¹³ Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.^{(A) 14} You are my friends^(B) if you do what I command.^{(C) 15} I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.^(D)

Righteousness Through Faith

²¹ But now apart from the law the righteousness of God^(A) has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.^{(B) 22} This righteousness^(C) is given through faith^(D) in^[a] Jesus Christ^(E) to all who believe.^(F) There is no difference between Jew and Gentile,^{(G) 23} for all have sinned^(H) and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ and all are justified^(I) freely by his grace^(J) through the redemption^(K) that came by Christ Jesus.

⁷ Accept one another,^(A) then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

⁸ If we claim to be without sin,^(A) we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.^{(B) 9} If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins^(C) and purify us from all unrighteousness.^{(D) 10} If we claim we have not sinned,^(E) we make him out to be a liar^(F) and his word is not in us.^(G)

2 My dear children,^(H) I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate^(I) with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. ² He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins,^(J) and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.^(K)