Salt and Light

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.^(A)

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world.^(B) A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.^{(C) 16} In the same way, let your light shine before others,^(D) that they may see your good deeds^(E) and glorify^(F) your Father in heaven.

The Way of the Cross

³⁴ Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.^{(A) 35} For whoever wants to save their life^[a] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.^{(B) 36} What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? ³⁷ Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? ³⁸ If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man^(C) will be ashamed of them^(D) when he comes^(E) in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”

³⁸ No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins.

²² Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus^(A) and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious.^{(B) 23} For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship^(C)—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.

²² To the weak I became weak, to win the weak.^(A) I have become all things to all people^(B) so that by all possible means I might save some.^(C)

Warning Against Idolatry

¹⁴ Do not be yoked together^(A) with unbelievers.^(B) For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?^{(C) 15} What harmony is there between Christ and Belial^[a]?^(D) Or what does a believer^(E) have in common with an unbeliever?^{(F) 16} What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?^(G) For we are the temple^(H) of the living God.^(I) As God has said:

¹⁷ Therefore,

¹⁸ And,

7 Therefore, since we have these promises,^(O) dear friends,^(P) let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness^(Q) out of reverence for God.

Paul’s Defense of His Ministry

10 By the humility and gentleness^(A) of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul,^(B) who am “timid” when face to face with you, but “bold” toward you when away! ² I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold^(C) as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world.^{(D) 3} For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.^{(E) 4} The weapons we fight with^(F) are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power^(G) to demolish strongholds.^{(H) 5} We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God,^(I) and we take captive every thought to make it obedient^(J) to Christ.

¹⁵ Be very careful, then, how you live^(A)—not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the most of every opportunity,^(B) because the days are evil.^(C)