Fight the Good Fight of Faith

¹¹ But as for you, ^(A)O man of God, ^(B)flee these things. ^(C)Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. ^12 (D)Fight the good fight of the faith. ^(E)Take hold of the eternal life ^(F)to which you were called and about which you made ^(G)the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. ^13 (H)I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, ^(I)who in his testimony before^[a] Pontius Pilate made ^(J)the good confession, ¹⁴ to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until ^(K)the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁵ which he will display ^(L)at the proper time—he who is ^(M)the blessed and only Sovereign, ^(N)the King of kings and Lord of lords, ^16 (O)who alone has immortality, ^(P)who dwells in ^(Q)unapproachable light, ^(R)whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

³ If anyone ^(A)teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with ^(B)the sound^[a] words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching ^(C)that accords with godliness, ^4 (D)he is puffed up with conceit and ^(E)understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for ^(F)controversy and for ^(G)quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, ⁵ and constant friction among people ^(H)who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, ^(I)imagining that godliness is a means of gain. ⁶ But ^(J)godliness ^(K)with contentment is great gain, ⁷ for ^(L)we brought nothing into the world, and^[b] we cannot take anything out of the world. ⁸ But ^(M)if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. ⁹ But ^(N)those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, ^(O)into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that ^(P)plunge people into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰ For the love of money is a root of ^(Q)all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

My Kingdom Is Not of This World

^33 (A)So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, ^(B)“Are you the King of the Jews?” ³⁴ Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” ³⁵ Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” ³⁶ Jesus answered, ^(C)“My kingdom ^(D)is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, ^(E)my servants would have been fighting, that ^(F)I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” ³⁷ Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, ^(G)“You say that I am a king. ^(H)For this purpose I was born and for this purpose ^(I)I have come into the world—^(J)to bear witness to the truth. ^(K)Everyone who is ^(L)of the truth ^(M)listens to my voice.” ³⁸ Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”

After he had said this, ^(N)he went back outside to the Jews and told them, ^(O)“I find no guilt in him.