| And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment. | When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment. |
| Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect. | Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. |
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| The fear of others lays a snare, but one who trusts in the Lord is secure. | Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe. |
| My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. | This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. |
| Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. | Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. |
| Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? | Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? |
| By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. | By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. |
| You may say to yourself, “How can we recognize a word that the Lord has not spoken?” If a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord but the thing does not take place or prove true, it is a word that the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; do not be frightened by it. | You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?” If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed. |
| Bear fruit worthy of repentance. | Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. |
| But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. | Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. |
| With the loyal you show yourself loyal; with the blameless you show yourself blameless. | To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless. |
| But test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil. | But test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil. |
| Repent and turn from all your transgressions; otherwise iniquity will be your ruin. | Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. |
| This God—his way is perfect; the promise of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all who take refuge in him. | As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him. |
| This God—his way is perfect; the promise of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all who take refuge in him. | As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him. |
| So I will display my greatness and my holiness and make myself known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the Lord. | And so I will show my greatness and my holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord. |
| Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless, indeed, you fail to meet the test! | Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? |
| I will sanctify my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord, says the Lord God, when through you I display my holiness before their eyes. | I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Sovereign Lord, when I am proved holy through you before their eyes. |
| Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and thus put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts; see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing. | “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.” |
| Therefore, brothers and sisters, be all the more eager to confirm your call and election, for if you do this, you will never stumble. For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you. | Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. |
| Do all things without murmuring and arguing, so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world. It is by your holding fast to the word of life. | Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. |
