Prayer for Spiritual Wisdom

¹⁵ Therefore I also, ^(A)after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, ^16 (B)do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: ¹⁷ that ^(C)the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, ^(D)may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, ^18 (E)the eyes of your ^[a]understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is ^(F)the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹ and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, ^(G)according to the working of His mighty power ²⁰ which He worked in Christ when ^(H)He raised Him from the dead and ^(I)seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, ^21 (J)far above all ^(K)principality^[b] and ^[c]power and ^[d]might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.

²² And ^(L)He put all things under His feet, and gave Him ^(M)to be head over all things to the church, ^23 (N)which is His body, ^(O)the fullness of Him ^(P)who fills all in all.

⁹ But as it is written:

¹⁰ But ^(B)God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. ¹¹ For what man knows the things of a man except the ^(C)spirit of the man which is in him? ^(D)Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. ¹² Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but ^(E)the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

¹³ These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the ^[a]Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

Profiting from Trials

² My brethren, ^(A)count it all joy ^(B)when you fall into various trials, ^3 (C)knowing that the testing of your faith produces ^[a]patience. ⁴ But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be ^[b]perfect and complete, lacking nothing. ^5 (D)If any of you lacks wisdom, ^(E)let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and ^(F)it will be given to him.

Free from Indwelling Sin

8 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, ^(A)who^[a] do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. ² For ^(B)the law of ^(C)the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from ^(D)the law of sin and death. ³ For ^(E)what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, ^(F)God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who ^(G)do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. ⁵ For ^(H)those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, ^(I)the things of the Spirit. ⁶ For ^(J)to be ^[b]carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. ⁷ Because ^(K)the ^[c]carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, ^(L)nor indeed can be. ⁸ So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

⁹ But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. ¹⁰ And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. ¹¹ But if the Spirit of ^(M)Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, ^(N)He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies ^[d]through His Spirit who dwells in you.

Sonship Through the Spirit

^12 (O)Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. ¹³ For ^(P)if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you ^(Q)put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. ¹⁴ For ^(R)as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. ¹⁵ For ^(S)you did not receive the spirit of bondage again ^(T)to fear, but you received the ^(U)Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ^(V)“Abba,^[e] Father.” ^16 (W)The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, then ^(X)heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, ^(Y)if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

From Suffering to Glory

¹⁸ For I consider that ^(Z)the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. ¹⁹ For ^(AA)the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. ²⁰ For ^(AB)the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; ²¹ because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of ^[f]corruption into the glorious ^(AC)liberty of the children of God. ²² For we know that the whole creation ^(AD)groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. ²³ Not only that, but we also who have ^(AE)the firstfruits of the Spirit, ^(AF)even we ourselves groan ^(AG)within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the ^(AH)redemption of our body. ²⁴ For we were saved in this hope, but ^(AI)hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.

²⁶ Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For ^(AJ)we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but ^(AK)the Spirit Himself makes intercession ^[g]for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. ²⁷ Now ^(AL)He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints ^(AM)according to the will of God.

²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those ^(AN)who are the called according to His purpose. ²⁹ For whom ^(AO)He foreknew, ^(AP)He also predestined ^(AQ)to be conformed to the image of His Son, ^(AR)that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. ³⁰ Moreover whom He predestined, these He also ^(AS)called; whom He called, these He also ^(AT)justified; and whom He justified, these He also ^(AU)glorified.

God’s Everlasting Love

³¹ What then shall we say to these things? ^(AV)If God is for us, who can be against us? ^32 (AW)He who did not spare His own Son, but ^(AX)delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? ³³ Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? ^(AY)It is God who justifies. ^34 (AZ)Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, ^(BA)who is even at the right hand of God, ^(BB)who also makes intercession for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written:

^37 (BD)Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor ^(BE)principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Command to Love

3 Behold ^(A)what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that ^(B)we should be called children of ^[a]God! Therefore the world does not know ^[b]us, ^(C)because it did not know Him. ² Beloved, ^(D)now we are children of God; and ^(E)it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, ^(F)we shall be like Him, for ^(G)we shall see Him as He is. ^3 (H)And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

Glory of the New Covenant

⁷ But if ^(A)the ministry of death, ^(B)written and engraved on stones, was glorious, ^(C)so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, ⁸ how will ^(D)the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? ⁹ For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry ^(E)of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. ¹⁰ For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. ¹¹ For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious.

¹² Therefore, since we have such hope, ^(F)we use great boldness of speech— ¹³ unlike Moses, ^(G)who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at ^(H)the end of what was passing away. ¹⁴ But ^(I)their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. ¹⁵ But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. ¹⁶ Nevertheless ^(J)when one turns to the Lord, ^(K)the veil is taken away. ¹⁷ Now ^(L)the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is ^(M)liberty. ¹⁸ But we all, with unveiled face, beholding ^(N)as in a mirror ^(O)the glory of the Lord, ^(P)are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as ^[a]by the Spirit of the Lord.

⁹ But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of ^(A)darkness into His marvelous light; ^10 (B)who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.