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One is not a Jew outwardly. True circumcision is not outward, in the flesh. Rather, one is a Jew inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart, in the spirit, not the letter; his praise is not from human beings but from God.
[ROM 2:28-29]
Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the
Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
[ROM 5:3-5]
But now we are released from the law, dead to
what held us captive, so that we may serve in the newness of the
spirit and not under the obsolete letter. [ROM 7:6]
Hence, now there is no condemnation for those
who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the spirit of life in
Christ Jesus has freed you from the law of sin and death. For what
the law, weakened by the flesh, was powerless to do, this God has
done: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and
for the sake of sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, so that the
righteous decree of the law might be fulfilled in us, who live not
according to the flesh but according to the spirit. For those who
live according to the flesh are concerned with the things of the
flesh, but those who live according to the spirit with the things
of the spirit. The concern of the flesh is death, but the concern
of the spirit is life and peace. For the concern of the flesh is
hostility toward God; it does not submit to the law of God, nor
can it; and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you
are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit, if
only the Spirit of God dwells in you. Whoever does not have the
Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you,
although the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is alive
because of righteousness. If the Spirit of the one who raised
Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from
the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his
Spirit that dwells in you. Consequently, brothers, we are not
debtors to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you
live according to the flesh, you will die, but if by the spirit
you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For those
who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did
not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you
received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, "Abba,
Father!" The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that
we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God
and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we
may also be glorified with him. [ROM 8:1-17]
We know that all creation is groaning in labor
pains even until now; and not only that, but we ourselves, who
have the firstfruits of the Spirit, we also groan within ourselves
as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope
we were saved. Now hope that sees for itself is not hope. For who
hopes for what one sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we
wait with endurance. In the same way, the Spirit too comes to the
aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought,
but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings. And
the one who searches hearts knows what is the intention of the
Spirit, because it intercedes for the holy ones according to God's
will. [ROM 8:22-27]
I speak the truth in Christ, I do not lie; my
conscience joins with the Holy Spirit in bearing me witness that I
have great sorrow and constant anguish in my heart. For I could
wish that I myself were accursed and separated from Christ for the
sake of my brothers, my kin according to the flesh. They are
Israelites; theirs the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the
giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; theirs the
patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, is the Messiah.
God who is over all be blessed forever. Amen. [ROM 9:1-5]
So also at the present time there is a remnant,
chosen by grace. But if by grace, it is no longer because of
works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace. What then? What
Israel was seeking it did not attain, but the elect attained it;
the rest were hardened, as it is written: "God gave them a
spirit of deep sleep, eyes that should not see and ears that
should not hear, down to this very day." And David says:
"Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block
and a retribution for them; let their eyes grow dim so that they
may not see, and keep their backs bent forever." [ROM 11:5-10]
I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies
of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and
pleasing to God, your spiritual worship. Do not conform yourselves
to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that
you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing
and perfect. [ROM 12:1-2]
Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit,
serve the Lord. [ROM 12:11]
Then let us no longer judge one another, but
rather resolve never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the
way of a brother. I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that
nothing is unclean in itself; still, it is unclean for someone who
thinks it unclean. If your brother is being hurt by what you eat,
your conduct is no longer in accord with love. Do not because of
your food destroy him for whom Christ died. So do not let your
good be reviled. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of food
and drink, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit;
whoever serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved
by others. [ROM 14:13-18]
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and
peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of
the Holy Spirit. [ROM 15:13]
I myself am convinced about you, my brothers,
that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all
knowledge, and able to admonish one another. But I have written to
you rather boldly in some respects to remind you, because of the
grace given me by God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the
Gentiles in performing the priestly service of the gospel of God,
so that the offering up of the Gentiles may be acceptable,
sanctified by the Holy Spirit. In Christ Jesus, then, I have
reason to boast in what pertains to God. For I will not dare to
speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me
to lead the Gentiles to obedience by word and deed, by the power
of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit (of God), so that
from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum I have finished
preaching the gospel of Christ. Thus I aspire to proclaim the
gospel not where Christ has already been named, so that I do not
build on another's foundation, but as it is written: "Those
who have never been told of him shall see, and those who have
never heard of him shall understand." [ROM 15:14-21]
Now, however, I am going to Jerusalem to
minister to the holy ones. For Macedonia and Achaia have decided
to make some contribution for the poor among the holy ones in
Jerusalem; they decided to do it, and in fact they are indebted to
them, for if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual
blessings, they ought also to serve them in material blessings. So
when I have completed this and safely handed over this
contribution to them, I shall set out by way of you to Spain; and
I know that in coming to you I shall come in the fullness of
Christ's blessing. I urge you, (brothers,) by our Lord Jesus
Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in the struggle
by your prayers to God on my behalf, that I may be delivered from
the disobedient in Judea, and that my ministry for Jerusalem may
be acceptable to the holy ones, so that I may come to you with joy
by the will of God and be refreshed together with you. The God of
peace be with all of you. Amen. [ROM 15:25-33]
I give thanks to my God always on your account
for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus, that in him
you were enriched in every way, with all discourse and all
knowledge, as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you, so
that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the
revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. [1COR 1:4-7]
When I came to you, brothers, proclaiming the
mystery of God, I did not come with sublimity of words or of
wisdom. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except
Jesus Christ, and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and
fear and much trembling, and my message and my proclamation were
not with persuasive (words of) wisdom, but with a demonstration of
spirit and power, so that your faith might rest not on human
wisdom but on the power of God. Yet we do speak a wisdom to those
who are mature, but not a wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of
this age who are passing away. Rather, we speak God's wisdom,
mysterious, hidden, which God predetermined before the ages for
our glory, and which none of the rulers of this age knew; for if
they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of
glory. But as it is written: "What eye has not seen, and ear
has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God
has prepared for those who love him," this God has revealed
to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit scrutinizes everything,
even the depths of God. Among human beings, who knows what
pertains to a person except the spirit of the person that is
within? Similarly, no one knows what pertains to God except the
Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but
the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the things
freely given us by God. And we speak about them not with words
taught by human wisdom, but with words taught by the Spirit,
describing spiritual realities in spiritual terms. Now the natural
person does not accept what pertains to the Spirit of God, for to
him it is foolishness, and he cannot understand it, because it is
judged spiritually. The spiritual person, however, can judge
everything but is not subject to judgment by anyone. For "who
has known the mind of the Lord, so as to counsel him?" But we
have the mind of Christ. [1COR 2:1-16]
Brothers, I could not talk to you as spiritual
people, but as fleshly people, as infants in Christ. I fed you
milk, not solid food, because you were unable to take it. Indeed,
you are still not able, even now, for you are still of the flesh.
While there is jealousy and rivalry among you, are you not of the
flesh, and behaving in an ordinary human way? Whenever someone
says, "I belong to Paul," and another, "I belong to
Apollos," are you not merely human? [1COR 3:1-4]
Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person; for the temple of God, which you are, is
holy. [1COR 3:16-17]
Some have become inflated with pride, as if I were not coming to you. But I will come to you soon, if the Lord is willing, and I shall ascertain not the talk of these inflated people but their power. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.
Which do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love and a gentle spirit?
[1COR 4:18-21]
It is widely reported that there is immorality
among you, and immorality of a kind not found even among pagans -
a man living with his father's wife. And you are inflated with
pride. Should you not rather have been sorrowful? The one who did
this deed should be expelled from your midst. I, for my part,
although absent in body but present in spirit, have already, as if
present, pronounced judgment on the one who has committed this
deed, in the name of (our) Lord Jesus: when you have gathered
together and I am with you in spirit with the power of the Lord
Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of
his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.
Your boasting is not appropriate. Do you not know that a little
yeast leavens all the dough? Clear out the old yeast, so that you
may become a fresh batch of dough, inasmuch as you are unleavened...
[For Christ], has been sacrificed. Therefore let
us celebrate the feast, not with the old yeast, the yeast of
malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity
and truth. I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral
people, not at all referring to the immoral of this world or the
greedy and robbers or idolaters; for you would then have to leave
the world. But I now write to you not to associate with anyone
named a brother, if he is immoral, greedy, an idolater, a
slanderer, a drunkard, or a robber, not even to eat with such a
person. For why should I be judging outsiders? Is it not your
business to judge those within? God will judge those outside.
"Purge the evil person from your midst." [1COR 5:1-13]
Do you not know that the unjust will not inherit
the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators nor
idolaters nor adulterers nor boy prostitutes nor practicing
homosexuals nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor
slanderers nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God. That is
what some of you used to be; but now you have had yourselves
washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the
Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. [1COR 6:9-11]
Do you not know that your bodies are members of
Christ? Shall I then take Christ's members and make them the
members of a prostitute? Of course not! (Or) do you not know that
anyone who joins himself to a prostitute becomes one body with
her? For "the two," it says, "will become one
flesh." But whoever is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit
with him. Avoid immorality. Every other sin a person commits is
outside the body, but the immoral person sins against his own
body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit
within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore, glorify God in
your body. [1COR 6:15-20]
I should like you to be free of anxieties. An
unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how he may
please the Lord. But a married man is anxious about the things of
the world, how he may please his wife, and he is divided. An
unmarried woman or a virgin is anxious about the things of the
Lord, so that she may be holy in both body and spirit. A married
woman, on the other hand, is anxious about the things of the
world, how she may please her husband. I am telling you this for
your own benefit, not to impose a restraint upon you, but for the
sake of propriety and adherence to the Lord without distraction.
If anyone thinks he is behaving improperly toward his virgin, and
if a critical moment has come and so it has to be, let him do as
he wishes. He is committing no sin; let them get married. The one
who stands firm in his resolve, however, who is not under
compulsion but has power over his own will, and has made up his
mind to keep his virgin, will be doing well. So then, the one who
marries his virgin does well; the one who does not marry her will
do better. A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But
if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whomever she
wishes, provided that it be in the Lord. She is more blessed,
though, in my opinion, if she remains as she is, and I think that
I too have the Spirit of God. [1COR 7:32-40]
If we have sown spiritual seed for you, is it a
great thing that we reap a material harvest from you? [1COR 9:11]
I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that
our ancestors were all under the cloud and all passed through the
sea, and all of them were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in
the sea. All ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same
spiritual drink, for they drank from a spiritual rock that
followed them, and the rock was the Christ. Yet God was not
pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the
desert. These things happened as examples for us, so that we might
not desire evil things, as they did. [1COR 10:1-6]
Now in regard to spiritual gifts, brothers, I do
not want you to be unaware. You know how, when you were pagans,
you were constantly attracted and led away to mute idols.
Therefore, I tell you that nobody speaking by the spirit of God
says, "Jesus be accursed." And no one can say,
"Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit. There are
different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are
different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different
workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To
each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some
benefit. To one is given through the Spirit the expression of
wisdom; to another the expression of knowledge according to the
same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another gifts
of healing by the one Spirit; to another mighty deeds; to another
prophecy; to another discernment of spirits; to another varieties
of tongues; to another interpretation of tongues. But one and the
same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them individually
to each person as he wishes. As a body is one though it has many
parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body,
so also Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one
body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were
all given to drink of one Spirit. [1COR 12:1-13]
Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts.
But I shall show you a still more excellent way. [1COR 12:31]
Pursue love, but strive eagerly for the
spiritual gifts, above all that you may prophesy. For one who
speaks in a tongue does not speak to human beings but to God, for
no one listens; he utters mysteries in spirit. On the other hand,
one who prophesies does speak to human beings, for their building
up, encouragement, and solace. Whoever speaks in a tongue builds
himself up, but whoever prophesies builds up the church. Now I
should like all of you to speak in tongues, but even more to
prophesy. One who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in
tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may be built up.
Now, brothers, if I should come to you speaking in tongues, what
good will I do you if I do not speak to you by way of revelation,
or knowledge, or prophecy, or instruction? Likewise, if inanimate
things that produce sound, such as flute or harp, do not give out
the tones distinctly, how will what is being played on flute or
harp be recognized? And if the bugle gives an indistinct sound,
who will get ready for battle? Similarly, if you, because of
speaking in tongues, do not utter intelligible speech, how will
anyone know what is being said? For you will be talking to the
air. It happens that there are many different languages in the
world, and none is meaningless; but if I do not know the meaning
of a language, I shall be a foreigner to one who speaks it, and
one who speaks it a foreigner to me. So with yourselves: since you
strive eagerly for spirits, seek to have an abundance of them for
building up the church. Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue
should pray to be able to interpret. (For) if I pray in a tongue,
my spirit is at prayer but my mind is unproductive. So what is to
be done? I will pray with the spirit, but I will also pray with
the mind. I will sing praise with the spirit, but I will also sing
praise with the mind. Otherwise, if you pronounce a blessing
(with) the spirit, how shall one who holds the place of the
uninstructed say the "Amen" to your thanksgiving, since
he does not know what you are saying? For you may be giving thanks
very well, but the other is not built up. I give thanks to God
that I speak in tongues more than any of you, but in the church I
would rather speak five words with my mind, so as to instruct
others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue. [1COR 14:1-19]
So what is to be done, brothers? When you
assemble, one has a psalm, another an instruction, a revelation, a
tongue, or an interpretation. Everything should be done for
building up. If anyone speaks in a tongue, let it be two or at
most three, and each in turn, and one should interpret. But if
there is no interpreter, the person should keep silent in the
church and speak to himself and to God. Two or three prophets
should speak, and the others discern. But if a revelation is given
to another person sitting there, the first one should be silent.
For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all
be encouraged. Indeed, the spirits of prophets are under the
prophets' control, since he is not the God of disorder but of
peace. As in all the churches of the holy ones, women should keep
silent in the churches, for they are not allowed to speak, but
should be subordinate, as even the law says. But if they want to
learn anything, they should ask their husbands at home. For it is
improper for a woman to speak in the church. Did the word of God
go forth from you? Or has it come to you alone? If anyone thinks
that he is a prophet or a spiritual person, he should recognize
that what I am writing to you is a commandment of the Lord. If
anyone does not acknowledge this, he is not acknowledged. So, (my)
brothers, strive eagerly to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking
in tongues, but everything must be done properly and in order. [1COR
14:26-40]
So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is
sown corruptible; it is raised incorruptible. It is sown
dishonorable; it is raised glorious. It is sown weak; it is raised
powerful. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual
body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual one.
So, too, it is written, "The first man, Adam, became a living
being," the last Adam a life-giving spirit. But the spiritual
was not first; rather the natural and then the spiritual. The
first man was from the earth, earthly; the second man, from
heaven. As was the earthly one, so also are the earthly, and as is
the heavenly one, so also are the heavenly. Just as we have borne
the image of the earthly one, we shall also bear the image of the
heavenly one. [1COR 15:42-49]
I rejoice in the arrival of Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus, because they made up for your absence, for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. So give recognition to such people.
[1COR 16:17-18]
But the one who gives us security with you in Christ and who anointed us is God; he has also put his seal upon us and given the Spirit in our hearts as a first installment.
[2COR 1:21-22]
When I went to Troas for the gospel of Christ, although a door was opened for me in the Lord, I had no relief in my spirit because I did not find my brother Titus. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia.
[2COR 2:12-13]
You are our letter, written on our hearts, known
and read by all, shown to be a letter of Christ administered by
us, written not in ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on
tablets of stone but on tablets that are hearts of flesh. Such
confidence we have through Christ toward God. Not that of
ourselves we are qualified to take credit for anything as coming
from us; rather, our qualification comes from God, who has indeed
qualified us as ministers of a new covenant, not of letter but of
spirit; for the letter brings death, but the Spirit gives life.
Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, was so
glorious that the Israelites could not look intently at the face
of Moses because of its glory that was going to fade, how much
more will the ministry of the Spirit be glorious? For if the
ministry of condemnation was glorious, the ministry of
righteousness will abound much more in glory. Indeed, what was
endowed with glory has come to have no glory in this respect
because of the glory that surpasses it. For if what was going to
fade was glorious, how much more will what endures be glorious.
Therefore, since we have such hope, we act very boldly and not
like Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the Israelites
could not look intently at the cessation of what was fading.
Rather, their thoughts were rendered dull, for to this present day
the same veil remains unlifted when they read the old covenant,
because through Christ it is taken away. To this day, in fact,
whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts, but
whenever a person turns to the Lord the veil is removed. Now the
Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is
freedom. All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the
Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to
glory, as from the Lord who is the Spirit. [2COR 3:2-18]
Since, then, we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, "I believed, therefore I spoke," we too believe and therefore speak, knowing that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and place us with you in his presence.
[2COR 4:13-14]
For we know that if our earthly dwelling, a
tent, should be destroyed, we have a building from God, a dwelling
not made with hands, eternal in heaven. For in this tent we groan,
longing to be further clothed with our heavenly habitation if
indeed, when we have taken it off, we shall not be found naked.
For while we are in this tent we groan and are weighed down,
because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be further clothed,
so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now the one
who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us
the Spirit as a first installment. So we are always courageous,
although we know that while we are at home in the body we are away
from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. [2COR 5:1-7]
We cause no one to stumble in anything, in order
that no fault may be found with our ministry; on the contrary, in
everything we commend ourselves as ministers of God, through much
endurance, in afflictions, hardships, constraints, beatings,
imprisonments, riots, labors, vigils, fasts; by purity, knowledge,
patience, kindness, in a holy spirit, in unfeigned love, in
truthful speech, in the power of God; with weapons of
righteousness at the right and at the left; through glory and
dishonor, insult and praise. We are treated as deceivers and yet
are truthful; as unrecognized and yet acknowledged; as dying and
behold we live; as chastised and yet not put to death; as
sorrowful yet always rejoicing; as poor yet enriching many; as having nothing and yet possessing all things.
[2COR 6:3-10]
Since we have these promises, beloved, let us
cleanse ourselves from every defilement of flesh and spirit,
making holiness perfect in the fear of God. [2COR 7:1]
For this reason we are encouraged. And besides
our encouragement, we rejoice even more because of the joy of
Titus, since his spirit has been refreshed by all of you. [2COR
7:13]
But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve
by his cunning, your thoughts may be corrupted from a sincere (and pure) commitment to Christ.
For if someone comes and preaches another Jesus than the one we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it well enough.
[2COR 11:3-4]
I urged Titus to go and sent the brother with
him. Did Titus take advantage of you? Did we not walk in the same
spirit? And in the same steps? [2COR 12:18]
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love
of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.
[2COR 13:13]
O stupid Galatians! Who has bewitched you,
before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as
crucified? I want to learn only this from you: did you receive the
Spirit from works of the law, or from faith in what you heard? Are
you so stupid? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now ending
with the flesh? Did you experience so many things in vain? - if
indeed it was in vain. Does, then, the one who supplies the Spirit
to you and works mighty deeds among you do so from works of the
law or from faith in what you heard? Thus Abraham "believed
God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." Realize
then that it is those who have faith who are children of Abraham.
Scripture, which saw in advance that God would justify the
Gentiles by faith, foretold the good news to Abraham, saying,
"Through you shall all the nations be blessed."
Consequently, those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham
who had faith. For all who depend on works of the law are under a
curse; for it is written, "Cursed be everyone who does not
persevere in doing all the things written in the book of the
law." And that no one is justified before God by the law is
clear, for "the one who is righteous by faith will
live." But the law does not depend on faith; rather,
"the one who does these things will live by them."
Christ ransomed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse
for us, for it is written, "Cursed be everyone who hangs on a
tree," that the blessing of Abraham might be extended to the
Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that we might receive the
promise of the Spirit through faith. [GAL 3:1-14]
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent
his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to ransom those
under the law, so that we might receive adoption. As proof that
you are children, God sent the spirit of his Son into our hearts,
crying out, "Abba, Father!" So you are no longer a slave
but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God. [GAL
4:4-7]
Tell me, you who want to be under the law, do
you not listen to the law? For it is written that Abraham had two
sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the freeborn woman.
The son of the slave woman was born naturally, the son of the
freeborn through a promise. Now this is an allegory. These women
represent two covenants. One was from Mount Sinai, bearing
children for slavery; this is Hagar. Hagar represents Sinai, a
mountain in Arabia; it corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for
she is in slavery along with her children. But the Jerusalem above
is freeborn, and she is our mother. For it is written:
"Rejoice, you barren one who bore no children; break forth
and shout, you who were not in labor; for more numerous are the
children of the deserted one than of her who has a husband."
Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of the promise. But
just as then the child of the flesh persecuted the child of the
spirit, it is the same now. But what does the scripture say?
"Drive out the slave woman and her son! For the son of the
slave woman shall not share the inheritance with the son" of
the freeborn. Therefore, brothers, we are children not of the
slave woman but of the freeborn woman. [GAL 4:21-31]
You are separated from Christ, you who are
trying to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. For
through the Spirit, by faith, we await the hope of righteousness.
For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision
counts for anything, but only faith working through love. [GAL 5:4-6]
For you were called for freedom, brothers. But
do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather,
serve one another through love. For the whole law is fulfilled in
one statement, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as
yourself." But if you go on biting and devouring one another,
beware that you are not consumed by one another. I say, then: live
by the Spirit and you will certainly not gratify the desire of the
flesh. For the flesh has desires against the Spirit, and the
Spirit against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that
you may not do what you want. But if you are guided by the Spirit,
you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are obvious:
immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds,
rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness,
dissensions, factions, occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies,
and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who
do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. In contrast,
the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such
there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ (Jesus) have
crucified their flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in
the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit. Let us not be
conceited, provoking one another, envious of one another. [GAL 5:13-26]
Brothers, even if a person is caught in some
transgression, you who are spiritual should correct that one in a
gentle spirit, looking to yourself, so that you also may not be
tempted. [GAL 6:1]
Make no mistake: God is not mocked, for a person will reap only what he sows, because the one who sows for his flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows for the spirit will reap eternal life from the spirit. [GAL 6:7-8]
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your
spirit, brothers. Amen. [GAL 6:18]
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing
in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of
the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love he
destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in
accord with the favor of his will, for the praise of the glory of
his grace that he granted us in the beloved. [EPH 1:3-6]
In him we were also chosen, destined in accord
with the purpose of the one who accomplishes all things according
to the intention of his will, so that we might exist for the
praise of his glory, we who first hoped in Christ. In him you
also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your
salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the promised
Holy Spirit, which is the first installment of our inheritance
toward redemption as God's possession, to the praise of his glory.
Therefore, I, too, hearing of your faith in the Lord Jesus and of
your love for all the holy ones, do not cease giving thanks for
you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and
revelation resulting in knowledge of him. [Taken from EPH 1:11-17]
You were dead in your transgressions and sins in which you once lived following the age of this world,
following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the disobedient. [EPH 2:1-2]
He came and preached peace to you who were far
off and peace to those who were near, for through him we both have
access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer
strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the
holy ones and members of the household of God, built upon the
foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself
as the capstone. Through him the whole structure is held together
and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord; in him you also are
being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. [EPH
2:17-22]
When you read this you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to human beings in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit, that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
[EPH 3:4-6]
For this reason I kneel before the Father, from
whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that he may
grant you in accord with the riches of his glory to be
strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner self, and
that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you,
rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with
all the holy ones what is the breadth and length and height and
depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so
that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him
who is able to accomplish far more than all we ask or imagine, by
the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in
Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. [EPH 3:14-21]
I, then, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to
live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all
humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another
through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through
the bond of peace: one body and one Spirit, as you were also
called to the one hope of your call; one Lord, one faith, one
baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through
all and in all. [EPH 4:1-6]
So I declare and testify in the Lord that you
must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their
minds; darkened in understanding, alienated from the life of God
because of their ignorance, because of their hardness of heart,
they have become callous and have handed themselves over to
licentiousness for the practice of every kind of impurity to
excess. That is not how you learned Christ, assuming that you have
heard of him and were taught in him, as truth is in Jesus, that
you should put away the old self of your former way of life,
corrupted through deceitful desires, and be renewed in the spirit
of your minds, and put on the new self, created in God's way in
righteousness and holiness of truth. Therefore, putting away
falsehood, speak the truth, each one to his neighbor, for we are
members one of another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the
sun set on your anger, and do not leave room for the devil. The
thief must no longer steal, but rather labor, doing honest work
with his (own) hands, so that he may have something to share with
one in need. No foul language should come out of your mouths, but
only such as is good for needed edification, that it may impart
grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God,
with which you were sealed for the day of redemption. All
bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling must be removed
from you, along with all malice. (And) be kind to one another,
compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in
Christ. [EPH 4:17-32]
Watch carefully then how you live, not as
foolish persons but as wise, making the most of the opportunity,
because the days are evil. Therefore, do not continue in
ignorance, but try to understand what is the will of the Lord. And
do not get drunk on wine, in which lies debauchery, but be filled
with the Spirit, addressing one another (in) psalms and hymns and
spiritual songs, singing and playing to the Lord in your hearts,
giving thanks always and for everything in the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ to God the Father. [EPH 5:15-20]
Finally, draw your strength from the Lord and
from his mighty power. Put on the armor of God so that you may be
able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil. For our
struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities,
with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness,
with the evil spirits in the heavens. Therefore, put on the armor
of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having
done everything, to hold your ground. So stand fast with your
loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a
breastplate, and your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of
peace. In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, to quench all
(the) flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of
salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
With all prayer and supplication, pray at every opportunity in the
Spirit. To that end, be watchful with all perseverance and
supplication for all the holy ones and also for me, that speech
may be given me to open my mouth, to make known with boldness the
mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador in chains, so
that I may have the courage to speak as I must. [EPH 6:10-20]
I want you to know, brothers, that my situation
has turned out rather to advance the gospel, so that my
imprisonment has become well known in Christ throughout the whole
praetorium and to all the rest, and so that the majority of the
brothers, having taken encouragement in the Lord from my
imprisonment, dare more than ever to proclaim the word fearlessly.
Of course, some preach Christ from envy and rivalry, others from
good will. The latter act out of love, aware that I am here for
the defense of the gospel; the former proclaim Christ out of
selfish ambition, not from pure motives, thinking that they will
cause me trouble in my imprisonment. What difference does it make,
as long as in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ
is being proclaimed? And in that I rejoice. Indeed I shall
continue to rejoice, for I know that this will result in
deliverance for me through your prayers and support from the
Spirit of Jesus Christ. [PHIL 1:12-19]
Only, conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the
gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am
absent, I may hear news of you, that you are standing firm in one
spirit, with one mind struggling together for the faith of the
gospel, not intimidated in any way by your opponents. This is
proof to them of destruction, but of your salvation. And this is
God's doing. For to you has been granted, for the sake of Christ,
not only to believe in him but also to suffer for him. Yours is
the same struggle as you saw in me and now hear about me. [PHIL
1:27-30]
If there is any encouragement in Christ, any
solace in love, any participation in the Spirit, any compassion
and mercy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the
same love, united in heart, thinking one thing. Do nothing out of
selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as
more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own
interests, but (also) everyone for those of others. [Taken from
PHIL 2:1-4]
Beware of the dogs! Beware of the evil workers!
Beware of the mutilation! For we are the circumcision, we who
worship through the Spirit of God, who boast in Christ Jesus and
do not put our confidence in flesh, although I myself have grounds
for confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he can be
confident in flesh, all the more can I. Circumcised on the eighth
day, of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of
Hebrew parentage, in observance of the law a Pharisee, in zeal I
persecuted the church, in righteousness based on the law I was
blameless. [PHIL 3:2-6]
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your
spirit. [PHIL 4:23]
We always give thanks to God, the Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, for we have heard of your
faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the holy
ones because of the hope reserved for you in heaven. Of this you
have already heard through the word of truth, the gospel, that has
come to you. Just as in the whole world it is bearing fruit and
growing, so also among you, from the day you heard it and came to
know the grace of God in truth, as you learned it from Epaphras
our beloved fellow slave, who is a trustworthy minister of Christ
on your behalf and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.
Therefore, from the day we heard this, we do not cease praying for
you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his
will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding to live in a
manner worthy of the Lord, so as to be fully pleasing, in every
good work bearing fruit and growing in the knowledge of God,
strengthened with every power, in accord with his glorious might,
for all endurance and patience, with joy giving thanks to the
Father, who has made you fit to share in the inheritance of the
holy ones in light. He delivered us from the power of darkness and
transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have
redemption, the forgiveness of sins. [COL 1:3-14]
I say this so that no one may deceive you by
specious arguments. For even if I am absent in the flesh, yet I am
with you in spirit, rejoicing as I observe your good order and the
firmness of your faith in Christ. So, as you received Christ Jesus
the Lord, walk in him, rooted in him and built upon him and
established in the faith as you were taught, abounding in
thanksgiving. See to it that no one captivate you with an empty,
seductive philosophy according to human tradition, according to
the elemental powers of the world and not according to Christ. [COL
2:4-8]
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as
in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms,
hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
[COL 3:16]
For our gospel did not come to you in word
alone, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and (with) much
conviction. You know what sort of people we were (among) you for
your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord,
receiving the word in great affliction, with joy from the Holy Spirit,
so that you became a model for all the believers in Macedonia and
in Achaia. [1THES 1:5-7]
This is the will of God, your holiness: that you
refrain from immorality, that each of you know how to acquire a
wife for himself in holiness and honor, not in lustful passion as
do the Gentiles who do not know God; not to take advantage of or
exploit a brother in this matter, for the Lord is an avenger in
all these things, as we told you before and solemnly affirmed. For
God did not call us to impurity but to holiness. Therefore,
whoever disregards this, disregards not a human being but God, who
(also) gives his Holy Spirit to you. [1THES 4:3-8]
Do not quench the Spirit. [1THES 5:19]
May the God of peace himself make you perfectly
holy and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body, be preserved
blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. [1THES 5:23]
We ask you, brothers, with regard to the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling with him, not to be
shaken out of your minds suddenly, or to be alarmed either by a
"spirit," or by an oral statement, or by a letter
allegedly from us to the effect that the day of the Lord is at
hand. Let no one deceive you in any way. For unless the apostasy
comes first and the lawless one is revealed, the one doomed to
perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called
god and object of worship, so as to seat himself in the temple of
God, claiming that he is a god - do you not recall that while I
was still with you I told you these things? And now you know what
is restraining, that he may be revealed in his time. For the
mystery of lawlessness is already at work. But the one who
restrains is to do so only for the present, until he is removed
from the scene. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom
the Lord (Jesus) will kill with the breath of his mouth and render
powerless by the manifestation of his coming, the one whose coming
springs from the power of Satan in every mighty deed and in signs
and wonders that lie, and in every wicked deceit for those who are
perishing because they have not accepted the love of truth so that
they may be saved. Therefore, God is sending them a deceiving
power so that they may believe the lie, that all who have not
believed the truth but have approved wrongdoing may be condemned.
But we ought to give thanks to God for you always, brothers loved
by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits for
salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in
truth. To this end he has (also) called you through our gospel to
possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brothers,
stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught,
either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours. May our Lord
Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who has loved us and
given us everlasting encouragement and good hope through his
grace, encourage your hearts and strengthen them in every good
deed and word. [2THES 2:1-17]
Undeniably great is the mystery of devotion, Who
was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the spirit, seen by
angels, proclaimed to the Gentiles, believed in throughout the
world, taken up in glory. [1TM 3:16]
Now the Spirit explicitly says that in the last times some will turn away from the faith by paying attention to deceitful spirits and demonic instructions through the hypocrisy of liars with branded consciences.
[1TM 4:1-2]
For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame
the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands.
For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power
and love and self-control. So do not be ashamed of your testimony
to our Lord, nor of me, a prisoner for his sake; but bear your
share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from
God. [2TM 1:6-8]
Take as your norm the sound words that you heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Guard this rich trust with the help of the
Holy Spirit that dwells within us. [2TM 1:13-14]
The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with all
of you. [2TM 4:22]
Remind them to be under the control of
magistrates and authorities, to be obedient, to be open to every
good enterprise. They are to slander no one, to be peaceable,
considerate, exercising all graciousness toward everyone. For we
ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, deluded, slaves to
various desires and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful
ourselves and hating one another. But when the kindness and
generous love of God our savior appeared, not because of any
righteous deeds we had done but because of his mercy, he saved us
through the bath of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom
he richly poured out on us through Jesus Christ our savior, so
that we might be justified by his grace and become heirs in hope
of eternal life. his saying is trustworthy. I want you to insist
on these points, that those who have believed in God be careful to
devote themselves to good works; these are excellent and
beneficial to others. Avoid foolish arguments, genealogies,
rivalries, and quarrels about the law, for they are useless and
futile. After a first and second warning, break off contact with a
heretic, realizing that such a person is perverted and sinful and
stands self-condemned. [TI 3:1-11]
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your
spirit. [PHLM 1:25]
But to which of the angels has he ever said: "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool"? Are they not all
ministering spirits sent to serve, for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? [HEB 1:13-14]
Therefore, we must attend all the more to what
we have heard, so that we may not be carried away. For if the word
announced through angels proved firm, and every transgression and
disobedience received its just recompense, how shall we escape if
we ignore so great a salvation? Announced originally through the
Lord, it was confirmed for us by those who had heard. God added
his testimony by signs, wonders, various acts of power, and
distribution of the gifts of the Holy Spirit according to his
will. [HEB 2:1-4]
Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: "Oh,
that today you would hear his voice, 'Harden not your hearts as at
the rebellion in the day of testing in the desert, where your
ancestors tested and tried me and saw my works for forty years.
Because of this I was provoked with that generation and I said,
"They have always been of erring heart, and they do not know
my ways." As I swore in my wrath, "They shall not enter
into my rest."'" Take care, brothers, that none of you
may have an evil and unfaithful heart, so as to forsake the living
God. Encourage yourselves daily while it is still
"today," so that none of you may grow hardened by the
deceit of sin. We have become partners of Christ if only we hold
the beginning of the reality firm until the end, for it is said:
"Oh, that today you would hear his voice: 'Harden not your
hearts as at the rebellion.'" [HEB 3:7-15]
Indeed, the word of God is living and effective,
sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul
and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and
thoughts of the heart. [HEB 4:12]
For it is impossible in the case of those who
have once been enlightened and tasted the heavenly gift and shared
in the Holy Spirit and tasted the good word of God and the powers
of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to bring them to
repentance again, since they are recrucifying the Son of God for
themselves and holding him up to contempt. Ground that has
absorbed the rain falling upon it repeatedly and brings forth
crops useful to those for whom it is cultivated receives a
blessing from God. But if it produces thorns and thistles, it is
rejected; it will soon be cursed and finally burned. But we are
sure in your regard, beloved, of better things related to
salvation, even though we speak in this way. [HEB 6:4-9]
In this way the Holy Spirit shows that the way
into the sanctuary had not yet been revealed while the outer
tabernacle still had its place. [HEB 9:8]
How much more will the blood of Christ, who
through the eternal spirit offered himself unblemished to God,
cleanse our consciences from dead works to worship the living God.
[Taken from HEB 9:14]
The Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after
saying: "This is the covenant I will establish with them
after those days, says the Lord: 'I will put my laws in their
hearts, and I will write them upon their minds,'" he also
says: "Their sins and their evildoing I will remember no
more." [HEB 10:15-17]
We should not stay away from our assembly, as is
the custom of some, but encourage one another, and this all the
more as you see the day drawing near. If we sin deliberately after
receiving knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains
sacrifice for sins but a fearful prospect of judgment and a
flaming fire that is going to consume the adversaries. Anyone who
rejects the law of Moses is put to death without pity on the
testimony of two or three witnesses. Do you not think that a much
worse punishment is due the one who has contempt for the Son of
God, considers unclean the covenant-blood by which he was
consecrated, and insults the spirit of grace? We know the one who
said: "Vengeance is mine; I will repay," and again:
"The Lord will judge his people." It is a fearful thing
to fall into the hands of the living God. [HEB 10:25-31]
Endure your trials as "discipline";
God treats you as sons. For what "son" is there whom his
father does not discipline? If you are without discipline, in
which all have shared, you are not sons but bastards. Besides
this, we have had our earthly fathers to discipline us, and we
respected them. Should we not (then) submit all the more to the
Father of spirits and live? They disciplined us for a short time
as seemed right to them, but he does so for our benefit, in order
that we may share his holiness. At the time, all discipline seems
a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful
fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it. So
strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees. Make straight
paths for your feet, that what is lame may not be dislocated but
healed. [HEB 12:7-13]
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he
has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a
brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day,
and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, keep warm, and eat
well," but you do not give them the necessities of the body,
what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have
works, is dead. Indeed someone might say, "You have faith and
I have works." Demonstrate your faith to me without works,
and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works. You believe
that God is one. You do well. Even the demons believe that and
tremble. Do you want proof, you ignoramus, that faith without
works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works
when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? You see that faith
was active along with his works, and faith was completed by the
works. Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham
believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,"
and he was called "the friend of God." See how a person
is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way,
was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she welcomed
the messengers and sent them out by a different route? For just as
a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is
dead. [JMS 2:14-26]
Where do the wars and where do the conflicts
among you come from? Is it not from your passions that make war
within your members? You covet but do not possess. You kill and
envy but you cannot obtain; you fight and wage war. You do not
possess because you do not ask. You ask but do not receive,
because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. Adulterers!
Do you not know that to be a lover of the world means enmity with
God? Therefore, whoever wants to be a lover of the world makes
himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose that the scripture
speaks without meaning when it says, "The spirit that he has
made to dwell in us tends toward jealousy"? But he bestows a
greater grace; therefore, it says: "God resists the proud,
but gives grace to the humble." So submit yourselves to God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and
he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and
purify your hearts, you of two minds. Begin to lament, to mourn,
to weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy
into dejection. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will
exalt you. Do not speak evil of one another, brothers. Whoever
speaks evil of a brother or judges his brother speaks evil of the
law and judges the law. If you judge the law, you are not a doer
of the law but a judge. There is one lawgiver and judge who is
able to save or to destroy. Who then are you to judge your
neighbor? [JMS 4:1-12]
Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray.
Is anyone in good spirits? He should sing praise. [JMS 5:13]
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the chosen
sojourners of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia,
and Bithynia, in the foreknowledge of God the Father, through
sanctification by the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling with
the blood of Jesus Christ: may grace and peace be yours in
abundance. [1PT 1:1-2]
Although you have not seen him you love him;
even though you do not see him now yet believe in him, you rejoice
with an indescribable and glorious joy, as you attain the goal of
(your) faith, the salvation of your souls. Concerning this
salvation, prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be
yours searched and investigated it, investigating the time and
circumstances that the Spirit of Christ within them indicated when
it testified in advance to the sufferings destined for Christ and
the glories to follow them. It was revealed to them that they were
serving not themselves but you with regard to the things that have
now been announced to you by those who preached the good news to
you (through) the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which
angels longed to look. [1PT 1:8-12]
Rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit,
insincerity, envy, and all slander; like newborn infants, long for
pure spiritual milk so that through it you may grow into
salvation, for you have tasted that the Lord is good. Come to him,
a living stone, rejected by human beings but chosen and precious
in the sight of God, and, like living stones, let yourselves be
built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer
spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. [1PT
2:1-5]
For it is better to suffer for doing good, if
that be the will of God, than for doing evil. For Christ also
suffered for sins once, the righteous for the sake of the
unrighteous, that he might lead you to God. Put to death in the
flesh, he was brought to life in the spirit. In it he also went to
preach to the spirits in prison, who had once been disobedient
while God patiently waited in the days of Noah during the building
of the ark, in which a few persons, eight in all, were saved
through water. This prefigured baptism, which saves you now. It is
not a removal of dirt from the body but an appeal to God for a
clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who
has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels,
authorities, and powers subject to him. [1PT 3:17-22]
Therefore, since Christ suffered in the flesh,
arm yourselves also with the same attitude (for whoever suffers in
the flesh has broken with sin), so as not to spend what remains of
one's life in the flesh on human desires, but on the will of God.
For the time that has passed is sufficient for doing what the
Gentiles like to do: living in debauchery, evil desires,
drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and wanton idolatry. They are
surprised that you do not plunge into the same swamp of
profligacy, and they vilify you; but they will give an account to
him who stands ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is
why the gospel was preached even to the dead that, though
condemned in the flesh in human estimation, they might live in the
spirit in the estimation of God. [1PT 4:1-6]
If you are insulted for the name of Christ,
blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon
you. [1PT 4:14]
Know this first of all, that there is no
prophecy of scripture that is a matter of personal interpretation,
for no prophecy ever came through human will; but rather human
beings moved by the Holy Spirit spoke under the influence of God. [2PT
1:20-21]
(Now) this is how we shall know that we belong
to the truth and reassure our hearts before him in whatever our
hearts condemn, for God is greater than our hearts and knows
everything. Beloved, if (our) hearts do not condemn us, we have
confidence in God and receive from him whatever we ask, because we
keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And his commandment
is this: we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ,
and love one another just as he commanded us. Those who keep his
commandments remain in him, and he in them, and the way we know
that he remains in us is from the Spirit that he gave us. [1JN 3:19-24]
Beloved, do not trust every spirit but test the
spirits to see whether they belong to God, because many false
prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can know
the Spirit of God: every spirit that acknowledges Jesus Christ
come in the flesh belongs to God, and every spirit that does not
acknowledge Jesus does not belong to God. This is the spirit of
the antichrist that, as you heard, is to come, but in fact is
already in the world. You belong to God, children, and you have
conquered them, for the one who is in you is greater than the one
who is in the world. They belong to the world; accordingly, their
teaching belongs to the world, and the world listens to them. We
belong to God, and anyone who knows God listens to us, while
anyone who does not belong to God refuses to hear us. This is how
we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of deceit. [1JN 4:1-6]
This is how we know that we remain in him and he
in us, that he has given us of his Spirit. [1JN 4:13]
Who (indeed) is the victor over the world but
the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is the one
who came through water and blood, Jesus Christ, not by water
alone, but by water and blood. The Spirit is the one that
testifies, and the Spirit is truth. So there are three that
testify, the Spirit, the water, and the blood, and the three are
of one accord. If we accept human testimony, the testimony of God
is surely greater. Now the testimony of God is this, that he has
testified on behalf of his Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God
has this testimony within himself. Whoever does not believe God
has made him a liar by not believing the testimony God has given
about his Son. And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal
life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever possesses the Son has
life; whoever does not possess the Son of God does not have life. [1JN
5:5-12]
But you, beloved, remember the words spoken
beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, for they told
you, "In (the) last time there will be scoffers who will live
according to their own godless desires." These are the ones
who cause divisions; they live on the natural plane, devoid of the
Spirit. But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy
faith; pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in the love of God
and wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to
eternal life. On those who waver, have mercy; save others by
snatching them out of the fire; on others have mercy with fear,
abhorring even the outer garment stained by the flesh. [JUDE 1:17-23]
John, to the seven churches in Asia: grace to
you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and
from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ,
the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead and ruler of the
kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our
sins by his blood, who has made us into a kingdom, priests for his
God and Father, to him be glory and power forever (and ever).
Amen. [RV 1:4-6]
I was caught up in spirit on the Lord's day and
heard behind me a voice as loud as a trumpet, which said,
"Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven
churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis,
Philadelphia, and Laodicea." [RV 1:10-11]
"Whoever has ears ought to hear
what the Spirit says to the churches. To the victor I will give
the right to eat from the tree of life that is in the garden of
God." [RV 2:7]
"Whoever has ears ought to hear
what the Spirit says to the churches. The victor shall not be
harmed by the second death." [RV 2:11]
"Whoever has ears ought to hear
what the Spirit says to the churches. To the victor I shall give
some of the hidden manna; I shall also give a white amulet upon
which is inscribed a new name, which no one knows except the one
who receives it."
[RV 2:17]
"To the angel of the church in Sardis,
write this: 'The one who has the seven spirits of God and the
seven stars says this: "I know your works, that you have the
reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Be watchful and
strengthen what is left, which is going to die, for I have not
found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember then
how you accepted and heard; keep it, and repent. If you are not
watchful, I will come like a thief, and you will never know at
what hour I will come upon you. However, you have a few people in
Sardis who have not soiled their garments; they will walk with me
dressed in white, because they are worthy. The victor will thus be
dressed in white, and I will never erase his name from the book of
life but will acknowledge his name in the presence of my Father
and of his angels." Whoever has ears ought to hear what the
Spirit says to the churches."' [RV 3:1-6]
After this I had a vision of an open door to
heaven, and I heard the trumpet like voice that had spoken to me
before, saying, "Come up here and I will show you what must
happen afterwards." At once I was caught up in spirit. A
throne was there in heaven, and on the throne sat one whose
appearance sparkled like jasper and carnelian. Around the throne
was a halo as brilliant as an emerald. Surrounding the throne I
saw twenty-four other thrones on which twenty-four elders sat,
dressed in white garments and with gold crowns on their heads.
From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings, and peals of
thunder. Seven flaming torches burned in front of the throne,
which are the seven spirits of God. In front of the throne was
something that resembled a sea of glass like crystal. In the
center and around the throne, there were four living creatures
covered with eyes in front and in back. The first creature
resembled a lion, the second was like a calf, the third had a face
like that of a human being, and the fourth looked like an eagle in
flight. The four living creatures, each of them with six wings,
were covered with eyes inside and out. Day and night they do not
stop exclaiming: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty,
who was, and who is, and who is to come." Whenever the living
creatures give glory and honor and thanks to the one who sits on
the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders
fall down before the one who sits on the throne and worship him,
who lives forever and ever. They throw down their crowns before
the throne, exclaiming: "Worthy are you, Lord our God, to
receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things;
because of your will they came to be and were created." [RV
4:1-11]
Then I saw standing in the midst of the throne
and the four living creatures and the elders, a Lamb that seemed
to have been slain. He had seven horns and seven eyes; these are
the (seven) spirits of God sent out into the whole world. [RV 5:6]
I heard a voice from heaven say, "Write
this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on."
"Yes," said the Spirit, "let them find rest from
their labors, for their works accompany them." [RV 14:13]
I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come from
the mouth of the dragon, from the mouth of the beast, and from the
mouth of the false prophet. These were demonic spirits who performed signs.
They went out to the kings of the whole world to assemble them for
the battle on the great day of God the almighty. [RV 16:13-14]
Then he carried me away in spirit to a deserted
place where I saw a woman seated on a scarlet beast that was
covered with blasphemous names, with seven heads and ten horns.
[RV 17:3]
Then the angel said to me, "Write this:
Blessed are those who have been called to the wedding feast of the
Lamb." And he said to me, "These words are true; they
come from God." I fell at his feet to worship him. But he
said to me, "Don't! I am a fellow servant of yours and of
your brothers who bear witness to Jesus. Worship God. Witness to
Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." [RV 19:9-10]
He took me in spirit to a great, high mountain
and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven
from God. [RV 21:10]
And he said to me, "These words are
trustworthy and true, and the Lord, the God of prophetic spirits,
sent his angel to show his servants what must happen soon."
[RV 22:6]
The Spirit and the bride say, "Come."
Let the hearer say, "Come." Let the one who thirsts come
forward, and the one who wants it receive the gift of life-giving
water. [RV 22:17]
Also try:
God
[G4a]
Trinity
[One God in Three Distinct Persons] [T10]
Pentecost
[P]
soul
[S24]
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