jerusalem—a service that glorifies the Lord and shows our eagerness to help.


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<pb/>We are traveling together to guard against any criticism for the way we are handling this generous gift.


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We are careful to be honorable before the Lord, but we also want everyone else to see that we are honorable.


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We are also sending with them another of our brothers who has proven himself many times and has shown on many occasions how eager he is. He is now even more enthusiastic because of his great confidence in you.


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If anyone asks about Titus, say that he is my partner who works with me to help you. And the brothers with him have been sent by the churches, and they bring honor to Christ.


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<pb/>The Collection for Christians in Jerusalem I really don’t need to write to you about this ministry of giving for the believers in Jerusalem.


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For I know how eager you are to help, and I have been boasting to the churches in Macedonia that you in Greece were ready to send an offering a year ago. In fact, it was your enthusiasm that stirred up many of the Macedonian believers to begin giving.


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But I am sending these brothers to be sure you really are ready, as I have been telling them, and that your money is all collected. I don’t want to be wrong in my boasting about you.


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We would be embarrassed—not to mention your own embarrassment—if some Macedonian believers came with me and found that you weren’t ready after all I had told them!


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<pb/>So I thought I should send these brothers ahead of me to make sure the gift you promised is ready. But I want it to be a willing gift, not one given grudgingly.


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<pb/>Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop.


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You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. <t>“For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”</t>


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And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.


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As the Scriptures say, <t>“They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.”</t>


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<pb/>For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.


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Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God.


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So two good things will result from this ministry of giving—the needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God.


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As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ.


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And they will pray for you with deep affection because of the overflowing grace God has given to you.


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<pb/>Paul Defends His Authority Now I, Paul, appeal to you with the gentleness and kindness of Christ—though I realize you think I am timid in person and bold only when I write from far away.


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Well, I am begging you now so that when I come I won’t have to be bold with those who think we act from human motives.


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We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.


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We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.


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<pb/>Look at the obvious facts. Those who say they belong to Christ must recognize that we belong to Christ as much as they do.


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I may seem to be boasting too much about the authority given to us by the Lord. But our authority builds you up; it doesn’t tear you down. So I will not be ashamed of using my authority.


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For some say, <t>“Paul’s letters are demanding and forceful, but in person he is weak, and his speeches are worthless!”</t>


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Those people should realize that our actions when we arrive in person will be as forceful as what we say in our letters from far away.


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<pb/>Oh, don’t worry; we wouldn’t dare say that we are as wonderful as these other men who tell you how important they are! But they are only comparing themselves with each other, using themselves as the standard of measurement. How ignorant!


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We will not boast about things done outside our area of authority. We will boast only about what has happened within the boundaries of the work God has given us, which includes our working with you.


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We are not reaching beyond these boundaries when we claim authority over you, as if we had never visited you. For we were the first to travel all the way to Corinth with the Good News of Christ.


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Nor do we boast and claim credit for the work someone else has done. Instead, we hope that your faith will grow so that the boundaries of our work among you will be extended.


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Then we will be able to go and preach the Good News in other places far beyond you, where no one else is working. Then there will be no question of our boasting about work done in someone else’s territory.


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When people commend themselves, it doesn’t count for much. The important thing is for the Lord to commend them.


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<pb/>Paul and the False Apostles I hope you will put up with a little more of my foolishness. Please bear with me.


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For I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself. I promised you as a pure bride to one husband—Christ.


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But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent.


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You happily put up with whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed.


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But I don’t consider myself inferior in any way to these <t>“super apostles”</t> who teach such things.


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I may be unskilled as a speaker, but I’m not lacking in knowledge. We have made this clear to you in every possible way.


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<pb/>Was I wrong when I humbled myself and honored you by preaching God’s Good News to you without expecting anything in return?


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And when I was with you and didn’t have enough to live on, I did not become a financial burden to anyone. For the brothers who came from Macedonia brought me all that I needed. I have never been a burden to you, and I never will be.


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As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, no one in all of Greece will ever stop me from boasting about this.


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<pb/>But I will continue doing what I have always done. This will undercut those who are looking for an opportunity to boast that their work is just like ours.


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These people are false apostles. They are deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ.


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So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. In the end they will get the punishment their wicked deeds deserve.


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<pb/>Paul’s Many Trials Again I say, don’t think that I am a fool to talk like this. But even if you do, listen to me, as you would to a foolish person, while I also boast a little.


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<pb/>You put up with it when someone enslaves you, takes everything you have, takes advantage of you, takes control of everything, and slaps you in the face.


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I’m ashamed to say that we’ve been too <t>“weak”</t> to do that! But whatever they dare to boast about—I’m talking like a fool again—I dare to boast about it, too.


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Are they servants of Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again.


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Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea.


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I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not.


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I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm.


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<pb/>Paul’s Vision and His Thorn in the Flesh This boasting will do no good, but I must go on. I will reluctantly tell about visions and revelations from the Lord.


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I was caught up to the third heaven fourteen years ago. Whether I was in my body or out of my body, I don’t know—only God knows.


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that I was caught up to paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell.


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That experience is worth boasting about, but I’m not going to do it. I will boast only about my weaknesses.


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If I wanted to boast, I would be no fool in doing so, because I would be telling the truth. But I won’t do it, because I don’t want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message,


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even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.


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Each time he said, <J><t>“My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”</t></J> So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.


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That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.


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<pb/>Paul’s Concern for the Corinthians You have made me act like a fool. You ought to be writing commendations for me, for I am not at all inferior to these “super apostles,” even though I am nothing at all.


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When I was with you, I certainly gave you proof that I am an apostle. For I patiently did many signs and wonders and miracles among you.


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The only thing I failed to do, which I do in the other churches, was to become a financial burden to you. Please forgive me for this wrong!


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Now I am coming to you for the third time, and I will not be a burden to you. I don’t want what you have—I want you. After all, children don’t provide for their parents. Rather, parents provide for their children.


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I will gladly spend myself and all I have for you, even though it seems that the more I love you, the less you love me.


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Some of you admit I was not a burden to you. But others still think I was sneaky and took advantage of you by trickery.


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When I urged Titus to visit you and sent our other brother with him, did Titus take advantage of you? No! For we have the same spirit and walk in each other’s steps, doing things the same way.


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<pb/>Perhaps you think we’re saying these things just to defend ourselves. No, we tell you this as Christ’s servants, and with God as our witness. Everything we do, dear friends, is to strengthen you.


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For I am afraid that when I come I won’t like what I find, and you won’t like my response. I am afraid that I will find quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfishness, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorderly behavior.


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Yes, I am afraid that when I come again, God will humble me in your presence. And I will be grieved because many of you have not given up your old sins. You have not repented of your impurity, sexual immorality, and eagerness for lustful pleasure.


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<pb/>Paul’s Final Advice This is the third time I am coming to visit you (and as the Scriptures say, “The facts of every case must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses”).


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I have already warned those who had been sinning when I was there on my second visit. Now I again warn them and all others, just as I did before, that next time I will not spare them.


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I will give you all the proof you want that Christ speaks through me. Christ is not weak when he deals with you; he is powerful among you.


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Although he was crucified in weakness, he now lives by the power of God. We, too, are weak, just as Christ was, but when we deal with you we will be alive with him and will have God’s power.


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<pb/>Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith.


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As you test yourselves, I hope you will recognize that we have not failed the test of apostolic authority.


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We pray to God that you will not do what is wrong by refusing our correction. I hope we won’t need to demonstrate our authority when we arrive. Do the right thing before we come—even if that makes it look like we have failed to demonstrate our authority.


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We are glad to seem weak if it helps show that you are actually strong. We pray that you will become mature.


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I am writing this to you before I come, hoping that I won’t need to deal severely with you when I do come. For I want to use the authority the Lord has given me to strengthen you, not to tear you down.


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<pb/>Paul’s Final Greetings Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.


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May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.


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<pb/>Greetings from Paul This letter is from Paul, an apostle. I was not appointed by any group of people or any human authority, but by Jesus Christ himself and by God the Father, who raised Jesus from the dead.


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Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live.


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<pb/>There Is Only One Good News I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News


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but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ.


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Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you.


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<pb/>I say again what we have said before: If anyone preaches any other Good News than the one you welcomed, let that person be cursed.


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<pb/>Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.


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<pb/>Paul’s Message Comes from Christ Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning.


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I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ.


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<pb/>You know what I was like when I followed the Jewish religion—how I violently persecuted God’s church. I did my best to destroy it.


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to reveal his Son to me so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles. When this happened, I did not rush out to consult with any human being.


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Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to consult with those who were apostles before I was. Instead, I went away into Arabia, and later I returned to the city of Damascus.


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<pb/>Then three years later I went to Jerusalem to get to know Peter, and I stayed with him for fifteen days.


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All they knew was that people were saying, <t>“The one who used to persecute us is now preaching the very faith he tried to destroy!”</t>


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<pb/>The Apostles Accept Paul Then fourteen years later I went back to Jerusalem again, this time with Barnabas; and Titus came along, too.


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I went there because God revealed to me that I should go. While I was there I met privately with those considered to be leaders of the church and shared with them the message I had been preaching to the Gentiles. I wanted to make sure that we were in agreement, for fear that all my efforts had been wasted and I was running the race for nothing.


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And they supported me and did not even demand that my companion Titus be circumcised, though he was a Gentile.


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Even that question came up only because of some so-called believers there—false ones, really—who were secretly brought in. They sneaked in to spy on us and take away the freedom we have in Christ Jesus. They wanted to enslave us and force us to follow their Jewish regulations.


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But we refused to give in to them for a single moment. We wanted to preserve the truth of the gospel message for you.


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And the leaders of the church had nothing to add to what I was preaching. (By the way, their reputation as great leaders made no difference to me, for God has no favorites.)


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Instead, they saw that God had given me the responsibility of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, just as he had given Peter the responsibility of preaching to the Jews.


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For the same God who worked through Peter as the apostle to the Jews also worked through me as the apostle to the Gentiles.


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In fact, James, Peter, and John, who were known as pillars of the church, recognized the gift God had given me, and they accepted Barnabas and me as their co-workers. They encouraged us to keep preaching to the Gentiles, while they continued their work with the Jews.


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<pb/>Paul Confronts Peter But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong.


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When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile believers, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision.


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As a result, other Jewish believers followed Peter’s hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.


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When I saw that they were not following the truth of the gospel message, I said to Peter in front of all the others, <t>“Since you, a Jew by birth, have discarded the Jewish laws and are living like a Gentile, why are you now trying to make these Gentiles follow the Jewish traditions?


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Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.”</t>


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But suppose we seek to be made right with God through faith in Christ and then we are found guilty because we have abandoned the law. Would that mean Christ has led us into sin? Absolutely not!


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For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God.


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My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.


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I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.


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<pb/>The Law and Faith in Christ Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross.


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Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ.


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How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?


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I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ.


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In the same way, <t>“Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”</t>


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What’s more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would declare the Gentiles to be righteous because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, <t>“All nations will be blessed through you.”</t>


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But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, <t>“Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God’s Book of the Law.”</t>


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So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, <t>“It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”</t>


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This way of faith is very different from the way of law, which says, <t>“It is through obeying the law that a person has life.”</t>


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But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, <t>“Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”</t>


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Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith.


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<pb/>The Law and God’s Promise Dear brothers and sisters, here’s an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or amend an irrevocable agreement, so it is in this case.


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God gave the promises to Abraham and his child. And notice that the Scripture doesn’t say <t>“to his children,”</t> as if it meant many descendants. Rather, it says <t>“to his child”—and that, of course, means Christ.


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This is what I am trying to say: The agreement God made with Abraham could not be canceled 430 years later when God gave the law to Moses. God would be breaking his promise.


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For if the inheritance could be received by keeping the law, then it would not be the result of accepting God’s promise. But God graciously gave it to Abraham as a promise.


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Why, then, was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins. But the law was designed to last only until the coming of the child who was promised. God gave his law through angels to Moses, who was the mediator between God and the people.


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Now a mediator is helpful if more than one party must reach an agreement. But God, who is one, did not use a mediator when he gave his promise to Abraham.


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<pb/>Is there a conflict, then, between God’s law and God’s promises? Absolutely not! If the law could give us new life, we could be made right with God by obeying it.


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But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ.


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<pb/>God’s Children through Faith Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed.


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Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith.


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And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes.


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There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.


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And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.


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<pb/>Think of it this way. If a father dies and leaves an inheritance for his young children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they grow up, even though they actually own everything their father had.


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And that’s the way it was with us before Christ came. We were like children; we were slaves to the basic spiritual principles of this world.


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God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.


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And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, <t>“Abba, Father.”</t>


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Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.


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<pb/>Paul’s Concern for the Galatians Before you Gentiles knew God, you were slaves to so-called gods that do not even exist.


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So now that you know God (or should I say, now that God knows you), why do you want to go back again and become slaves once more to the weak and useless spiritual principles of this world?


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<pb/>Dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to live as I do in freedom from these things, for I have become like you Gentiles—free from those laws. You did not mistreat me when I first preached to you.


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But even though my condition tempted you to reject me, you did not despise me or turn me away. No, you took me in and cared for me as though I were an angel from God or even Christ Jesus himself.


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Where is that joyful and grateful spirit you felt then? I am sure you would have taken out your own eyes and given them to me if it had been possible.


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Those false teachers are so eager to win your favor, but their intentions are not good. They are trying to shut you off from me so that you will pay attention only to them.


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If someone is eager to do good things for you, that’s all right; but let them do it all the time, not just when I’m with you.


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Oh, my dear children! I feel as if I’m going through labor pains for you again, and they will continue until Christ is fully developed in your lives.


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I wish I were with you right now so I could change my tone. But at this distance I don’t know how else to help you.


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<pb/>Abraham’s Two Children Tell me, you who want to live under the law, do you know what the law actually says?


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<pb/>The Scriptures say that Abraham had two sons, one from his slave wife and one from his freeborn wife.


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The son of the slave wife was born in a human attempt to bring about the fulfillment of God’s promise. But the son of the freeborn wife was born as God’s own fulfillment of his promise.


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These two women serve as an illustration of God’s two covenants. The first woman, Hagar, represents Mount Sinai where people received the law that enslaved them.


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And now Jerusalem is just like Mount Sinai in Arabia, because she and her children live in slavery to the law.


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But the other woman, Sarah, represents the heavenly Jerusalem. She is the free woman, and she is our mother.


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<pb/>As Isaiah said, <t>“Rejoice, O childless woman, you who have never given birth! Break into a joyful shout, you who have never been in labor! For the desolate woman now has more children than the woman who lives with her husband!”</t>


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But you are now being persecuted by those who want you to keep the law, just as Ishmael, the child born by human effort, persecuted Isaac, the child born by the power of the Spirit.


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But what do the Scriptures say about that? <t>“Get rid of the slave and her son, for the son of the slave woman will not share the inheritance with the free woman’s son.”</t>


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So, dear brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman; we are children of the free woman.


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<pb/>Freedom in Christ So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.


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<pb/>Listen! I, Paul, tell you this: If you are counting on circumcision to make you right with God, then Christ will be of no benefit to you.


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I’ll say it again. If you are trying to find favor with God by being circumcised, you must obey every regulation in the whole law of Moses.


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For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace.


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But we who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to receive by faith the righteousness God has promised to us.


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For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love.


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I am trusting the Lord to keep you from believing false teachings. God will judge that person, whoever he is, who has been confusing you.


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<pb/>Dear brothers and sisters, if I were still preaching that you must be circumcised—as some say I do—why am I still being persecuted? If I were no longer preaching salvation through the cross of Christ, no one would be offended.


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I just wish that those troublemakers who want to mutilate you by circumcision would mutilate themselves.


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<pb/>For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.


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But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another.


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<pb/>Living by the Spirit’s Power So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.


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The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.


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When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures,


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idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division,


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envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.


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<pb/>But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,


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Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.


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<pb/>We Harvest What We Plant Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.


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<pb/>If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.


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Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else.


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Those who are taught the word of God should provide for their teachers, sharing all good things with them.


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Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.


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So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.


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Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.


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<pb/>Paul’s Final Advice Notice what large letters i use as i write these closing words in my own handwriting.


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Those who are trying to force you to be circumcised want to look good to others. They don’t want to be persecuted for teaching that the cross of Christ alone can save.


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<pb/>And even those who advocate circumcision don’t keep the whole law themselves. They only want you to be circumcised so they can boast about it and claim you as their disciples.


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As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died.


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It doesn’t matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation.


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<pb/>From now on, don’t let anyone trouble me with these things. For I bear on my body the scars that show I belong to Jesus.


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<pb/>Greetings from Paul This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. I am writing to God’s holy people in Ephesus, who are faithful followers of Christ Jesus.


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<pb/>Spiritual Blessings All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.


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Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.


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God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.


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He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.


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God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure.


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And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth.


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Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.


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God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God.


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And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago.


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The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.


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<pb/>Paul’s Prayer for Spiritual Wisdom Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere,


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<pb/>asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.


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I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.


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I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power


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that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.


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Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come.


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God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church.


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And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.


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You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.


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All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.


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that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)


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For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.


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So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.


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God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.


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For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.


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<pb/>Oneness and Peace in Christ Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts.


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<pb/>In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope.


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But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.


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<pb/>For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us.


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<pb/>He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups.


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Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.


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He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near.


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Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.


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A Temple for the Lord So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family.


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Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.


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<pb/>God’s Mysterious Plan Revealed When I think of all this, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the benefit of you Gentiles . . .


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assuming, by the way, that you know God gave me the special responsibility of extending his grace to you Gentiles.


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God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now by his Spirit he has revealed it to his holy apostles and prophets.


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And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus.


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By God’s grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News.


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<pb/>Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ.


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I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning.


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<pb/>God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.


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So please don’t lose heart because of my trials here. I am suffering for you, so you should feel honored.


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<pb/>Paul’s Prayer for Spiritual Growth When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father,


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I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.


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Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.


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And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.


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May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.


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<pb/>Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.


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<pb/>Unity in the Body Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.


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Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.


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For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.


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That is why the Scriptures say, <t>“When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people.”</t>


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<pb/>Notice that it says “he ascended.” This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world.


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And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself.


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Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.


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Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.


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This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.


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Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.


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Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.


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He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.


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<pb/>Living as Children of Light With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused.


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Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him.


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They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.


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throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.


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<pb/>So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body.


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And <t>“don’t sin by letting anger control you.”</t> Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry,


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If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need.


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Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.


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And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.


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Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.


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Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.


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<pb/>Living in the Light Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children.


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Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.


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Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people.


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Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God.


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<pb/>You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.


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<pb/>Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him.


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For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!


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for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, <t>“Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”</t>


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<pb/>Living by the Spirit’s Power So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise.


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Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit,


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singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts.


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<pb/>Spirit-Guided Relationships: Wives and Husbands And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.


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For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church.


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For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her


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He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.


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In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself.


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As the Scriptures say, <t>“A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.”</t>


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So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.


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<pb/>Children and Parents Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do.


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If you honor your father and mother, <t>“things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”</t>


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Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.


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<pb/>Slaves and Masters Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ.


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Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart.


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Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.


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Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Don’t threaten them; remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no favorites.


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Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.


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For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.


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Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.


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Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.


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And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike.


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I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.


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<pb/>Final Greetings To bring you up to date, Tychicus will give you a full report about what I am doing and how I am getting along. He is a beloved brother and faithful helper in the Lord’s work.


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<pb/>I have sent him to you for this very purpose—to let you know how we are doing and to encourage you.


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<pb/>Peace be with you, dear brothers and sisters, and may God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you love with faithfulness.


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<pb/>Greetings from Paul This letter is from Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus. I am writing to all of God’s holy people in Philippi who belong to Christ Jesus, including the elders and deacons.


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for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now.


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And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.


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So it is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart. You share with me the special favor of God, both in my imprisonment and in defending and confirming the truth of the Good News.


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I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding.


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For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return.


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May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.


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<pb/>Paul’s Joy That Christ Is Preached And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News.


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And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message without fear.


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<pb/>It’s true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry. But others preach about Christ with pure motives.


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Those others do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely, intending to make my chains more painful to me.


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But that doesn’t matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice.


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<pb/>For I know that as you pray for me and the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will lead to my deliverance.


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Paul’s Life for Christ For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die.


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Knowing this, I am convinced that I will remain alive so I can continue to help all of you grow and experience the joy of your faith.


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And when I come to you again, you will have even more reason to take pride in Christ Jesus because of what he is doing through me.


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<pb/>Live as Citizens of Heaven Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News.


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Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself.


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<pb/>For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him.


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We are in this struggle together. You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it.


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<pb/>Have the Attitude of Christ Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate?


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Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.


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Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.


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Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form,


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Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names,


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<pb/>Shine Brightly for Christ Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear.


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<pb/>so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.


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Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless.


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But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy.


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<pb/>Paul Commends Timothy If the Lord Jesus is willing, I hope to send Timothy to you soon for a visit. Then he can cheer me up by telling me how you are getting along.


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But you know how Timothy has proved himself. Like a son with his father, he has served with me in preaching the Good News.


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<pb/>Paul Commends Epaphroditus Meanwhile, I thought I should send Epaphroditus back to you. He is a true brother, co-worker, and fellow soldier. And he was your messenger to help me in my need.


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I am sending him because he has been longing to see you, and he was very distressed that you heard he was ill.


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And he certainly was ill; in fact, he almost died. But God had mercy on him—and also on me, so that I would not have one sorrow after another.


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So I am all the more anxious to send him back to you, for I know you will be glad to see him, and then I will not be so worried about you.


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Welcome him in the Lord’s love and with great joy, and give him the honor that people like him deserve.


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For he risked his life for the work of Christ, and he was at the point of death while doing for me what you couldn’t do from far away.


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<pb/>The Priceless Value of Knowing Christ Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith.


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<pb/>Watch out for those dogs, those people who do evil, those mutilators who say you must be circumcised to be saved.


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For we who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort,


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though I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more!


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I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law.


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I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.


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I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.


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<pb/>Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ


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and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.


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I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death,


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<pb/>Pressing toward the Goal I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.


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No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,


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I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.


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Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you.


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<pb/>Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example.


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For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ.


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They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth.


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But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.


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He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.


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<pb/>Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stay true to the Lord. I love you and long to see you, dear friends, for you are my joy and the crown I receive for my work.


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<pb/>Words of Encouragement Now I appeal to Euodia and Syntyche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement.


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And I ask you, my true partner, to help these two women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the Good News. They worked along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are written in the Book of Life.


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Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.


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Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.


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<pb/>And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.


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Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.


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<pb/>Paul’s Thanks for Their Gifts How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn’t have the chance to help me.


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I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.


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<pb/>As you know, you Philippians were the only ones who gave me financial help when I first brought you the Good News and then traveled on from Macedonia. No other church did this.


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I don’t say this because I want a gift from you. Rather, I want you to receive a reward for your kindness.


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At the moment I have all I need—and more! I am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me with Epaphroditus. They are a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God.


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And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.


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<pb/>Paul’s Final Greetings Give my greetings to each of God’s holy people—all who belong to Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send you their greetings.


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<pb/>Greetings from Paul This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy.


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We are writing to God’s holy people in the city of Colosse, who are faithful brothers and sisters in Christ. May God our Father give you grace and peace.


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<pb/>Paul’s Thanksgiving and Prayer We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.


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<pb/>which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven. You have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News.


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This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God’s wonderful grace.


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You learned about the Good News from Epaphras, our beloved co-worker. He is Christ’s faithful servant, and he is helping us on your behalf.


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<pb/>So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding.


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Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.


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We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy,


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always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light.


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For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son,


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Christ Is Supreme Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,


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for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him.


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Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything.


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and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.


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<pb/>This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions.


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Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.


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But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it.


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<pb/>Paul’s Work for the Church I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for his body, the church.


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This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to God’s people.


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<pb/>For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.


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So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ.


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<pb/>I want you to know how much I have agonized for you and for the church at Laodicea, and for many other believers who have never met me personally.


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I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself.


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For though I am far away from you, my heart is with you. And I rejoice that you are living as you should and that your faith in Christ is strong.


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<pb/>Freedom from Rules and New Life in Christ And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him.


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Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.


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Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.


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So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.


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<pb/>When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature.


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For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.


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You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins.


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In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.


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<pb/>So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths.


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Don’t let anyone condemn you by insisting on pious self-denial or the worship of angels, saying they have had visions about these things. Their sinful minds have made them proud,


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and they are not connected to Christ, the head of the body. For he holds the whole body together with its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God nourishes it.


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<pb/>You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as,


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These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires.


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<pb/>Living the New Life Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.


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<pb/>So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.


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In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.


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<pb/>Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.


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Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.


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And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.


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Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.


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<pb/>And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.


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<pb/>Instructions for Christian Households Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting for those who belong to the Lord.


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<pb/>Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. Serve them sincerely because of your reverent fear of the Lord.


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Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.


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But if you do what is wrong, you will be paid back for the wrong you have done. For God has no favorites.


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<pb/>An Encouragement for Prayer Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.


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Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains.


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Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.


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<pb/>Paul’s Final Instructions and Greetings Tychicus will give you a full report about how I am getting along. He is a beloved brother and faithful helper who serves with me in the Lord’s work.


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I am also sending Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, one of your own people. He and Tychicus will tell you everything that’s happening here.


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<pb/>Aristarchus, who is in prison with me, sends you his greetings, and so does Mark, Barnabas’s cousin. As you were instructed before, make Mark welcome if he comes your way.


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Jesus (the one we call Justus) also sends his greetings. These are the only Jewish believers among my co-workers; they are working with me here for the Kingdom of God. And what a comfort they have been!


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Epaphras, a member of your own fellowship and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings. He always prays earnestly for you, asking God to make you strong and perfect, fully confident that you are following the whole will of God.


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Please give my greetings to our brothers and sisters at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church that meets in her house.


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After you have read this letter, pass it on to the church at Laodicea so they can read it, too. And you should read the letter I wrote to them.


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<pb/>HERE IS MY GREETING IN MY OWN HANDWRITING—PAUL. Remember my chains. May God’s grace be with you.


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<pb/>Greetings from Paul This letter is from Paul, Silas, and Timothy. We are writing to the church in Thessalonica, to you who belong to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. May God give you grace and peace.


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<pb/>The Faith of the Thessalonian Believers We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly.


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As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ.


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For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true. And you know of our concern for you from the way we lived when we were with you.


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So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you. In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord.


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As a result, you have become an example to all the believers in Greece—throughout both Macedonia and Achaia.


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And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Macedonia and Achaia, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God. We don’t need to tell them about it,


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for they keep talking about the wonderful welcome you gave us and how you turned away from idols to serve the living and true God.


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And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God’s Son from heaven—Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment.


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<pb/>Paul Remembers His Visit You yourselves know, dear brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not a failure.


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You know how badly we had been treated at Philippi just before we came to you and how much we suffered there. Yet our God gave us the courage to declare his Good News to you boldly, in spite of great opposition.


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<pb/>For we speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts.


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Never once did we try to win you with flattery, as you well know. And God is our witness that we were not pretending to be your friends just to get your money!


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As apostles of Christ we certainly had a right to make some demands of you, but instead we were like children among you. Or we were like a mother feeding and caring for her own children.


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Don’t you remember, dear brothers and sisters, how hard we worked among you? Night and day we toiled to earn a living so that we would not be a burden to any of you as we preached God’s Good News to you.


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You yourselves are our witnesses—and so is God—that we were devout and honest and faultless toward all of you believers.


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We pleaded with you, encouraged you, and urged you to live your lives in a way that God would consider worthy. For he called you to share in his Kingdom and glory.


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<pb/>Therefore, we never stop thanking God that when you received his message from us, you didn’t think of our words as mere human ideas. You accepted what we said as the very word of God—which, of course, it is. And this word continues to work in you who believe.


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And then, dear brothers and sisters, you suffered persecution from your own countrymen. In this way, you imitated the believers in God’s churches in Judea who, because of their belief in Christ Jesus, suffered from their own people, the Jews.


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For some of the Jews killed the prophets, and some even killed the Lord Jesus. Now they have persecuted us, too. They fail to please God and work against all humanity


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as they try to keep us from preaching the Good News of salvation to the Gentiles. By doing this, they continue to pile up their sins. But the anger of God has caught up with them at last.


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<pb/>Timothy’s Good Report about the Church Dear brothers and sisters, after we were separated from you for a little while (though our hearts never left you), we tried very hard to come back because of our intense longing to see you again.


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After all, what gives us hope and joy, and what will be our proud reward and crown as we stand before our Lord Jesus when he returns? It is you!


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and we sent Timothy to visit you. He is our brother and God’s co-worker in proclaiming the Good News of Christ. We sent him to strengthen you, to encourage you in your faith,


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and to keep you from being shaken by the troubles you were going through. But you know that we are destined for such troubles.


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Even while we were with you, we warned you that troubles would soon come—and they did, as you well know.


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That is why, when I could bear it no longer, I sent Timothy to find out whether your faith was still strong. I was afraid that the tempter had gotten the best of you and that our work had been useless.


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<pb/>But now Timothy has just returned, bringing us good news about your faith and love. He reports that you always remember our visit with joy and that you want to see us as much as we want to see you.


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So we have been greatly encouraged in the midst of our troubles and suffering, dear brothers and sisters, because you have remained strong in your faith.


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Night and day we pray earnestly for you, asking God to let us see you again to fill the gaps in your faith.


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And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows.


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May he, as a result, make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy as you stand before God our Father when our Lord Jesus comes again with all his holy people. Amen.


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<pb/>Live to Please God Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You live this way already, and we encourage you to do so even more.


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<pb/>Never harm or cheat a fellow believer in this matter by violating his wife, for the Lord avenges all such sins, as we have solemnly warned you before.


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Therefore, anyone who refuses to live by these rules is not disobeying human teaching but is rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.


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<pb/>But we don’t need to write to you about the importance of loving each other, for God himself has taught you to love one another.


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Indeed, you already show your love for all the believers throughout Macedonia. Even so, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you to love them even more.


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Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before.


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Then people who are not believers will respect the way you live, and you will not need to depend on others.


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<pb/>The Hope of the Resurrection And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope.


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For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.


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<pb/>We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died.


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For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves.


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Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.


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<pb/>Now concerning how and when all this will happen, dear brothers and sisters, we don’t really need to write you.


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For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night.


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When people are saying, <t>“Everything is peaceful and secure,”</t> then disaster will fall on them as suddenly as a pregnant woman’s labor pains begin. And there will be no escape.


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But you aren’t in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won’t be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief.


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But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation.


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Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever.


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<pb/>Paul’s Final Advice Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance.


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Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other.


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Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone.


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<pb/>Paul’s Final Greetings Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.


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<pb/>Greetings from Paul This letter is from Paul, Silas, and Timothy. We are writing to the church in Thessalonica, to you who belong to God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.


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<pb/>Encouragement during Persecution Dear brothers and sisters, we can’t help but thank God for you, because your faith is flourishing and your love for one another is growing.


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We proudly tell God’s other churches about your endurance and faithfulness in all the persecutions and hardships you are suffering.


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And God will use this persecution to show his justice and to make you worthy of his Kingdom, for which you are suffering.


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And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with his mighty angels,


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in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus.


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They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power.


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When he comes on that day, he will receive glory from his holy people—praise from all who believe. And this includes you, for you believed what we told you about him.


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So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do.


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Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ.


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<pb/>Events prior to the Lord’s Second Coming Now, dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him.


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Don’t be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don’t believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us.


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Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction.


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He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.


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For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way.


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Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will kill him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming.


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He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them.


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<pb/>Believers Should Stand Firm As for us, we can’t help but thank God for you, dear brothers and sisters loved by the Lord. We are always thankful that God chose you to be among the first to experience salvation—a salvation that came through the Spirit who makes you holy and through your belief in the truth.


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He called you to salvation when we told you the Good News; now you can share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.


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With all these things in mind, dear brothers and sisters, stand firm and keep a strong grip on the teaching we passed on to you both in person and by letter.


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Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope,


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<pb/>Paul’s Request for Prayer Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we ask you to pray for us. Pray that the Lord’s message will spread rapidly and be honored wherever it goes, just as when it came to you.


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And we are confident in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we commanded you.


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May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ.


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<pb/>An Exhortation to Proper Living And now, dear brothers and sisters, we give you this command in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ: Stay away from all believers who live idle lives and don’t follow the tradition they received from us.


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We never accepted food from anyone without paying for it. We worked hard day and night so we would not be a burden to any of you.


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Even while we were with you, we gave you this command: <t>“Those unwilling to work will not get to eat.”</t>


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Yet we hear that some of you are living idle lives, refusing to work and meddling in other people’s business.


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We command such people and urge them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and work to earn their own living.


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Take note of those who refuse to obey what we say in this letter. Stay away from them so they will be ashamed.


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<pb/>Paul’s Final Greetings Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all.


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<pb/>HERE IS MY GREETING IN MY OWN HANDWRITING—PAUL. I DO THIS IN ALL MY LETTERS TO PROVE THEY ARE FROM ME.


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<pb/>Greetings from Paul This letter is from Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, appointed by the command of God our Savior and Christ Jesus, who gives us hope.


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I am writing to Timothy, my true son in the faith. May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy, and peace.


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<pb/>Warnings against False Teachings When I left for Macedonia, I urged you to stay there in Ephesus and stop those whose teaching is contrary to the truth.


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Don’t let them waste their time in endless discussion of myths and spiritual pedigrees. These things only lead to meaningless speculations, which don’t help people live a life of faith in God.


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The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith.


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But some people have missed this whole point. They have turned away from these things and spend their time in meaningless discussions.


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They want to be known as teachers of the law of Moses, but they don’t know what they are talking about, even though they speak so confidently.


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For the law was not intended for people who do what is right. It is for people who are lawless and rebellious, who are ungodly and sinful, who consider nothing sacred and defile what is holy, who kill their father or mother or commit other murders.


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The law is for people who are sexually immoral, or who practice homosexuality, or are slave traders, liars, promise breakers, or who do anything else that contradicts the wholesome teaching


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<pb/>Paul’s Gratitude for God’s Mercy I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him,


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even though I used to blaspheme the name of Christ. In my insolence, I persecuted his people. But God had mercy on me because I did it in ignorance and unbelief.


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Oh, how generous and gracious our Lord was! He filled me with the faith and love that come from Christ Jesus.


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This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: <t>“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all.


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But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life.


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All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God. Amen.


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<pb/>Timothy’s Responsibility Timothy, my son, here are my instructions for you, based on the prophetic words spoken about you earlier. May they help you fight well in the Lord’s battles.


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Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked.


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Hymenaeus and Alexander are two examples. I threw them out and handed them over to Satan so they might learn not to blaspheme God.


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<pb/>Instructions about Worship I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.


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Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.


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He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time.


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And I have been chosen as a preacher and apostle to teach the Gentiles this message about faith and truth. I’m not exaggerating—just telling the truth.


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<pb/>In every place of worship, I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger and controversy.


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And I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes.


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For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do.


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But women will be saved through childbearing, assuming they continue to live in faith, love, holiness, and modesty.


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<pb/>Leaders in the Church This is a trustworthy saying: “If someone aspires to be an elder, he desires an honorable position.”


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<pb/>So an elder must be a man whose life is above reproach. He must be faithful to his wife. He must exercise self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation. He must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must be able to teach.


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He must not be a heavy drinker or be violent. He must be gentle, not quarrelsome, and not love money.


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An elder must not be a new believer, because he might become proud, and the devil would cause him to fall.


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Also, people outside the church must speak well of him so that he will not be disgraced and fall into the devil’s trap.


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<pb/>In the same way, deacons must be well respected and have integrity. They must not be heavy drinkers or dishonest with money.


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They must be committed to the mystery of the faith now revealed and must live with a clear conscience.


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Before they are appointed as deacons, let them be closely examined. If they pass the test, then let them serve as deacons.


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In the same way, their wives must be respected and must not slander others. They must exercise self-control and be faithful in everything they do.


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Those who do well as deacons will be rewarded with respect from others and will have increased confidence in their faith in Christ Jesus.


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<pb/>The Truths of Our Faith I am writing these things to you now, even though I hope to be with you soon,


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so that if I am delayed, you will know how people must conduct themselves in the household of God. This is the church of the living God, which is the pillar and foundation of the truth.


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Without question, this is the great mystery of our faith: Christ was revealed in a human body and vindicated by the Spirit. He was seen by angels and announced to the nations. He was believed in throughout the world and taken to heaven in glory.</t>


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<pb/>Warnings against False Teachers Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons.


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They will say it is wrong to be married and wrong to eat certain foods. But God created those foods to be eaten with thanks by faithful people who know the truth.


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<pb/>A Good Servant of Christ Jesus If you explain these things to the brothers and sisters, Timothy, you will be a worthy servant of Christ Jesus, one who is nourished by the message of faith and the good teaching you have followed.


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Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly.


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“Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.”</t>


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This is why we work hard and continue to struggle, for our hope is in the living God, who is the Savior of all people and particularly of all believers.


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Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.


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Until I get there, focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers, and teaching them.


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Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecy spoken over you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you.


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Give your complete attention to these matters. Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress.


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Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you.


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<pb/>Advice about Widows, Elders, and Slaves Never speak harshly to an older man, but appeal to him respectfully as you would to your own father. Talk to younger men as you would to your own brothers.


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Treat older women as you would your mother, and treat younger women with all purity as you would your own sisters.


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But if she has children or grandchildren, their first responsibility is to show godliness at home and repay their parents by taking care of them. This is something that pleases God.


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Now a true widow, a woman who is truly alone in this world, has placed her hope in God. She prays night and day, asking God for his help.


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But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers.


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A widow who is put on the list for support must be a woman who is at least sixty years old and was faithful to her husband.


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She must be well respected by everyone because of the good she has done. Has she brought up her children well? Has she been kind to strangers and served other believers humbly? Has she helped those who are in trouble? Has she always been ready to do good?


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The younger widows should not be on the list, because their physical desires will overpower their devotion to Christ and they will want to remarry.


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And if they are on the list, they will learn to be lazy and will spend their time gossiping from house to house, meddling in other people’s business and talking about things they shouldn’t.


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So I advise these younger widows to marry again, have children, and take care of their own homes. Then the enemy will not be able to say anything against them.


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If a woman who is a believer has relatives who are widows, she must take care of them and not put the responsibility on the church. Then the church can care for the widows who are truly alone.


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<pb/>Elders who do their work well should be respected and paid well, especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching.


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For the Scripture says, <J><t>“You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain.”</t></J> And in another place, <J><t>“Those who work deserve their pay!”</t></J>


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Those who sin should be reprimanded in front of the whole church; this will serve as a strong warning to others.


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I solemnly command you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus and the highest angels to obey these instructions without taking sides or showing favoritism to anyone.


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Never be in a hurry about appointing a church leader. Do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.


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Don’t drink only water. You ought to drink a little wine for the sake of your stomach because you are sick so often.


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<pb/>Remember, the sins of some people are obvious, leading them to certain judgment. But there are others whose sins will not be revealed until later.


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In the same way, the good deeds of some people are obvious. And the good deeds done in secret will someday come to light.


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<pb/>All slaves should show full respect for their masters so they will not bring shame on the name of God and his teaching.


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If the masters are believers, that is no excuse for being disrespectful. Those slaves should work all the harder because their efforts are helping other believers who are well loved. False Teaching and True Riches Teach these things, Timothy, and encourage everyone to obey them.


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<pb/>Some people may contradict our teaching, but these are the wholesome teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. These teachings promote a godly life.


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Anyone who teaches something different is arrogant and lacks understanding. Such a person has an unhealthy desire to quibble over the meaning of words. This stirs up arguments ending in jealousy, division, slander, and evil suspicions.


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These people always cause trouble. Their minds are corrupt, and they have turned their backs on the truth. To them, a show of godliness is just a way to become wealthy.


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After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it.


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But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.


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For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.


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<pb/>Paul’s Final Instructions But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.


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Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have declared so well before many witnesses.


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And I charge you before God, who gives life to all, and before Christ Jesus, who gave a good testimony before Pontius Pilate,


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that you obey this command without wavering. Then no one can find fault with you from now until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.


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For, At just the right time Christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and only almighty God, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords.


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He alone can never die, and he lives in light so brilliant that no human can approach him. No human eye has ever seen him, nor ever will. All honor and power to him forever! Amen.


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<pb/>Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.


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Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others.


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By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.


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<pb/>Timothy, guard what God has entrusted to you. Avoid godless, foolish discussions with those who oppose you with their so-called knowledge.


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<pb/>Some people have wandered from the faith by following such foolishness. May God’s grace be with you all.


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<pb/>Greetings from Paul This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. I have been sent out to tell others about the life he has promised through faith in Christ Jesus.


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I am writing to Timothy, my dear son. May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy, and peace.


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<pb/>Encouragement to Be Faithful Timothy, I thank God for you—the God I serve with a clear conscience, just as my ancestors did. Night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.


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I long to see you again, for I remember your tears as we parted. And I will be filled with joy when we are together again.


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I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you.


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This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you.


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So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don’t be ashamed of me, either, even though I’m in prison for him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News.


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For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.


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And now he has made all of this plain to us by the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Savior. He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News.


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That is why I am suffering here in prison. But I am not ashamed of it, for I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return.


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<pb/>Hold on to the pattern of wholesome teaching you learned from me—a pattern shaped by the faith and love that you have in Christ Jesus.


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Through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you.


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May the Lord show special kindness to Onesiphorus and all his family because he often visited and encouraged me. He was never ashamed of me because I was in chains.


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May the Lord show him special kindness on the day of Christ’s return. And you know very well how helpful he was in Ephesus.


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<pb/>A Good Soldier of Christ Jesus Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus.


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You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.


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<pb/>Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them.


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<pb/>Always remember that Jesus Christ, a descendant of King David, was raised from the dead. This is the Good News I preach.


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And because I preach this Good News, I am suffering and have been chained like a criminal. But the word of God cannot be chained.


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So I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen.


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<pb/>Remind everyone about these things, and command them in God’s presence to stop fighting over words. Such arguments are useless, and they can ruin those who hear them.


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<pb/>An Approved Worker Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.


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They have left the path of truth, claiming that the resurrection of the dead has already occurred; in this way, they have turned some people away from the faith.


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But God’s truth stands firm like a foundation stone with this inscription: <t>“The Lord knows those who are his,”</t> and <t>“All who belong to the Lord must turn away from evil.”</t>


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In a wealthy home some utensils are made of gold and silver, and some are made of wood and clay. The expensive utensils are used for special occasions, and the cheap ones are for everyday use.


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If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work.


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Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.


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A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people.


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Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth.


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Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.


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<pb/>The Dangers of the Last Days You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times.


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For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred.


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They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good.


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They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God.


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They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!


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They are the kind who work their way into people’s homes and win the confidence of vulnerable women who are burdened with the guilt of sin and controlled by various desires.


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These teachers oppose the truth just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses. They have depraved minds and a counterfeit faith.


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But they won’t get away with this for long. Someday everyone will recognize what fools they are, just as with Jannes and Jambres.


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<pb/>Paul’s Charge to Timothy But you, Timothy, certainly know what I teach, and how I live, and what my purpose in life is. You know my faith, my patience, my love, and my endurance.


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You know how much persecution and suffering I have endured. You know all about how I was persecuted in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra—but the Lord rescued me from all of it.


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But evil people and impostors will flourish. They will deceive others and will themselves be deceived.


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But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you.


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You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus.


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All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.


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<pb/>I solemnly urge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who will someday judge the living and the dead when he comes to set up his Kingdom:


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Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.


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For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.


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But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.


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<pb/>As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near.


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And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.


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Demas has deserted me because he loves the things of this life and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus has gone to Dalmatia.


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Only Luke is with me. Bring Mark with you when you come, for he will be helpful to me in my ministry.


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When you come, be sure to bring the coat I left with Carpus at Troas. Also bring my books, and especially my papers.


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<pb/>The first time I was brought before the judge, no one came with me. Everyone abandoned me. May it not be counted against them.


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But the Lord stood with me and gave me strength so that I might preach the Good News in its entirety for all the Gentiles to hear. And he rescued me from certain death.


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Yes, and the Lord will deliver me from every evil attack and will bring me safely into his heavenly Kingdom. All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.


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<pb/>Paul’s Final Greetings Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila and those living in the household of Onesiphorus.


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Do your best to get here before winter. Eubulus sends you greetings, and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers and sisters.


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<pb/>Greetings from Paul This letter is from Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. I have been sent to proclaim faith to those God has chosen and to teach them to know the truth that shows them how to live godly lives.


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This truth gives them confidence that they have eternal life, which God—who does not lie—promised them before the world began.


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And now at just the right time he has revealed this message, which we announce to everyone. It is by the command of God our Savior that I have been entrusted with this work for him.


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I am writing to Titus, my true son in the faith that we share. May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior give you grace and peace.


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<pb/>Titus’s Work in Crete I left you on the island of Crete so you could complete our work there and appoint elders in each town as I instructed you.


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<pb/>An elder must live a blameless life. He must be faithful to his wife, and his children must be believers who don’t have a reputation for being wild or rebellious.


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An elder is a manager of God’s household, so he must live a blameless life. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered; he must not be a heavy drinker, violent, or dishonest with money.


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Rather, he must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must love what is good. He must live wisely and be just. He must live a devout and disciplined life.


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He must have a strong belief in the trustworthy message he was taught; then he will be able to encourage others with wholesome teaching and show those who oppose it where they are wrong.


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<pb/>For there are many rebellious people who engage in useless talk and deceive others. This is especially true of those who insist on circumcision for salvation.


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They must be silenced, because they are turning whole families away from the truth by their false teaching. And they do it only for money.


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Even one of their own men, a prophet from Crete, has said about them, <t>“The people of Crete are all liars, cruel animals, and lazy gluttons.”</t>


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They must stop listening to Jewish myths and the commands of people who have turned away from the truth.


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Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences are corrupted.


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Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live. They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good.


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<pb/>Promote Right Teaching As for you, Titus, promote the kind of living that reflects wholesome teaching.


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Teach the older men to exercise self-control, to be worthy of respect, and to live wisely. They must have sound faith and be filled with love and patience.


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Similarly, teach the older women to live in a way that honors God. They must not slander others or be heavy drinkers. Instead, they should teach others what is good.


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to live wisely and be pure, to work in their homes, to do good, and to be submissive to their husbands. Then they will not bring shame on the word of God.


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And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching.


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Teach the truth so that your teaching can’t be criticized. Then those who oppose us will be ashamed and have nothing bad to say about us.


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or steal, but must show themselves to be entirely trustworthy and good. Then they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive in every way.


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And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God,


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while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed.


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He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.


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You must teach these things and encourage the believers to do them. You have the authority to correct them when necessary, so don’t let anyone disregard what you say.


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<pb/>Do What Is Good Remind the believers to submit to the government and its officers. They should be obedient, always ready to do what is good.


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They must not slander anyone and must avoid quarreling. Instead, they should be gentle and show true humility to everyone.


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Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other.


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he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.


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<pb/>Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.


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<pb/>This is a trustworthy saying, and I want you to insist on these teachings so that all who trust in God will devote themselves to doing good. These teachings are good and beneficial for everyone.


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Do not get involved in foolish discussions about spiritual pedigrees or in quarrels and fights about obedience to Jewish laws. These things are useless and a waste of time.


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If people are causing divisions among you, give a first and second warning. After that, have nothing more to do with them.


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<pb/>Paul’s Final Remarks and Greetings I am planning to send either Artemas or Tychicus to you. As soon as one of them arrives, do your best to meet me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to stay there for the winter.


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Do everything you can to help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos with their trip. See that they are given everything they need.


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Our people must learn to do good by meeting the urgent needs of others; then they will not be unproductive.


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<pb/>Everybody here sends greetings. Please give my greetings to the believers—all who love us. May God’s grace be with you all.


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<pb/>Greetings from Paul This letter is from Paul, a prisoner for preaching the Good News about Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy. I am writing to Philemon, our beloved co-worker,


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and to our sister Apphia, and to our fellow soldier Archippus, and to the church that meets in your house.


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And I am praying that you will put into action the generosity that comes from your faith as you understand and experience all the good things we have in Christ.


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Your love has given me much joy and comfort, my brother, for your kindness has often refreshed the hearts of God’s people.


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<pb/>Paul’s Appeal for Onesimus That is why I am boldly asking a favor of you. I could demand it in the name of Christ because it is the right thing for you to do.


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<pb/>But because of our love, I prefer simply to ask you. Consider this as a request from me—Paul, an old man and now also a prisoner for the sake of Christ Jesus.


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I appeal to you to show kindness to my child, Onesimus. I became his father in the faith while here in prison.


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I wanted to keep him here with me while I am in these chains for preaching the Good News, and he would have helped me on your behalf.


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But I didn’t want to do anything without your consent. I wanted you to help because you were willing, not because you were forced.


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He is no longer like a slave to you. He is more than a slave, for he is a beloved brother, especially to me. Now he will mean much more to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord.


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I, PAUL, WRITE THIS WITH MY OWN HAND: I WILL REPAY IT. AND I WON’T MENTION THAT YOU OWE ME YOUR VERY SOUL!


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One more thing—please prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping that God will answer your prayers and let me return to you soon.


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<pb/>Jesus Christ Is God’s Son Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets.


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And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe.


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The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.


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This shows that the Son is far greater than the angels, just as the name God gave him is greater than their names.


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<pb/>The Son Is Greater Than the Angels For God never said to any angel what he said to Jesus: <t>“You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.”</t> God also said, <t>“I will be his Father, and he will be my Son.”</t>


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<pb/>And when he brought his supreme Son into the world, God said, <t>“Let all of God’s angels worship him.”</t>


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<pb/>Regarding the angels, he says, <t>“He sends his angels like the winds, his servants like flames of fire.”</t>


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<pb/>But to the Son he says, <t>“Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. You rule with a scepter of justice.</t>


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<t>You love justice and hate evil. Therefore, O God, your God has anointed you, pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else.”</t>


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<pb/>He also says to the Son, <t>“In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth and made the heavens with your hands.</t>


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<t>You will fold them up like a cloak and discard them like old clothing. But you are always the same; you will live forever.”</t>


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<pb/>And God never said to any of the angels, <t>“Sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet.”</t>


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<pb/>Therefore, angels are only servants—spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation.


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<pb/>A Warning against Drifting Away So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it.


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For the message God delivered through angels has always stood firm, and every violation of the law and every act of disobedience was punished.


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So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak?


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And God confirmed the message by giving signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose.


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<pb/>Jesus, the Man And furthermore, it is not angels who will control the future world we are talking about.


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For in one place the Scriptures say, <t>“What are mere mortals that you should think about them, or a son of man that you should care for him?</t>


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<t>You gave them authority over all things.” Now when it says “all things,” it means nothing is left out. But we have not yet seen all things put under their authority.</t>


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What we do see is Jesus, who was given a position <t>“a little lower than the angels”; and because he suffered death for us, he is now <t>“crowned with glory and honor.”</t> Yes, by God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone.


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<pb/>God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only right that he should make Jesus, through his suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation.


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So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters.


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For he said to God, <t>“I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters. I will praise you among your assembled people.”</t>


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<pb/>He also said, <t>“I will put my trust in him,”</t> that is, <t>“I and the children God has given me.”</t>


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<pb/>Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death.


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Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people.


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Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.


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<pb/>Jesus Is Greater Than Moses And so, dear brothers and sisters who belong to God and are partners with those called to heaven, think carefully about this Jesus whom we declare to be God’s messenger and High Priest.


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For he was faithful to God, who appointed him, just as Moses served faithfully when he was entrusted with God’s entire house.


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But Jesus deserves far more glory than Moses, just as a person who builds a house deserves more praise than the house itself.


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Moses was certainly faithful in God’s house as a servant. His work was an illustration of the truths God would reveal later.


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But Christ, as the Son, is in charge of God’s entire house. And we are God’s house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ.


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<t>don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled, when they tested me in the wilderness.</t>


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<t>There your ancestors tested and tried my patience, even though they saw my miracles for forty years.</t>


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<pb/><t>So I was angry with them, and I said, ‘Their hearts always turn away from me. They refuse to do what I tell them.’</t>


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<pb/>Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God.


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You must warn each other every day, while it is still <t>“today,”</t> so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God.


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For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.


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Remember what it says: <t>“Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled.”</t>


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<pb/>And who was it who rebelled against God, even though they heard his voice? Wasn’t it the people Moses led out of Egypt?


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And who made God angry for forty years? Wasn’t it the people who sinned, whose corpses lay in the wilderness?


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And to whom was God speaking when he took an oath that they would never enter his rest? Wasn’t it the people who disobeyed him?


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<pb/>Promised Rest for God’s People God’s promise of entering his rest still stands, so we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might fail to experience it.


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For this good news—that God has prepared this rest—has been announced to us just as it was to them. But it did them no good because they didn’t share the faith of those who listened to God.


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<pb/>For only we who believe can enter his rest. As for the others, God said, <t>“In my anger I took an oath: ‘They will never enter my place of rest,’”</t> even though this rest has been ready since he made the world.


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We know it is ready because of the place in the Scriptures where it mentions the seventh day: <t>“On the seventh day God rested from all his work.”</t>


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So God’s rest is there for people to enter, but those who first heard this good news failed to enter because they disobeyed God.


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So God set another time for entering his rest, and that time is today. God announced this through David much later in the words already quoted: <t>“Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts.”</t>


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<pb/>Now if Joshua had succeeded in giving them this rest, God would not have spoken about another day of rest still to come.


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<pb/>For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world.


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So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall.


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For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.


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Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.


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<pb/>Christ Is Our High Priest So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe.


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This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.


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So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.


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<pb/>Every high priest is a man chosen to represent other people in their dealings with God. He presents their gifts to God and offers sacrifices for their sins.


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And he is able to deal gently with ignorant and wayward people because he himself is subject to the same weaknesses.


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And no one can become a high priest simply because he wants such an honor. He must be called by God for this work, just as Aaron was.


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<pb/>That is why Christ did not honor himself by assuming he could become High Priest. No, he was chosen by God, who said to him, <t>“You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.”</t>


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<pb/>And in another passage God said to him, <t>“You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”</t>


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<pb/>While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God.


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In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him.


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<pb/>A Call to Spiritual Growth There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen.


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You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food.


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Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.


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<pb/>So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God.


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You don’t need further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.


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For it is impossible to bring back to repentance those who were once enlightened—those who have experienced the good things of heaven and shared in the Holy Spirit,


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and who then turn away from God. It is impossible to bring such people back to repentance; by rejecting the Son of God, they themselves are nailing him to the cross once again and holding him up to public shame.


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When the ground soaks up the falling rain and bears a good crop for the farmer, it has God’s blessing.


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But if a field bears thorns and thistles, it is useless. The farmer will soon condemn that field and burn it.


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<pb/>Dear friends, even though we are talking this way, we really don’t believe it applies to you. We are confident that you are meant for better things, things that come with salvation.


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For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do.


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Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true.


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Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance.


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<pb/>God’s Promises Bring Hope For example, there was God’s promise to Abraham. Since there was no one greater to swear by, God took an oath in his own name, saying:


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Now when people take an oath, they call on someone greater than themselves to hold them to it. And without any question that oath is binding.


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God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind.


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So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us.


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This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.


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<pb/>Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.


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<pb/>Melchizedek Is Greater Than Abraham This Melchizedek was king of the city of Salem and also a priest of God Most High. When Abraham was returning home after winning a great battle against the kings, Melchizedek met him and blessed him.


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Then Abraham took a tenth of all he had captured in battle and gave it to Melchizedek. The name Melchizedek means <t>“king of justice,”</t> and king of Salem means <t>“king of peace.”</t>


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There is no record of his father or mother or any of his ancestors—no beginning or end to his life. He remains a priest forever, resembling the Son of God.


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<pb/>Consider then how great this Melchizedek was. Even Abraham, the great patriarch of Israel, recognized this by giving him a tenth of what he had taken in battle.


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Now the law of Moses required that the priests, who are descendants of Levi, must collect a tithe from the rest of the people of Israel, who are also descendants of Abraham.


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But Melchizedek, who was not a descendant of Levi, collected a tenth from Abraham. And Melchizedek placed a blessing upon Abraham, the one who had already received the promises of God.


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And without question, the person who has the power to give a blessing is greater than the one who is blessed.


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The priests who collect tithes are men who die, so Melchizedek is greater than they are, because we are told that he lives on.


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In addition, we might even say that these Levites—the ones who collect the tithe—paid a tithe to Melchizedek when their ancestor Abraham paid a tithe to him.


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For although Levi wasn’t born yet, the seed from which he came was in Abraham’s body when Melchizedek collected the tithe from him.


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<pb/>So if the priesthood of Levi, on which the law was based, could have achieved the perfection God intended, why did God need to establish a different priesthood, with a priest in the order of Melchizedek instead of the order of Levi and Aaron?


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For the priest we are talking about belongs to a different tribe, whose members have never served at the altar as priests.


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What I mean is, our Lord came from the tribe of Judah, and Moses never mentioned priests coming from that tribe.


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Jesus Is like Melchizedek This change has been made very clear since a different priest, who is like Melchizedek, has appeared.


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Jesus became a priest, not by meeting the physical requirement of belonging to the tribe of Levi, but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed.


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And the psalmist pointed this out when he prophesied, <t>“You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”</t>


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For the law never made anything perfect. But now we have confidence in a better hope, through which we draw near to God.


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This new system was established with a solemn oath. Aaron’s descendants became priests without such an oath,


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but there was an oath regarding Jesus. For God said to him, <t>“The Lord has taken an oath and will not break his vow: ‘You are a priest forever.’”</t>


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Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf.


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He is the kind of high priest we need because he is holy and blameless, unstained by sin. He has been set apart from sinners and has been given the highest place of honor in heaven.


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Unlike those other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices every day. They did this for their own sins first and then for the sins of the people. But Jesus did this once for all when he offered himself as the sacrifice for the people’s sins.


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The law appointed high priests who were limited by human weakness. But after the law was given, God appointed his Son with an oath, and his Son has been made the perfect High Priest forever.


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<pb/>Christ Is Our High Priest Here is the main point: We have a High Priest who sat down in the place of honor beside the throne of the majestic God in heaven.


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<pb/>There he ministers in the heavenly Tabernacle, the true place of worship that was built by the Lord and not by human hands.


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And since every high priest is required to offer gifts and sacrifices, our High Priest must make an offering, too.


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If he were here on earth, he would not even be a priest, since there already are priests who offer the gifts required by the law.


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They serve in a system of worship that is only a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven. For when Moses was getting ready to build the Tabernacle, God gave him this warning: <t>“Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain.”</t>


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But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises.


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<pb/>If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it.


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But when God found fault with the people, he said: <t>“The day is coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah.</t>


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<t>This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them out of the land of Egypt. They did not remain faithful to my covenant, so I turned my back on them, says the Lord.</t>


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<t>But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.</t>


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<t>And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the Lord.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already.</t>


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<pb/>When God speaks of a “new” covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear.


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<pb/>Old Rules about Worship That first covenant between God and Israel had regulations for worship and a place of worship here on earth.


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There were two rooms in that Tabernacle. In the first room were a lampstand, a table, and sacred loaves of bread on the table. This room was called the Holy Place.


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In that room were a gold incense altar and a wooden chest called the Ark of the Covenant, which was covered with gold on all sides. Inside the Ark were a gold jar containing manna, Aaron’s staff that sprouted leaves, and the stone tablets of the covenant.


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Above the Ark were the cherubim of divine glory, whose wings stretched out over the Ark’s cover, the place of atonement. But we cannot explain these things in detail now.


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<pb/>When these things were all in place, the priests regularly entered the first room as they performed their religious duties.


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But only the high priest ever entered the Most Holy Place, and only once a year. And he always offered blood for his own sins and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.


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By these regulations the Holy Spirit revealed that the entrance to the Most Holy Place was not freely open as long as the Tabernacle and the system it represented were still in use.


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This is an illustration pointing to the present time. For the gifts and sacrifices that the priests offer are not able to cleanse the consciences of the people who bring them.


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For that old system deals only with food and drink and various cleansing ceremonies—physical regulations that were in effect only until a better system could be established.


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<pb/>Christ Is the Perfect Sacrifice So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world.


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With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.


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Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity.


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Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.


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<pb/>That is why he is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant.


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<pb/>The will goes into effect only after the person’s death. While the person who made it is still alive, the will cannot be put into effect.


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For after Moses had read each of God’s commandments to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, along with water, and sprinkled both the book of God’s law and all the people, using hyssop branches and scarlet wool.


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In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.


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<pb/>That is why the Tabernacle and everything in it, which were copies of things in heaven, had to be purified by the blood of animals. But the real things in heaven had to be purified with far better sacrifices than the blood of animals.


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For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with human hands, which was only a copy of the true one in heaven. He entered into heaven itself to appear now before God on our behalf.


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And he did not enter heaven to offer himself again and again, like the high priest here on earth who enters the Most Holy Place year after year with the blood of an animal.


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If that had been necessary, Christ would have had to die again and again, ever since the world began. But now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice.


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so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him.


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<pb/>Christ’s Sacrifice Once for All The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship.


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If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared.


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<pb/>That is why, when Christ came into the world, he said to God, <t>“You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings. But you have given me a body to offer.</t>


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<pb/>Then I said, ‘Look, I have come to do your will, O God— as is written about me in the Scriptures.’”</t>


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<pb/>First, Christ said, “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings or burnt offerings or other offerings for sin, nor were you pleased with them” (though they are required by the law of Moses).


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Then he said, <t>“Look, I have come to do your will.”</t> He cancels the first covenant in order to put the second into effect.


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For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.


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Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins.


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But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand.


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<t>“This is the new covenant I will make with my people on that day, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.”</t>


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<pb/>A Call to Persevere And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus.


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let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.


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<pb/>Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.


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And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.


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<pb/>Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover these sins.


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<pb/>There is only the terrible expectation of God’s judgment and the raging fire that will consume his enemies.


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For anyone who refused to obey the law of Moses was put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.


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Just think how much worse the punishment will be for those who have trampled on the Son of God, and have treated the blood of the covenant, which made us holy, as if it were common and unholy, and have insulted and disdained the Holy Spirit who brings God’s mercy to us.


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For we know the one who said, <t>“I will take revenge. I will pay them back.”</t> He also said, <t>“The Lord will judge his own people.”</t>


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Think back on those early days when you first learned about Christ. Remember how you remained faithful even though it meant terrible suffering.


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Sometimes you were exposed to public ridicule and were beaten, and sometimes you helped others who were suffering the same things.


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You suffered along with those who were thrown into jail, and when all you owned was taken from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew there were better things waiting for you that will last forever.


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Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.


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<t>And my righteous ones will live by faith. But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.”</t>


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<pb/>But we are not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction. We are the faithful ones, whose souls will be saved.


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<pb/>Great Examples of Faith Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.


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<pb/>By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.


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<pb/>It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel’s offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith.


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It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—“he disappeared, because God took him.”</t> For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God.


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And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.


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It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith.


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<pb/>It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.


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And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise.


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Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.


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<pb/>It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep his promise.


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And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead—a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them.


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<pb/>All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth.


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But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.


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<pb/>It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac,


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even though God had told him, <t>“Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.”</t>


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Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.


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It was by faith that Jacob, when he was old and dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons and bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff.


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It was by faith that Joseph, when he was about to die, said confidently that the people of Israel would leave Egypt. He even commanded them to take his bones with them when they left.


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<pb/>It was by faith that Moses’ parents hid him for three months when he was born. They saw that God had given them an unusual child, and they were not afraid to disobey the king’s command.


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He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward.


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It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible.


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It was by faith that Moses commanded the people of Israel to keep the Passover and to sprinkle blood on the doorposts so that the angel of death would not kill their firstborn sons.


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It was by faith that the people of Israel went right through the Red Sea as though they were on dry ground. But when the Egyptians tried to follow, they were all drowned.


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It was by faith that the people of Israel marched around Jericho for seven days, and the walls came crashing down.


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It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed with the people in her city who refused to obey God. For she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.


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<pb/>How much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets.


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By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions,


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quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight.


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Women received their loved ones back again from death. But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection.


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Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated.


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They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.


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<pb/>All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised.


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<pb/>God’s Discipline Proves His Love Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.


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We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.


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And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, <t>“My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you.</t>


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<pb/>As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father?


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If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all.


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Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever?


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<pb/>For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness.


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No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.


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Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.


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<pb/>A Call to Listen to God Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.


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Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.


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Make sure that no one is immoral or godless like Esau, who traded his birthright as the firstborn son for a single meal.


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You know that afterward, when he wanted his father’s blessing, he was rejected. It was too late for repentance, even though he begged with bitter tears.


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<pb/>You have not come to a physical mountain, to a place of flaming fire, darkness, gloom, and whirlwind, as the Israelites did at Mount Sinai.


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For they heard an awesome trumpet blast and a voice so terrible that they begged God to stop speaking.


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They staggered back under God’s command: <t>“If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.”</t>


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No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering.


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You have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect.


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You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel.


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<pb/>Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, we will certainly not escape if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven!


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When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: <t>“Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also.”</t>


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This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain.


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Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe.


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Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!


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Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies.


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Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery.


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Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, <t>“I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”</t>


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So we can say with confidence, <t>“The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?”</t>


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<pb/>Remember your leaders who taught you the word of God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and follow the example of their faith.


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So do not be attracted by strange, new ideas. Your strength comes from God’s grace, not from rules about food, which don’t help those who follow them.


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Under the old system, the high priest brought the blood of animals into the Holy Place as a sacrifice for sin, and the bodies of the animals were burned outside the camp.


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So also Jesus suffered and died outside the city gates to make his people holy by means of his own blood.


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Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name.


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And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.


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<pb/>Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit.


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<pb/>Now may the God of peace— who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood—


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may he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen.


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<pb/>I urge you, dear brothers and sisters, to pay attention to what I have written in this brief exhortation.


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I want you to know that our brother Timothy has been released from jail. If he comes here soon, I will bring him with me to see you.


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<pb/>Greet all your leaders and all the believers there. The believers from Italy send you their greetings.


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<pb/>Greetings from James This letter is from James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am writing to the “twelve tribes”—Jewish believers scattered abroad. Greetings!


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<pb/>Faith and Endurance Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.


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So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.


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If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.


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But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.


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And those who are rich should boast that God has humbled them. They will fade away like a little flower in the field.


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The hot sun rises and the grass withers; the little flower droops and falls, and its beauty fades away. In the same way, the rich will fade away with all of their achievements.


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<pb/>God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.


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And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, <t>“God is tempting me.”</t> God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else.


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These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.


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Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.


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He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.


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<pb/>Listening and Doing Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.


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So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.


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<pb/>But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.


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But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.


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<pb/>If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.


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Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.


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<pb/>A Warning against Prejudice My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?


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For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes.


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If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, <t>“You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—well,


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<pb/>Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him?


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Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: <t>“Love your neighbor as yourself.”</t>


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But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.


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For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws.


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<pb/>For the same God who said, “You must not commit adultery,” also said, “You must not murder.” So if you murder someone but do not commit adultery, you have still broken the law.


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So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free.


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There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.


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<pb/>Faith without Good Deeds Is Dead What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?


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and you say, <t>“Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?


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<pb/>Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”


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You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.


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Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?


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<pb/>And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God.


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Rahab the prostitute is another example. She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road.


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<pb/>Controlling the Tongue Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly.


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Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.


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<pb/>And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong.


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In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire.


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And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.


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Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God.


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And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!


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Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring.


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<pb/>True Wisdom Comes from God If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom.


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But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying.


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For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic.


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For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.


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But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.


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<pb/>Drawing Close to God What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you?


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You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it.


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And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.


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You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.


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Do you think the Scriptures have no meaning? They say that God is passionate that the spirit he has placed within us should be faithful to him.


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And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, <t>“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”</t>


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Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.


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Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy.


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<pb/>Warning against Judging Others Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you.


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God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor?


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<pb/>Warning about Self-Confidence Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.”


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How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.


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<pb/>Warning to the Rich Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you.


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Your gold and silver are corroded. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh like fire. This corroded treasure you have hoarded will testify against you on the day of judgment.


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For listen! Hear the cries of the field workers whom you have cheated of their pay. The cries of those who harvest your fields have reached the ears of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.


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You have spent your years on earth in luxury, satisfying your every desire. You have fattened yourselves for the day of slaughter.


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<pb/>Patience and Endurance Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen.


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Don’t grumble about each other, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. For look—the Judge is standing at the door!


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For examples of patience in suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.


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We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy.


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<pb/>But most of all, my brothers and sisters, never take an oath, by heaven or earth or anything else. Just say a simple yes or no, so that you will not sin and be condemned.


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<pb/>The Power of Prayer Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises.


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Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord.


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Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.


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Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.


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Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years!


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<pb/>Restore Wandering Believers My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back,


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you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back from wandering will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins.


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<pb/>Greetings from Peter This letter is from Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. I am writing to God’s chosen people who are living as foreigners in the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.


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God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. May God give you more and more grace and peace.


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<pb/>The Hope of Eternal Life All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation,


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and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.


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And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.


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So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while.


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These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.


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You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy.


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<pb/>This salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know more about when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you.


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They wondered what time or situation the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when he told them in advance about Christ’s suffering and his great glory afterward.


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They were told that their messages were not for themselves, but for you. And now this Good News has been announced to you by those who preached in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen.


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<pb/>A Call to Holy Living So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world.


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So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then.


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<pb/>And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time here as “temporary residents.”


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For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value.


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God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but now in these last days he has been revealed for your sake.


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Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory.


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<pb/>You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart.


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For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God.


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As the Scriptures say, <t>“People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades.</t>


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<t>But the word of the Lord remains forever.”</t> And that word is the Good News that was preached to you.


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<pb/>So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech.


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Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment,


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Living Stones for God’s House You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor.


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And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.


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As the Scriptures say, <t>“I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great honor, and anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.”</t>


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<pb/>Yes, you who trust him recognize the honor God has given him. But for those who reject him, <t>“The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.”</t>


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<pb/>And, <t>“He is the stone that makes people stumble, the rock that makes them fall.”</t> They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them.


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But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.


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<t>“Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.”</t>


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<pb/>Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls.


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Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.


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<pb/>Respecting People in Authority For the Lord’s sake, submit to all human authority—whether the king as head of state,


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or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right.


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It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you.


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<pb/>Slaves You who are slaves must submit to your masters with all respect. Do what they tell you—not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are cruel.


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Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you.


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For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.


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<pb/>He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.


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He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.


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Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls.


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<pb/>Wives In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husbands. Then, even if some refuse to obey the Good News, your godly lives will speak to them without any words. They will be won over


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Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes.


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You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.


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This is how the holy women of old made themselves beautiful. They put their trust in God and accepted the authority of their husbands.


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For instance, Sarah obeyed her husband, Abraham, and called him her master. You are her daughters when you do what is right without fear of what your husbands might do.


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<pb/>Husbands In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.


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<pb/>All Christians Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude.


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Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing.


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<t>For the Scriptures say, “If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies.</t>


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<t>The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil.”</t>


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But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats.


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Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.


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But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.


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Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!


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Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.


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those who disobeyed God long ago when God waited patiently while Noah was building his boat. Only eight people were saved from drowning in that terrible flood.


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And that water is a picture of baptism, which now saves you, not by removing dirt from your body, but as a response to God from a clean conscience. It is effective because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.


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Now Christ has gone to heaven. He is seated in the place of honor next to God, and all the angels and authorities and powers accept his authority.


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<pb/>Living for God So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin.


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You won’t spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God.


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You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy—their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols.


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Of course, your former friends are surprised when you no longer plunge into the flood of wild and destructive things they do. So they slander you.


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But remember that they will have to face God, who stands ready to judge everyone, both the living and the dead.


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That is why the Good News was preached to those who are now dead—so although they were destined to die like all people, they now live forever with God in the Spirit.


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Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.


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God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.


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Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.


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<pb/>Suffering for Being a Christian Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you.


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Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.


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If you are insulted because you bear the name of Christ, you will be blessed, for the glorious Spirit of God rests upon you.


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If you suffer, however, it must not be for murder, stealing, making trouble, or prying into other people’s affairs.


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But it is no shame to suffer for being a Christian. Praise God for the privilege of being called by his name!


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For the time has come for judgment, and it must begin with God’s household. And if judgment begins with us, what terrible fate awaits those who have never obeyed God’s Good News?


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<pb/>So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you.


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<pb/>Advice for Elders and Young Men And now, a word to you who are elders in the churches. I, too, am an elder and a witness to the sufferings of Christ. And I, too, will share in his glory when he is revealed to the whole world. As a fellow elder, I appeal to you:


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Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God.


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<pb/>In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for <t>“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”</t>


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<pb/>So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor.


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<pb/>Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.


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<pb/>Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.


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In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.


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<pb/>Peter’s Final Greetings I have written and sent this short letter to you with the help of Silas, whom I commend to you as a faithful brother. My purpose in writing is to encourage you and assure you that what you are experiencing is truly part of God’s grace for you. Stand firm in this grace.


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<pb/>Greetings from Peter This letter is from Simon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ. I am writing to you who share the same precious faith we have. This faith was given to you because of the justice and fairness of Jesus Christ, our God and Savior.


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May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.


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<pb/>Growing in Faith By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.


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And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.


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In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge,


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and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness,


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The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.


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But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.


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So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away.


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Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.


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<pb/>Paying Attention to Scripture Therefore, I will always remind you about these things—even though you already know them and are standing firm in the truth you have been taught.


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<pb/>For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes


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when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice from the majestic glory of God said to him, <t>“This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”</t>


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<pb/>Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts.


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Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding,


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or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.


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<pb/>The Danger of False Teachers But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them. In this way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves.


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Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of these teachers, the way of truth will be slandered.


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In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction will not be delayed.


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<pb/>For God did not spare even the angels who sinned. He threw them into hell, in gloomy pits of darkness, where they are being held until the day of judgment.


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And God did not spare the ancient world—except for Noah and the seven others in his family. Noah warned the world of God’s righteous judgment. So God protected Noah when he destroyed the world of ungodly people with a vast flood.


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Later, God condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and turned them into heaps of ashes. He made them an example of what will happen to ungodly people.


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But God also rescued Lot out of Sodom because he was a righteous man who was sick of the shameful immorality of the wicked people around him.


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Yes, Lot was a righteous man who was tormented in his soul by the wickedness he saw and heard day after day.


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So you see, the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials, even while keeping the wicked under punishment until the day of final judgment.


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He is especially hard on those who follow their own twisted sexual desire, and who despise authority. These people are proud and arrogant, daring even to scoff at supernatural beings without so much as trembling.


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But the angels, who are far greater in power and strength, do not dare to bring from the Lord a charge of blasphemy against those supernatural beings.


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These false teachers are like unthinking animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed. They scoff at things they do not understand, and like animals, they will be destroyed.


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Their destruction is their reward for the harm they have done. They love to indulge in evil pleasures in broad daylight. They are a disgrace and a stain among you. They delight in deception even as they eat with you in your fellowship meals.


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They commit adultery with their eyes, and their desire for sin is never satisfied. They lure unstable people into sin, and they are well trained in greed. They live under God’s curse.


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They have wandered off the right road and followed the footsteps of Balaam son of Beor, who loved to earn money by doing wrong.


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<pb/>These people are as useless as dried-up springs or as mist blown away by the wind. They are doomed to blackest darkness.


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They brag about themselves with empty, foolish boasting. With an appeal to twisted sexual desires, they lure back into sin those who have barely escaped from a lifestyle of deception.


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They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves of sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you.


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And when people escape from the wickedness of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then get tangled up and enslaved by sin again, they are worse off than before.


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It would be better if they had never known the way to righteousness than to know it and then reject the command they were given to live a holy life.


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They prove the truth of this proverb: <t>“A dog returns to its vomit.”</t> And another says, <t>“A washed pig returns to the mud.”</t>


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<pb/>The Day of the Lord Is Coming This is my second letter to you, dear friends, and in both of them I have tried to stimulate your wholesome thinking and refresh your memory.


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I want you to remember what the holy prophets said long ago and what our Lord and Savior commanded through your apostles.


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Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires.


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They will say, <t>“What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.”</t>


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<pb/>They deliberately forget that God made the heavens long ago by the word of his command, and he brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water.


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And by the same word, the present heavens and earth have been stored up for fire. They are being kept for the day of judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed.


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<pb/>But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day.


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The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.


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But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.


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Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live,


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looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames.


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But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness.


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<pb/>And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight.


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And remember, our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved. This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him—


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speaking of these things in all of his letters. Some of his comments are hard to understand, and those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters to mean something quite different, just as they do with other parts of Scripture. And this will result in their destruction.


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Peter’s Final Words You already know these things, dear friends. So be on guard; then you will not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people and lose your own secure footing.


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Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen.


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<pb/>Introduction We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life.


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This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us.


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We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.


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<pb/>Living in the Light This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all.


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So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth.


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But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.


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But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.


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If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.


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<pb/>My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous.


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He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.


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If someone claims, <t>“I know God,”</t> but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth.


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But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him.


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<pb/>A New Commandment Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment for you; rather it is an old one you have had from the very beginning. This old commandment—to love one another—is the same message you heard before.


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<pb/>Yet it is also new. Jesus lived the truth of this commandment, and you also are living it. For the darkness is disappearing, and the true light is already shining.


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If anyone claims, <t>“I am living in the light,”</t> but hates a fellow believer, that person is still living in darkness.


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But anyone who hates a fellow believer is still living and walking in darkness. Such a person does not know the way to go, having been blinded by the darkness.


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<t>I am writing to you who are God’s children because your sins have been forgiven through Jesus.</t>


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<t>I am writing to you who are mature in the faith because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning. I am writing to you who are young in the faith because you have won your battle with the evil one.</t>


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<t>I have written to you who are God’s children because you know the Father. I have written to you who are mature in the faith because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning. I have written to you who are young in the faith because you are strong. God’s word lives in your hearts, and you have won your battle with the evil one.</t>


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<pb/>Do Not Love This World Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.


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For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.


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And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.


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<pb/>Warning about Antichrists Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come.


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These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that they did not belong with us.


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But you are not like that, for the Holy One has given you his Spirit, and all of you know the truth.


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So I am writing to you not because you don’t know the truth but because you know the difference between truth and lies.


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And who is a liar? Anyone who says that Jesus is not the Christ. Anyone who denies the Father and the Son is an antichrist.


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Anyone who denies the Son doesn’t have the Father, either. But anyone who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.


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So you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will remain in fellowship with the Son and with the Father.


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But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.


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<pb/>Living as Children of God And now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when he returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame.


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<pb/>Since we know that Christ is righteous, we also know that all who do what is right are God’s children.


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<pb/>See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him.


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Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.


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Anyone who continues to live in him will not sin. But anyone who keeps on sinning does not know him or understand who he is.


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Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous.


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But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil.


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Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God.


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So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God.


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<pb/>Love One Another This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another.


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We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because Cain had been doing what was evil, and his brother had been doing what was righteous.


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If we love our brothers and sisters who are believers, it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead.


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Anyone who hates another brother or sister is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them.


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We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.


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If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?


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<pb/>Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God.


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And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us.


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Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us.


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<pb/>Discerning False Prophets Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.


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This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God.


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But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here.


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But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.


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Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to them.


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But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception.


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<pb/>Loving One Another Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.


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God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.


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<pb/>This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.


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No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.


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Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.


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We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.


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And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.


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Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.


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If someone says, <t>“I love God,”</t> but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?


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<pb/>Faith in the Son of God Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too.


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<pb/>And Jesus Christ was revealed as God’s Son by his baptism in water and by shedding his blood on the cross—not by water only, but by water and blood. And the Spirit, who is truth, confirms it with his testimony.


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Since we believe human testimony, surely we can believe the greater testimony that comes from God. And God has testified about his Son.


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All who believe in the Son of God know in their hearts that this testimony is true. Those who don’t believe this are actually calling God a liar because they don’t believe what God has testified about his Son.


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<pb/>Conclusion I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life.


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And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.


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<pb/>If you see a fellow believer sinning in a way that does not lead to death, you should pray, and God will give that person life. But there is a sin that leads to death, and I am not saying you should pray for those who commit it.


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<pb/>We know that God’s children do not make a practice of sinning, for God’s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them.


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We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one.


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And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life.


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<pb/>Greetings This letter is from John, the elder. I am writing to the chosen lady and to her children, whom I love in the truth—as does everyone else who knows the truth—


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Grace, mercy, and peace, which come from God the Father and from Jesus Christ—the Son of the Father—will continue to be with us who live in truth and love.


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<pb/>Live in the Truth How happy I was to meet some of your children and find them living according to the truth, just as the Father commanded.


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I am writing to remind you, dear friends, that we should love one another. This is not a new commandment, but one we have had from the beginning.


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Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning.


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I say this because many deceivers have gone out into the world. They deny that Jesus Christ came in a real body. Such a person is a deceiver and an antichrist.


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Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked so hard to achieve. Be diligent so that you receive your full reward.


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Anyone who wanders away from this teaching has no relationship with God. But anyone who remains in the teaching of Christ has a relationship with both the Father and the Son.


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If anyone comes to your meeting and does not teach the truth about Christ, don’t invite that person into your home or give any kind of encouragement.


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<pb/>Conclusion I have much more to say to you, but I don’t want to do it with paper and ink. For I hope to visit you soon and talk with you face to face. Then our joy will be complete.


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<pb/>Greetings This letter is from John, the elder. I am writing to Gaius, my dear friend, whom I love in the truth.


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<pb/>Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit.


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Some of the traveling teachers recently returned and made me very happy by telling me about your faithfulness and that you are living according to the truth.


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<pb/>Caring for the Lord’s Workers Dear friend, you are being faithful to God when you care for the traveling teachers who pass through, even though they are strangers to you.


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They have told the church here of your loving friendship. Please continue providing for such teachers in a manner that pleases God.


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<pb/>I wrote to the church about this, but Diotrephes, who loves to be the leader, refuses to have anything to do with us.


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When I come, I will report some of the things he is doing and the evil accusations he is making against us. Not only does he refuse to welcome the traveling teachers, he also tells others not to help them. And when they do help, he puts them out of the church.


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<pb/>Dear friend, don’t let this bad example influence you. Follow only what is good. Remember that those who do good prove that they are God’s children, and those who do evil prove that they do not know God.


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Everyone speaks highly of Demetrius, as does the truth itself. We ourselves can say the same for him, and you know we speak the truth.


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Peace be with you. Your friends here send you their greetings. Please give my personal greetings to each of our friends there.


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<pb/>Greetings from Jude This letter is from Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ and a brother of James. I am writing to all who have been called by God the Father, who loves you and keeps you safe in the care of Jesus Christ.


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<pb/>The Danger of False Teachers Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people.


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I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.


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<pb/>So I want to remind you, though you already know these things, that Jesus first rescued the nation of Israel from Egypt, but later he destroyed those who did not remain faithful.


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And I remind you of the angels who did not stay within the limits of authority God gave them but left the place where they belonged. God has kept them securely chained in prisons of darkness, waiting for the great day of judgment.


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And don’t forget Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring towns, which were filled with immorality and every kind of sexual perversion. Those cities were destroyed by fire and serve as a warning of the eternal fire of God’s judgment.


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<pb/>In the same way, these people—who claim authority from their dreams—live immoral lives, defy authority, and scoff at supernatural beings.


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But even Michael, one of the mightiest of the angels, did not dare accuse the devil of blasphemy, but simply said, <t>“The Lord rebuke you!”</t> (This took place when Michael was arguing with the devil about Moses’ body.)


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But these people scoff at things they do not understand. Like unthinking animals, they do whatever their instincts tell them, and so they bring about their own destruction.


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What sorrow awaits them! For they follow in the footsteps of Cain, who killed his brother. Like Balaam, they deceive people for money. And like Korah, they perish in their rebellion.


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When these people eat with you in your fellowship meals commemorating the Lord’s love, they are like dangerous reefs that can shipwreck you. They are like shameless shepherds who care only for themselves. They are like clouds blowing over the land without giving any rain. They are like trees in autumn that are doubly dead, for they bear no fruit and have been pulled up by the roots.


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They are like wild waves of the sea, churning up the foam of their shameful deeds. They are like wandering stars, doomed forever to blackest darkness.


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<pb/>Enoch, who lived in the seventh generation after Adam, prophesied about these people. He said, “Listen! The Lord is coming with countless thousands of his holy ones


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to execute judgment on the people of the world. He will convict every person of all the ungodly things they have done and for all the insults that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”</t>


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These people are grumblers and complainers, living only to satisfy their desires. They brag loudly about themselves, and they flatter others to get what they want.


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<pb/>A Call to Remain Faithful But you, my dear friends, must remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ predicted.


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They told you that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires.


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These people are the ones who are creating divisions among you. They follow their natural instincts because they do not have God’s Spirit in them.


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But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit,


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and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.


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Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.


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<pb/>A Prayer of Praise Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault.


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All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.


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<pb/>Prologue This is a revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants the events that must soon take place. He sent an angel to present this revelation to his servant John,


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who faithfully reported everything he saw. This is his report of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.


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God blesses the one who reads the words of this prophecy to the church, and he blesses all who listen to its message and obey what it says, for the time is near.


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<pb/>John’s Greeting to the Seven Churches This letter is from John to the seven churches in the province of Asia. Grace and peace to you from the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come; from the sevenfold Spirit before his throne;


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and from Jesus Christ. He is the faithful witness to these things, the first to rise from the dead, and the ruler of all the kings of the world. All glory to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us.


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He has made us a Kingdom of priests for God his Father. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.


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<t>Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven. And everyone will see him— even those who pierced him. And all the nations of the world will mourn for him. Yes! Amen!</t>


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<J>“<J><t>I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,”</t></J> says the Lord God. <J><t>“I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.”</t></J>


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<pb/>Vision of the Son of Man I, John, am your brother and your partner in suffering and in God’s Kingdom and in the patient endurance to which Jesus calls us. I was exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching the word of God and for my testimony about Jesus.


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It was the Lord’s Day, and I was worshiping in the Spirit. Suddenly, I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet blast.


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It said, <J><t>“Write in a book everything you see, and send it to the seven churches in the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”</t></J>


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And standing in the middle of the lampstands was someone like the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest.


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His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were like flames of fire.


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His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves.


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He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was like the sun in all its brilliance.


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<pb/>When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, <J>“Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last.</J>


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<J>I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.</J>


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<J>“Write down what you have seen—both the things that are now happening and the things that will happen.</J>


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<J>This is the meaning of the mystery of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and the seven gold lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.</J>


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<pb/><J>The Message to the Church in Ephesus “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Ephesus. This is the message from the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks among the seven gold lampstands:</J>


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<J>“I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars.</J>


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<J>Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches.</J>


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<J>“Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God.</J>


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<pb/><J>The Message to the Church in Smyrna “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Smyrna. This is the message from the one who is the First and the Last, who was dead but is now alive:</J>


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<J>“I know about your suffering and your poverty—but you are rich! I know the blasphemy of those opposing you. They say they are Jews, but they are not, because their synagogue belongs to Satan.</J>


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<J>Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you. You will suffer for ten days. But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life.</J>


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<J>“Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. Whoever is victorious will not be harmed by the second death.</J>


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<pb/><J>The Message to the Church in Pergamum “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Pergamum. This is the message from the one with the sharp two-edged sword:</J>


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<J>“I know that you live in the city where Satan has his throne, yet you have remained loyal to me. You refused to deny me even when Antipas, my faithful witness, was martyred among you there in Satan’s city.</J>


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<J>“But I have a few complaints against you. You tolerate some among you whose teaching is like that of Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel. He taught them to sin by eating food offered to idols and by committing sexual sin.</J>


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<J>Repent of your sin, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.</J>


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<J>“Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give some of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven. And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it.</J>


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<pb/><J>The Message to the Church in Thyatira “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Thyatira. This is the message from the Son of God, whose eyes are like flames of fire, whose feet are like polished bronze:</J>


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<J>“I know all the things you do. I have seen your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance. And I can see your constant improvement in all these things.</J>


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<J>“But I have this complaint against you. You are permitting that woman—that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet—to lead my servants astray. She teaches them to commit sexual sin and to eat food offered to idols.</J>


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<J>“Therefore, I will throw her on a bed of suffering, and those who commit adultery with her will suffer greatly unless they repent and turn away from her evil deeds.</J>


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<J>I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches out the thoughts and intentions of every person. And I will give to each of you whatever you deserve.</J>


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<J>“But I also have a message for the rest of you in Thyatira who have not followed this false teaching (‘deeper truths,’ as they call them—depths of Satan, actually). I will ask nothing more of you</J>


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<J>To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end, To them I will give authority over all the nations.</J>


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<pb/><J>They will have the same authority I received from my Father, and I will also give them the morning star!</J>


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<J>“Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.</J>


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<pb/><J>The Message to the Church in Sardis “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Sardis. This is the message from the one who has the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars: “I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead.</J>


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<J>Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead. I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God.</J>


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<J>Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again. If you don’t wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief.</J>


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<J>“Yet there are some in the church in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes with evil. They will walk with me in white, for they are worthy.</J>


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<J>All who are victorious will be clothed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my Father and his angels that they are mine.</J>


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<pb/><J>The Message to the Church in Philadelphia <t>“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Philadelphia. This is the message from the one who is holy and true, the one who has the key of David. What he opens, no one can close; and what he closes, no one can open:</t></J>


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<pb/><J>“I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me.</J>


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<J>Look, I will force those who belong to Satan’s synagogue—those liars who say they are Jews but are not—to come and bow down at your feet. They will acknowledge that you are the ones I love.</J>


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<J>“Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world.</J>


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<pb/><J>All who are victorious will become pillars in the Temple of my God, and they will never have to leave it. And I will write on them the name of my God, and they will be citizens in the city of my God—the new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven from my God. And I will also write on them my new name.</J>


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<pb/><J>The Message to the Church in Laodicea “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Laodicea. This is the message from the one who is the Amen—the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s new creation:</J>


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<J>“I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other!</J>


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<J>But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!</J>


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<pb/><J>You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.</J>


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<J>So I advise you to buy gold from me—gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see.</J>


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<pb/><J>“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.</J>


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<J>Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne.</J>


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<J>“Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.”</t></J>


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<pb/>Worship in Heaven Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven, and the same voice I had heard before spoke to me like a trumpet blast. The voice said, <J>“Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.”</J>


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The one sitting on the throne was as brilliant as gemstones—like jasper and carnelian. And the glow of an emerald circled his throne like a rainbow.


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Twenty-four thrones surrounded him, and twenty-four elders sat on them. They were all clothed in white and had gold crowns on their heads.


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From the throne came flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder. And in front of the throne were seven torches with burning flames. This is the sevenfold Spirit of God.


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In front of the throne was a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal. In the center and around the throne were four living beings, each covered with eyes, front and back.


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The first of these living beings was like a lion; the second was like an ox; the third had a human face; and the fourth was like an eagle in flight.


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Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered all over with eyes, inside and out. Day after day and night after night they keep on saying, <t>“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty— the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.”</t>


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<pb/>Whenever the living beings give glory and honor and thanks to the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever),


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the twenty-four elders fall down and worship the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever). And they lay their crowns before the throne and say,


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<t>“You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased.”</t>


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<pb/>The Lamb Opens the Scroll Then I saw a scroll in the right hand of the one who was sitting on the throne. There was writing on the inside and the outside of the scroll, and it was sealed with seven seals.


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And I saw a strong angel, who shouted with a loud voice: <t>“Who is worthy to break the seals on this scroll and open it?”</t>


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But one of the twenty-four elders said to me, <t>“Stop weeping! Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to David’s throne, has won the victory. He is worthy to open the scroll and its seven seals.”</t>


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<pb/>Then I saw a Lamb that looked as if it had been slaughtered, but it was now standing between the throne and the four living beings and among the twenty-four elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which represent the sevenfold Spirit of God that is sent out into every part of the earth.


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And when he took the scroll, the four living beings and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they held gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of God’s people.


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And they sang a new song with these words: <t>“You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals and open it. For you were slaughtered, and your blood has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.</t>


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<t>And you have caused them to become a Kingdom of priests for our God. And they will reign on the earth.”</t>


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<pb/>Then I looked again, and I heard the voices of thousands and millions of angels around the throne and of the living beings and the elders.


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And they sang in a mighty chorus: <t>“Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered— to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.”</t>


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<pb/>And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They sang: <t>“Blessing and honor and glory and power belong to the one sitting on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever.”</t>


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<pb/>And the four living beings said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped the Lamb.


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<pb/>The Lamb Breaks the First Six Seals As I watched, the Lamb broke the first of the seven seals on the scroll. Then I heard one of the four living beings say with a voice like thunder, “Come!”


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I looked up and saw a white horse standing there. Its rider carried a bow, and a crown was placed on his head. He rode out to win many battles and gain the victory.


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Then another horse appeared, a red one. Its rider was given a mighty sword and the authority to take peace from the earth. And there was war and slaughter everywhere.


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<pb/>When the Lamb broke the third seal, I heard the third living being say, “Come!” I looked up and saw a black horse, and its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand.


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And I heard a voice from among the four living beings say, <t>“A loaf of wheat bread or three loaves of barley will cost a day’s pay. And don’t waste the olive oil and wine.”</t>


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I looked up and saw a horse whose color was pale green. Its rider was named Death, and his companion was the Grave. These two were given authority over one-fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword and famine and disease and wild animals.


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<pb/>When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of all who had been martyred for the word of God and for being faithful in their testimony.


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They shouted to the Lord and said, <t>“O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you judge the people who belong to this world and avenge our blood for what they have done to us?”</t>


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Then a white robe was given to each of them. And they were told to rest a little longer until the full number of their brothers and sisters—their fellow servants of Jesus who were to be martyred—had joined them.


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<pb/>I watched as the Lamb broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became as dark as black cloth, and the moon became as red as blood.


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Then the stars of the sky fell to the earth like green figs falling from a tree shaken by a strong wind.


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The sky was rolled up like a scroll, and all of the mountains and islands were moved from their places.


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Then everyone—the kings of the earth, the rulers, the generals, the wealthy, the powerful, and every slave and free person—all hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains.


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And they cried to the mountains and the rocks, <t>“Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb.


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<pb/>God’s People Will Be Preserved Then I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds so they did not blow on the earth or the sea, or even on any tree.


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And I saw another angel coming up from the east, carrying the seal of the living God. And he shouted to those four angels, who had been given power to harm land and sea,


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“Wait! Don’t harm the land or the sea or the trees until we have placed the seal of God on the foreheads of his servants.”</t>


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And I heard how many were marked with the seal of God—144,000 were sealed from all the tribes of Israel:


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<pb/>Praise from the Great Crowd After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands.


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<pb/>And they were shouting with a great roar, <t>“Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!”</t>


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<pb/>And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings. And they fell before the throne with their faces to the ground and worshiped God.


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They sang, <t>“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength belong to our God forever and ever! Amen.”</t>


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<pb/>Then one of the twenty-four elders asked me, “Who are these who are clothed in white? Where did they come from?”


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<pb/>And I said to him, “Sir, you are the one who knows.” Then he said to me, “These are the ones who died in the great tribulation. They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white.


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<t>“That is why they stand in front of God’s throne and serve him day and night in his Temple. And he who sits on the throne will give them shelter.</t>


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<t>They will never again be hungry or thirsty; they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun.</t>


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<t>For the Lamb on the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”</t>


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<pb/>The Lamb Breaks the Seventh Seal When the Lamb broke the seventh seal on the scroll, there was silence throughout heaven for about half an hour.


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<pb/>Then another angel with a gold incense burner came and stood at the altar. And a great amount of incense was given to him to mix with the prayers of God’s people as an offering on the gold altar before the throne.


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The smoke of the incense, mixed with the prayers of God’s holy people, ascended up to God from the altar where the angel had poured them out.


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Then the angel filled the incense burner with fire from the altar and threw it down upon the earth; and thunder crashed, lightning flashed, and there was a terrible earthquake.


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<pb/>The First Four Trumpets Then the seven angels with the seven trumpets prepared to blow their mighty blasts.


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<pb/>The first angel blew his trumpet, and hail and fire mixed with blood were thrown down on the earth. One-third of the earth was set on fire, one-third of the trees were burned, and all the green grass was burned.


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<pb/>Then the second angel blew his trumpet, and a great mountain of fire was thrown into the sea. One-third of the water in the sea became blood,


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one-third of all things living in the sea died, and one-third of all the ships on the sea were destroyed.


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<pb/>Then the third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from the sky, burning like a torch. It fell on one-third of the rivers and on the springs of water.


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The name of the star was Bitterness. It made one-third of the water bitter, and many people died from drinking the bitter water.


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<pb/>Then the fourth angel blew his trumpet, and one-third of the sun was struck, and one-third of the moon, and one-third of the stars, and they became dark. And one-third of the day was dark, and also one-third of the night.


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<pb/>Then I looked, and I heard a single eagle crying loudly as it flew through the air, “Terror, terror, terror to all who belong to this world because of what will happen when the last three angels blow their trumpets.”


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<pb/>The Fifth Trumpet Brings the First Terror Then the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen to earth from the sky, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit.


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When he opened it, smoke poured out as though from a huge furnace, and the sunlight and air turned dark from the smoke.


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Then locusts came from the smoke and descended on the earth, and they were given power to sting like scorpions.


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They were told not to harm the grass or plants or trees, but only the people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.


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They were told not to kill them but to torture them for five months with pain like the pain of a scorpion sting.


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In those days people will seek death but will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them!


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<pb/>The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. They had what looked like gold crowns on their heads, and their faces looked like human faces.


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Their king is the angel from the bottomless pit; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon—the Destroyer.


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<pb/>The Sixth Trumpet Brings the Second Terror Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice speaking from the four horns of the gold altar that stands in the presence of God.


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And the voice said to the sixth angel who held the trumpet, <t>“Release the four angels who are bound at the great Euphrates River.”</t>


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Then the four angels who had been prepared for this hour and day and month and year were turned loose to kill one-third of all the people on earth.


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And in my vision, I saw the horses and the riders sitting on them. The riders wore armor that was fiery red and dark blue and yellow. The horses had heads like lions, and fire and smoke and burning sulfur billowed from their mouths.


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One-third of all the people on earth were killed by these three plagues—by the fire and smoke and burning sulfur that came from the mouths of the horses.


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Their power was in their mouths and in their tails. For their tails had heads like snakes, with the power to injure people.


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<pb/>But the people who did not die in these plagues still refused to repent of their evil deeds and turn to God. They continued to worship demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood—idols that can neither see nor hear nor walk!


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And they did not repent of their murders or their witchcraft or their sexual immorality or their thefts.


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<pb/>The Angel and the Small Scroll Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, surrounded by a cloud, with a rainbow over his head. His face shone like the sun, and his feet were like pillars of fire.


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And in his hand was a small scroll that had been opened. He stood with his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land.


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And he gave a great shout like the roar of a lion. And when he shouted, the seven thunders answered.


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When the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write. But I heard a voice from heaven saying, <t>“Keep secret what the seven thunders said, and do not write it down.”</t>


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<t>Then the angel I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand toward heaven.</t>


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<t>He swore an oath in the name of the one who lives forever and ever, who created the heavens and everything in them, the earth and everything in it, and the sea and everything in it. He said, <t>“There will be no more delay.


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When the seventh angel blows his trumpet, God’s mysterious plan will be fulfilled. It will happen just as he announced it to his servants the prophets.”</t>


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Then the voice from heaven spoke to me again: <t>“Go and take the open scroll from the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.”</t>


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So I went to the angel and told him to give me the small scroll. <t>“Yes, take it and eat it,”</t> he said. <t>“It will be sweet as honey in your mouth, but it will turn sour in your stomach!”</t>


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So I took the small scroll from the hand of the angel, and I ate it! It was sweet in my mouth, but when I swallowed it, it turned sour in my stomach.


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Then I was told, <t>“You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.”</t>


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<pb/>The Two Witnesses Then I was given a measuring stick, and I was told, “Go and measure the Temple of God and the altar, and count the number of worshipers.


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But do not measure the outer courtyard, for it has been turned over to the nations. They will trample the holy city for 42 months.


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And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will be clothed in burlap and will prophesy during those 1,260 days.”</t>


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These two prophets are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of all the earth.


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If anyone tries to harm them, fire flashes from their mouths and consumes their enemies. This is how anyone who tries to harm them must die.


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They have power to shut the sky so that no rain will fall for as long as they prophesy. And they have the power to turn the rivers and oceans into blood, and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they wish.


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When they complete their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the bottomless pit will declare war against them, and he will conquer them and kill them.


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And their bodies will lie in the main street of Jerusalem, the city that is figuratively called <t>“Sodom”</t> and <t>“Egypt,”</t> the city where their Lord was crucified.


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And for three and a half days, all peoples, tribes, languages, and nations will stare at their bodies. No one will be allowed to bury them.


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All the people who belong to this world will gloat over them and give presents to each other to celebrate the death of the two prophets who had tormented them.


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But after three and a half days, God breathed life into them, and they stood up! Terror struck all who were staring at them.


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Then a loud voice from heaven called to the two prophets, <t>“Come up here!”</t> And they rose to heaven in a cloud as their enemies watched.


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At the same time there was a terrible earthquake that destroyed a tenth of the city. Seven thousand people died in that earthquake, and everyone else was terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.


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<pb/>The Seventh Trumpet Brings the Third Terror Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven: <t>“The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.”</t>


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<pb/>The twenty-four elders sitting on their thrones before God fell with their faces to the ground and worshiped him.


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And they said, <t>“We give thanks to you, Lord God, the Almighty, the one who is and who always was, for now you have assumed your great power and have begun to reign.</t>


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<t>The nations were filled with wrath, but now the time of your wrath has come. It is time to judge the dead and reward your servants the prophets, as well as your holy people, and all who fear your name, from the least to the greatest. It is time to destroy all who have caused destruction on the earth.”</t>


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<pb/>Then, in heaven, the Temple of God was opened and the Ark of his covenant could be seen inside the Temple. Lightning flashed, thunder crashed and roared, and there was an earthquake and a terrible hailstorm.


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<pb/>The Woman and the Dragon Then I witnessed in heaven an event of great significance. I saw a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head.


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Then I witnessed in heaven another significant event. I saw a large red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, with seven crowns on his heads.


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<pb/>His tail swept away one-third of the stars in the sky, and he threw them to the earth. He stood in front of the woman as she was about to give birth, ready to devour her baby as soon as it was born.


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She gave birth to a son who was to rule all nations with an iron rod. And her child was snatched away from the dragon and was caught up to God and to his throne.


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And the woman fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place to care for her for 1,260 days.


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This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels.


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Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens, <t>“It has come at last— salvation and power and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth— the one who accuses them before our God day and night.</t>


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<t>And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.</t>


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<t>Therefore, rejoice, O heavens! And you who live in the heavens, rejoice! But terror will come on the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you in great anger, knowing that he has little time.”</t>


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<pb/>When the dragon realized that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.


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But she was given two wings like those of a great eagle so she could fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness. There she would be cared for and protected from the dragon for a time, times, and half a time.


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But the earth helped her by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that gushed out from the mouth of the dragon.


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And the dragon was angry at the woman and declared war against the rest of her children—all who keep God’s commandments and maintain their testimony for Jesus.


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The Beast out of the Sea Then I saw a beast rising up out of the sea. It had seven heads and ten horns, with ten crowns on its horns. And written on each head were names that blasphemed God.


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<pb/>This beast looked like a leopard, but it had the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion! And the dragon gave the beast his own power and throne and great authority.


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I saw that one of the heads of the beast seemed wounded beyond recovery—but the fatal wound was healed! The whole world marveled at this miracle and gave allegiance to the beast.


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They worshiped the dragon for giving the beast such power, and they also worshiped the beast. <t>“Who is as great as the beast?”</t> they exclaimed. <t>“Who is able to fight against him?”</t>


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Then the beast was allowed to speak great blasphemies against God. And he was given authority to do whatever he wanted for forty-two months.


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<pb/>And he spoke terrible words of blasphemy against God, slandering his name and his dwelling—that is, those who dwell in heaven.


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And the beast was allowed to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And he was given authority to rule over every tribe and people and language and nation.


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And all the people who belong to this world worshiped the beast. They are the ones whose names were not written in the Book of Life that belongs to the Lamb who was slaughtered before the world was made.


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<t>Anyone who is destined for prison will be taken to prison. Anyone destined to die by the sword will die by the sword. This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently and remain faithful.</t>


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<t>The Beast out of the Earth Then I saw another beast come up out of the earth. He had two horns like those of a lamb, but he spoke with the voice of a dragon.


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He exercised all the authority of the first beast. And he required all the earth and its people to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed.


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He did astounding miracles, even making fire flash down to earth from the sky while everyone was watching.


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And with all the miracles he was allowed to perform on behalf of the first beast, he deceived all the people who belong to this world. He ordered the people to make a great statue of the first beast, who was fatally wounded and then came back to life.


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He was then permitted to give life to this statue so that it could speak. Then the statue of the beast commanded that anyone refusing to worship it must die.


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He required everyone—small and great, rich and poor, free and slave—to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead.


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And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name.


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Wisdom is needed here. Let the one with understanding solve the meaning of the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is 666.


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The Lamb and the 144,000 Then I saw the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him were 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.


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<pb/>And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of mighty ocean waves or the rolling of loud thunder. It was like the sound of many harpists playing together.


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This great choir sang a wonderful new song in front of the throne of God and before the four living beings and the twenty-four elders. No one could learn this song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.


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They have kept themselves as pure as virgins, following the Lamb wherever he goes. They have been purchased from among the people on the earth as a special offering to God and to the Lamb.


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The Three Angels And I saw another angel flying through the sky, carrying the eternal Good News to proclaim to the people who belong to this world—to every nation, tribe, language, and people.


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<pb/>“Fear God,” he shouted. “Give glory to him. For the time has come when he will sit as judge. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all the springs of water.”


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Then another angel followed him through the sky, shouting, <t>“Babylon is fallen—that great city is fallen—because she made all the nations of the world drink the wine of her passionate immorality.”</t>


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<pb/>Then a third angel followed them, shouting, “Anyone who worships the beast and his statue or who accepts his mark on the forehead or on the hand


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<pb/>must drink the wine of God’s anger. It has been poured full strength into God’s cup of wrath. And they will be tormented with fire and burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb.


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<pb/>The smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever, and they will have no relief day or night, for they have worshiped the beast and his statue and have accepted the mark of his name.”


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This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently, obeying his commands and maintaining their faith in Jesus.


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And I heard a voice from heaven saying, <t>“Write this down: Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they are blessed indeed, for they will rest from their hard work; for their good deeds follow them!”</t>


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<pb/>The Harvest of the Earth Then I saw a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was someone like the Son of Man. He had a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.


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<pb/>Then another angel came from the Temple and shouted to the one sitting on the cloud, “Swing the sickle, for the time of harvest has come; the crop on earth is ripe.”


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<pb/>Then another angel, who had power to destroy with fire, came from the altar. He shouted to the angel with the sharp sickle, “Swing your sickle now to gather the clusters of grapes from the vines of the earth, for they are ripe for judgment.”


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So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and loaded the grapes into the great winepress of God’s wrath.


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The grapes were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress in a stream about 180 miles long and as high as a horse’s bridle.


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The Song of Moses and of the Lamb Then I saw in heaven another marvelous event of great significance. Seven angels were holding the seven last plagues, which would bring God’s wrath to completion.


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<pb/>I saw before me what seemed to be a glass sea mixed with fire. And on it stood all the people who had been victorious over the beast and his statue and the number representing his name. They were all holding harps that God had given them.


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<pb/>And they were singing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb: “Great and marvelous are your works, O Lord God, the Almighty. Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations.


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Who will not fear you, Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous deeds have been revealed.”</t>


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<t>The Seven Bowls of the Seven Plagues Then I looked and saw that the Temple in heaven, God’s Tabernacle, was thrown wide open.</t>


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<pb/>The seven angels who were holding the seven plagues came out of the Temple. They were clothed in spotless white linen with gold sashes across their chests.


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Then one of the four living beings handed each of the seven angels a gold bowl filled with the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever.


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The Temple was filled with smoke from God’s glory and power. No one could enter the Temple until the seven angels had completed pouring out the seven plagues.


