Bible verses about "identity" | JMNT

²³ Now He went on to say to them, "If anyone continues willing and intending to progressively come after Me, let him at once lift up and carry his execution stake (or: cross), daily, and be habitually following after Me. ²⁴ "You see, whoever may (or: would; can) habitually will (or: purpose; intend; want) to keep his soul safe (or: to rescue or save his self-life) will be destroying it (or: will lose her). Yet whoever can (or: may) at some point destroy his soul (or: lose his self-life) – on account of Me – this person will continue keeping it safe (or: will progressively rescue and deliver it, and return it to its original state and condition of health and wholeness). ²⁵ "For how or in what way is a person normally furthered or benefited by gaining, or making a profit of, the whole world (organized system of economics, culture, religion or government; universe; adorned arrangement) while yet destroying (or: losing) himself or suffering detriment, loss, disadvantage, damage or forfeit? ²⁶ "You see, whoever may be ashamed of or embarrassed by Me and [of or by] My words (message; thoughts; ideas), the Son of the Man (mankind's offspring; = Adam's son; or: the eschatological messianic figure) will proceed in being ashamed of and embarrassed by this person – whenever He (or: it) may come within His glory (in union with its manifestation which calls forth praise) as well as the Father's (or: can come in a reputation and exhibiting an opinion which belongs to Him and has its source in the Father; or: should come in a glorifying thought which is Him and is the Father) and which belongs to the set-apart agents (or: sacred, or holy, messengers). ²⁷ "Now I am presently saying to you folks truthfully (or: I presently tell you folks, truly) there are certain people of those now standing here in this place who can under no circumstances taste (= partake of or experience) death until they can (or: should) see and perceive God's reign (or: sovereign influence and activity; kingdom)."

¹⁵ "I am no longer calling (or: terming) you people slaves, because the slave has not seen and does not know (or: is not aware of) what his owner (lord; master) is habitually doing. Yet now I have declared you folks friends, because I make intimately and experientially known to you everything (or: all things) which I heard and hear at My Father's side and in His presence.

⁵ "I Myself am the Grapevine; you folks [are] the tender branches (shoots or twigs that can be easily broken). The person continuously remaining (dwelling; abiding) within the midst of Me – and I within the midst of and in union with him – this one is repeatedly bearing (bringing forth; = producing) much fruit. [It is the case] that apart from (or: separated from) Me you folks continue having ability and power to do (make; construct; create; form; perform; produce) nothing!

²⁷ For you see, as many of you folks as were immersed into Christ, at once clothed yourselves with Christ (or: were plunged into so as to be enveloped by then saturated and permeated with Anointing – or, the Anointed One – instantly entered within and put on [the] Anointing)! ²⁸ Within [Him; us], there is not (there does not exist) Jew nor Greek (or: Hellenist); within, there is not (does not exist) slave nor freeman; within, there is not (does not exist) male and female; for you folks all exist being one within Christ Jesus (or: are all one person in union with an Anointing from Jesus). ²⁹ Now since you folks belong to Christ (or: have [the] Anointing as your source and origin; or: So since you people have the qualities and character of Christ, and [are] that which is Christ), you are straightway and consequently Abraham's Seed: heirs (possessors and enjoyers of the distributed allotment), down from, corresponding to and in the sphere of Promise!

²² to put off from yourselves [as clothing or habits] what accords to the former entangled manner of living (or: twisted up behavior): the old humanity (or: the past, worn-out person) the one continuously in process of being corrupted (spoiled; ruined) down from and in accord with the passionate desires (the full-covering, swelling emotions) of the deceptions (or: seductive desires) ²³ and then to be continuously renewed (or: from time to time, or, progressively made young again) by (or: in; with) the spirit (or: attitude; breath-effect) of your mind (or: from the mind which is you), ²⁴ and to enter within (or: clothe yourselves with) the new humanity (or: the person that is new and fresh in kind and quality) the one in accord with and corresponding to God (or: the person at the Divine level) being formed (framed, built, founded and settled from a state of disorder and wildness; created) within the Way pointed out (or: in union with fair and equitable dealings with rightwised relationships, justice and righteousness; also = in covenant participation) and reverent dedication (or: benign relationship with nature) pertaining to the Truth (or: in intrinsic alignment with reality).

¹ Since, therefore, you folks were awakened and are raised up together in the Christ (or: If, then, you are aroused and raised with the Anointed One), be constantly seeking and trying to find the upward things (or: the things being above), where the Christ is (exists being), continuously sitting within the right [side] (or: at the right [hand]; = at the place of receiving, and in the place of honor and the power) of God. ² Be constantly minding (thinking about; setting your disposition and sentiments toward; paying regard to) the upward things (or: the things above), not the things upon the earth, ³ for you folks died, and your life has been hidden so that it is now concealed together with the Christ, within the midst of God (or: in union with God). ⁴ Whenever the Christ, our life [other MSS: your life], may be brought to light (or: should be manifested), you folks also will proceed being brought to light (or: will keep on being manifested), together with Him, within the midst of glory (or: in union with a manifestation which calls forth praise; or: in a good reputation; or: = in His manifest presence). (or: When Christ, the Anointing, can be manifested, then your life – even you yourself, together with Him – will continue being manifested in His manifest presence).

²⁷ Now you folks yourselves are, and continuously exist being, Christ's body (or: a body which is Anointed; or: a body whose source and character is Christ) – and individually [you are] members of a part [of it] –

¹⁹ Or, have you folks not seen so as to know that your body (or: the body of you folks) is a temple of the set-apart spirit (or: a sanctuary belonging to the Holy Spirit; a holy place and a holy of holies which pertains to the Sacred Breath; or: that the body, which is you folks, exists being a divine habitation which has the qualities and characteristics of the Holy Attitude) – within the midst of you (or: in union with you folks; or: among you people) – which you people constantly hold and progressively possess from God? And further, you are not folks belonging to yourselves (or: Also then, you people do not exist from yourselves), ²⁰ for you people were bought, as at a marketplace: [there was] value and honor involved in the price (or: [you are] of value) (or: = for you were bought and paid for; or: for from a valuable price you folks were bought at market). By all means then, glorify God (bring a good reputation to God; manifest that which calls forth praise to God) within your body (or: within the midst of the body which you folks are)!

¹⁰ or the fact is, we are (continually exist being) the effect of what He did (or: His creation; the thing He has constructed; the result of His work; His achievement; His opus; the effect of His Deed): people being founded from a state of disorder and wildness (being framed, built, settled and created), within and in union with Christ Jesus, upon good works (virtuous actions; excellent deeds) which God made ready (prepared; or: prepares) beforehand, to the end that we may walk about (= live our lives) within and in union with them.

² Beloved ones, now (at the present time) we continuously exist being God's children (born-ones; bairns from the standpoint of origin), and it has not yet been made visible (or: it is not yet apparent or manifested) what we will proceed in being. We have perceived, and thus know (or: are aware) that if it (or: He) should be (or: whenever it {or: He} may be) made visible, apparent and manifested, [then] folks like to Him (like-ones to Him; ones like Him; people resembling Him) we will be existing, because we will continue seeing and will be progressively perceiving Him just as (according and exactly as; in the manner that) He constantly exists (or: He is). ³ So everyone who continuously has (or: habitually holds) this expectation (or: expectant hope) [placed; resting] upon Him is [by this] constantly (repeatedly; progressively) purifying himself, just as (according as; in the way that) That One is (or: exists being) pure.

¹ You people at once consider (or: look and perceive) what kind of (what sort of; what unusual, foreign or exotic) love (or: acceptance) the Father has given to (or: in; for) us [other MSS: you], which we now have as a gift, to the end that we can (may; should; would) be called (or: named) God's children (born-ones; bairns)! And we are! Because of this (On account of this; Therefore) the System (the world; the realm of the secular and religious; the ordered arrangement of culture, religion, economy and government) is not habitually having experiential or intimate knowledge of us (does not know or have insight into us [other MSS: you]), because it did not know (or: it does not have an intimate, experiential knowledge of) Him.

²⁰ I was crucified together with Christ [= the Messiah], and thus it remains (or: I have been jointly put on the execution stake in [the] Anointed One, and continue in this state), yet I continue living! [It is] no longer I, but it is Christ continuously living and alive within me! (or: No longer an "I" – now Christ constantly lives in the midst of, and in union with, me). Now that which I, at the present moment, continue living within flesh (= a physical body), I am constantly living within faith, trust and confidence – in and by that [faith] which is the Son of God (or: in union with the trust and confidence that is from God’s Son [with other MSS: in the confidence belonging to God and Christ]), the One loving me and giving Himself over to another for the sake of me (or: even transmitting Himself, over my [situation and condition]; or: also passing Himself along for me).

⁹ Yet you folks [are] "a picked-out (selected; chosen) offspring (family; kin; lineage; race; species; breed) [Isa. 43:20; Deut. 7:6], a royal (kingly; palace) priesthood [Ex. 19:6; Isa. 61:6], a set-apart (holy; different) multitude (company; nation; body of people living together; swarm; association; ethnic group; caste; [Ex. 19:6; note: implies a sacred life]), a people constructed into an encirclement (made into a surrounding structure; set as a perimeter; made into a performance about [Him]; formed around as an acquisition; gathered into a surrounding [flock])" [Isa. 43:21; Ex. 19:5] – so that you may tell forth the message of (or: out-message; publish; declare abroad) the excellencies and qualities of nobleness (virtues of braveness, courage, good character, quality, self-restraint, magnificence, benevolence, reliability) of and from the One calling you out of darkness (gloomy dimness; the realm of shadows and obscurity) into the midst of His wonderful (marvelous; amazing) light [p72 reads: into the wonderful Light],

¹⁷ Consequently, since someone [is] within Christ (or: So that if anyone [is] in union with [the] Anointed One; or: And as since a Certain One [was] in Christ), [there is] a new creation (or: [it is] a framing and founding of a different kind; [he or she is] an act of creation having a fresh character and a new quality): the original things (the beginning [situations]; the archaic and primitive [arrangements]) passed by (or: went to the side). Consider! New things have come into existence (have been birthed; or: It has become new things; or: He has been birthed and now exists being ones of a different kind, character and quality). [note: cf Rev. 21:5]