Live as Servants of God

¹¹ Beloved, I urge you as aliens and exiles to abstain from the desires of the flesh that wage war against the soul.^[a](A)

¹⁵ Do not love the world or the things in the world. The love of the Father is not in those who love the world,^{(A) 16} for all that is in the world—the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, the pride in riches—comes not from the Father but from the world. ¹⁷ And the world and its desire^[a] are passing away, but those who do the will of God abide forever.^(B)

²⁴ And those who belong to Christ^[a] have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.^(A)

² so as to live for the rest of your time in the flesh no longer by human desires but by the will of God.^(A)

¹³ All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth,^(A)

¹³ for if you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.^(A)

Friendship with the World

4 Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you?

¹⁵ For we are aliens and transients before you, as were all our ancestors; our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope.^(A)

²² Shun youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.^(A)

7 Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of flesh and of spirit, making holiness perfect in the fear of God.^(A)