Final Greetings^(A)

^7 (B)Tychicus, a beloved brother, faithful minister, and fellow servant in the Lord, will tell you all the news about me. ^8 (C)I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that ^[a]he may know your circumstances and comfort your hearts, ⁹ with ^(D)Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will make known to you all things which are happening here.

^10 (E)Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, with ^(F)Mark the cousin of Barnabas (about whom you received instructions: if he comes to you, welcome him), ¹¹ and Jesus who is called Justus. These are my only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are of the circumcision; they have proved to be a comfort to me.

^12 (G)Epaphras, who is one of you, a bondservant of Christ, greets you, always ^(H)laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand ^(I)perfect and ^[b]complete in all the will of God. ¹³ For I bear him witness that he has a great ^[c]zeal for you, and those who are in Laodicea, and those in Hierapolis. ^14 (J)Luke the beloved physician and ^(K)Demas greet you. ¹⁵ Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea, and ^[d]Nymphas and ^(L)the church that is in ^[e]his house.

Closing Exhortations and Blessing

¹⁶ Now when ^(M)this epistle is read among you, see that it is read also in the church of the Laodiceans, and that you likewise read the epistle from Laodicea. ¹⁷ And say to ^(N)Archippus, “Take heed to ^(O)the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.”

^18 (P)This salutation by my own hand—Paul. ^(Q)Remember my chains. Grace be with you. Amen.

^34 (A)A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. ^35 (B)By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Knowing God Through Love^(A)

^7 (B)Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who ^(C)loves is born of God and knows God. ⁸ He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. ^9 (D)In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten ^(E)Son into the world, that we might live through Him. ¹⁰ In this is love, ^(F)not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son ^(G)to be the propitiation for our sins. ¹¹ Beloved, ^(H)if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

¹³ For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only ^(A)do not use liberty as an ^(B)opportunity for the flesh, but ^(C)through love serve one another.

^34 (A)A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

²⁹ For to you ^(A)it has been granted on behalf of Christ, ^(B)not only to believe in Him, but also to ^(C)suffer for His sake,

⁸ Yet indeed I also count all things loss ^(A)for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in Him, not having ^(B)my own righteousness, which is from the law, but ^(C)that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; ¹⁰ that I may know Him and the ^(D)power of His resurrection, and ^(E)the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, ¹¹ if, by any means, I may ^(F)attain^[a] to the resurrection from the dead.

²² strengthening the souls of the disciples, ^(A)exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, ^(B)“We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.”

^16 [a]Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. ^(A)The effective, ^[b]fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. ¹⁷ Elijah was a man ^(B)with a nature like ours, and ^(C)he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. ¹⁸ And he prayed ^(D)again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.