The Sin and Doom of Ungodly People

³ Dear friends,^(A) although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share,^(B) I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend^(C) for the faith^(D) that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.^{(E) 4} For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about^[a] long ago have secretly slipped in among you.^(F) They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.^(G)

⁵ Though you already know all this,^(H) I want to remind you^(I) that the Lord^[b] at one time delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe.^(J)

³² When they heard about the resurrection of the dead,^(A) some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.”

²¹ For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.^{(A) 22} Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools^(B)

¹⁹ For it is written:

²⁰ Where is the wise person?^(B) Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age?^(C) Has not God made foolish^(D) the wisdom of the world? ²¹ For since in the wisdom of God the world^(E) through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save^(F) those who believe.^{(G) 22} Jews demand signs^(H) and Greeks look for wisdom, ²³ but we preach Christ crucified:^(I) a stumbling block^(J) to Jews and foolishness^(K) to Gentiles,

⁵ We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God,^(A) and we take captive every thought to make it obedient^(B) to Christ.

⁸ See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy,^(A) which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces^[a] of this world^(B) rather than on Christ.

²⁰ Timothy, guard what has been entrusted^(A) to your care. Turn away from godless chatter^(B) and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, ²¹ which some have professed and in so doing have departed from the faith.^(C)

Grace be with you all.^(D)