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NEW TESTAMENT TEXTS ON THE TRINITY

(Selected by Salam Falaki)

 

 

The Birth of Jesus the Messiah

(Matthew 1:18-25)

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit;

19 and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.

20 But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit;

21 she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."

22 All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

23 "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel" (which means, God with us).

24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife,

25 but knew her not until she had borne a son; and he called his name Jesus.

 

 

The Proclamation of John the Baptist

(Matthew 3:9-12)

9 and do not presume to say to yourselves, `We have Abraham as our father'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.

10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

11 I baptise you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry; he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.

 

 

The Baptism of Jesus

(Matthew 3:13-17)

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptised by him.

14 John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptised by you, and do you come to me?"

15 But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness." Then he consented.

16 And when Jesus was baptised, he went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on him;

17 and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."

 

 

The Temptation of Jesus

(Matthew 4:1-11)

4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

2 And He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward He was hungry.

3 And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread."

4 But He answered, "It is written, `Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'"

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple,

6 and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, `He will give his angels charge of you,' and `On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'"

7 Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, `You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'"

8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them;

9 and he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me."

10 Then Jesus said to him, "Begone, Satan! for it is written, `You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.'"

11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and ministered to him.

 

 

Coming Persecutions

(Matthew 10:16-22)

16 Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

17 Beware of men; for they will deliver you up to councils, and flog you in their synagogues,

18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear testimony before them and the Gentiles.

19 When they deliver you up, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour;

20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

21 Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death;

22 and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.

 

 

God's Chosen Servant

(Matthew 12:15-21)

15 Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and He healed them all,

16 and ordered them not to make him known.

17 This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:

18 "Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and He shall proclaim justice to the Gentiles.

19 He will not wrangle or cry aloud, nor will any one hear his voice in the streets;

20 He will not break a bruised reed or quench a smouldering wick, till He brings justice to victory;

21 and in his name will the Gentiles hope."

 

 

Jesus and Beelzebul

(Matthew 12:28, 31-32)

28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

 

 

31 Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.

32 And whoever says a word against the Son of man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

 

 

The Question about David's Son

(Matthew 22:41-46)

41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question,

42 saying, "What do you think of the Christ? Whose son is he?" They said to him, "The son of David."

43 He said to them, "How is it then that David, inspired by the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,

44 `The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, till I put thy enemies under thy feet'?

45 If David thus calls him Lord, how is He his son?"

46 And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did any one dare to ask him any more questions.

 

 

The Commissioning of the Disciples

(Matthew 28:16-20)

16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.

17 And when they saw him they worshipped him; but some doubted.

18 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age."

 

 

The Baptism and Temptation of Jesus

(Mark 1:9-13)

9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptised by John in the Jordan.

10 And when He came up out of the water, immediately He saw the heavens opened and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove;

11 and a voice came from heaven, "Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased."

12 The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.

13 And He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and He was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to him.

 

 

Jesus and Beelzebul

(Mark 3:28-30)

28 "Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter;

29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin" --

30 for they had said, "He has an unclean spirit."

 

 

The Question about David's Son

(Mark 12:35-37)

35 And as Jesus taught in the temple, He said, "How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? 36 David himself, inspired by the Holy Spirit, declared, `The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, till I put thy enemies under thy feet.' 37 David himself calls him Lord; so how is he his son?" And the great throng heard him gladly.

 

 

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

(Luke 1:26-38)

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,

27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.

28 And he came to her and said, "Hail, O favoured one, the Lord is with you!"

29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be.

30 And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God.

31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.

32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,

33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end."

34 And Mary said to the angel, "How shall this be, since I have no husband?"

35 And the angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.

36 And behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.

37 For with God nothing will be impossible."

38 And Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

 

 

Mary Visits Elizabeth

(Luke 1:39-45)

39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah,

40 and she entered the house of Zechari'ah and greeted Elizabeth.

41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit

42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

43 And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

44 For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy.

45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her from the Lord."

 

 

Zechariah's Prophecy

(Luke 1:67-79)

67 And his father Zechari'ah was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying,

68 "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed his people,

69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David,

70 as He spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,

71 that we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us;

72 to perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant,

73 the oath which He swore to our father Abraham,

74 to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear,

75 in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life.

76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,

77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins,

78 through the tender mercy of our God, when the day shall dawn upon us from on high

79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."

 

 

Jesus is Presented in the Temple

(Luke 2:25-32)

25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.

27 And inspired by the Spirit he came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law,

28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

29 "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word;

30 for mine eyes have seen thy salvation 31 which thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples,

32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to thy people Israel."

 

 

The Baptism of Jesus

(Luke 3:21-22)

21 Now when all the people were baptised, and when Jesus also had been baptised and was praying, the heaven was opened,

22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form, as a dove, and a voice came from heaven, "Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased."

 

 

The Temptation of Jesus

(Luke 4:1-13)

4:1 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit

2 for forty days in the wilderness, tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing in those days; and when they were ended, he was hungry.

3 The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread."

4 And Jesus answered him, "It is written, `Man shall not live by bread alone.'"

5 And the devil took him up, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time,

6 and said to him, "To you I will give all this authority and their glory; for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will.

7 If you, then, will worship me, it shall all be yours."

8 And Jesus answered him, "It is written, `You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.'"

9 And he took him to Jerusalem, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here;

10 for it is written, `He will give his angels charge of you, to guard you,'

11 and `On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'"

12 And Jesus answered him, "It is said, `You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'"

13 And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.

The Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth

(Luke 4:17b-21)

He opened the book and found the place where it was written,

18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,

19 to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."

20 And he closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.

21 And he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."

 

 

Jesus Rejoices

(Luke 10:21-22)

21 In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, "I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will.

22 All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."

 

 

Perseverance in Prayer

(Luke 11:9-13)

9 And I tell you, Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

10 For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent;

12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?

13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

 

 

Exhortation to Fearless Confession

(Luke 12:8-12)

8 "And I tell you, every one who acknowledges me before men, the Son of man also will acknowledge before the angels of God;

9 but he who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God.

10 And every one who speaks a word against the Son of man will be forgiven; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

11 And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious how or what you are to answer or what you are to say;

12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."

 

 

The Death of Jesus

(Luke 23:46)

46 Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, "Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit!" And having said this he breathed his last.

 

 

 

The Lamb of God

(John 1:32-34)

32 And John bore witness, "I saw the Spirit descend as a dove from heaven, and it remained on him.

33 I myself did not know him; but he who sent me to baptise with water said to me, `He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptises with the Holy Spirit.'

34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God."

 

 

Nicodemus Visits Jesus

(John 3:1-13)

3:1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicode'mus, a ruler of the Jews.

2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him."

3 Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

4 Nicode'mus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"

5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

7 Do not marvel that I said to you, `You must be born anew.'

8 The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes; so it is with every one who is born of the Spirit."

9 Nicode'mus said to him, "How can this be?"

10 Jesus answered him, "Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand this?

11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen; but you do not receive our testimony.

12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?

13 No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of man.

 

 

Jesus and John the Baptist

(John 3:29-36)

29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom; the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice; therefore this joy of mine is now full.

30 He must increase, but I must decrease."

31 He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth belongs to the earth, and of the earth he speaks; he who comes from heaven is above all.

32 He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony;

33 he who receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true.

34 For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for it is not by measure that he gives the Spirit;

35 the Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand.

36 He who believes in the Son has eternal life; he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God rests upon him.

 

 

Jesus and the Woman of Samaria

(John 4:15-24)

15 The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw."

16 Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here."

17 The woman answered him, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You are right in saying, `I have no husband';

18 for you have had five husbands, and he whom you now have is not your husband; this you said truly."

19 The woman said to him, "Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.

20 Our fathers worshipped on this mountain; and you say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship."

21 Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.

22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.

23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him.

24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."

 

 

The Words of Eternal Life

(John 6:60-65)

60 Many of his disciples, when they heard it, said, "This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?"

61 But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at it, said to them, "Do you take offence at this?

62 Then what if you were to see the Son of man ascending where he was before?

63 It is the Spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

64 But there are some of you that do not believe." For Jesus knew from the first who those were that did not believe, and who it was that would betray him.

65 And he said, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father."

 

 

The Promise of the Holy Spirit

(John 14:15-21, 25-26)

15 "If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

16 And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Counsellor, to be with you for ever,

17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him; you know him, for he dwells with you, and will be in you.

18 "I will not leave you desolate; I will come to you.

19 Yet a little while, and the world will see me no more, but you will see me; because I live, you will live also.

20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.

21 He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me; and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him."

........

25 "These things I have spoken to you, while I am still with you.

26 But the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

 

 

 

The World's Hatred

(John 15:26-27)

26 But when the Counsellor comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness to me;

27 and you also are witnesses, because you have been with me from the beginning.

 

 

The Work of the Spirit

(John 16:12-15)

12 "I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.

13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

 

 

Jesus Appears to his Disciples

(John 20:19-23)

19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."

20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.

21 Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you."

22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.

23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

 

 

The Promise of the Holy Spirit

(Acts 1:1-9)

1:1 In the first book, O The-oph'ilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach,

2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.

3 To them he presented himself alive after his passion by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days, and speaking of the kingdom of God.

4 And while staying with them he charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, "you heard from me,

5 for John baptised with water, but before many days you shall be baptised with the Holy Spirit."

6 So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"

7 He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority.

8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Sama'ria and to the end of the earth."

 

 

Peter Addresses the Crowd

(Acts 2:14-36)

14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words.

15 For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day;

16 but this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

17 `And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;

18 yea, and on my menservants and my maidservants in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.

19 And I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth beneath, blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke;

20 the sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and manifest day.

21 And it shall be that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'

22 "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs which God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know --

23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.

24 But God raised him up, having loosed the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.

25 For David says concerning him, `I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;

26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; moreover my flesh will dwell in hope.

27 For thou wilt not abandon my soul to Hades, nor let thy Holy One see corruption.

28 Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou wilt make me full of gladness with thy presence.'

29 "Brethren, I may say to you confidently of the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.

30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne,

31 he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption.

32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.

33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this which you see and hear.

34 For David did not ascend into the heavens; but he himself says, `The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand,

35 till I make thy enemies a stool for thy feet.'

36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified." Acts 2:14-36

 

 

Peter and John before the Council

(Acts 4:5-12)

5 On the morrow their rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem,

6 with Annas the high priest and Ca'iaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family.

7 And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, "By what power or by what name did you do this?"

8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders,

9 if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a cripple, by what means this man has been healed,

10 be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by him this man is standing before you well.

11 This is the stone which was rejected by you builders, but which has become the head of the corner.

12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

 

 

The Believers Pray for Boldness

(Acts 4:23-31)

23 When they were released they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them.

24 And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, "Sovereign Lord, who didst make the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them,

25 who by the mouth of our father David, thy servant, didst say by the Holy Spirit, `Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples imagine vain things?

26 The kings of the earth set themselves in array, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed' --

27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against thy holy servant Jesus, whom thou didst anoint, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,

28 to do whatever thy hand and thy plan had predestined to take place.

29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats, and grant to thy servants to speak thy word with all boldness,

30 while thou stretchest out thy hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of thy holy servant Jesus."

31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness.

 

 

The Apostles are Persecuted

(Acts 5:27-33)

27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them,

28 saying, "We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you intend to bring this man's blood upon us."

29 But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men.

30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus whom you killed by hanging him on a tree.

31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Saviour, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.

32 And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him."

33 When they heard this they were enraged and wanted to kill them.

 

 

The Stoning of Stephen

(Acts 7:54-60)

54 Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth against him.

55 But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God;

56 and he said, "Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God."

57 But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together upon him.

58 Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him; and the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.

59 And as they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."

60 And he knelt down and cried with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

 

 

Philip Preaches in Samaria

(Acts 8:14-24)

14 Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Sama'ria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John,

15 who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit;

16 for it had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus.

17 Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.

18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money,

19 saying, "Give me also this power, that any one on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit."

20 But Peter said to him, "Your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!

21 You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God.

22 Repent therefore of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you.

23 For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity."

24 And Simon answered, "Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me."

 

 

Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch

(Acts 8:26-40)

26 But an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." This is a desert road.

27 And he rose and went. And behold, an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a minister of the Can'dace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of all her treasure, had come to Jerusalem to worship

28 and was returning; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah.

29 And the Spirit said to Philip, "Go up and join this chariot."

30 So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?"

31 And he said, "How can I, unless some one guides me?" And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

32 Now the passage of the scripture which he was reading was this: "As a sheep led to the slaughter or a lamb before its shearer is dumb, so he opens not his mouth.

33 In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken up from the earth."

34 And the eunuch said to Philip, "About whom, pray, does the prophet say this, about himself or about some one else?"

35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this scripture he told him the good news of Jesus.

36 And as they went along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "See, here is water! What is to prevent my being baptised?"

37 38 And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptised him.

39 And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught up Philip; and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.

40 But Philip was found at Azo'tus, and passing on he preached the gospel to all the towns till he came to Caesare'a.

 

 

Gentiles Hear the Good News

(Acts 10:34-48)

34 And Peter opened his mouth and said: "Truly I perceive that God shows no partiality,

35 but in every nation any one who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.

36 You know the word which he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace by Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all),

37 the word which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism which John preached:

38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

39 And we are witnesses to all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree;

40 but God raised him on the third day and made him manifest;

41 not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.

42 And he commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that he is the one ordained by God to be judge of the living and the dead.

43 To him all the prophets bear witness that every one who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."

44 While Peter was still saying this, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word.

45 And the believers from among the circumcised who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles.

46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared,

47 "Can any one forbid water for baptising these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?"

48 And he commanded them to be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.

 

 

Peter's Report to the Church at Jerusalem

(Acts 11:1-18)

11:1 Now the apostles and the brethren who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.

2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticised him,

3 saying, "Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?"

4 But Peter began and explained to them in order:

5 "I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, something descending, like a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came down to me.

6 Looking at it closely I observed animals and beasts of prey and reptiles and birds of the air.

7 And I heard a voice saying to me, `Rise, Peter; kill and eat.'

8 But I said, `No, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth.'

9 But the voice answered a second time from heaven, `What God has cleansed you must not call common.'

10 This happened three times, and all was drawn up again into heaven.

11 At that very moment three men arrived at the house in which we were, sent to me from Caesare'a.

12 And the Spirit told me to go with them, making no distinction. These six brethren also accompanied me, and we entered the man's house.

13 And he told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, `Send to Joppa and bring Simon called Peter;

14 he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.'

15 As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning.

16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, `John baptised with water, but you shall be baptised with the Holy Spirit.'

17 If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?"

18 When they heard this they were silenced. And they glorified God, saying, "Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance unto life."

 

 

The Church in Antioch

(Acts 11:22-26)

22 News of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.

23 When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad; and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose;

24 for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a large company was added to the Lord.

25 So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul;

26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church, and taught a large company of people; and in Antioch the disciples were for the first time called Christians.

 

 

Barnabas and Saul Commissioned

(Acts 13:4-12)

4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleu'cia; and from there they sailed to Cyprus.

5 When they arrived at Sal'amis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them.

6 When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet, named Bar-Jesus.

7 He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.

8 But El'ymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) withstood them, seeking to turn away the proconsul from the faith.

9 But Saul, who is also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him

10 and said, "You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?

11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind and unable to see the sun for a time." Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand.

12 Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

 

 

The Council at Jerusalem

(Acts 15:7-12)

7 And after there had been much debate, Peter rose and said to them, "Brethren, you know that in the early days God made choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.

8 And God who knows the heart bore witness to them, giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us;

9 and he made no distinction between us and them, but cleansed their hearts by faith.

10 Now therefore why do you make trial of God by putting a yoke upon the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?

11 But we believe that we shall be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will."

12 And all the assembly kept silence; and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.

 

 

Ministry of Apollos

(Acts 18:24-28)

24 Now a Jew named Apol'los, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, well versed in the scriptures.

25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John.

26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue; but when Priscilla and Aq'uila heard him, they took him and expounded to him the way of God more accurately.

27 And when he wished to cross to Acha'ia, the brethren encouraged him, and wrote to the disciples to receive him. When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed,

28 for he powerfully confuted the Jews in public, showing by the scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.

 

 

Paul Speaks to the Ephesian Elders

(Acts 20:17-35)

17 And from Mile'tus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church.

18 And when they came to him, he said to them: "You yourselves know how I lived among you all the time from the first day that I set foot in Asia,

19 serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which befell me through the plots of the Jews;

20 how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house,

21 testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance to God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

22 And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, bound in the Spirit, not knowing what shall befall me there;

23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me.

24 But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may accomplish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

25 And now, behold, I know that all you among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom will see my face no more.

26 Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all of you,

27 for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.

28 Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God which he obtained with the blood of his own Son.

29 I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock;

30 and from among your own selves will arise men speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.

31 Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears.

32 And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

33 I coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel.

34 You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities, and to those who were with me.

35 In all things I have shown you that by so toiling one must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, `It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"

 

 

Paul Preaches in Rome

(Acts 28:25-31)

25 So, as they disagreed among themselves, they departed, after Paul had made one statement: "The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet:

26 `Go to this people, and say, You shall indeed hear but never understand, and you shall indeed see but never perceive.

27 For this people's heart has grown dull, and their ears are heavy of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should perceive with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn for me to heal them.'

28 Let it be known to you then that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen."

29 30 And he lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him,

31 preaching the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ quite openly and unhindered.

 

 

Salutation

(Romans 1:1-7)

1:1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God

2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures,

3 the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh

4 and designated Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,

5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations,

6 including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ;

7 To all God's beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

 

Results of Justification

(Romans 5:1-5)

5:1 Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Through him we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God.

3 More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,

4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,

5 and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us.

 

An Analogy from Marriage

(Romans 7:4-6)

4 Likewise, my brethren, you have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead in order that we may bear fruit for God.

5 While we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death.

6 But now we are discharged from the law, dead to that which held us captive, so that we serve not under the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit.

 

 

Life in the Spirit

(Romans 8:1-15)

8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death.

3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,

4 in order that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

6 To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.

7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law, indeed it cannot;

8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

9 But you are not in the flesh, you are in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Any one who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

10 But if Christ is in you, although your bodies are dead because of sin, your spirits are alive because of righteousness.

11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit which dwells in you.

12 So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh --

13 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.

14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of sonship. When we cry, "Abba! Father!"

16 it is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our Spirit that we are children of God,

17 and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

 

 

Future Glory

(Romans 8:26-30)

26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words.

27 And he who searches the hearts of men knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

28 We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose.

29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the first-born among many brethren.

30 And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.

 

 

God's Election of Israel

(Romans 9:1-5)

9:1 I am speaking the truth in Christ, I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit,

2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.

3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen by race.

4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the sonship, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises;

5 to them belong the patriarchs, and of their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ. God who is over all be blessed for ever. Amen.

 

 

Do Not Make Another Stumble

(Romans 14:14-18)

14 I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but it is unclean for any one who thinks it unclean.

15 If your brother is being injured by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. Do not let what you eat cause the ruin of one for whom Christ died.

16 So do not let your good be spoken of as evil.

17 For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit;

18 he who thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men.

 

 

The Gospel for Jews and Gentiles Alike

(Romans 15:7-21)

7 Welcome one another, therefore, as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

8 For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God's truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs,

9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, "Therefore I will praise thee among the Gentiles, and sing to thy name";

10 and again it is said, "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people";

11 and again, "Praise the Lord, all Gentiles, and let all the peoples praise him";

12 and further Isaiah says, "The root of Jesse shall come, he who rises to rule the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles hope."

13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

14 I myself am satisfied about you, my brethren, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another.

15 But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God

16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

17 In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God.

18 For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has wrought through me to win obedience from the Gentiles, by word and deed,

19 by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Holy Spirit, so that from Jerusalem and as far round as Illyr'icum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ,

20 thus making it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on another man's foundation,

21 but as it is written, "They shall see who have never been told of him, and they shall understand who have never heard of him."

 

 

Paul's Reason for Writing so Boldly

(Romans 15:30-33)

30 I appeal to you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf,

31 that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints,

32 so that by God's will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company.

33 The God of peace be with you all. Amen.

 

 

Proclaiming Christ Crucified

(1 Corinthians 2:1-5)

2:1 When I came to you, brethren, I did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God in lofty words or wisdom.

2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

3 And I was with you in weakness and in much fear and trembling;

4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,

5 that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

 

 

The True Wisdom of God

(1 Corinthians 2:6-16)

6 Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away.

7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glorification.

8 None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

9 But, as it is written, "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him,"

10 God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.

11 For what person knows a man's thoughts except the spirit of the man which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might understand the gifts bestowed on us by God.

13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who possess the Spirit.

14 The unspiritual man does not receive the gifts of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

15 The spiritual man judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one.

16 "For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.

 

 

On Divisions in the Corinthian Church

(1 Corinthians 3:5-17)

5 What then is Apol'los? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each.

6 I planted, Apol'los watered, but God gave the growth.

7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

8 He who plants and he who waters are equal, and each shall receive his wages according to his labour.

9 For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.

10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and another man is building upon it. Let each man take care how he builds upon it.

11 For no other foundation can any one lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

12 Now if any one builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw --

13 each man's work will become manifest; for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.

14 If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.

15 If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

16 Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?

17 If any one destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and that temple you are.

 

 

Lawsuits Among Believers

(1 Corinthians 6:11)

11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

 

 

Glorify God in Body and Spirit

(1 Corinthians 6:12-19)

12 "All things are lawful for me," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be enslaved by anything.

13 "Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food" -- and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.

14 And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power.

15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never!

16 Do you not know that he who joins himself to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, "The two shall become one flesh."

17 But he who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.

18 Shun immorality. Every other sin which a man commits is outside the body; but the immoral man sins against his own body.

19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own;

 

 

 

 

Spiritual Gifts

(1 Corinthians 12:4-6)

4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit;

5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord;

6 and there are varieties of working, but it is the same God who inspires them all in every one.

 

 

The Postponement of Paul's Visit

(2 Corinthians 1:18-22)

18 As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No.

19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we preached among you, Silva'nus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No; but in him it is always Yes.

20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why we utter the Amen through him, to the glory of God.

21 But it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has commissioned us;

22 he has put his seal upon us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

 

 

Ministers of the New Covenant

(2 Corinthians 3:2-8)

2 You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on your hearts, to be known and read by all men;

3 and you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

4 Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God.

5 Not that we are competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us; our competence is from God,

6 who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not in a written code but in the Spirit; for the written code kills, but the Spirit gives life.

7 Now if the dispensation of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such splendour that the Israelites could not look at Moses' face because of its brightness, fading as this was,

8 will not the dispensation of the Spirit be attended with greater splendour?

 

 

Treasures in Clay Jars

(2 Corinthians 4:7-15)

7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us.

8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair;

9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;

10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.

11 For while we live we are always being given up to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

12 So death is at work in us, but life in you.

13 Since we have the same Spirit of faith as he had who wrote, "I believed, and so I spoke," we too believe, and so we speak,

14 knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence.

15 For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.

 

 

Living by Faith

(2 Corinthians 5:1-10)

5:1 For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

2 Here indeed we groan, and long to put on our heavenly dwelling,

3 so that by putting it on we may not be found naked.

4 For while we are still in this tent, we sigh with anxiety; not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

5 He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

6 So we are always of good courage; we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord,

7 for we walk by faith, not by sight.

8 We are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.

10 For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, so that each one may receive good or evil, according to what he has done in the body.

 

 

Paul's Concern for the Corinthian Church

(2 Corinthians 12:18-19)

18 I urged Titus to go, and sent the brother with him. Did Titus take advantage of you? Did we not act in the same spirit? Did we not take the same steps?

19 Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves before you? It is in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ, and all for your upbuilding, beloved.

 

 

Final Greetings and Benediction

(2 Corinthians 13:14)

14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

 

 

Law or Faith

(Galatians 3:1-5, 11-14)

3:1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?

2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law, or by hearing with faith?

3 Are you so foolish? Having begun with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh?

4 Did you experience so many things in vain? -- if it really is in vain.

5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith?

 

 

11 Now it is evident that no man is justified before God by the law; for "He who through faith is righteous shall live";

12 but the law does not rest on faith, for "He who does them shall live by them."

13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us -- for it is written, "Cursed be every one who hangs on a tree" --

14 that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

 

The Purpose of the Law

(Galatians 4:4-7)

4 But when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,

5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"

7 So through God you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son then an heir.

 

 

The Works of the Flesh and the Fruit of the Spirit

(Galatians 5:16-26)

16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh.

17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you would.

18 But if you are led by the Spirit you are not under the law.

19 Now the works of the flesh are plain: fornication, impurity, licentiousness,

20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit,

21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

23 gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law.

24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

26 Let us have no self-conceit, no provoking of one another, no envy of one another.

 

 

Spiritual Blessing in Christ

(Ephesians 1:3-14)

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.

5 He destined us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,

6 to the praise of his glorious grace which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace

8 which he lavished upon us.

9 For he has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of his will, according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ

10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

11 In him, according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will,

12 we who first hoped in Christ have been destined and appointed to live for the praise of his glory.

13 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,

14 which is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

 

 

One in Christ

(Ephesians 2:11-22)

11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called the uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands --

12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near in the blood of Christ.

14 For he is our peace, who has made us both one, and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility,

15 by abolishing in his flesh the law of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace,

16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby bringing the hostility to an end.

17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near;

18 for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

19 So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

20 built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,

21 in whom the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord;

22 in whom you also are built into it for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

 

 

Paul's Ministry to the Gentiles

(Ephesians 3:1-7)

3:1 For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles --

2 assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you,

3 how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly.

4 When you read this you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ,

5 which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;

6 that is, how the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

7 Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace which was given me by the working of his power.

 

 

Prayer for the Readers

(Ephesians 3:14-21)

14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,

15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,

16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with might through his Spirit in the inner man,

17 and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

18 may have power to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,

19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

20 Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think,

21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, for ever and ever. Amen.

 

 

Unity in the Body of Christ

(Ephesians 4:1-6)

4:1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called,

2 with all lowliness and meekness, with patience, forbearing one another in love,

3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call,

5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

6 one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all.

 

 

Rules for the New Life

(Ephesians 4:30-32)

30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and slander be put away from you, with all malice,

32 and be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

 

 

Renounce Pagan Ways

(Ephesians 5:15-20)

15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise,

16 making the most of the time, because the days are evil.

17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit,

19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart,

20 always and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.

 

 

Paul's Present Circumstances

(Philippians 1:27-30)

27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you stand firm in one Spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,

28 and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear omen to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God.

29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake,

30 engaged in the same conflict which you saw and now hear to be mine.

 

 

Breaking with the Past

(Philippians 3:3)

3 For we are the true circumcision, who worship God in spirit, and glory in Christ Jesus, and put no confidence in the flesh.

 

 

Paul Thanks God for the Colossians

(Colossians 1:3-8)

3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,

4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love which you have for all the saints,

5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel

6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing -- so among yourselves, from the day you heard and understood the grace of God in truth,

7 as you learned it from Ep'aphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf

8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

 

 

The Thessalonians Faith and Example

(1 Thessalonians 1:2-10)

2 We give thanks to God always for you all, constantly mentioning you in our prayers,

3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labour of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

4 For we know, brethren beloved by God, that he has chosen you;

5 for our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.

6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit;

7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedo'nia and in Acha'ia.

8 For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedo'nia and Acha'ia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything.

9 For they themselves report concerning us what a welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God,

10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

 

 

A Life Pleasing to God

(1 Thessalonians 4:1-8)

4:1 Finally, brethren, we beseech and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you learned from us how you ought to live and to please God, just as you are doing, you do so more and more.

2 For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from unchastity;

4 that each one of you know how to take a wife for himself in holiness and honour,

5 not in the passion of lust like heathen who do not know God;

6 that no man transgress, and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we solemnly forewarned you.

7 For God has not called us for uncleanness, but in holiness.

8 Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

 

 

 

Final Exhortations, Greetings, and Benediction

(1 Thessalonians 5:16-22)

16 Rejoice always,

17 pray constantly,

18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

19 Do not quench the Spirit,

20 do not despise prophesying,

21 but test everything; hold fast what is good,

22 abstain from every form of evil.

 

 

Chosen for Salvation

(2 Thessalonians 2:13-17)

13 But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.

14 To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

15 So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter.

16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace,

17 comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.

 

 

The Mystery of our Religion

(1 Timothy 3:14-16)

14 I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these instructions to you so that,

15 if I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth.

16 Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of our religion: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.

 

 

False Asceticism

(1 Timothy 4:1-5)

4:1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by giving heed to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,

2 through the pretensions of liars whose consciences are seared,

3 who forbid marriage and enjoin abstinence from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.

4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving;

5 for then it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.

 

 

Thanksgiving and Encouragement

(2 Timothy 1:6-14)

6 Hence I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands;

7 for God did not give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power and love and self-control.

8 Do not be ashamed then of testifying to our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel in the power of God,

9 who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not in virtue of our works but in virtue of his own purpose and the grace which he gave us in Christ Jesus ages ago,

10 and now has manifested through the appearing of our Saviour Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

11 For this gospel I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher,

12 and therefore I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me.

13 Follow the pattern of the sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus;

14 guard the truth that has been entrusted to you by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.

 

 

Maintain Good Deeds

(Titus 3:3-7)

3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by men and hating one another;

4 but when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Saviour appeared,

5 he saved us, not because of deeds done by us in righteousness, but in virtue of his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit,

6 which he poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Saviour,

7 so that we might be justified by his grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life.

 

 

Salutation

(1 Peter 1:1-12)

1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappado'cia, Asia, and Bithyn'ia,

2 chosen and destined by God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

4 and to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,

5 who by God's power are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while you may have to suffer various trials,

7 so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold which though perishable is tested by fire, may redound to praise and glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

8 Without having seen him you love him; though you do not now see him you believe in him and rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy.

9 As the outcome of your faith you obtain the salvation of your souls.

10 The prophets who prophesied of the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired about this salvation;

11 they inquired what person or time was indicated by the Spirit of Christ within them when predicting the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glory.

12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things which 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 long to look.

 

 

 

 

Suffering for Doing Right

(1 Peter 3:18-22)

18 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the Spirit;

19 in which he went and preached to the spirits in prison,

20 who formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water.

21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.

 

 

Suffering as a Christian

(1 Peter 4:12-19)

12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal which comes upon you to prove you, as though something strange were happening to you.

13 But rejoice in so far as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.

14 If you are reproached for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.

15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or a wrongdoer, or a mischief-maker;

16 yet if one suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but under that name let him glorify God.

17 For the time has come for judgement to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?

18 And "If the righteous man is scarcely saved, where will the impious and sinner appear?"

19 Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will do right and entrust their souls to a faithful Creator.

 

 

Love One Another

(1 John 3:19-24)

19 By this we shall know that we are of the truth, and reassure our hearts before him

20 whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

21 Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God;

22 and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.

23 And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.

24 All who keep his commandments abide in him, and he in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit which he has given us.

 

 

Testing the Spirits

(1 John 4:1-6)

4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world.

2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,

3 and every spirit which does not confess Jesus is not of God. This is the spirit of antichrist, of which you heard that it was coming, and now it is in the world already.

4 Little children, you are of God, and have overcome them; for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

5 They are of the world, therefore what they say is of the world, and the world listens to them.

6 We are of God. Whoever knows God listens to us, and he who is not of God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

 

 

God is Love

(1 John 4:11-16)

11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

12 No man has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his own Spirit.

14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Saviour of the world.

15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.

16 So we know and believe the love God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

 

 

Testimony Concerning the Son of God

(1 John 5:6-12)

6 This is he who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with the water only but with the water and the blood.

7 And the Spirit is the witness, because the Spirit is the truth.

8 There are three witnesses, the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree.

9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has borne witness to his Son.

10 He who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. He who does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne to his Son.

11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

12 He who has the Son has life; he who has not the Son of God has not life.

 

 

Warning to Pay Attention

(Hebrews 2:1-4)

2:1 Therefore we must pay the closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.

2 For if the message declared by angels was valid and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution,

3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard him,

4 while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his own will.

 

 

The Peril of Falling Away

(Hebrews 6:4-8)

4 For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit,

5 and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come,

6 if they then commit apostasy, since they crucify the Son of God on their own account and hold him up to contempt.

7 For land which has drunk the rain that often falls upon it, and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God.

8 But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed; its end is to be burned.

 

 

The Earthly and the Heavenly Sanctuaries

(Hebrews 9:11-15)

11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation)

12 he entered once for all into the Holy Place, taking not the blood of goats and calves but his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.

13 For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies for the purification of the flesh,

14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

15 Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred which redeems them from the transgressions under the first covenant.

 

 

Christ's Sacrifice Once for All

(Hebrews 10:11-18)

11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.

12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,

13 then to wait until his enemies should be made a stool for his feet.

14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.

15 And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,

16 "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,"

17 then he adds, "I will remember their sins and their misdeeds no more."

18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.

 

 

A Call to Persevere

(Hebrews 10:26-31)

26 For if we sin deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,

27 but a fearful prospect of judgement, and a fury of fire which will consume the adversaries.

28 A man who has violated the law of Moses dies without mercy at the testimony of two or three witnesses.

29 How much worse punishment do you think will be deserved by the man who has spurned the Son of God, and profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and outraged the Spirit of grace?

30 For we know him who said, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay." And again, "The Lord will judge his people."

31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

 

 

Introduction and Salutation

(Revelation 1:4-6)

4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne,

5 and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the first-born of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood

6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

 

 

A Vision of Christ

(Revelation 1:9-11)

9 I John, your brother, who share with you in Jesus the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet

11 saying, "Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Per'gamum and to Thyati'ra and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to La-odice'a."

 

 

The Message to Ephesus

(Revelation 2:1-7)

2:1 "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: `The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.

2 "`I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear evil men but have tested those who call themselves apostles but are not, and found them to be false;

3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary.

4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.

5 Remember then from what you have fallen, repent and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.

6 Yet this you have, you hate the works of the Nicola'itans, which I also hate.

7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.'

 

 

The Message to Thyatira

(Revelation 2:18-29)

18 "And to the angel of the church in Thyati'ra write: `The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.

19 "`I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first.

20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jez'ebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and beguiling my servants to practice immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.

21 I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her immorality.

22 Behold, I will throw her on a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her doings;

23 and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches shall know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you as your works deserve.

24 But to the rest of you in Thyati'ra, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay upon you any other burden;

25 only hold fast what you have, until I come.

26 He who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, I will give him power over the nations,

27 and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received power from my Father;

28 and I will give him the morning star.

29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'

 

 

The Message to Sardis

(Revelation 3:1-6)

3:1 "And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: `The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. "`I know your works; you have the name of being alive, and you are dead.

2 Awake, and strengthen what remains and is on the point of death, for I have not found your works perfect in the sight of my God.

3 Remember then what you received and heard; keep that, and repent. If you will not awake, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come upon you.

4 Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy.

5 He who conquers shall be clad thus in white garments, and I will not blot his name out of the book of life; I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.

6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'

 

 

The Message to Philadelphia

(Revelation 3:7-13)

7 "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: `The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one shall shut, who shuts and no one opens.

8 "`I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut; I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.

9 Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie -- behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and learn that I have loved you.

10 Because you have kept my word of patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial which is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell upon the earth.

11 I am coming soon; hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.

12 He who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God; never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.

13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'

 

 

The Message to Laodicea

(Revelation 3:14-22)

14 "And to the angel of the church in La-odice'a write: `The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation.

15 "`I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot!

16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth.

17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing; not knowing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

18 Therefore I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, that you may be rich, and white garments to clothe you and to keep the shame of your nakedness from being seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see.

19 Those whom I love, I reprove and chasten; so be zealous and repent.

20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

21 He who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.

22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'"

 

 

The heavenly Worship, the Scroll and the Lamb

(Revelation 4:1-5:14)

4:1 After this I looked, and lo, in heaven an open door! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, "Come up hither, and I will show you what must take place after this."

2 At once I was in the Spirit, and lo, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne!

3 And he who sat there appeared like jasper and carnelian, and round the throne was a rainbow that looked like an emerald.

4 Round the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clad in white garments, with golden crowns upon their heads.

5 From the throne issue flashes of lightning, and voices and peals of thunder, and before the throne burn seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God;

6 and before the throne there is as it were a sea of glass, like crystal. And round the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind:

7 the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle.

8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all round and within, and day and night they never cease to sing, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!"

9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honour and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives for ever and ever,

10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever; they cast their crowns before the throne, singing,

11 "Worthy art thou, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for thou didst create all things, and by thy will they existed and were created."

5:1 And I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals;

2 and I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?"

3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it,

4 and I wept much that no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.

5 Then one of the elders said to me, "Weep not; lo, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals."

6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders, I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth;

7 and he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne.

8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints;

9 and they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy art thou to take the scroll and to open its seals, for thou wast slain and by thy blood didst ransom men for God from every tribe and tongue and people and nation,

10 and hast made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on earth."

11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands,

12 saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honour and glory and blessing!"

13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all therein, saying, "To him who sits upon the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honour and glory and might for ever and ever!"

14 And the four living creatures said, "Amen!" and the elders fell down and worshipped.

 

 

The Rejoicing in Heaven

(Revelation 19:6-10)

6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunderpeals, crying, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.

7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready;

8 it was granted her to be clothed with fine linen, bright and pure" -- for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

9 And the angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb." And he said to me, "These are true words of God."

10 Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, "You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God." For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

 

 

The New Heaven and the New Earth

(Revelation 21:9-14)

9 Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues, and spoke to me, saying, "Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb."

10 And in the Spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God,

11 having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.

12 It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed;

13 on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates.

14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

 

 

 

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