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16 Without question, this is the great mystery of our faith[a]:

Christ[b] was revealed in a human body
    and vindicated by the Spirit.[c]
He was seen by angels
    and announced to the nations.
He was believed in throughout the world
    and taken to heaven in glory.

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Footnotes

  1. 3:16a Or of godliness.
  2. 3:16b Greek He who; other manuscripts read God.
  3. 3:16c Or in his spirit.

14 So the Word became human[a] and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness.[b] And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

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Footnotes

  1. 1:14a Greek became flesh.
  2. 1:14b Or grace and truth; also in 1:17.

The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.

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19 When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand.

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25 Now all glory to God, who is able to make you strong, just as my Good News says. This message about Jesus Christ has revealed his plan for you Gentiles, a plan kept secret from the beginning of time.

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As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes.

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And Jesus Christ was revealed as God’s Son by his baptism in water and by shedding his blood on the cross[a]—not by water only, but by water and blood. And the Spirit, who is truth, confirms it with his testimony. So we have these three witnesses[b] the Spirit, the water, and the blood—and all three agree.

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Footnotes

  1. 5:6 Greek This is he who came by water and blood.
  2. 5:7 A few very late manuscripts add in heaven—the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one. And we have three witnesses on earth.

23 But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it.

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22 Now Christ has gone to heaven. He is seated in the place of honor next to God, and all the angels and authorities and powers accept his authority.

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12 They were told that their messages were not for themselves, but for you. And now this Good News has been announced to you by those who preached in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen.

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This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us.

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Prologue: Christ, the Eternal Word

In the beginning the Word already existed.
    The Word was with God,
    and the Word was God.
He existed in the beginning with God.

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I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself.

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27 For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.

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This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God’s wonderful grace.

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Though he was God,[a]
    he did not think of equality with God
    as something to cling to.
Instead, he gave up his divine privileges[b];
    he took the humble position of a slave[c]
    and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,[d]
    he humbled himself in obedience to God
    and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

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Footnotes

  1. 2:6 Or Being in the form of God.
  2. 2:7a Greek he emptied himself.
  3. 2:7b Or the form of a slave.
  4. 2:7c Some English translations put this phrase in verse 8.

As I briefly wrote earlier, God himself revealed his mysterious plan to me. As you read what I have written, you will understand my insight into this plan regarding Christ. God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now by his Spirit he has revealed it to his holy apostles and prophets.

And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus.[a] By God’s grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News.

Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ. I was chosen to explain to everyone[b] this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning.

10 God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

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Footnotes

  1. 3:6 Or because they are united with Christ Jesus.
  2. 3:9 Some manuscripts do not include to everyone.

43 Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him.

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16 After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened[a] and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him.

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Footnotes

  1. 3:16 Some manuscripts read opened to him.

For a child is born to us,
    a son is given to us.
The government will rest on his shoulders.
    And he will be called:
Wonderful Counselor,[a] Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

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Footnotes

  1. 9:6 Or Wonderful, Counselor.

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. 1:18 Greek and Hades.

And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, and there is no sin in him.

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We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.[a] Because of the joy[b] awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.

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Footnotes

  1. 12:2a Or Jesus, the originator and perfecter of our faith.
  2. 12:2b Or Instead of the joy.

What we do see is Jesus, who for a little while was given a position “a little lower than the angels”; and because he suffered death for us, he is now “crowned with glory and honor.” Yes, by God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone. 10 God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only right that he should make Jesus, through his suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation.

11 So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters.[a] 12 For he said to God,

“I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters.
    I will praise you among your assembled people.”[b]

13 He also said,

“I will put my trust in him,”
    that is, “I and the children God has given me.”[c]

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Footnotes

  1. 2:11 Greek brothers; also in 2:12.
  2. 2:12 Ps 22:22.
  3. 2:13 Isa 8:17-18.

They must be committed to the mystery of the faith now revealed and must live with a clear conscience.

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