1Jhn3:9No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother. 11This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous. 13Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you. 14We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. 15Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him. 16This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. - NIV
Rm13:7Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay
taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
8Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love
one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. 9The
commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder,"
"Do not steal," "Do not covet,"
and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule:
"Love your neighbor as yourself." 10Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the
fulfillment of the law. 11And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for
you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when
we first believed. 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 debauchery1, 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. - NIV
Rm1:18The 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
23and
exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man
and birds and animals and reptiles. ..... 25They
exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things
rather than the Creator--who is forever praised. Amen. ..... 28Furthermore,
since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave
them over to a depraved2 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. - NIV
1 - debauchery: indulgence in pleasure that lacks moral restraint, extreme
indulgence in sensual pleasure. ^
2 - deprave: to make bad, to corrupt morally, degrade with unsound
principles or moral values. ^
Challenge: True Life