Saturday, March 28, 2015
Chronological New Testament Study Day 70
Romans 8; Romans 9; Romans 10
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New International VersionToggle Dropdown
1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are
in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the
Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For
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, 4 in 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. 5 Those
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. 6 The mind of sinful man
is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7 the
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. 9 You,
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. 10 But if Christ is in you, your
body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11 And
if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who
raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through
his Spirit, who lives in you. 12 Therefore, brothers, we have
an obligation--but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13 For
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, 14 because
those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For
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." 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit
that we are God's children. 17 Now 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. 18 I
consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory
that will be revealed in us. 19 The creation waits in eager
expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. 20 For the
creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will
of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation
itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the
glorious freedom of the children of God. 22 We know that the
whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the
present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the
firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption
as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we
were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he
already has? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we
wait for it patiently. 26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us
in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit
himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27 And
he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit
intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. 28 And
we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who
have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God
foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that
he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he
predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he
justified, he also glorified. 31 What, then, shall we say in
response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He
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? 33 Who
will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who
justifies. 34 Who is he that condemns? 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. 35 Who shall separate us from the
love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness
or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: "For your sake
we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." 37 No,
in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For
I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither
the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither 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.
1 I speak the truth in Christ--I am not lying, my conscience
confirms it in the Holy Spirit-- 2 I have great sorrow and
unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I
myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those
of my own race, 4 the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption
as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the
temple worship and the promises. 5 Theirs are the patriarchs,
and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all,
forever praised! Amen. 6 It is not as though God's word had
failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 7 Nor
because they are his descendants are they all Abraham's children. On the
contrary, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." 8 In
other words, it is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is
the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring. 9 For
this was how the promise was stated: "At the appointed time I will return,
and Sarah will have a son." 10 Not only that, but
Rebekah's children had one and the same father, our father Isaac. 11 Yet,
before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad--in order that
God's purpose in election might stand: 12 not by works but by
him who calls--she was told, "The older will serve the younger." 13 Just
as it is written: "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated." 14 What
then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! 15 For he says
to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have
compassion on whom I have compassion." 16 It does not,
therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy. 17 For
the Scripture says to Pharaoh: "I raised you up for this very purpose,
that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in
all the earth." 18 Therefore God has mercy on whom he
wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. 19 One
of you will say to me: "Then why does God still blame us? For who resists
his will?" 20 But who are you, O man, to talk back to
God? "Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, 'Why did you make me
like this?' " 21 Does not the potter have the right to
make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for
common use? 22 What if God, choosing to show his wrath and
make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his
wrath--prepared for destruction? 23 What if he did this to
make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he
prepared in advance for glory-- 24 even us, whom he also
called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? 25 As
he says in Hosea: "I will call them 'my people' who are not my people; and
I will call her 'my loved one' who is not my loved one," 26 and,
"It will happen that in the very place where it was said to them, 'You are
not my people,' they will be called 'sons of the living God.' " 27 Isaiah
cries out concerning Israel: "Though the number of the Israelites be like
the sand by the sea, only the remnant will be saved. 28 For
the Lord will carry out his sentence on earth with speed and finality." 29 It
is just as Isaiah said previously: "Unless the Lord Almighty had left us
descendants, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been like
Gomorrah." 30 What then shall we say? That the Gentiles,
who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by
faith;31 but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not
attained it. 32 Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith
but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the "stumbling stone." 33 As
it is written: "See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and
a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to
shame."
1 Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the
Israelites is that they may be saved. 2 For I can testify
about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on
knowledge. 3 Since they did not know the righteousness that
comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's
righteousness. 4 Christ is the end of the law so that there
may be righteousness for everyone who believes. 5 Moses
describes in this way the righteousness that is by the law: "The man who
does these things will live by them." 6 But the
righteousness that is by faith says: "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will
ascend into heaven?' " (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 "or
'Who will descend into the deep?' " (that is, to bring Christ up from the
dead). 8 But what does it say? "The word is near you; it
is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are
proclaiming: 9 That if you confess with your mouth,
"Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from
the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that
you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and
are saved. 11 As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts
in him will never be put to shame." 12 For there is no
difference between Jew and Gentile--the same Lord is Lord of all and richly
blesses all who call on him, 13 for, "Everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved." 14 How, then, can
they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the
one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone
preaching to them?15 And how can they preach unless they are sent?
As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good
news!" 16 But not all the Israelites accepted the good
news. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our message?" 17 Consequently,
faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word
of Christ. 18 But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they
did: "Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends
of the world." 19 Again I ask: Did Israel not understand?
First, Moses says, "I will make you envious by those who are not a nation;
I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding." 20 And
Isaiah boldly says, "I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed
myself to those who did not ask for me." 21 But
concerning Israel he says, "All day long I have held out my hands to a
disobedient and obstinate people."
Revelation 16
Revelation 16 (New International Version, ©2010)
Revelation 16
The Seven Bowls of God's Wrath
1 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, "Go, pour out the seven bowls of God's wrath on the earth."
2 The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly, festering sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.
3 The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead person, and every living thing in the sea died.
4 The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. 5 Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say: "You are just in these judgments, O Holy One, you who are and who were;
6 for they have shed the blood of your holy people and your prophets, and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve."
7 And I heard the altar respond: "Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are your judgments."
8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was allowed to scorch people with fire. 9 They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him.
10 The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in agony 11 and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done.
12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. 13 Then I saw three impure spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 They are demonic spirits that perform signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty. 15 "Look, I come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed."
16 Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.
17 The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, "It is done!" 18 Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since mankind has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. 19 The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath. 20 Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found. 21 From the sky huge hailstones, each weighing about a hundred pounds,[a] fell on people. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible.
Revelation 16
The Seven Bowls of God's Wrath
1 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, "Go, pour out the seven bowls of God's wrath on the earth."
2 The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly, festering sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.
3 The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead person, and every living thing in the sea died.
4 The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. 5 Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say: "You are just in these judgments, O Holy One, you who are and who were;
6 for they have shed the blood of your holy people and your prophets, and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve."
7 And I heard the altar respond: "Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are your judgments."
8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was allowed to scorch people with fire. 9 They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him.
10 The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in agony 11 and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done.
12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. 13 Then I saw three impure spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 They are demonic spirits that perform signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty. 15 "Look, I come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed."
16 Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.
17 The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, "It is done!" 18 Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since mankind has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. 19 The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath. 20 Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found. 21 From the sky huge hailstones, each weighing about a hundred pounds,[a] fell on people. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible.
Friday, March 27, 2015
Chronological New Testament Study Day 69
Romans 4; Romans 5; Romans 6; Romans 7
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New International VersionToggle Dropdown
1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather,
discovered in this matter? 2 If, in fact, Abraham was
justified by works, he had something to boast about--but not before God. 3 What
does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him
as righteousness." 4 Now when a man works, his wages are
not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. 5 However,
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. 8 Blessed is the man whose
sin the Lord will never count against him." 9 Is this
blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have
been saying that Abraham's faith was credited to him as righteousness. 10 Under
what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before?
It was not after, but before! 11 And he received the sign of
circumcision, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was
still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not
been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. 12 And
he is also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who
also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he
was circumcised. 13It was not through law that Abraham and his
offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through
the righteousness that comes by faith. 14 For if those who
live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless, 15 because
law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression. 16 Therefore,
the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to
all Abraham's offspring--not only to those who are of the law but also to those
who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. 17 As
it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations." He is our
father in the sight of God, in whom he believed--the God who gives life to the
dead and calls things that are not as though they were. 18 Against
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." 19 Without
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. 20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the
promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being
fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 22 This
is why "it was credited to him as righteousness." 23 The
words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, 24 but
also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness--for us who believe in him
who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was delivered
over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we
have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through
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. 3 Not only so, but
we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces
perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And
hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our
hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. 6 You see, at
just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very
rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might
possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for
us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since
we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from
God's wrath through him! 10 For if, when we were God's
enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more,
having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not
only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have now received reconciliation. 12 Therefore,
just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in
this way death came to all men, because all sinned--13 for before
the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when
there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time
of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a
command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come. 15 But
the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the
one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of
the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!16 Again, the gift
of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgment followed one
sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought
justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man,
death reigned through that one man, 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 Consequently, just as
the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of
one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. 19 For
just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so
also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. 20 The
law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased,
grace increased all the more, 21 so that, just as sin reigned
in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that
grace may increase? 2 By no means! We died to sin; how can we
live in it any longer? 3 Or don't you know that all of us who
were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We
were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just
as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may
live a new life. 5 If we have been united with him like this
in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. 6 For
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-- 7 because
anyone who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died
with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9For we
know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no
longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to
sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.11 In the
same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore
do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do
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. 15 What
then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Don'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? 17 But
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. 18 You
have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. 19 I
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. 20 When you were slaves to sin, you were
free from the control of righteousness. 21 What benefit did
you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of ? Those things
result in death! 22 But 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.
1 Do you not know, brothers--for I am speaking to men who
know the law--that the law has authority over a man only as long as he lives? 2 For
example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive,
but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage. 3 So
then, if she marries another man while her husband is still alive, she is
called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law
and is not an adulteress, even though she marries another man. 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. 5 For 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. 6 But 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. 7 What
shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have
known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what
coveting really was if the law had not said, "Do not covet." 8 But
sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every
kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead. 9 Once
I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life
and I died. 10 I found that the very commandment that was
intended to bring life actually brought death. 11 For sin,
seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through
the commandment put me to death. 12 So then, the law is holy,
and the commandment is holy, righteous and good. 13 Did that
which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! But in order that sin
might be recognized as sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so
that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful. 14 We
know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I
do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate
I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that
the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do
it, but it is sin living in me. 18 I know that nothing good
lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is
good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For what I do is not the
good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing. 20 Now
if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin
living in me that does it. 21 So I find this law at work: When
I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my
inner being I delight in God's law; 23 but I see another law
at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and
making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24 What
a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25Thanks
be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a
slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
Revelation 15
Revelation 15 (New International Version, ©2010)
Revelation 15
Seven Angels With Seven Plagues
1 I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues—last, because with them God's wrath is completed. 2 And I saw what looked like a sea of glass glowing with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and its image and over the number of its name. They held harps given them by God 3 and sang the song of God's servant Moses and of the Lamb:
"Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways, King of the nations.[a]
4 Who will not fear you, Lord, and bring glory to your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come and worship before you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed."[b]
5 After this I looked, and I saw in heaven the temple—that is, the tabernacle of the covenant law—and it was opened. 6 Out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues. They were dressed in clean, shining linen and wore golden sashes around their chests. 7 Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God, who lives for ever and ever. 8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.
Revelation 15
Seven Angels With Seven Plagues
1 I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues—last, because with them God's wrath is completed. 2 And I saw what looked like a sea of glass glowing with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and its image and over the number of its name. They held harps given them by God 3 and sang the song of God's servant Moses and of the Lamb:
"Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways, King of the nations.[a]
4 Who will not fear you, Lord, and bring glory to your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come and worship before you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed."[b]
5 After this I looked, and I saw in heaven the temple—that is, the tabernacle of the covenant law—and it was opened. 6 Out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues. They were dressed in clean, shining linen and wore golden sashes around their chests. 7 Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God, who lives for ever and ever. 8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Chronological New Testament Study Day 68
Acts 20:1-3; Romans 1; Romans 2; Romans 3
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New International VersionToggle Dropdown
1 When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples
and, after encouraging them, said good-by and set out for Macedonia. 2 He
traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people,
and finally arrived in Greece, 3 where he stayed three months.
Because the Jews made a plot against him just as he was about to sail for
Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia.
1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle
and set apart for the gospel of God-- 2 the gospel he promised
beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3 regarding
his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, 4 and
who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God
by his resurrection from the dead: 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. 6 And
you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. 7 To
all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to
you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. 8 First,
I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being
reported all over the world. 9 God, whom I serve with my whole
heart in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I
remember you10 in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at
last by God's will the way may be opened for me to come to you. 11 I
long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you
strong--12 that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by
each other's faith. 13 I do not want you to be unaware,
brothers, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented
from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just
as I have had among the other Gentiles.14 I am obligated both to Greeks
and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 15 That is
why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome. 16 I
am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation
of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 17 For
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." 18 The wrath of God is being revealed from
heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth
by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is
plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For
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. 21 For 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. 22 Although
they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged
the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds
and animals and reptiles. 24 Therefore God gave them over in
the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of
their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth of
God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the
Creator--who is forever praised. Amen. 26 Because of this, God
gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations
for unnatural ones. 27 In 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. 28 Furthermore, since they did
not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a
depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29 They 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; 31 they are senseless, faithless,
heartless, ruthless. 32 Although 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.
1 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on
someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning
yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2Now we
know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3 So
when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you
think you will escape God's judgment? 4 Or do you show
contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing
that God's kindness leads you toward repentance? 5 But 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. 6 God "will give to each person according to
what he has done." 7 To those who by persistence in doing
good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8 But
for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there
will be wrath and anger. 9 There will be trouble and distress
for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; 10 but
glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for
the Gentile. 11 For God does not show favoritism. 12 All
who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin
under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not
those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who
obey the law who will be declared righteous. 14 (Indeed, when
Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law,
they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, 15 since
they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their
consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even
defending them.) 16 This will take place on the day when God
will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares. 17 Now
you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and brag about your
relationship to God; 18 if you know his will and approve of
what is superior because you are instructed by the law; 19 if
you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are
in the dark, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of
infants, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth-- 21 you,
then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself ? You who preach against
stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say that people should not
commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob
temples?23 You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God by
breaking the law? 24 As it is written: "God's name is
blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you." 25 Circumcision
has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you have become as
though you had not been circumcised. 26 If those who are not
circumcised keep the law's requirements, will they not be regarded as though
they were circumcised? 27 The one who is not circumcised
physically and yet obeys the law will condemn you who, even though you have the
written code and circumcision, are a lawbreaker. 28 A man is
not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and
physical. 29 No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and
circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written
code. Such a man's praise is not from men, but from God.
1 What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what
value is there in circumcision? 2 Much in every way! First of
all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God. 3 What
if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God's
faithfulness? 4 Not at all! Let God be true, and every man a
liar. As it is written: "So that you may be proved right when you speak
and prevail when you judge." 5 But if our unrighteousness
brings out God's righteousness more clearly, what shall we say? That God is
unjust in bringing his wrath on us? (I am using a human argument.) 6 Certainly
not! If that were so, how could God judge the world? 7 Someone
might argue, "If my falsehood enhances God's truthfulness and so increases
his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?" 8 Why
not say--as we are being slanderously reported as saying and as some claim that
we say--"Let us do evil that good may result"? Their condemnation is
deserved. 9 What shall we conclude then? Are we any better ?
Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are
all under sin. 10 As it is written: "There is no one
righteous, not even one; 11 there is no one who understands,
no one who seeks God. 12 All have turned away, they have
together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." 13 "Their
throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit." "The poison
of vipers is on their lips." 14 "Their mouths are
full of cursing and bitterness." 15 "Their feet are
swift to shed blood; 16 ruin and misery mark their ways, 17 and
the way of peace they do not know." 18"There is no fear
of God before their eyes." 19 Now we know that whatever
the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may
be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore
no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather,
through the law we become conscious of sin. 21 But now a
righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law
and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness from God comes
through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for
all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are
justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God
presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did
this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the
sins committed beforehand unpunished-- 26 he did it to
demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who
justifies those who have faith in Jesus. 27 Where, then, is
boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No,
but on that of faith. 28 For we maintain that a man is
justified by faith apart from observing the law. 29 Is God the
God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30 since
there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the
uncircumcised through that same faith. 31 Do we, then, nullify
the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.
Revelation 14
Revelation 14 (New International Version, ©2010)
Revelation 14
The Lamb and the 144,000
1 Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. 3 And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 4 These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they remained virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among mankind and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. 5 No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.
The Three Angels
6 Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people. 7 He said in a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water."
8 A second angel followed and said, "'Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great,'[a] which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries."
9 A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: "If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, 10 they, too, will drink the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name." 12 This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus.
13 Then I heard a voice from heaven say, "Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them."
Harvesting the Earth and Trampling the Winepress
14 I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man[b] with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15 Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, "Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe." 16 So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.
17 Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 18 Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, "Take your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth's vine, because its grapes are ripe." 19 The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God's wrath. 20 They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses' bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia.
Revelation 14
The Lamb and the 144,000
1 Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. 3 And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 4 These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they remained virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among mankind and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. 5 No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.
The Three Angels
6 Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people. 7 He said in a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water."
8 A second angel followed and said, "'Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great,'[a] which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries."
9 A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: "If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, 10 they, too, will drink the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name." 12 This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus.
13 Then I heard a voice from heaven say, "Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them."
Harvesting the Earth and Trampling the Winepress
14 I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man[b] with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15 Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, "Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe." 16 So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.
17 Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 18 Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, "Take your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth's vine, because its grapes are ripe." 19 The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God's wrath. 20 They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses' bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia.
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Chronological New Testament Study Day 67
2 Corinthians 10; 2 Corinthians 11; 2 Corinthians 12; 2 Corinthians 13
·
New International VersionToggle Dropdown
1 By the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to
you--I, Paul, who am "timid" when face to face with you, but
"bold" when away! 2 I beg you that when I come I may
not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we
live by the standards of this world. 3 For though we live in
the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons
we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have
divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments
and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we
take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 6 And
we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is
complete. 7 You are looking only on the surface of things. If
anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, he should consider again that we
belong to Christ just as much as he. 8 For even if I boast
somewhat freely about the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather
than pulling you down, I will not be ashamed of it. 9 I do not
want to seem to be trying to frighten you with my letters. 10 For
some say, "His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is
unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing." 11 Such
people should realize that what we are in our letters when we are absent, we
will be in our actions when we are present. 12 We do not dare
to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they
measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they
are not wise. 13 We, however, will not boast beyond proper
limits, but will confine our boasting to the field God has assigned to us, a
field that reaches even to you. 14 We are not going too far in
our boasting, as would be the case if we had not come to you, for we did get as
far as you with the gospel of Christ. 15 Neither do we go
beyond our limits by boasting of work done by others. Our hope is that, as your
faith continues to grow, our area of activity among you will greatly expand, 16 so
that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you. For we do not want to
boast about work already done in another man's territory. 17 But,
"Let him who boasts boast in the Lord." 18 For it is
not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord
commends.
1 I hope you will put up with a little of my foolishness;
but you are already doing that. 2 I am jealous for you with a
godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might
present you as a pure virgin to him. 3 But I am afraid that
just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be
led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For
if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached,
or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different
gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. 5But
I do not think I am in the least inferior to those "super-apostles." 6 I
may not be a trained speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly
clear to you in every way. 7 Was it a sin for me to lower
myself in order to elevate you by preaching the gospel of God to you free of
charge? 8 I robbed other churches by receiving support from
them so as to serve you. 9 And when I was with you and needed
something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from
Macedonia supplied what I needed. I have kept myself from being a burden to you
in any way, and will continue to do so. 10 As surely as the
truth of Christ is in me, nobody in the regions of Achaia will stop this
boasting of mine. 11 Why? Because I do not love you? God knows
I do! 12 And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to
cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal
with us in the things they boast about. 13 For such men are
false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14 And
no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It
is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of
righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve. 16 I
repeat: Let no one take me for a fool. But if you do, then receive me just as
you would a fool, so that I may do a little boasting. 17 In
this self-confident boasting I am not talking as the Lord would, but as a fool. 18 Since
many are boasting in the way the world does, I too will boast. 19 You
gladly put up with fools since you are so wise! 20 In fact,
you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage
of you or pushes himself forward or slaps you in the face. 21 To
my shame I admit that we were too weak for that! What anyone else dares to
boast about--I am speaking as a fool--I also dare to boast about. 22 Are
they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham's
descendants? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? (I am
out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been
in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to
death again and again. 24 Five times I received from the Jews
the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with
rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a
day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I
have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own
countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the
country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. 27 I
have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger
and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.28 Besides
everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. 29 Who
is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly
burn? 30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show
my weakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is
to be praised forever, knows that I am not lying. 32 In
Damascus the governor under King Aretas had the city of the Damascenes guarded
in order to arrest me. 33 But I was lowered in a basket from a
window in the wall and slipped through his hands.
1 I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be
gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. 2 I
know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven.
Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know--God knows. 3 And
I know that this man--whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know,
but God knows-- 4 was caught up to paradise. He heard
inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell. 5 I
will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except
about my weaknesses. 6 Even if I should choose to boast, I
would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so
no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say. 7 To
keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great
revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to
torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it
away from me. 9 But he said to me, "My grace is
sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I
will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may
rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in
weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For
when I am weak, then I am strong. 11 I have made a fool of
myself, but you drove me to it. I ought to have been commended by you, for I am
not in the least inferior to the "super-apostles," even though I am
nothing. 12 The things that mark an apostle--signs, wonders
and miracles--were done among you with great perseverance. 13 How
were you inferior to the other churches, except that I was never a burden to
you? Forgive me this wrong! 14 Now I am ready to visit you for
the third time, and I will not be a burden to you, because what I want is not
your possessions but you. After all, children should not have to save up for
their parents, but parents for their children. 15 So I will
very gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myself as well. If I
love you more, will you love me less? 16 Be that as it may, I
have not been a burden to you. Yet, crafty fellow that I am, I caught you by
trickery! 17 Did I exploit you through any of the men I sent
you? 18 I urged Titus to go to you and I sent our brother with
him. Titus did not exploit you, did he? Did we not act in the same spirit and
follow the same course? 19Have you been thinking all along that we
have been defending ourselves to you? We have been speaking in the sight of God
as those in Christ; and everything we do, dear friends, is for your
strengthening. 20 For I am afraid that when I come I may not
find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I
fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions,
slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder. 21 I am afraid that
when I come again my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved over
many who have sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual sin
and debauchery in which they have indulged.
1 This will be my third visit to you. "Every matter
must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses." 2 I
already gave you a warning when I was with you the second time. I now repeat it
while absent: On my return I will not spare those who sinned earlier or any of
the others, 3 since you are demanding proof that Christ is
speaking through me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among
you. 4 For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he
lives by God's power. Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God's power we will
live with him to serve you. 5 Examine yourselves to see
whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ
Jesus is in you--unless, of course, you fail the test? 6 And I
trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test. 7 Now
we pray to God that you will not do anything wrong. Not that people will see
that we have stood the test but that you will do what is right even though we
may seem to have failed. 8 For we cannot do anything against
the truth, but only for the truth. 9 We are glad whenever we
are weak but you are strong; and our prayer is for your perfection. 10 This
is why I write these things when I am absent, that when I come I may not have
to be harsh in my use of authority--the authority the Lord gave me for building
you up, not for tearing you down. 11 Finally, brothers,
good-by. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in
peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet
one another with a holy kiss. 13 All the saints send their
greetings. 14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the
love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
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