The Way of Salvation

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Overcoming - The Core

  

^John14:12“I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these ..... ” - Jesus Christ
 

^Luk1:37“For nothing is impossible with God.”

- angel Gabriel talking with Mary about the birth of Christ,
 who was conceived in her by the Holy Spirit.

^Mat3:1In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea ²and saying, “Repent^4a, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

^Luk1:15“ ..... he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth [OR from his mother's womb]. ¹⁶Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. ¹⁷And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” - angel of the Lord speaking about John the Baptist

^Mar1:7And this was his message: “After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. ⁸I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” - John the Baptist speaking of Jesus

^Luk3:16“ ..... He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. ¹⁷His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

^Luk3:8“Produce fruit in keeping with repentance^4b. ..... ⁹The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

 ¹⁰“What should we do then?” the crowd asked.

 ¹¹John answered, “The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same.”

 ¹²Tax collectors also came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”
 ¹³“Don't collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.

 ¹⁴Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”
      He replied, “Don't extort money and don't accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”

^Mar1:9At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ¹⁰As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. ¹¹And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

^Mar1:14 ..... Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. ¹⁵“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!”

^Mat4:17 ..... Jesus began to preach, “Repent^4c, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

^Mat5:3“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
               for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

            .....

           ⁵Blessed are the meek,
                for they will inherit the earth.

           ⁶Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
                for they will be filled.

           ⁷Blessed are the merciful,
                for they will be shown mercy.

           ⁸Blessed are the pure in heart,
                for they will see God.

           ⁹Blessed are the peacemakers,
                for they will be called sons of God.”

^Mat5:13“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.”

 ¹⁴“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house [Luk11:33...,that those who come in may see the light]. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

.....

 ²¹“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' ²²But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.”

 ²³“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, ²⁴leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.”

.....

 ²⁷“You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' (Exo 20:14) ²⁸But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.”

.....

 ⁴³“You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' ⁴⁴But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. ..... ⁴⁸Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

^Luk6:27“But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. ..... ³⁰Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. ³¹Do to others as you would have them do to you.”

.....

 ³⁵“But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. ³⁶Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

^Mat6:14“For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

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 ¹⁹“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

.....

²⁴“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”

^Luk12:29“And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. ³⁰For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. ³¹But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.”

^Mat6:33“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

 

 ³²“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. ³³Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. ³⁴For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

^Mat7:1“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. ²For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

^Luk6:37“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

 ³⁸“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.”

“For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

^Luk11:5Then he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, ⁶because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.' ⁷Then the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.' ⁸I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man's boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs.”

 ⁹“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ¹⁰For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”

.....

 ¹³“If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

^Mat7:11“ ..... how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! ¹²So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”

 

^Luk18:8“ ..... However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

 

^Luk11:27As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.”

 ²⁸He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

^Mat7:13“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. ¹⁴But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

^Luk6:43“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. ⁴⁴Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. ⁴⁵The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.”

^Mat7:19“Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

.....

 ²¹“Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²²Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' ²³Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' ”

^Luk6:46“Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? ⁴⁷I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. ⁴⁸He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. ⁴⁹But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”

^Luk13:22Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. ²³Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?”

   He said to them, ²⁴“Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. ²⁵Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Sir, open the door for us.' ”

    “But he will answer, 'I don't know you or where you come from.' ”

 ²⁶“Then you will say, 'We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.' ”

 ²⁷“But he will reply, 'I don't know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!' ”

 ²⁸“There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out.”

^Luk5:27After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him, ²⁸and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.

^Mat10:16“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.”

.....

 ²¹“Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. ²²All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.”

^Luk12:4“I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. ⁵But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.”

^Mat10:32“Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. ³³But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.”

 ³⁴“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. ³⁵For I have come to turn

   “ 'a man against his father,
      a daughter against her mother,
   a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
    ³⁶a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.' ” (Mic 7:6)

 ³⁷“Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; ³⁸and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. ³⁹Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

^Luk14:25Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: ²⁶“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. ²⁷And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”

 ..... ³³ ..... “any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.”

 ³⁴“Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? ³⁵It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.”

 ¹³“No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”

 ¹⁴The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. ¹⁵He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight.”

^Mat11:12“From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.”

^Luk16:16“ ..... the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.”

^Mat11:28“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

^Luk13:6Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. ⁷So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, 'For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?' ”

 ⁸“ 'Sir,' the man replied, 'leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it. ⁹If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.' ”

^Mat12:33“Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. ³⁴You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. ³⁵The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. ³⁶But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. ³⁷For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

^Mat12:47Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.”

 ⁴⁸He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” ⁴⁹Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. ⁵⁰For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

^Luk8:21He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God's word and put it into practice.”

^Luk8:11“This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. ¹²Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. ¹³Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. ¹⁴The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. ¹⁵But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.”

^Mat13:31He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. ³²Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.”

 ³³He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

^Luk17:20Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, ²¹nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you.” 

.....

 ⁴⁰“As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. ⁴¹The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. ⁴²They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ⁴³Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.”

 ⁴⁵“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. ⁴⁶When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”

 ⁴⁷“Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. ⁴⁸When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. ⁴⁹This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous ⁵⁰and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

^Mat15:18“But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.' ”

^Mar7:21“For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, ²²greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, [false testimony  Mat15:19], slander, arrogance and folly. ²³All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.' ”

^Luk14:12Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. ¹³But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, ¹⁴and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

^Mat16:21From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

.....

^Mar8:34Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross [daily Luk9:23] and follow me. ³⁵For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. ³⁶What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul [very self Luk9:25]? ³⁷Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? ³⁸If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels.”

^Mat16:27“For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.”

^Mar9:22“ ..... But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

 ²³“ 'If you can'?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.”

 ²⁴Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

^Mar10:42Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. ⁴³Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. ⁴⁵For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

^Mat23:11“The greatest among you will be your servant. ¹²For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

^Mat18:1At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

 ²He called a little child and had him stand among them. ³And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

^Mar10:15“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. ¹⁵I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

^Luk17:5The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

 ⁶He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you.”

^Luk17:7“Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, 'Come along now and sit down to eat'? ⁸Would he not rather say, 'Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink'? ⁹Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? ¹⁰So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.' ”

^Mat18:21Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?”

 ²²Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times [OR, seventy times seven].”  

.....

        ..... ³²“Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. ³³Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' ³⁴In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.”

 ³⁵“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.” - punchline of Jesus' parable

^Luk19:8But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

 ⁹Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”

^Mat21:21Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, ..... you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. ²²If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

^Mar11:22“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. ²³“I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. ²⁴Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. ²⁵And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

^Mat21:43“Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.”

^Mar12:28 ..... “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

 ²⁹“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.

  ³⁰Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' (Deu 6:4-5)

  ³¹The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' (Lev 19:18) There is no commandment greater than these.”

^Mat25:31“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. ³²All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.”

 ³⁴“Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' ”

 ³⁷“Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' ”

 ⁴⁰“The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' ”

 ⁴¹“Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴²For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' ”

 ⁴⁴“They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' ”

 ⁴⁵“He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' ”

 ⁴⁶“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

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   - Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane before being arrested and crucified

^Mat26:38Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

^Mar14:35 ..... he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him.

^Luk22:42“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”  

^Mat26:40Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. ⁴¹“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

 ⁴²He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”

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        .....

    - After the religious leaders and people arrested Jesus, sentenced Him to death, flogged, insulted, and mocked him.

^Luk23:33When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left.

.....

 ⁴⁴It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, ⁴⁵for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. ⁴⁶Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.

^Mat27:51At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split.

 ⁴⁷The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was a righteous man.” ⁴⁸When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. ⁴⁹But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

^Mar15:39And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”

^Mat27:54 ..... When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”

.....

        .....

 - after Jesus' resurrection

^Mat28:1After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

 ²There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. ³His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. ⁴The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

 ⁵The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. ⁷Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you.”

^Luk24:5 ..... “Why do you look for the living among the dead? ⁶He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ⁷'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.' ” ⁸Then they remembered his words.

    - Jesus speaking to the 11 disciples after His resurrection

^Luk24:44He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”

 ⁴⁵Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. ⁴⁶He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, ⁴⁷and repentance^4d and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. ⁴⁸You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

^Mat28:18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” - after Jesus' resurrection from the dead 

^Joh1:1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was with God in the beginning.

 ³Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴In him was life, and that life was the light of men.

.....

¹⁶From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.

.....

 ³³“ 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' ” - John the Baptist saying what God told Him about Jesus

^Joh2:23Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name. ²⁴But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. ²⁵He did not need man's testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man.

^Joh3:5Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. ⁶Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.”

..... ⁸“The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

.....

 ¹⁶“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

.....

 ³⁶“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him.” - John the Baptist speaking about Jesus

^Joh4:10Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

 ¹¹“Sir,” the woman said, “ ..... Where can you get this living water?”

 ¹³Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

^Joh4:34“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”

    - after Jesus healed a man who could not walk, on the Sabbath

^Joh5:16So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews persecuted him. ¹⁷Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.”

.....

 ¹⁹Jesus gave them this answer: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. ²⁰For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does.”

.....

 ²⁴“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.”

 ²⁸“ ..... a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his* voice ²⁹and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.”

    * Jesus'

^Joh5:41“I do not accept praise from men, ⁴²but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. ..... ⁴⁴How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?”

^Joh6:27“Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”

 ²⁸Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

 ²⁹Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

.....

 ³³“For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

 ³⁴“Sir,” they said, “from now on give us this bread.”

 ³⁵Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.”

.....

 ⁴⁰“For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

.....

 ⁶³“The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.”

^Joh7:37On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. ³⁸Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” ³⁹By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

^Joh8:12When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

^Joh8:28“ ..... I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.  ²⁹The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.”

.....

 ³¹To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. ³²Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

.....

 ³⁴Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. ³⁵Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. ³⁶So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

.....

 ⁵¹“I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”

    - a man born blind who Jesus healed, speaking to the Jewish religious leaders who were questioning him

^Joh9:31“We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will.”

^Joh10:10“ ..... I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

^Joh10:14“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— ¹⁵just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. ..... ¹⁷The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again.”

 ^Joh10:27“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. ²⁹My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. ³⁰I and the Father are one.”

^Joh11:25Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; ²⁶and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

 ²⁷“Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”

.....

 ⁴⁰Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”

^Joh12:25“The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.”

 ⁴⁷“As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it. ⁴⁸There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day. ⁴⁹For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. ⁵⁰I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”

        ^Joh13:34“A new command I give you: Love one another.

 As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

  ³⁵By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

^Joh14:6Jesus answered,

“I am the way and the truth and the life.

  No one comes to the Father except through me.”

^Joh14:10“ ..... it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. ¹¹Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.

 ¹²I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

 ¹³And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. ¹⁴You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”

 ¹⁵“If you love me, you will obey what I command.

 ¹⁶And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— ¹⁷the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. ¹⁸I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. ¹⁹Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. ²⁰On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.

 ²¹Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.

He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”

.....

 ²³Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching.

My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

 ²⁴He who does not love me will not obey my teaching.”

.....

 ³⁰“I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me,

  ³¹but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me.”

^Joh15:1“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ²He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. ³You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.

 ⁴Remain in me, and I will remain in you.

 No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”

 ⁵“I am the vine; you are the branches.

  If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit;

 apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.

  ⁷If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.

 ⁸This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

 ⁹“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.

 ¹⁰If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, ,

  just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love.

 ¹¹I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

  ¹²My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

 ¹³Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

  ¹⁴You are my friends if you do what I command.

 ¹⁵I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for

  everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

 ¹⁶You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last.

Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.

  ¹⁷This is my command: Love each other.”

  ²⁴Until now you have not asked for anything in my name.

     Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.”

^Joh17:1After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: .....

  ³“Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

  ⁴I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.”

.....

 ¹³“I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. ¹⁴I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. ¹⁵My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. ¹⁶They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.

¹⁷Sanctify^1a them by the truth; your word is truth.

 ¹⁸As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. ¹⁹For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.”

.....

 ²⁶“I have made you known to them,

and will continue to make you known

in order that the love you have for me may be in them

and that I myself may be in them.”

^Act2:28“ 'You have made known to me the paths of life;
                   you will fill me with joy in your presence.' ” (Psa 16:8-11)

.....

 ³⁸Peter replied, “Repent^4e and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

^Act3:16“By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.”

.....

 ²²“For Moses said, 'The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. ²³Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from among his people.' (Deu 18:15,18,19)” - speaking about Jesus

..... ²⁶“When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.” - speaking about Jesus

^Act4:10“ ..... It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. ..... ”

 ¹²“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

.....

 ³¹ ..... And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

^Act10:34Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism ³⁵but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.”

.....

 ³⁸“ ..... God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, ..... he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.” 

^Act11:22 ..... they sent Barnabas to Antioch. ²³When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. ²⁴He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.

^Act14:21 ..... they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, ²²strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.

^Act15:8“God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. ⁹He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.”

^Act20:20“You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. ²¹I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance^4g and have faith in our Lord Jesus.”

 ²²“And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. ²³I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. ²⁴However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.”

..... ²⁶“Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men. ²⁷For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.”

..... ³²“Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.^1b ..... ³⁴You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. ³⁵In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' ”

^Act24:15“and I have the same hope in God as these men, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. ¹⁶So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.”

^Act26:17“ ' ..... I am sending you to them ¹⁸to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified^1c by faith in me.' ” - Jesus speaking to Paul

 ¹⁹“ ..... I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven. ²⁰First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent^4h and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds.”

^Rom1:4 ..... Jesus Christ our Lord. ⁵Through him and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.

.....

 ¹⁶I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: ..... ¹⁷For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” (Hab 2:4)

 ¹⁸The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, ¹⁹since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. ²⁰For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

 ²¹For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²²Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools .....

.....

 ²⁴Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. ²⁵They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

 ²⁶Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. ²⁷In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.

 ²⁸Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved^5a mind, to do what ought not to be done. ²⁹They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, ³⁰slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; ³¹they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. ³²Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

^Rom2:5But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. ⁶God “will give to each person according to what he has done.” (Psa 62:12; Pro 24:12) ⁷To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. ⁸But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.

.....

  ¹⁶God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.

^Rom3:21But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. ²²This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, ²³for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. ²⁵God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement^3a, through faith in his blood.

^Rom4:3What does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” (Gen 15:6)

 ⁴Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. ⁵However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness. ⁶David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

   ⁷“Blessed are they
        whose transgressions are forgiven,
        whose sins are covered.
   ⁸Blessed is the man
        whose sin the Lord will never count against him.” (Psa 32:1,2)

 ⁹ ..... We have been saying that Abraham's faith was credited to him as righteousness. ..... ¹¹ ..... he is the father of all who believe .....

..... ¹⁸Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” (Gen 15:5) ¹⁹Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah's womb was also dead. ²⁰Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, ²¹being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. ²²This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” ²³The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, ²⁴but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. ²⁵He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

^Rom5:1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ²through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. ³Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

.....

  ⁸But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

.....

 ¹⁷ ..... how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

 ¹⁸ ..... the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.

 ¹⁹ ..... through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

 ..... ²¹ ..... just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

^Rom6:6For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with,

  that we should no longer be slaves to sin .....

.....

 ¹²Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.

  ¹³Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness,

 but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.

 ¹⁴For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.

^Rom6:15What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! ¹⁶Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are

  slaves to sin, which leads to death,

  or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?

 ¹⁷But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted.

 ¹⁸You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

 ¹⁹I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body

in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness,

so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.

  ²⁰When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness.

  ²¹What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death!

  ²²But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God,

 the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.

 ²³For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

^Rom7:4So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God.

 ⁵For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death.

 ⁶But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.

^Rom8:1Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,

  ²because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

 ³For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, ⁴in order that

the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us,

who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.

 ⁵Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires;

 but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.

⁶The mind of sinful man is death,

 but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace;

 ⁷the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. ⁸Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.

 ⁹You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit,

  if the Spirit of God lives in you.

 And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.

.....

 ¹²Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it.

¹³For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die;

 but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live,

 ¹⁴because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. ¹⁵For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” ¹⁶The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. ¹⁷Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

 ¹⁸I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.  

.....

 ²⁸And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. ²⁹For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

.....

 ³¹ ..... If God is for us, who can be against us? ³²He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 

.....

 ³⁴ ..... Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.

 ³⁵Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶As it is written:

   “For your sake we face death all day long;
      we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” (Psa 44:22)

 ³⁷No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

 ³⁸For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

^Rom10:4Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.

^Rom11:18 ..... consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. ¹⁹You will say then, “Branches were broken off* so that I could be grafted in.” ²⁰Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. ²¹For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.

 ²²Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off.  

   * the Israelites

^Rom12:1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. ²Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

.....

 ⁹Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.

 ¹⁰Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.

 ¹¹Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.

 ¹²Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

 ¹³Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

 ¹⁴Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

.....

 ¹⁷Do not repay anyone evil for evil. .....

 ¹⁸If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

 ¹⁹Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” (Deu 32:35) says the Lord.

.....

 ²¹Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

 

 

^Rom13:9 ..... “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Lev 19:18) ¹⁰Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

.....

 ¹²The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. ¹³Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery^2a, not in dissension and jealousy. ¹⁴Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

^Rom14:7For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. ⁸If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

.....

 ¹⁰ ..... For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. ¹¹It is written:

   “ 'As surely as I live,' says the Lord,
   'every knee will bow before me;
      every tongue will confess to God.' ” (Isa 45:23)

 ¹²So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.

.....

 ²² ..... Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. ²³But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

^Rom15:2Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.

.....

 ⁴For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

.....

¹³May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

 

 

 

^Rom15:16 ..... so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified^1d by the Holy Spirit.

 ¹⁷Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. ¹⁸I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done— ¹⁹by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit.

 

 

^Rom16:20The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.
      The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

 

 

 ^Rom16:25Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, ²⁶but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him— ²⁷to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.

^1Cor1:4I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. ..... ⁸He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

   ¹⁰ ..... be perfectly united in mind and thought.

 

 

^1Cor1:30 ..... Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.  

^1Cor2:4My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, ⁵so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.

.....

 ⁹ ..... as it is written:

   “No eye has seen,
      no ear has heard,
   no mind has conceived
   what God has prepared for those who love him” (Isa 64:4)

— ¹⁰but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.

      The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. ¹¹For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. ¹²We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. .....

 ¹⁶“For who has known the mind of the Lord
         that he may instruct him?” (Isa 40:13)

 But we have the mind of Christ.

^1Cor3:16Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?

^1Cor4:1So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. ²Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. ..... 

⁴ ..... It is the Lord who judges me. ⁵ ..... the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.

 

^1Cor4:12We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; ¹³when we are slandered, we answer kindly.

^1Cor4:20For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.

^1Cor5:11But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. ..... ¹³ ..... “Expel the wicked man from among you.” (Deu 17:7, 19:19, 21:21, 22:21,24, 24:7)

^1Cor6:9Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders ¹⁰nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified^1e, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

 ¹²“Everything is permissible for me”—but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me”—but I will not be mastered by anything. ¹³ ..... The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. .....

¹⁷But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit.

 ¹⁸Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. ¹⁹Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; ²⁰you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

^1Cor7:19 ..... Keeping God's commands is what counts.

.....

²²For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord's freedman; similarly, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ's slave.

  ²³You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.

^1Cor7:31 ..... For this world in its present form is passing away. .....

 ³⁵ ..... live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.

^1Cor8:1 ..... Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. ²The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. ³But the man who loves God is known by God.

^1Cor9:19Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a sla