this part of the house, to read the Greek text,
or go back to the front entry
[adapted script]
Prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. For you, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God the Father through Jesus Christ.
You are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.
Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. Keep your behavior excellent among the peoples, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.
Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a ruler as the one in authority, or to government agents as sent by such a one for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of the foolish. Act as free folk, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the ruler.
Therefore I urge you, my kin, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of themself than they ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has
allotted to each a measure of faith.
Just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy,
according to the proportion of your faith; if service, in your serving; or the one who teaches, in teaching; or those who exhort, in exhortation; the one who gives, with liberality; those who lead, with diligence; those who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in familial love; give preference to one another in honor;not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer,
contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. Happy are those who do not condemn themself in what they approve. But those who doubt are condemned if they so act, because that action is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.
Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves. Each of us is to please our neighbor for their good, to their edification. For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, "THE REPROACHES OF THOSE WHO REPROACHED YOU FELL ON ME." For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God.
I say that Christ became a servant to the circumcision on behalf of the truth of God to confirm the promises given to the fathers, and even for the Gentiles to glorify God for His mercy; as it is written, "THEREFORE I WILL GIVE PRAISE TO YOU AMONG THE GENTILES, AND I WILL SING TO YOUR NAME." Again he says, "REJOICE, O GENTILES, WITH HIS PEOPLE." And again, "PRAISE THE LORD ALL YOU GENTILES, AND LET ALL THE PEOPLES PRAISE HIM." Again Isaiah says, "THERE SHALL COME THE ROOT OF JESSE, AND HE WHO ARISES TO RULE OVER THE GENTILES, IN HIM SHALL THE GENTILES HOPE." Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Concerning you, my kindred, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another.
Since God promised "A new covenant," He made the first obsolete. And whatever is obsolete grows old until it disappears. Now if, in the former covenant, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled upon those who have been defiled sanctified for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? It is for this reason Jesus is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, we who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.
Jesus said to the Father, "BEHOLD, I HAVE COME TO DO YOUR WILL." He took away the first in order to establish the second. By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Every Jewish priest stood daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which could never take away sins; but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD, waiting from that time onward UNTIL HIS ENEMIES BE MADE A FOOTSTOOL FOR HIS FEET. By one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.
The Holy Spirit testifies also to us; for after saying, "THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THEM AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS UPON THEIR HEART, AND ON THEIR MIND I WILL WRITE THEM," He then says, "AND THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS I WILL REMEMBER NO MORE." Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin. Therefore since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near. And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for the one who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. For as many as are the promises of God, in Jesus they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God the Father through us.
He who established us with you in Christ and anointed us all is God, who also has sealed us and given us all the Holy Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.
If we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for each other. For the love of Christ should control us, having concluded in our minds that since one died for all, therefore all died; and He did die for all, so that we who live might no longer live for ourselves, but for Him who died and rose again on our behalf.
From this point on let us recognize no one according to the flesh; even though some in the first church had known Christ according to the flesh, yet now no one knows Him in that way no longer. But we do know each other. Anyone who is in Christ is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things came. All this is from the Father, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the peoples of the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of their reconciliation.
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; beg everyone on behalf of Christ, to be reconciled to God. He made Jesus who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Now though the Apostles walked in the flesh, they did not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. They destroyed speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and took every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.
God has said, "My grace is sufficient for you,
for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, we must boast about our weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in us fully. Therefore we must be well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when we are weak, then we are strong. We must be sound in the faith, and not paying attention to religious myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth. To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled. They may profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all humanity, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.
These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you. Remind each other to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all people. For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things we should speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for all people. You must avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the Law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. Reject a factious person after a first and second warning, knowing that such a person is perverted and is sinning, being self-condemned.
We all must also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, so that we will not be unfruitful.
Until Shiloh comes again; Shalom! Come Lord Jesus come!
