The Call to Sanctification

4 Additionally then, brothers and sisters, we ask and encourage you in the Lord Jesus, that as you have received instruction from us on how you should live and please God—as you are doing^[a]—do this even more. ² For you know what commands we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

³ For this is God’s will,^(A) your sanctification:^(B) that you keep away^(C) from sexual immorality, ⁴ that each of you knows how to control his own body^[b] in holiness and honor, ⁵ not with lustful passions,^(D) like the Gentiles, who don’t know God. ⁶ This means one must not transgress against and take advantage^(E) of a brother or sister in this manner, because the Lord is an avenger of all these offenses, as we also previously told and warned you. ⁷ For God has not called us to impurity^(F) but to live in holiness. ⁸ Consequently, anyone who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.^(G)

²⁶ I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you;^(A) I will remove your heart of stone^[a] and give you a heart of flesh.^{(B) 27} I will place my Spirit within you^(C) and cause you to follow my statutes and carefully observe my ordinances.^(D)

¹⁵ But as the one who called you^(A) is holy,^(B) you also are to be holy in all your conduct; ¹⁶ for it is written, Be holy, because I am holy.^{[a](C) 17} If you appeal to the Father who judges impartially^(D) according to each one’s work,^(E) you are to conduct yourselves in reverence^(F) during your time living as strangers. ¹⁸ For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life^(G) inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold,^{(H) 19} but with the precious blood of Christ,^(I) like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb.^{(J) 20} He was foreknown^(K) before the foundation of the world but was revealed in these last times^(L) for you. ²¹ Through him you believe in God,^(M) who raised him from the dead^(N) and gave him glory,^(O) so that your faith and hope are in God.

²² Since you have purified yourselves by your obedience to the truth,^[b] so that you show sincere brotherly love for each other,^(P) from a pure^[c] heart love one another constantly,^{[d](Q) 23} because you have been born again^(R)—not of perishable seed^(S) but of imperishable—through the living and enduring word of God.^(T)