Romans 14 Cross References - ISV

¹ How to Treat Weak BelieversAccept anyone who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of arguing over differences of opinion. ² One person believes that he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. ³ The person who eats any kind of food must not ridicule the person who does not eat them, and the person who does not eat certain foods must not criticize the person who eats them, for God has accepted him. ⁴ Who are you to criticize someone else’s servant? He stands or falls before his own Lord—and stand he will, because the Lord makes him stand.
⁵ One person decides in favor of one day over another, while another person decides that all days are the same. Let each one be fully convinced in his own mind: ⁶ The one who observes a special day, observes it to honor the Lord. The one who eats, eats to honor the Lord, since he gives thanks to God. And the one who does not eat, refrains from eating to honor the Lord; yet he, too, gives thanks to God.
⁷ For none of us lives for himself, and no one dies for himself. ⁸ If we live, we live to honor the Lord; and if we die, we die to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. ⁹ For this reason the Messiah died and returned to life, so that he might become the Lord of both the dead and the living.
¹⁰ Why, then, do you criticize your brother? Or why do you despise your brother? For all of us will stand before the judgment seat of God. ¹¹ For it is written, “As certainly as I live, declares the Lord, every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will praise God.”
¹² Consequently, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
¹³ Acting in LoveTherefore, let’s no longer criticize each other. Instead, make up your mind not to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. ¹⁴ I know—and have been persuaded by the Lord Jesus—that nothing is unclean in and of itself, but it is unclean to a person who thinks it is unclean. ¹⁵ For if your brother is being hurt by what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not destroy the person for whom the Messiah died by what you eat. ¹⁶ Do not allow what seems good to you to be spoken of as evil. ¹⁷ For God’s kingdom does not consist of food and drink, but of righteousness, peace, and joy produced by the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸ For the person who serves the Messiah in this way is pleasing to God and approved by people. ¹⁹ Therefore, let’s keep on pursuing those things that bring peace and that lead to building up one another.
²⁰ Do not destroy God’s action for the sake of food. Everything is clean, but it is wrong to make another person stumble because of what you eat. ²¹ The right thing to do is to avoid eating meat, drinking wine, or doing anything else that makes your brother stumble, upset, or weak. ²² As for the faith you do have, have it as your own conviction before God. How blessed is the person who has no reason to condemn himself because of what he approves! ²³ But the person who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not act in faith; and anything that is not done in faith is sin.

³ Look! You’ve admonished many people, and you’ve strengthened feeble hands.

³ Strengthen the feeble hands, and support the stumbling knees. ⁴ Say to those with anxious hearts, ‘Be strong, do not be afraid! Here is your God— he will bring vengeance, he will bring divine retribution, and he will save you.’

¹¹ Like a shepherd, he tends his flock. He gathers the lambs in his arms, carries them close to his heart, and gently leads the mother sheep.”

³ A crushed reed he will not break, and a fading candle he won’t snuff out. He’ll bring forth justice for the truth.

⁴ You haven’t strengthened the weak, treated the sick, set broken bones, regathered the scattered, or looked for the lost. Instead, you’ve dominated them with brutal force and ruthlessness.

¹⁶ ‘I’m going to seek both the lost as well as the scattered, and bring them both back so their broken bones can be set and the sick can be healed. But in righteousness I’ll exterminate the fat and the stiff-necked.’”

¹⁶ for I am now raising up a shepherd in the land who will neither search for the lost, nor care for the young, nor fix the broken, nor sustain the healthy. Instead, he will devour the meat of the best of the sheep, tearing off their hoofs.”

⁴⁰ Rewards
“The one who receives you receives me, and the one who receives me receives the one who sent me. ⁴¹ The one who receives a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and the one who receives a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. ⁴² I tell all of you with certainty, whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple will never lose his reward.”

²⁰ He will not snap off a broken reed or snuff out a smoldering wick until he has brought justice through to victory.

³¹ At once Jesus reached out his hand, caught him, and asked him, “You who have so little faith, why did you doubt?”

⁵ and whoever receives a little child like this in my name receives me.”
⁶ Causing Others to Sin
“If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a large millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned at the bottom of the sea.

¹⁰ “See to it that you do not despise one of these little ones, because I tell you, their angels in heaven always have access to my Father in heaven.

² It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.

²⁰ Truly, I tell all of you emphatically, the one who receives whomever I send receives me, and the one who receives me receives the one who sent me.”

¹⁹ His faith did not weaken when he thought about his own body (which was already as good as dead now that he was about a hundred years old) or about Sarah’s inability to have children,

²¹ The right thing to do is to avoid eating meat, drinking wine, or doing anything else that makes your brother stumble, upset, or weak.

¹ Please Others, Not YourselvesNow we who are strong ought to be patient with the weaknesses of those who are not strong and must stop pleasing ourselves.

⁷ Therefore, accept one another, just as the Messiah accepted you, for the glory of God.

¹ Spiritual ImmaturityBrothers, I couldn’t talk to you as spiritual people but as worldly people, as mere infants in the Messiah. ² I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, because you weren’t ready for it. And you’re still not ready!

⁷ But not everyone has this knowledge. Some people are so accustomed to idolatry that when they eat food that has been offered to an idol, their conscience becomes contaminated because it is weak. ⁸ However, food will not bring us closer to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat food that has been offered to an idol, and no better off if we do.
⁹ But you must see to it that this right of yours does not become a stumbling block for those who are weak. ¹⁰ For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you, who know better, eating in an idol’s temple, he will be encouraged to eat what has been offered to idols, won’t he? ¹¹ In that case, the weak brother for whom the Messiah died is ruined by your knowledge. ¹² When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak consciences, you are sinning against the Messiah. ¹³ Therefore, if food that I eat causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, in order to keep my brother from stumbling.

²² To the weak I became weak in order to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some of them.

²⁹ So joyfully welcome him in the Lord and make sure you honor such people highly,

¹⁰ If anyone comes to you but does not present his teachings, do not receive him into your house or even welcome him,

⁸ Therefore, we ought to support such people so that we can become genuine helpers with them.
⁹ Criticism of DiotrephesI wrote a letter to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be in charge, will not recognize our authority. ¹⁰ For this reason, when I come I will call attention to what he is doing in spreading false charges against us. And not content with that, he refuses to receive the brothers. He even tries to stop those who want to accept them and throws them out of the church.

²⁹ God also told them, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant that grows throughout the earth, along with every tree that grows seed-bearing fruit. They will produce your food.

³ “Every living, moving creature will be food for you. Just as I gave you green plants before, so now you have everything.

¹⁷ A vegetarian meal served with love is better than a big, thick steak with a plateful of animosity.

¹² “Please test your servants for ten days and let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink.

¹⁶ So the guard took away their rich food and wine, giving them vegetables.

¹⁴ I know—and have been persuaded by the Lord Jesus—that nothing is unclean in and of itself, but it is unclean to a person who thinks it is unclean.

²² As for the faith you do have, have it as your own conviction before God. How blessed is the person who has no reason to condemn himself because of what he approves! ²³ But the person who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not act in faith; and anything that is not done in faith is sin.

²⁵ Eat anything that is sold in the meat market without raising any question about it on the grounds of conscience,

¹² Until some men arrived from James, he was in the habit of eating with the gentiles, but after those men came, he withdrew from the gentiles and would not associate with them any longer, because he was afraid of the circumcision party.

⁴ For everything God created is good, and nothing should be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,

¹⁵ Everything is clean to those who are clean, but nothing is clean to those who are corrupt and unbelieving. Indeed, their very way of thinking and their consciences have been corrupted.

¹⁰ since they deal only with food, drink, and various washings, which are required for the body until the time when things would be set right.

⁹ Stop being carried away by all kinds of unusual teachings, for it is good that the heart be strengthened by grace, not by food laws that have never helped those who follow them.

¹⁰ For who has despised the time of insignificant things? They will rejoice to see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. These seven lights represent the eyes of the LORD, which are looking throughout all of the earth.”

¹ Judging Others
“Stop judging, so that you won’t be judged, ² because the way that you judge others will be the way that you will be judged, and you will be evaluated by the standard with which you evaluate others.

¹⁴ A Question about Fasting
Then John’s disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples don’t fast?”

¹⁸ Because John didn’t come eating or drinking, yet people say, ‘He has a demon!’ ¹⁹ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunk, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Absolved from every act of sin, is wisdom by her kith and kin.”

⁹ The Parable about the Pharisee and the Tax CollectorJesus also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves, thinking they were righteous, but who looked down on everyone else:

³⁴ Then Peter began to speak: “Now I understand that God shows no partiality.

⁴⁴ Gentiles Receive the Holy SpiritWhile Peter was still making this statement, the Holy Spirit fell on all the people who were listening to his message.

⁸ God, who knows everyone’s heart, showed them he approved by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us. ⁹ He made no distinction between them and us, because of their faith-cleansed hearts.

¹⁰ Why, then, do you criticize your brother? Or why do you despise your brother? For all of us will stand before the judgment seat of God.

¹³ Acting in LoveTherefore, let’s no longer criticize each other. Instead, make up your mind not to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.

¹⁵ For if your brother is being hurt by what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not destroy the person for whom the Messiah died by what you eat.

²⁹ I mean, of course, his conscience, not yours. For why should my freedom be determined by someone else’s conscience? ³⁰ If I eat with thankfulness, why should I be denounced because of what I am thankful for?

¹⁶ Therefore, let no one judge you in matters of food and drink or with respect to a festival, a New Moon, or Sabbath days. ¹⁷ These are a shadow of the things to come, but the reality belongs to the Messiah.

²⁷ The God of old is a dwelling place, with everlasting arms underneath. He drove out your enemies before you and said: ‘Destroy them!’ ²⁸ So Israel lives in confidence, isolated as the fountain of Jacob in a land of grain and new wine, where the heavens rain down dew. ²⁹ How blessed are you, Israel! Who can be like you, a people delivered by the LORD, your shield of help and your finely crafted sword. May your enemies cower before you. You will tread down their high places.”

⁵ Because my steps have held fast to your paths, my footsteps have not faltered.

¹⁷ For the arms of the wicked will be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.

²⁴ Though he stumbles, he will not fall down flat, for the LORD will hold up his hand.

²⁸ Indeed, the LORD loves justice, and he will not abandon his godly ones. They are kept safe forever, but the lawless will be chased away, and the descendants of the wicked will be cut off.

¹¹⁶ Sustain me, God, as you have promised, and I will live. Do not let me be ashamed of my hope. ¹¹⁷ Support me, that I may be saved, and I will carry out your statutes consistently.

²⁹ He’s the one who gives might to the faint, renewing strength for the powerless.

²⁸ I give them eternal life, they’ll never be lost, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. ²⁹ What my Father has given me is more important than anything, and no one can snatch it from the Father’s hand. ³⁰ I and the Father are one.”

¹⁷ Now if God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, who was I to try to stop God?”

³¹ Nothing Can Separate Us from God’s LoveWhat, then, can we say about all of this? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² The one who did not spare his own Son, but offered him as a sacrifice for all of us, surely will give us all things, along with his Son, won’t he? ³³ Who will accuse God’s elect? It is God who justifies! ³⁴ Who is the one to condemn? It is the Messiah Jesus who is interceding on our behalf. He died, and more importantly, has been raised and is seated at the right hand of God.
³⁵ Who will separate us from the Messiah’s love? Can trouble, distress, persecution, hunger, nakedness, danger, or a violent death do this? ³⁶ As it is written, “For your sake we are being put to death all day long. We are thought of as sheep headed for slaughter.”
³⁷ In all these things we are triumphantly victorious due to the one who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor anything above, nor anything below, nor anything else in all creation can separate us from the love of God that is ours in union with the Messiah Jesus, our Lord.

²⁰ On the contrary, who are you—mere man that you are—to talk back to God? Can an object that was molded say to the one who molded it, “Why did you make me like this?”

²³ If the Jews do not persist in their unbelief, they will be grafted in again, because God is able to graft them in.

³ The person who eats any kind of food must not ridicule the person who does not eat them, and the person who does not eat certain foods must not criticize the person who eats them, for God has accepted him.

²⁵ Final DoxologyNow to the one who is able to strengthen you with my gospel and the message that I preach about Jesus, the Messiah, by revealing the secret that was kept hidden from long ago

⁴ For my conscience is clear, but that does not vindicate me. It is the Lord who examines me. ⁵ Therefore, stop judging prematurely, before the Lord comes, for he will bring to light what is now hidden in darkness and reveal the motives of our hearts. Then each person will receive his praise from God.

²⁵ Therefore, because he always lives to intercede for them, he is able to save completely those who come to God through him.

¹¹ Do Not Criticize Each OtherDo not criticize each other, brothers. Whoever makes it his habit to criticize his brother or to judge his brother is judging the Law and condemning the Law. But if you condemn the Law, you are not a practicer of the Law but its judge. ¹² There is only one Lawgiver and Judge—the one who can save and destroy. So who are you to judge your neighbor?

⁵ Through faith you are being protected by God’s power for a salvation that is ready to be revealed at the end of this era.

²⁴ Final PrayerNow to the one who is able to keep you from falling and to make you stand joyful and faultless in his glorious presence,

²³ But the person who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not act in faith; and anything that is not done in faith is sin.

⁷ But not everyone has this knowledge. Some people are so accustomed to idolatry that when they eat food that has been offered to an idol, their conscience becomes contaminated because it is weak.

¹¹ In that case, the weak brother for whom the Messiah died is ruined by your knowledge.

⁹ But now that you know God, or rather have been known by God, how can you turn back again to those powerless and bankrupt basic principles? Why do you want to become their slaves all over again? ¹⁰ You are observing days, months, seasons, and years.

¹⁹ This is how we will know that we belong to the truth and how we will be able to keep ourselves strong in his presence.
²⁰ If our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts and knows everything. ²¹ Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence in the presence of God.

¹⁴ “‘This day is to be a memorial for you, and you are to celebrate it as a festival to the LORD. You are to celebrate it as a perpetual ordinance from generation to generation.

⁴² That was for the LORD a night of vigil to bring them out of the land of Egypt. This same night belongs to the LORD, and is to be a vigil for all the Israelis from generation to generation.

²⁵ Moses said, “Eat it today, since today is a Sabbath to the LORD, and today you won’t find it in the field.

⁵ “Is this the kind of fast that I have chosen, merely a day for a person to humble himself? Is it merely for bowing down one’s head like a bulrush, for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is this what you call a fast, an acceptable day to the LORD?

⁵ “Talk to everyone in the land, as well as to the priests. Ask them, ‘When you were fasting and mourning during the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, were you really fasting for me? ⁶ And when you eat and drink, you’re eating and drinking for your own benefit, aren’t you?

¹⁹ Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and blessed them. Then he broke the loaves in pieces and gave them to his disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.

³⁶ he took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks. Then he broke them in pieces and kept giving them to his disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.

²⁸ Then they asked him, “What must we do to perform God’s works?”

³⁰ If I eat with thankfulness, why should I be denounced because of what I am thankful for?
³¹ Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.

¹⁰ You are observing days, months, seasons, and years.

³ They will try to stop people from marrying and from eating certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. ⁴ For everything God created is good, and nothing should be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, ⁵ because it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

⁹ For this reason the Messiah died and returned to life, so that he might become the Lord of both the dead and the living.

¹⁹ You know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God, don’t you? You do not belong to yourselves, ²⁰ because you were bought for a price. Therefore, glorify God with your bodies.

¹⁵ He died for all people, so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for the one who died and rose for them.

¹⁹ For through the Law I died to the Law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with the Messiah. ²⁰ I no longer live, but the Messiah lives in me, and the life that I am now living in this body I live by the faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

²⁰ I rejoice because I eagerly expect and hope that I will have nothing to be ashamed of, because through my boldness the Messiah will be exalted through me, now as always, whether I live or die.
²¹ For to me, to go on living is the Messiah, and to die is gain. ²² Now if I continue living, fruitful labor is the result, so I do not know which I would prefer. ²³ Indeed, I cannot decide between the two. I have the desire to leave this life and be with the Messiah, for that is far better. ²⁴ But for your sake it is better that I remain alive.

¹⁰ who died for us in order that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.

¹⁴ He gave himself for us to set us free from every wrong and to cleanse us so that we could be his special people who are enthusiastic about doing good deeds.

² so that he can live the rest of his mortal life guided, not by human desires, but by the will of God.

¹⁹ Now he said this to show by what kind of death he would glorify God.
After saying this, Jesus told him, “Keep following me.”

³⁶ Now David, after he had served God’s purpose in his own generation, died and was buried with his ancestors, and so he experienced decay.

²⁴ But I don’t place any value on my life, if only I can finish my race and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.

¹³ At this Paul replied, “What do you mean by crying and breaking my heart? I’m ready not only to be tied up in Jerusalem but even to die for the name of the Lord Jesus!”

²² whether Paul, Apollos, Cephas, the world, life, death, the present, or the future—everything belongs to you, ²³ but you belong to the Messiah, and the Messiah belongs to God.

²³ However, this will happen to each person in the proper order: first the Messiah, then those who belong to the Messiah when he comes.

²⁰ I rejoice because I eagerly expect and hope that I will have nothing to be ashamed of, because through my boldness the Messiah will be exalted through me, now as always, whether I live or die.

¹⁷ Yet even if I am being poured out like an offering as part of the sacrifice and service I offer for your faith, I rejoice, and I share my joy with all of you.

³⁰ because he came close to death for the work of the Messiah by risking his life to complete what remained unfinished in your service to me.

¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so through Jesus God will bring those who have died with him. ¹⁵ For we declare to you what the Lord has told us to say: We who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who have died. ¹⁶ With a shout of command, with the archangel’s call, and with the sound of God’s trumpet, the Lord himself will come down from heaven, and the dead who belong to the Messiah will rise first. ¹⁷ Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. ¹⁸ So then, encourage one another with these words.

¹³ I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: How blessed are the dead, that is, those who die in the Lord from now on!” “Yes,” says the Spirit. “Let them rest from their labors, for their actions follow them.”

¹⁰ The Exaltation of the Servant“Yet the LORD was willing to crush him, and he made him suffer. Although you make his soul an offering for sin, he will see his offspring, and he will prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will triumph in his hand. ¹¹ Out of the suffering of his soul he will see light and find satisfaction. And through his knowledge his servant, the righteous one, will make many righteous, and he will bear their iniquities. ¹² Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong; because he poured out his life to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he carried the sins of many, and made intercession for their transgressions.”

¹⁸ Then Jesus approached them and told them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

²⁶ The Messiah had to suffer these things and then enter his glory, didn’t he?”

²² The Father judges no one, but has given all authority to judge to the Son, ²³ so that everyone may honor the Son as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.

²⁷ and he has given him authority to judge, because he is the Son of Man. ²⁸ Don’t be amazed at this, because the time is approaching when everyone in their graves will hear the Son of Man’s voice ²⁹ and will come out—those who have done what is good to the resurrection that leads to life, and those who have practiced what is evil to the resurrection that ends in condemnation.

³⁶ He has sent his word to the descendants of Israel and brought them the good news of peace through Jesus the Messiah. This man is the Lord of everyone.

⁴² He also ordered us to preach to the people and to testify solemnly that this is the one appointed by God to be the judge of the living and the dead.

¹⁴ The love of the Messiah controls us, for we are convinced of this: that one person died for all people; therefore, all people have died.

²⁰ which he brought about in the Messiah when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realm. ²¹ He is far above every ruler, authority, power, dominion, and every name that can be named, not only in the present age, but also in the one to come. ²² God has put everything under the Messiah’s feet and has made him the head of everything for the good of the church, ²³ which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills everything in every way.

⁹ Now lifted up by God to heaven, a name above all others given, this matchless name possessing. ¹⁰ And so, when Jesus’ name is called, the knees of everyone should fall, wherever they’re residing. ¹¹ Then every tongue in one accord, will say that Jesus the Messiah is Lord, while God the Father praising.

¹ Complete the Task Entrusted to YouIn the presence of God and the Messiah Jesus, who is going to judge those who are living and those who are dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly appeal to you

² fixing our attention on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of the faith, who, in view of the joy set before him, endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

²¹ Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope might be in God.

⁵ They will give an account to the one who is ready to judge the living and the dead.

¹⁸ the living one. I was dead—but look!—I am alive forever and ever! I have the keys of Death and Hades.

⁸ The Letter to the Church in Smyrna“To the messenger of the church in Smyrna, write:
‘The first and the last, who was dead and became alive, says this:

¹⁴ For God will judge every deed, along with every secret, whether good or evil.

³¹ The Judgment of the Nations“When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels are with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be assembled in front of him, and he will cull them out, one from another, like a shepherd separates sheep from goats.

¹¹ Even Herod and his soldiers treated him with contempt and made fun of him. He put a magnificent robe on Jesus and sent him back to Pilate.

²² The Father judges no one, but has given all authority to judge to the Son,

¹¹ He is ‘the stone that was rejected by you builders, which has become the cornerstone.’

³¹ because he has set a day when he is going to judge the world with justice through a man whom he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”

¹⁶ on that day when God, through Jesus the Messiah, will judge people’s secrets according to my gospel.

³ The person who eats any kind of food must not ridicule the person who does not eat them, and the person who does not eat certain foods must not criticize the person who eats them, for God has accepted him. ⁴ Who are you to criticize someone else’s servant? He stands or falls before his own Lord—and stand he will, because the Lord makes him stand.

⁵ Therefore, stop judging prematurely, before the Lord comes, for he will bring to light what is now hidden in darkness and reveal the motives of our hearts. Then each person will receive his praise from God.

¹⁰ For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of the Messiah, so that each of us may receive what he deserves for what he has done in his body, whether good or worthless.

¹⁴ Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied about these people when he said, “Look! The Lord has come with countless thousands of his holy ones. ¹⁵ He will judge all people and convict everyone of all the ungodly things that they have done in such an ungodly way, including all the harsh things that these ungodly sinners have said about him.”

¹¹ The Vision of the White Throne JudgmentThen I saw a large, white throne and the one who was sitting on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and no place was found for them. ¹² I saw the dead, both unimportant and important, standing in front of the throne, and books were open. Another book was opened—the Book of Life. The dead were judged according to their actions, as recorded in the books. ¹³ The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and Death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and all were judged according to their actions. ¹⁴ Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. (This is the second death—the lake of fire.) ¹⁵ Anyone whose name was not found written in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.

²¹ But just as I live, and just as the whole earth will be filled with the LORD’s glory,

²⁸ So tell them that as long as I live—consider this to be an oracle from the LORD—as certainly as you’ve spoken right into my ears, that’s how I’m going to treat you.

¹¹ May all kings bow down to him, and all nations serve him.

²² Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth. For I am God, and there is no other.
²³ Every Knee will BowBy myself I have sworn— from my mouth has gone out integrity, a promise that won’t be revoked: ‘To me every knee will bow, and every tongue will swear. ’ ²⁴ One will say of me, ‘Only in the LORD are victories and might.’ All who raged against him will come to him and will be put to shame. ²⁵ In the LORD all the descendants of Israel will triumph and make their boast.”

¹⁸ Lift up your eyes and look around— they have all gathered together and are coming to you. “As surely as I live,” says the LORD, “you will clothe yourself with all of them like ornaments, and tie them on like a bride.

²⁴ An Oracle against Jehoiachin“As certainly as I’m alive and living,” declares the LORD, “even if Jehoiakim’s son King Jehoiachin of Judah were a signet ring on my right hand, I would pull you off

¹¹ “Therefore, as sure as I live,” declares the Lord GOD, “because you’ve defiled my sanctuary with every loathsome thing and every abomination, I’ll restrain myself, and I’ll show neither pity nor compassion.

⁹ Therefore as I’m alive and living,” declares the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel, “Moab will surely become like Sodom, and the Ammonites like Gomorrah, a place overrun by weeds and salty marshes, unpopulated forever. The survivors of my people will confiscate their property, and those who remain of my nation will inherit what was theirs.

³² Acknowledging the Messiah
“Therefore, everyone who acknowledges me before people I, too, will acknowledge before my Father in heaven.

⁹ If you declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

⁹ so that the gentiles may glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “That is why I will praise you among the gentiles; I will sing praises to your name.”

¹⁵ God abides in the one who acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, and he abides in God.

⁷ Reject False TeachersFor many deceivers have gone out into the world. They refuse to acknowledge Jesus the Messiah as having become human. Any such person is a deceiver and an antichrist.

¹⁴ Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!”, and the elders bowed down and worshipped.

⁹ So enjoy yourself in your youth, young man, and be encouraged during your younger days. Live as you like, consistent with your world view, but keep in mind that God will bring you to account for everything.

³⁶ I tell you, on Judgment Day people will give an account for every thoughtless word they have uttered,

²⁷ The Son of Man is going to come with his angels in his Father’s glory, and then he will repay everyone according to what he has done.

²³ “That is why the kingdom from heaven may be compared to a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. ²⁴ When he had begun to settle the accounts, a person who owed him 10,000 talents was brought to him. ²⁵ Because he couldn’t pay, his master ordered him, his wife, his children, and everything that he owned to be sold so that payment could be made. ²⁶ Then the servant fell down and bowed low before him, saying, ‘Be patient with me, and I will repay you everything!’ ²⁷ The master of that servant had compassion and released him, canceling his debt.
²⁸ “But when that servant went away, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him, seized him by the throat, and said, ‘Pay what you owe!’ ²⁹ Then his fellow servant fell down and began begging him, ‘Be patient with me and I will repay you!’ ³⁰ But he refused and had him thrown into prison until he could repay the debt.
³¹ “When his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were very disturbed and went and reported to their master everything that had occurred. ³² Then his master sent for him and told him, ‘You evil servant! I canceled that entire debt for you because you begged me. ³³ Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ ³⁴ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers until he could repay the entire debt. ³⁵ This is how my heavenly Father will treat each one of you unless you forgive your brother from your hearts.”

² So he called for him and asked him, ‘What’s this I hear about you? You can’t be my manager any longer. Now give me a report about your management!’

⁵ For everyone must carry his own load.

¹⁴ “You are not to curse a deaf person or put a stumbling block before the blind.
“You are to fear God. I am the LORD.

¹⁴ Nevertheless, because you have despised the LORD’s enemies with utter contempt, the son born to you will most certainly die.”

¹⁴ And one has said: ‘Build up! Build up the road! Prepare the highway! Remove every obstacle from my people’s way.’

³ “Son of Man, these men have taken idols into their hearts. They’ve placed the stumbling block that is their own iniquity right in front of their faces. Should I be consulted by them at all?

¹ Judging Others
“Stop judging, so that you won’t be judged,

²³ But Jesus turned and told Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an offense to me, because you are not thinking God’s thoughts but human thoughts!”

⁷ How terrible it will be for the world due to its temptations to sin! Temptations to sin are bound to happen, but how terrible it will be for that person who causes someone to sin!

⁵⁷ Settling with Your Opponent
“Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right?

³² Why not? Because they did not pursue it on the basis of faith, but as if it were based on achievements. They stumbled over the stone that causes people to stumble. ³³ As it is written, “Look! I am placing a stone in Zion over which people will stumble— a large rock that will make them fall— and the one who believes in him will never be ashamed.”

⁹ And David says, “Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a punishment for them.

⁴ Who are you to criticize someone else’s servant? He stands or falls before his own Lord—and stand he will, because the Lord makes him stand.

¹⁷ Final WarningNow I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create divisions and sinful enticements that oppose the teaching you have learned. Stay away from them,

³² Don’t become a stumbling block to Jews or Greeks or to the church of God,

¹³ Decide for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?

³ We are God’s ServantsWe do not put an obstacle in anyone’s way. Otherwise, fault may be found with our ministry.

¹⁰ so that you may be able to choose what is best and be pure and blameless until the day when the Messiah returns,

¹⁴ Therefore, I want younger widows to remarry, have children, manage their homes, and not give the enemy any chance to ridicule them.

⁴ then you will have made false distinctions among yourselves and will have judged from evil motives, will you not?

¹¹ Do Not Criticize Each OtherDo not criticize each other, brothers. Whoever makes it his habit to criticize his brother or to judge his brother is judging the Law and condemning the Law. But if you condemn the Law, you are not a practicer of the Law but its judge.

¹⁰ The person who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no reason for him to stumble.

¹⁴ But I have a few things against you: You have there some who hold to the teaching of Balaam, the one who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the people of Israel so that they would eat food sacrificed to idols and practice immorality.

¹⁴ But Peter said, “Absolutely not, Lord, for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean!”
¹⁵ Again the voice came to him a second time, “You must stop calling unclean what God has made clean.”

²⁸ He told them, “You understand how wrong it is for a Jew to associate or visit with unbelievers. But God has shown me that I should stop calling anyone common or unclean,

⁸ But I replied, ‘Absolutely not, Lord, for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth!’ ⁹ Then the voice from heaven answered a second time, ‘You must stop calling common what God has made clean!’

² One person believes that he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables.

²⁰ Do not destroy God’s action for the sake of food. Everything is clean, but it is wrong to make another person stumble because of what you eat.

¹⁰ For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you, who know better, eating in an idol’s temple, he will be encouraged to eat what has been offered to idols, won’t he?

²² “‘“Because you’ve dismayed the heart of the righteous—whom I never intended to dismay—with lies, and because you’ve encouraged the wicked so that he wouldn’t abandon his evil behavior and by doing so live,

¹⁰ Love never does anything that is harmful to its neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the Law.

² Each of us must please our neighbor for the good purpose of building him up.

¹ Concerning Food Offered to IdolsNow concerning food offered to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.

¹¹ In that case, the weak brother for whom the Messiah died is ruined by your knowledge. ¹² When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak consciences, you are sinning against the Messiah.

¹ The Supremacy of LoveIf I speak in the languages of humans and angels but have no love, I have become a reverberating gong or a clashing cymbal.

⁴ Love is always patient; love is always kind; love is never envious or arrogant with pride. Nor is she conceited, ⁵ and she is never rude; she never thinks just of herself or ever gets annoyed. She never is resentful;

¹³ For you, brothers, were called to freedom. Only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity to gratify your flesh, but through love make it your habit to serve one another.

² Live lovingly, just as the Messiah also loved us and gave himself for us as an offering and sacrifice, a fragrant aroma to God.

² then fill me with joy by having the same attitude, sharing the same love, being united in spirit, and keeping one purpose in mind. ³ Do not act out of selfish ambition or conceit, but with humility think of others as being better than yourselves. ⁴ Do not be concerned about your own interests, but also be concerned about the interests of others.

¹ Warning against False TeachersNow there were false prophets among the people, just as there also will be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction on themselves. ² It is he who is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world’s.

¹⁷ Do not pay anyone back evil for evil, but focus your thoughts on what is right in the sight of all people.

²⁰ We are trying to avoid any criticism of the way we are administering this great undertaking. ²¹ We intend to do what is right, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of people.

²² Keep away from every kind of evil.

²⁴ One will say of me, ‘Only in the LORD are victories and might.’ All who raged against him will come to him and will be put to shame.

¹² “For you will go out in joy, and come back with peace; the mountains and the hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees in the fields will clap their hands.

³ to provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, a mantle of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” “Then people will call them “Oaks of Righteousness”, “The Planting of the LORD”, in order to display his splendor.

⁵ “The time is coming,” declares the LORD, “when I’ll raise up a righteous branch for David. He will be a king who rules wisely, and he will administer justice and righteousness in the land. ⁶ In his time Judah will be delivered and Israel will dwell in safety. This is the name by which he will be known: ‘The LORD Our Righteousness.’

⁴⁴ “During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor its sovereignty left in the hands of another people. It will shatter and crush all of these kingdoms, and it will stand forever.

²⁴ Seventy weeks have been decreed concerning your people and your holy city: to restrain transgression, to put an end to sin, to make atonement for lawlessness, to establish everlasting righteousness, to conclude vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place.

² “Repent, because the kingdom from heaven is near!”

³³ But first be concerned about God’s kingdom and his righteousness, and all of these things will be provided for you as well.

¹⁵ The Parable about a Banquet
Now one of those eating with him heard this and told him, “How blessed is the person who will eat in the kingdom of God!”

²⁰ The Coming of the Kingdom
Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come. He answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming with a visible display. ²¹ People won’t be saying, ‘Look! Here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ because now the kingdom of God is among you.”

³ Jesus replied to him, “Truly, I tell you emphatically, unless a person is born from above he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

⁵ Jesus answered, “Truly, I tell you emphatically, unless a person is born of water and Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

³³ I have told you this so that through me you may have peace. In the world you’ll have trouble, but be courageous—I’ve overcome the world!”

³¹ So the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria enjoyed peace. As it continued to be built up and to live in the fear of the Lord, it kept increasing in numbers through the encouragement of the Holy Spirit.

⁵² Meanwhile, the disciples continued to be full of joy and the Holy Spirit.

¹ We Enjoy Peace with God through JesusTherefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus the Messiah. ² Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace by which we have been established, and we boast because of our hope in God’s glory. ³ Not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴ endurance produces character, and character produces hope. ⁵ Now this hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

⁶ To focus our minds on the human nature leads to death, but to focus our minds on the Spirit leads to life and peace.

¹⁵ For you have not received a spirit of slavery that leads you into fear again. Instead, you have received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba! Father!” ¹⁶ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.

¹³ Now may God, the source of hope, fill you with all joy and peace as you believe, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

³⁰ It is because of God that you are in union with the Messiah Jesus, who for us has become wisdom from God, as well as our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.

²⁰ for the kingdom of God isn’t just talk, but also power.

⁹ You know that wicked people will not inherit the kingdom of God, don’t you? Stop deceiving yourselves! Sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, homosexuals,

⁸ However, food will not bring us closer to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat food that has been offered to an idol, and no better off if we do.

²¹ God made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that God’s righteousness would be produced in us.
²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

¹ Unity through HumilityTherefore, if there is any encouragement in the Messiah, if there is any comfort of love, if there is any fellowship in the Spirit, if there is any compassion and sympathy,

³ For it is we who are the circumcision—we who worship in the Spirit of God and find our joy in the Messiah Jesus. We have not placed any confidence in the flesh,

⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the Law, but one that comes through the faithfulness of the Messiah, the righteousness that comes from God and that depends on faith.

⁴ Keep on rejoicing in the Lord at all times. I will say it again: Keep on rejoicing!

⁷ Then God’s peace, which goes far beyond anything we can imagine, will guard your hearts and minds in union with the Messiah Jesus.

¹¹ You are being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might, so that you might patiently endure everything with joy

⁶ You became imitators of us and of the Lord. In spite of a great deal of suffering, you welcomed the word with the joy that the Holy Spirit produces.

¹² We comforted and encouraged you, urging you to live in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.

⁸ Though you have not seen him, you love him. And even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy,

¹ GreetingsFrom: Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus, the Messiah.
To: Those who have received faith that is as valuable as ours through the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus the Messiah.

⁷ If you do what is appropriate, you’ll be accepted, won’t you? But if you don’t do what is appropriate, sin is crouching near your doorway, turning toward you. Now as for you, will you take dominion over it?”

⁷ The Fine Art of Enjoying LifeGo ahead and enjoy your meals as you eat. Drink your wine with a joyful attitude, because God already has approved your actions.

³⁴ It’s like a man who went on a trip. As he left home, he put his servants in charge, each with his own work, and he ordered the doorkeeper to be alert.

²⁶ If anyone serves me, he must follow me. And where I am, there my servant will also be. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.”

³⁵ Indeed, whoever fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him in any nation.

²² But now that you have been freed from sin and have become God’s slaves, the benefit you reap is sanctification, and the result is eternal life.

¹ Dedicate Your Lives to GodI therefore urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercies, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices that are holy and pleasing to God, for this is the reasonable way for you to worship. ² Do not be conformed to this world, but continuously be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you may be able to determine what God’s will is—what is proper, pleasing, and perfect.

¹¹ Never be lazy in showing such devotion. Be on fire with the Spirit. Serve the Lord.

¹⁸ because such people are not serving the Messiah our Lord, but their own desires. By their smooth talk and flattering words they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.

²² For the slave who has been called to belong to the Lord is the Lord’s free person. In the same way, the free person who has been called is the Messiah’s slave.

² Instead, we have renounced secret and shameful ways. We do not use trickery or pervert God’s word. By clear statements of the truth we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience before God.

¹¹ The Messiah’s Love Controls UsTherefore, since we know what it means to fear the Lord, we try to persuade people. We ourselves are perfectly known to God. I hope we are also really known to your consciences.

⁴ Instead, in every way we demonstrate that we are God’s servants by tremendous endurance in the midst of difficulties, hardships, and calamities;

²¹ We intend to do what is right, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of people.

¹⁵ For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision matters. Rather, what matters is being a new creation. ¹⁶ Now may peace be on all those who live by this principle, and may mercy be on the Israel of God.

¹⁸ I have been paid in full and have more than enough. I am fully supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus what you sent—a fragrant aroma, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.

²⁴ You know that it is from the Lord that you will receive the inheritance as a reward. It is the Lord Messiah whom you are serving!

³ In the presence of our God and Father, we constantly remember how your faith is active, your love is hard at work, and your hope in our Lord Jesus the Messiah is enduring. ⁴ Brothers whom God loves, we know that he has chosen you,

³ This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,

⁴ But if a widow has children or grandchildren, they must first learn to respect their own family by repaying their parents, for this is pleasing in God’s sight.

¹¹ For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people. ¹² It trains us to renounce ungodly living and worldly passions so that we might live sensible, honest, and godly lives in the present age ¹³ as we wait for the blessed hope and glorious appearance of our great God and Savior, Jesus the Messiah. ¹⁴ He gave himself for us to set us free from every wrong and to cleanse us so that we could be his special people who are enthusiastic about doing good deeds.

¹⁸ But someone may say, “You have faith, and I have actions.” Show me your faith without any actions, and I will show you my faith by my actions. ¹⁹ You believe that there is one God. That’s fine! Even the demons believe that and tremble with fear. ²⁰ Do you want proof, you foolish person, that faith without actions is worthless? ²¹ Our ancestor Abraham was justified by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar, wasn’t he? ²² You see that his faith worked together with what he did, and by his actions his faith was made complete. ²³ And so the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” And so he was called God’s friend. ²⁴ You observe that a person is justified through actions and not through faith alone. ²⁵ Likewise, Rahab the prostitute was justified through actions when she welcomed the messengers and sent them away on a different road, wasn’t she? ²⁶ For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without actions is also dead.

⁵ you, too, as living stones, are building yourselves up into a spiritual house and a holy priesthood, so that you may offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus, the Messiah.

²⁰ What good does it do if, when you sin, you patiently receive punishment for it? But if you suffer for doing good and receive it patiently, you have God’s approval.

¹⁶ But do this gently and respectfully, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak evil of your good conduct in the Messiah will be ashamed of slandering you.

¹⁴ Avoid evil and do good! Seek peace and pursue it!

¹ A Davidic Song of Ascents
The Significance of Unity Look how good and how pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!

⁹ “How blessed are those who make peace, because it is they who will be called God’s children!

⁵⁰ Salt is good. But if salt loses its taste, how can you restore its flavor? Keep on having salt among yourselves, and live in peace with one another.”

¹⁸ If possible, so far as it depends on you, live in peace with all people.

¹⁵ But if the unbelieving partner leaves, let him go. In such cases the brother or sister is not under obligation. God has called you to live in peace.

³³ just as I myself try to please everybody in every way. I don’t look out for my own benefit, but rather for the benefit of many people, so that they might be saved.

¹² In the same way, since you’re so desirous of spiritual gifts, you must keep on desiring them for building up the church.
¹³ Therefore, the person who speaks in a foreign language should pray for the ability to interpret it. ¹⁴ For if I pray in a foreign language, my spirit prays but my mind is not productive. ¹⁵ What does this mean? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind. I will sing psalms with my spirit, but I will also sing psalms with my mind. ¹⁶ Otherwise, if you say a blessing with your spirit, how can an otherwise uneducated person say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you’re saying? ¹⁷ It’s good for you to give thanks, but it does not build up the other person.

²⁶ Maintain Order in the ChurchWhat, then, does this mean, brothers? When you gather, everyone has a psalm, teaching, revelation, foreign language, or interpretation. Everything must be done for upbuilding.

¹⁹ Have you been thinking all along that we are trying to defend ourselves before you? We are speaking before God in the authority of the Messiah, and everything, dear friends, is meant to build you up.

¹¹ Final Greetings and BenedictionFinally, brothers, goodbye. Keep on growing to maturity. Keep listening to my appeals. Continue agreeing with each other and living in peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.

³ Do your best to maintain the unity of the Spirit by means of the bond of peace. ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit. Likewise, you were called to the one hope of your calling. ⁵ There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is above all, through all, and in all.
⁷ Now to each one of us grace has been given proportionate to the measure of the Messiah’s gift.

²⁹ Let no filthy talk be heard from your mouths, but only what is good for building up people and meeting the need of the moment. This way you will administer grace to those who hear you.

¹ Unity through HumilityTherefore, if there is any encouragement in the Messiah, if there is any comfort of love, if there is any fellowship in the Spirit, if there is any compassion and sympathy,

¹² Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. ¹³ Be tolerant of one another and forgive each other if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, you also should forgive. ¹⁴ Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which ties everything together in unity. ¹⁵ Let the peace of the Messiah also rule in your hearts, to which you were called in one body, and be thankful.

¹¹ So then, encourage one another and build each other up, as you are doing.
¹² Paul Gives Final Instructions to the ChurchBrothers, we ask you to show your appreciation for those who work among you, set an example for you in the Lord, and instruct you.

⁴ and occupying themselves with myths and endless genealogies. These things promote controversies rather than God’s ongoing purpose, which involves faith.

²² Flee from youthful passions. Instead, pursue righteousness, faithfulness, love, and peace together with those who call on the Lord with a pure heart.

¹⁴ Pursue peace with everyone, as well as holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.

¹³ Live WiselyWho among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his noble conduct that his actions are done humbly and wisely. ¹⁴ But if you have bitter jealousy and rivalry in your hearts, stop boasting and slandering the truth. ¹⁵ That kind of wisdom does not come from above. No, it is worldly, self-centered, and demonic. ¹⁶ For wherever jealousy and rivalry exist, there is disorder and every kind of evil.
¹⁷ However, the wisdom that comes from above is first of all pure, then peace-loving, gentle, willing to yield, full of compassion and good deeds, and without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. ¹⁸ And a harvest of righteousness is grown from the seed of peace planted by peacemakers.

¹¹ He must turn away from evil and do good. He must seek peace and pursue it.

¹¹ It is not what goes into the mouth that makes a person unclean. It is what comes out of the mouth that makes a person unclean.”

⁶ Causing Others to Sin
“If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a large millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned at the bottom of the sea.

¹⁵ Again the voice came to him a second time, “You must stop calling unclean what God has made clean.”

¹⁴ I know—and have been persuaded by the Lord Jesus—that nothing is unclean in and of itself, but it is unclean to a person who thinks it is unclean. ¹⁵ For if your brother is being hurt by what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not destroy the person for whom the Messiah died by what you eat.

¹² Morality in Sexual MattersEverything is permissible for me, but not everything is helpful. Everything is permissible for me, but I will not allow anything to control me. ¹³ Food is for the stomach, and the stomach is for food, but God will make them both unnecessary. The body is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.

³¹ Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. ³² Don’t become a stumbling block to Jews or Greeks or to the church of God, ³³ just as I myself try to please everybody in every way. I don’t look out for my own benefit, but rather for the benefit of many people, so that they might be saved.

¹⁰ For we are God’s masterpiece, created in the Messiah Jesus to perform good actions that God prepared long ago to be our way of life.

⁶ I am convinced of this, that the one who began a good action among you will bring it to completion by the Day of the Messiah Jesus.

⁸ “But you priests turned aside from the way, and by your teaching you caused many to stumble. You have violated the covenant of Levi,” says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies.

⁷ How terrible it will be for the world due to its temptations to sin! Temptations to sin are bound to happen, but how terrible it will be for that person who causes someone to sin!
⁸ “So if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life injured or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. ⁹ And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell fire.
¹⁰ “See to it that you do not despise one of these little ones, because I tell you, their angels in heaven always have access to my Father in heaven.

¹ Causing Others to Sin
Jesus told his disciples, “It is inevitable that temptations to sin will come, but how terrible it will be for the person through whom they come! ² It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.

¹⁷ For God’s kingdom does not consist of food and drink, but of righteousness, peace, and joy produced by the Holy Spirit.

¹ Please Others, Not YourselvesNow we who are strong ought to be patient with the weaknesses of those who are not strong and must stop pleasing ourselves. ² Each of us must please our neighbor for the good purpose of building him up.

¹³ Therefore, if food that I eat causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, in order to keep my brother from stumbling.

¹³ and straighten the paths of your life, so that your lameness may not become worse, but instead may be healed.

¹⁶ Therefore, I always do my best to have a clear conscience before God and people.

¹⁵ I don’t understand what I am doing. For I don’t practice what I want to do, but instead do what I hate.

²⁴ What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is infected by death?

⁵ One person decides in favor of one day over another, while another person decides that all days are the same. Let each one be fully convinced in his own mind:

¹² Paul’s Reason for BoastingFor this is what we boast about: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world with pure motives and godly sincerity, without earthly wisdom but with God’s grace—especially toward you.

¹ Help Each OtherBrothers, if a person is caught doing something wrong, those of you who are spiritual should restore that person gently. Watch out for yourself so that you are not tempted as well.

¹³ Live WiselyWho among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his noble conduct that his actions are done humbly and wisely.

²¹ Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence in the presence of God.

² so that whoever resists the authorities opposes what God has established, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.

²⁹ because whoever eats and drinks without recognizing the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself. ³⁰ That’s why so many of you are weak and sick and a considerable number are dying. ³¹ But if we judged ourselves correctly, we would not be judged.

⁶ Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who diligently search for him.