²¹ For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they ^(A)became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. ^22 (B)Claiming to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and ^(C)exchanged the glory of ^(D)the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

²⁴ Therefore ^(E)God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to ^(F)the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, ²⁵ because they exchanged the truth about God for ^(G)a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, ^(H)who is blessed forever! Amen.

¹³ For ^(A)judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Faith Without Works Is Dead

¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith ^(B)but does not have works? Can that faith save him? ^15 (C)If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food,

¹¹ So you also must consider yourselves ^(A)dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

¹² Let not ^(B)sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. ^13 (C)Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but ^(D)present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.

^19 (A)I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For ^(B)just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members ^(C)as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.

^20 (D)For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. ^21 (E)But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things ^(F)of which you are now ashamed? ^(G)For the end of those things is death. ²² But now that you ^(H)have been set free from sin and ^(I)have become slaves of God, ^(J)the fruit you get leads to sanctification and ^(K)its end, eternal life. ^23 (L)For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Do Not Love the World

^15 (A)Do not love the world or the things in the world. ^(B)If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For all that is in the world—^(C)the desires of the flesh and ^(D)the desires of the eyes and pride of life^[a]—is not from the Father but is from the world. ¹⁷ And ^(E)the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

⁶ But ^(A)he gives more grace. Therefore it says, ^(B)“God opposes the proud but ^(C)gives grace to the humble.” ⁷ Submit yourselves therefore to God. ^(D)Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ^8 (E)Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. ^(F)Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and ^(G)purify your hearts, ^(H)you double-minded. ^9 (I)Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. ^10 (J)Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

²⁰ But that is not the way you ^(A)learned Christ!— ²¹ assuming that ^(B)you have heard about him and ^(C)were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, ²² to ^(D)put off ^(E)your old self,^[a] which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through ^(F)deceitful desires, ²³ and ^(G)to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, ²⁴ and to put on ^(H)the new self, ^(I)created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

^5 (A)Put to death therefore ^(B)what is earthly in you:^{[a] (C)}sexual immorality, impurity, ^(D)passion, evil desire, and covetousness, ^(E)which is idolatry. ^6 (F)On account of these the wrath of God is coming.^{[b] 7 (G)}In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. ⁸ But now ^(H)you must put them all away: ^(I)anger, wrath, malice, ^(J)slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. ^9 (K)Do not lie to one another, seeing that ^(L)you have put off ^(M)the old self^[c] with its practices ¹⁰ and ^(N)have put on ^(O)the new self, ^(P)which is being renewed in knowledge ^(Q)after the image of ^(R)its creator. ^11 (S)Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave,^[d] free; but Christ is ^(T)all, and in all.

^12 (U)Put on then, as ^(V)God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, ^(W)compassionate hearts, ^(X)kindness, ^(Y)humility, meekness, and patience, ^13 (Z)bearing with one another and, ^(AA)if one has a complaint against another, ^(AB)forgiving each other; ^(AC)as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. ¹⁴ And above all these put on ^(AD)love, which ^(AE)binds everything together in ^(AF)perfect harmony. ¹⁵ And let ^(AG)the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called ^(AH)in one body. And ^(AI)be thankful. ¹⁶ Let ^(AJ)the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, ^(AK)singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, ^(AL)with thankfulness in your hearts to God. ¹⁷ And ^(AM)whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, ^(AN)giving thanks to God the Father through him.

A Living Sacrifice

12 ^(A)I appeal to you therefore, brothers,^[a] by the mercies of God, ^(B)to present your bodies ^(C)as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.^[b]