A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones. | A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength. |
And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. | And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever. |
|
But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God. | But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants. |
Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock. | Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. |
Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. | Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. |
Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. | Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. |
Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? | I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ. |
But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly. | But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. |
He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart; He who does not backbite with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend. | Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking the truth from sincere hearts. Those who refuse to gossip or harm their neighbors or speak evil of their friends. |
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. | But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. |
He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. | But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. |
But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. | But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. |
He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. | Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. |
Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil. | Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. |
But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases. | Our God is in the heavens, and he does as he wishes. |
Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. | The husband should fulfill his wife’s sexual needs, and the wife should fulfill her husband’s needs. The wife gives authority over her body to her husband, and the husband gives authority over his body to his wife. |
Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. | Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don’t. And those who don’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them. |
Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. | So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. |
Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one. | Now a mediator is helpful if more than one party must reach an agreement. But God, who is one, did not use a mediator when he gave his promise to Abraham. |
A faithful witness does not lie, But a false witness will utter lies. | An honest witness does not lie; a false witness breathes lies. |
And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. | If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. |
The ransom of a man’s life is his riches, But the poor does not hear rebuke. | The rich can pay a ransom for their lives, but the poor won’t even get threatened. |
The wicked borrows and does not repay, But the righteous shows mercy and gives. | The wicked borrow and never repay, but the godly are generous givers. |
He covets greedily all day long, But the righteous gives and does not spare. | Some people are always greedy for more, but the godly love to give! |
Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. | Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law. |