Journey Through God's Word

¹Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

²Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing.

³And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law.

⁴You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.

⁵For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.

⁶For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.

⁷You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?

⁸This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you.

⁹A little leaven leavens the whole lump.

¹⁰I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will have no other mind; but he who troubles you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is.

¹¹And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why do I still suffer persecution? Then the offense of the cross has ceased.

¹²I could wish that those who trouble you would even cut themselves off!

¹³For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

¹⁴For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

¹⁵But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!

¹⁶I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

¹⁷For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.

¹⁸But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

¹⁹Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,

²⁰idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,

²¹envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

²³gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

²⁴And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

²⁵If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

²⁶Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

¹Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.

²And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

³But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints;

⁴neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.

⁵For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

⁶Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

⁷Therefore do not be partakers with them.

⁸For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light

⁹(for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth),

¹⁰finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.

¹¹And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.

¹²For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.

¹³But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.

¹⁴Therefore He says: “Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.”

¹⁵See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,

¹⁶redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

¹⁷Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

¹⁸And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,

¹⁹speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,

²⁰giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

²¹submitting to one another in the fear of God.

²²Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.

²³For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.

²⁴Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.

²⁵Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,

²⁶that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,

²⁷that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.

²⁸So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself.

²⁹For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.

³⁰For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.

³¹“For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”

³²This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

³³Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

¹If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.

²Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

³For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

⁴When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

⁵Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

⁶Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience,

⁷in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.

⁸But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.

⁹Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds,

¹⁰and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,

¹¹where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.

¹²Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;

¹³bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.

¹⁴But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.

¹⁵And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.

¹⁶Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

¹⁷And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

¹⁸Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

¹⁹Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them.

²⁰Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord.

²¹Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.

²²Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God.

²³And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,

²⁴knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.

²⁵But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality.