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The Temple of the Living God

14 Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness?

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Warning Against Idolatry

14 Do not be yoked together(A) with unbelievers.(B) For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?(C)

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33 Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.”

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33 Do not be misled:(A) “Bad company corrupts good character.”[a](B)

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 15:33 From the Greek poet Menander

21 You cannot drink from the cup of the Lord and from the cup of demons, too. You cannot eat at the Lord’s Table and at the table of demons, too.

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21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons.(A)

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You adulterers![a] Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.

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Footnotes

  1. 4:4 Greek You adulteresses!

You adulterous(A) people,[a] don’t you know that friendship with the world(B) means enmity against God?(C) Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.(D)

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Footnotes

  1. James 4:4 An allusion to covenant unfaithfulness; see Hosea 3:1.

Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. Don’t participate in the things these people do. For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.

10 Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. 11 Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. 12 It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. 13 But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, 14 for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said,

“Awake, O sleeper,
    rise up from the dead,
    and Christ will give you light.”

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Let no one deceive you(A) with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath(B) comes on those who are disobedient.(C) Therefore do not be partners with them.

For you were once(D) darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light(E) (for the fruit(F) of the light consists in all goodness,(G) righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord.(H) 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness,(I) but rather expose them. 12 It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light(J) becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. 14 This is why it is said:

“Wake up, sleeper,(K)
    rise from the dead,(L)
    and Christ will shine on you.”(M)

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19 “You must obey all my decrees.

“Do not mate two different kinds of animals. Do not plant your field with two different kinds of seed. Do not wear clothing woven from two different kinds of thread.

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19 “‘Keep my decrees.(A)

“‘Do not mate different kinds of animals.

“‘Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed.(B)

“‘Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material.(C)

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But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests,[a] a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

10 “Once you had no identity as a people;
    now you are God’s people.
Once you received no mercy;
    now you have received God’s mercy.”[b]

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Footnotes

  1. 2:9 Greek a royal priesthood.
  2. 2:10 Hos 1:6, 9; 2:23.

But you are a chosen people,(A) a royal priesthood,(B) a holy nation,(C) God’s special possession,(D) that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.(E) 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God;(F) once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

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I do not spend time with liars
    or go along with hypocrites.
I hate the gatherings of those who do evil,
    and I refuse to join in with the wicked.

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I do not sit(A) with the deceitful,
    nor do I associate with hypocrites.(B)
I abhor(C) the assembly of evildoers
    and refuse to sit with the wicked.

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21 O Lord, shouldn’t I hate those who hate you?
    Shouldn’t I despise those who oppose you?
22 Yes, I hate them with total hatred,
    for your enemies are my enemies.

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21 Do I not hate those(A) who hate you, Lord,
    and abhor(B) those who are in rebellion against you?
22 I have nothing but hatred for them;
    I count them my enemies.(C)

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“You must not plant any other crop between the rows of your vineyard. If you do, you are forbidden to use either the grapes from the vineyard or the other crop.

10 “You must not plow with an ox and a donkey harnessed together.

11 “You must not wear clothing made of wool and linen woven together.

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Do not plant two kinds of seed in your vineyard;(A) if you do, not only the crops you plant but also the fruit of the vineyard will be defiled.[a]

10 Do not plow with an ox and a donkey yoked together.(B)

11 Do not wear clothes of wool and linen woven together.(C)

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 22:9 Or be forfeited to the sanctuary

But you aren’t in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won’t be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief.[a] For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night. So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded. Night is the time when people sleep and drinkers get drunk. But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation.

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Footnotes

  1. 5:4 Some manuscripts read comes upon you as if you were thieves.

But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness(A) so that this day should surprise you like a thief.(B) You are all children of the light(C) and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep,(D) but let us be awake(E) and sober.(F) For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.(G) But since we belong to the day,(H) let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate,(I) and the hope of salvation(J) as a helmet.(K)

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35 Instead, they mingled among the pagans
    and adopted their evil customs.

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35 but they mingled(A) with the nations
    and adopted their customs.

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Living as Children of Light

17 With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. 18 Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. 19 They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.

20 But that isn’t what you learned about Christ.

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Instructions for Christian Living

17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer(A) live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.(B) 18 They are darkened in their understanding(C) and separated from the life of God(D) because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.(E) 19 Having lost all sensitivity,(F) they have given themselves over(G) to sensuality(H) so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.

20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned

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