Giving to the Needy

6 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them.^(A) If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

² “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ³ But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.^(B)

Prayer^(C)

⁵ “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing^(D) in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ⁶ But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father,^(E) who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

A Warning Against Hypocrisy^(A)(B)

23 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: ² “The teachers of the law^(C) and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. ³ So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. ⁴ They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.^(D)

⁵ “Everything they do is done for people to see:^(E) They make their phylacteries^[a](F) wide and the tassels on their garments^(G) long; ⁶ they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues;^{(H) 7} they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.^(I)

¹⁵ “We who are Jews by birth^(A) and not sinful Gentiles^{(B) 16} know that a person is not justified by the works of the law,^(C) but by faith in Jesus Christ.^(D) So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in^[a] Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.^(E)

¹⁷ “But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners,^(F) doesn’t that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not!^{(G) 18} If I rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a lawbreaker.

¹⁹ “For through the law I died to the law^(H) so that I might live for God.^{(I) 20} I have been crucified with Christ^(J) and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.^(K) The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God,^(L) who loved me^(M) and gave himself for me.^{(N) 21} I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law,^(O) Christ died for nothing!”^[b]

Faith or Works of the Law

3 You foolish^(P) Galatians!^(Q) Who has bewitched you?^(R) Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.^{(S) 2} I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit^(T) by the works of the law,^(U) or by believing what you heard?^{(V) 3} Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?^{[c] 4} Have you experienced^[d] so much in vain—if it really was in vain? ⁵ So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles^(W) among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?^{(X) 6} So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”^[e](Y)

⁷ Understand, then, that those who have faith^(Z) are children of Abraham.^{(AA) 8} Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.”^{[f](AB) 9} So those who rely on faith^(AC) are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.^(AD)

⁸ For it is by grace^(A) you have been saved,^(B) through faith^(C)—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works,^(D) so that no one can boast.^(E)

²⁸ And we know that in all things God works for the good^(A) of those who love him, who^[a] have been called^(B) according to his purpose.^{(C) 29} For those God foreknew^(D) he also predestined^(E) to be conformed to the image of his Son,^(F) that he might be the firstborn^(G) among many brothers and sisters. ³⁰ And those he predestined,^(H) he also called;^(I) those he called, he also justified;^(J) those he justified, he also glorified.^(K)

More Than Conquerors

³¹ What, then, shall we say in response to these things?^(L) If God is for us,^(M) who can be against us?^{(N) 32} He who did not spare his own Son,^(O) but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? ³³ Who will bring any charge^(P) against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who then is the one who condemns?^(Q) No one. Christ Jesus who died^(R)—more than that, who was raised to life^(S)—is at the right hand of God^(T) and is also interceding for us.^{(U) 35} Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?^(V) Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?^{(W) 36} As it is written:

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors^(Y) through him who loved us.^{(Z) 38} For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^[c] neither the present nor the future,^(AA) nor any powers,^{(AB) 39} neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God^(AC) that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.^(AD)