¹¹ “For this commandment which I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it far away.

Dedicated Service

12 Therefore ^(A)I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to ^(B)present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, ^[a]acceptable to God, which is your ^[b]spiritual service of worship. ² And do not ^(C)be conformed to ^(D)this ^[c]world, but be transformed by the ^(E)renewing of your mind, so that you may ^[d](F)prove what the will of God is, that which is good and ^[e]acceptable and perfect.

³ For through ^(G)the grace given to me I say to everyone among you ^(H)not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to ^(I)each a measure of faith.

¹⁸ But if you are ^(A)led by the Spirit, ^(B)you are not under the Law. ¹⁹ Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: ^(C)sexual immorality, impurity, indecent behavior, ²⁰ idolatry, ^(D)witchcraft, hostilities, ^(E)strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, ^(F)selfish ambition, dissensions, ^(G)factions, ²¹ envy, ^(H)drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not ^(I)inherit the kingdom of God. ²² But ^(J)the fruit of the Spirit is ^(K)love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, ^(L)self-control; against such things ^(M)there is no law. ²⁴ Now those who ^[a]belong to ^(N)Christ Jesus ^(O)crucified the flesh with its passions and ^(P)desires.

²⁵ If we live by the Spirit, let’s follow ^(Q)the Spirit as well.

God Is Love

^7 (A)Beloved, let’s ^(B)love one another; for love is from God, and ^(C)everyone who loves has been ^(D)born of God and ^(E)knows God. ⁸ The one who does not love does not know God, because ^(F)God is love. ⁹ By this the love of God was revealed ^[a](G)in us, that ^(H)God has sent His only Son into the world so that we may live through Him. ¹⁰ In this is love, ^(I)not that we loved God, but that ^(J)He loved us and sent His Son to be ^(K)the ^[b]propitiation for our sins. ^11 (L)Beloved, if God so loved us, ^(M)we also ought to love one another. ^12 (N)No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God remains in us, and His ^(O)love is perfected in us. ^13 (P)By this we know that we remain in Him and He in us, because He has given to us of His Spirit. ¹⁴ We have seen and ^(Q)testify that the Father has ^(R)sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.

^15 (S)Whoever confesses that ^(T)Jesus is the Son of God, God ^(U)remains in him, and he in God. ^16 (V)We have come to know and have believed the love which God has ^[c](W)for us. ^(X)God is love, and the one who ^(Y)remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. ¹⁷ By this, ^(Z)love is perfected with us, so that we may have ^(AA)confidence in ^(AB)the day of judgment; because ^(AC)as He is, we also are in this world. ¹⁸ There is no fear in love, but ^(AD)perfect love drives out fear, because fear ^[d]involves punishment, and the one who fears is not ^(AE)perfected in love. ^19 (AF)We love, because He first loved us. ^20 (AG)If someone says, “I love God,” and yet he ^(AH)hates his brother or sister, he is a ^(AI)liar; for ^(AJ)the one who does not love his brother and sister whom he has seen, ^(AK)cannot love God, whom he has not seen. ²¹ And ^(AL)this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God ^(AM)must also love his brother and sister.