Salvation for Foreigners

¹¹ Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you ^(A)to wake from sleep. ^(B)For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. ^12 (C)The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us ^(D)cast off ^(E)the works of darkness and ^(F)put on the armor of light. ^13 (G)Let us walk properly as in the daytime, ^(H)not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, ^(I)not in quarreling and jealousy. ¹⁴ But ^(J)put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, ^(K)to gratify its desires.

¹⁷ For in it ^(A)the righteousness of God is revealed ^(B)from faith for faith,^{[a] (C)}as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”^[b]

^2 (A)“Repent, for ^(B)the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”^[a]

⁶ But ^(A)the righteousness based on faith says, ^(B)“Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) ⁷ “or ‘Who will descend into the ^(C)abyss?’” (that is, ^(D)to bring Christ up from the dead). ⁸ But what does it say? ^(E)“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); ⁹ because, if ^(F)you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and ^(G)believe in your heart ^(H)that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

³ And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming ^(A)a baptism of repentance ^(B)for the forgiveness of sins. ⁴ As it is written in ^(C)the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,

⁷ He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, ^(K)“You brood of ^(L)vipers! Who warned you to flee from ^(M)the wrath to come? ⁸ Bear fruits ^(N)in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ^(O)‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from ^(P)these stones to raise up children for Abraham. ⁹ Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. ^(Q)Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”