Love, Our Primary Duty
8
Do not owe anyone anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
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The commandments:
Do not commit adultery;
do not murder;
do not steal;
do not covet;
and whatever other commandment — all are summed up by this:
Love your neighbor as yourself.
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Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Love, therefore, is the fulfillment of the law.
Put On Christ
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Besides this, knowing the time, it is already the hour for you to wake up from sleep, for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.
12
The night is nearly over, and the daylight is near, so let us discard the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
13
Let us
•walk
with decency, as in the daylight: not in carousing and drunkenness; not in sexual impurity and promiscuity; not in quarreling and jealousy.
14
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no plans to satisfy the fleshly desires.
Romans
The Law of Liberty
14
Accept anyone who is weak in faith, but don't argue about doubtful issues.
2
One person believes he may eat anything, but one who is weak eats only vegetables.
3
One who eats must not look down on one who does not eat, and one who does not eat must not criticize one who does, because God has accepted him.
4
Who are you to criticize another's household slave? Before his own Lord he stands or falls. And he will stand. For the Lord is able to make him stand.
5
One person considers one day to be above another day. Someone else considers every day to be the same. Each one must be fully convinced in his own mind.
6
Whoever observes the day, observes it for the honor of the Lord. Whoever eats, eats for the Lord, since he gives thanks to God; and whoever does not eat, it is for the Lord that he does not eat it, yet he thanks God.
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For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.
8
If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
9
Christ died and came to life for this: that He might rule over both the dead and the living.
10
But you, why do you criticize your brother? Or you, why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before the tribunal of God.
11
For it is written:
As I live, says the Lord,
every knee will bow to Me,
and every tongue will give praise to God.
12
So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
The Law of Love
13
Therefore, let us no longer criticize one another. Instead decide never to put a stumbling block or pitfall in your brother's way.
14
(I know and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus that nothing is
•unclean
in itself. Still, to someone who considers a thing to be unclean, to that one it is unclean. )
15
For if your brother is hurt by what you eat, you are no longer
•walking
according to love. Do not destroy that one Christ died for by what you eat.
16
Therefore, do not let your good be slandered,
17
for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
18
Whoever serves Christ in this way is acceptable to God and approved by men.
19
So then, we must pursue what promotes peace and what builds up one another.
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Do not tear down God's work because of food. Everything is
•clean
, but it is wrong for a man to cause stumbling by what he eats.
21
It is a noble thing not to eat meat, or drink wine, or do anything that makes your brother stumble.
22
Do you have a conviction? Keep it to yourself before God. The man who does not condemn himself by what he approves is blessed.
23
But whoever doubts stands condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from a conviction, and everything that is not from a conviction is sin.
Romans
Pleasing Others, Not Ourselves
15
Now we who are strong have an obligation to bear the weaknesses of those without strength, and not to please ourselves.
2
Each one of us must please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.
3
For even the
•Messiah
did not please Himself. On the contrary, as it is written,
The insults of those who insult You have fallen on Me.
4
For whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that we may have hope through endurance and through the encouragement from the Scriptures.
5
Now may the God who gives endurance and encouragement allow you to live in harmony with one another, according to the command of Christ Jesus,
6
so that you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with a united mind and voice.
Glorifying God Together
7
Therefore accept one another, just as the Messiah also accepted you, to the glory of God.
8
For I say that the Messiah became a servant of the circumcised on behalf of God's truth, to confirm the promises to the fathers,
9
and so that Gentiles may glorify God for His mercy. As it is written:
Therefore I will praise You among the Gentiles,
and I will sing psalms to Your name.
10
Again it says:
Rejoice, you Gentiles, with His people!
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And again:
Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles;
all the peoples should praise Him!
12
And again, Isaiah says:
The root of Jesse
will appear,
the One who rises to rule the Gentiles;
the Gentiles will hope in Him.
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Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
From Jerusalem to Illyricum
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My brothers, I myself am convinced about you that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another.
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Nevertheless, I have written to remind you more boldly on some points because of the grace given me by God
16
to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, serving as a priest of God's good news. My purpose is that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable,
•sanctified
by the Holy Spirit.
17
Therefore I have reason to boast in Christ Jesus regarding what pertains to God.
18
For I would not dare say anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to make the Gentiles obedient by word and deed,
19
by the power of miraculous signs and wonders, and by the power of God's Spirit. As a result, I have fully proclaimed the good news about the Messiah from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum.
20
My aim is to evangelize where Christ has not been named, so that I will not build on someone else's foundation,
21
but, as it is written:
Those who were not told about Him will see,
and those who have not heard will understand.
Paul's Travel Plans
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That is why I have been prevented many times from coming to you.
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But now I no longer have any work to do in these provinces, and I have strongly desired for many years to come to you
24
whenever I travel to Spain. For I hope to see you when I pass through, and to be assisted by you for my journey there, once I have first enjoyed your company for a while.
25
Right now I am traveling to Jerusalem to serve the
•saints
,
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for Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem.
27
Yes, they were pleased, and indeed are indebted to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual benefits, then they are obligated to minister to Jews in material needs.
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So when I have finished this and safely delivered the funds to them, I will visit you on the way to Spain.
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I know that when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.
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Now I appeal to you, brothers, through our Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit, to join with me in fervent prayers to God on my behalf.
31
Pray that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea, that the gift I am bringing to Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints,
32
and that, by God's will, I may come to you with joy and be refreshed together with you.
33
The God of peace be with all of you.
•Amen
.
Romans
Paul's Commendation of Phoebe
16
I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church in Cenchreae.
2
So you should welcome her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the
•saints
and assist her in whatever matter she may require your help. For indeed she has been a benefactor of many — and of me also.
Greeting to Roman Christians
3
Give my greetings to Prisca and Aquila, my coworkers in Christ Jesus,
4
who risked their own necks for my life. Not only do I thank them, but so do all the Gentile churches.
5
Greet also the church that meets in their home.
Greet my dear friend Epaenetus, who is the first convert to Christ from
•Asia
.
6
Greet Mary, who has worked very hard for you.
7
Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow countrymen and fellow prisoners. They are noteworthy in the eyes of the apostles, and they were also in Christ before me.
8
Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord.
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Greet Urbanus, our coworker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys.
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Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ.
Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus.
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Greet Herodion, my fellow countryman.
Greet those who belong to the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord.
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Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who have worked hard in the Lord.
Greet my dear friend Persis, who has worked very hard in the Lord.
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Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother — and mine.
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Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers who are with them.
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Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them.
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Greet one another with a holy kiss.
All the churches of Christ send you greetings.
Warning against Divisive People
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Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause dissensions and obstacles contrary to the doctrine you have learned. Avoid them,
18
for such people do not serve our Lord Christ but their own appetites. They deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting with smooth talk and flattering words.
Paul's Gracious Conclusion
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The report of your obedience has reached everyone. Therefore I rejoice over you. But I want you to be wise about what is good, yet innocent about what is evil.
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The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
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Timothy, my coworker, and Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my fellow countrymen, greet you.
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I Tertius, who wrote this letter, greet you in the Lord.
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Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus greet you.
[
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The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.]
Glory to God
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Now to Him who has power to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation about Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the
•mystery
kept silent for long ages
26
but now revealed and made known through the prophetic Scriptures, according to the command of the eternal God to advance the obedience of faith among all nations —
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to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ — to Him be the glory forever!
•Amen
.
1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians