³⁴ And He summoned the crowd together with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, ^(A)take up his cross, and follow Me. ³⁵ For ^(B)whoever wants to save his ^[a]life will lose it, but whoever loses his ^[b]life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. ³⁶ For what does it benefit a person to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? ³⁷ For what could a person give in exchange for his soul? ³⁸ For ^(C)whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, ^(D)the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He ^(E)comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

The Parable of the Builders

⁴⁶ “Now ^(A)why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? ^47 (B)Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and ^[a]acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: ⁴⁸ he is like a man building a house, who ^[b]dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when there was a flood, the river burst against that house and yet it could not shake it, because it had been well built. ⁴⁹ But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation; and the river burst against it and it immediately collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.”

Put On the New Self

3 Therefore, if you have been ^(A)raised with Christ, keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is, ^(B)seated at the right hand of God. ^2 [a](C)Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth. ³ For you have ^(D)died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ, ^(E)who is our life, is revealed, ^(F)then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

^5 (G)Therefore, ^[b]treat ^(H)the parts of your earthly body as dead to ^(I)sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which ^[c]amounts to idolatry. ⁶ For it is because of these things that ^(J)the wrath of God is coming ^[d]upon the ^[e]sons of disobedience, ⁷ and ^(K)in them you also once walked, when you were living ^[f]in them. ⁸ But now you also, ^(L)rid yourselves of all of them: ^(M)anger, wrath, malice, slander, and ^(N)obscene speech from your mouth. ^9 [g](O)Do not lie to one another, since you ^(P)stripped off the old ^[h]self with its evil practices, ¹⁰ and have ^(Q)put on the new self, which is being ^[i](R)renewed to a true knowledge ^(S)according to the image of the One who ^(T)created it— ¹¹ a renewal in which ^(U)there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, ^(V)circumcised and uncircumcised, ^[j](W)barbarian, ^[k]Scythian, ^(X)slave, and free, but ^(Y)Christ is all, and in all.

¹² So, as those who have been ^(Z)chosen of God, holy and beloved, ^(AA)put on a ^(AB)heart of compassion, kindness, ^(AC)humility, gentleness, and ^[l](AD)patience; ^13 (AE)bearing with one another, and ^(AF)forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; ^(AG)just as the Lord forgave you, so must you do also. ¹⁴ In addition to all these things put on love, which is ^[m](AH)the perfect bond of ^(AI)unity. ¹⁵ Let ^(AJ)the peace of Christ, to which you were ^[n]indeed called in ^(AK)one body, ^[o]rule in your hearts; and ^[p]be thankful. ¹⁶ Let ^(AL)the word of ^[q]Christ richly dwell within you, ^[r]with all wisdom ^(AM)teaching and admonishing ^[s]one another ^(AN)with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, ^(AO)singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. ^17 (AP)Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, ^(AQ)giving thanks through Him to God the Father.