| Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword. | Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. |
| Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. | For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin. |
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| That is why he is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant. | For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. |
| Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. | Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. |
| Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. | Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. |
| And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life. | We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. |
| Enjoy prosperity while you can, but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God. Remember that nothing is certain in this life. | When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, no one can discover anything about their future. |
| Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? | Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? |
| I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. | I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love. |
| Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world. | He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” |
| See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people. | Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. |
| Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. | For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. |
| I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. | Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. |
| Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. | He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. |
| Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all. | Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. |
| I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. | I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people. |
| You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. | In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus. |
| God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple. | If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple. |
| ‘I am the Lord your God,’ I told them. ‘Follow my decrees, pay attention to my regulations, and keep my Sabbath days holy, for they are a sign to remind you that I am the Lord your God.’ | I am the Lord your God; follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Keep my Sabbaths holy, that they may be a sign between us. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God. |
| Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment. | Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation. |
| Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. | Do not judge, or you too will be judged. |
| For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. | For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. |
| And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day there will be one Lord—his name alone will be worshiped. | The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name. |
| For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. | For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. |
| But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life. | But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. |
