Living to Please God

4 As for other matters, brothers and sisters,^(A) we instructed you how to live^(B) in order to please God,^(C) as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. ² For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

³ It is God’s will^(D) that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality;^{(E) 4} that each of you should learn to control your own body^[a](F) in a way that is holy and honorable, ⁵ not in passionate lust^(G) like the pagans,^(H) who do not know God;^{(I) 6} and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister.^[b](J) The Lord will punish^(K) all those who commit such sins,^(L) as we told you and warned you before. ⁷ For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.^(M)

More Than Conquerors

³¹ What, then, shall we say in response to these things?^(A) If God is for us,^(B) who can be against us?^{(C) 32} He who did not spare his own Son,^(D) but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? ³³ Who will bring any charge^(E) against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who then is the one who condemns?^(F) No one. Christ Jesus who died^(G)—more than that, who was raised to life^(H)—is at the right hand of God^(I) and is also interceding for us.^{(J) 35} Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?^(K) Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?^{(L) 36} As it is written:

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors^(N) through him who loved us.^{(O) 38} For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^[b] neither the present nor the future,^(P) nor any powers,^{(Q) 39} neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God^(R) that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.^(S)

John the Baptist Prepares the Way^(A)

3 In those days John the Baptist^(B) came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea ² and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven^(C) has come near.” ³ This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:

⁴ John’s^(E) clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist.^(F) His food was locusts^(G) and wild honey. ⁵ People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. ⁶ Confessing their sins, they were baptized^(H) by him in the Jordan River.

⁷ But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers!^(I) Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?^{(J) 8} Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.^{(K) 9} And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’^(L) I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. ¹⁰ The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.^(M)

¹¹ “I baptize you with^[b] water for repentance.^(N) But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with^[c] the Holy Spirit^(O) and fire.^{(P) 12} His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”^(Q)