The Word Made Flesh

¹⁴ And ^(A)the Word ^(B)became flesh, and ^[a](C)dwelt among us, and ^(D)we saw His glory, glory as of ^[b]the only begotten from the Father, full of ^(E)grace and ^(F)truth. ¹⁵ John *^(G)testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘^(H)He who comes after me ^[c]has a higher rank than I, ^(I)for He existed before me.’” ¹⁶ For of His ^(J)fullness ^[d]we have all received, and ^[e]grace upon grace. ¹⁷ For ^(K)the Law was given through Moses; ^(L)grace and ^(M)truth ^[f]were realized through Jesus Christ. ^18 (N)No one has seen God at any time; ^(O)the only begotten God who is ^(P)in the bosom of the Father, ^(Q)He has explained Him.

¹⁶ For I am not ^(A)ashamed of the gospel, for ^(B)it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the ^(C)Jew first and also to ^(D)the Greek. ¹⁷ For in it ^(E)the righteousness of God is revealed ^[a]from faith to faith; as it is written, “^[b](F)But the righteous man shall live by faith.”

Justification by Faith

²¹ But now apart ^[a]from the Law ^(A)the righteousness of God has been manifested, being ^(B)witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, ²² even the ^(C)righteousness of God through ^(D)faith ^(E)in Jesus Christ for ^(F)all those ^[b]who believe; for ^(G)there is no distinction; ²³ for all ^[c](H)have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ being justified as a gift ^(I)by His grace through ^(J)the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; ²⁵ whom God displayed publicly as ^(K)a ^[d]propitiation ^[e](L)in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, ^[f]because in the ^(M)forbearance of God He ^(N)passed over the sins previously committed; ²⁶ for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who ^[g]has faith in Jesus.

²⁷ Where then is ^(O)boasting? It is excluded. By ^(P)what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. ^28 [h]For ^(Q)we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works ^[i]of the Law. ²⁹ Or ^(R)is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, ³⁰ since indeed ^(S)God ^(T)who will justify the ^[j]circumcised ^[k]by faith and the ^[l]uncircumcised through faith ^(U)is one.

³¹ Do we then nullify ^[m]the Law through faith? ^(V)May it never be! On the contrary, we ^(W)establish the Law.

Principles of Conscience

14 Now ^(A)accept the one who is ^(B)weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. ^2 (C)One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is ^(D)weak eats vegetables only. ³ The one who eats is not to ^(E)regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to ^(F)judge the one who eats, for God has ^(G)accepted him. ^4 (H)Who are you to judge the ^[a]servant of another? To his own ^[b]master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

The Wisdom of God

¹⁸ For the word of the cross is ^(A)foolishness to ^(B)those who ^[a]are perishing, but to us who ^[b]are being saved it is ^(C)the power of God. ¹⁹ For it is written,

^20 (E)Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of ^(F)this age? Has not God ^(G)made foolish the wisdom of ^(H)the world? ²¹ For since in the wisdom of God ^(I)the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, ^(J)God was well-pleased through the ^(K)foolishness of the ^[c]message preached to ^(L)save those who believe. ²² For indeed ^(M)Jews ask for ^[d]signs and Greeks search for wisdom; ²³ but we preach ^[e](N)Christ crucified, ^(O)to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles ^(P)foolishness, ²⁴ but to those who are ^(Q)the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ ^(R)the power of God and ^(S)the wisdom of God. ²⁵ Because the ^(T)foolishness of God is wiser than men, and ^(U)the weakness of God is stronger than men.

²⁶ For ^[f]consider your ^(V)calling, brethren, that there were ^(W)not many wise according to ^[g]the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; ²⁷ but ^(X)God has chosen the foolish things of ^(Y)the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of ^(Z)the world to shame the things which are strong, ²⁸ and the base things of ^(AA)the world and the despised God has chosen, ^(AB)the things that are not, so that He may ^(AC)nullify the things that are, ²⁹ so that ^(AD)no ^[h]man may boast before God. ³⁰ But ^[i]by His doing you are in ^(AE)Christ Jesus, who became to us ^(AF)wisdom from God, ^[j]and ^(AG)righteousness and ^(AH)sanctification, and ^(AI)redemption, ³¹ so that, just as it is written, “^(AJ)Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

A Thorn in the Flesh

⁷ Because of the surpassing greatness of the ^(A)revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a ^(B)thorn in the flesh, a ^(C)messenger of Satan to ^[a]torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! ⁸ Concerning this I implored the Lord ^(D)three times that it might leave me. ⁹ And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for ^(E)power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather ^(F)boast ^[b]about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. ¹⁰ Therefore ^(G)I am well content with weaknesses, with ^[c]insults, with ^(H)distresses, with ^(I)persecutions, with ^(J)difficulties, ^(K)for Christ’s sake; for ^(L)when I am weak, then I am strong.

^3 (A)Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in ^(B)the heavenly places in Christ, ⁴ just as ^(C)He chose us in Him before ^(D)the foundation of the world, that we would be ^(E)holy and blameless before ^[a]Him. ^(F)In love ^5 [b]He ^(G)predestined us to ^(H)adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, ^(I)according to the ^[c]kind intention of His will, ^6 (J)to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in ^(K)the Beloved. ^7 (L)In ^[d]Him we have ^(M)redemption ^(N)through His blood, the ^(O)forgiveness of our trespasses, according to ^(P)the riches of His grace ⁸ which He ^[e]lavished on ^[f]us. In all wisdom and insight ⁹ He ^[g](Q)made known to us the mystery of His will, ^(R)according to His ^[h]kind intention which He ^(S)purposed in Him ¹⁰ with a view to an administration ^[i]suitable to ^(T)the fullness of the times, that is, ^(U)the summing up of all things in Christ, things ^[j]in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him ^11 [k]also we ^[l](V)have obtained an inheritance, having been ^(W)predestined ^(X)according to His purpose who works all things ^(Y)after the counsel of His will, ¹² to the end that we who were the first to hope in ^[m]Christ would be ^(Z)to the praise of His glory. ¹³ In ^[n]Him, you also, after listening to ^(AA)the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also ^[o]believed, you were ^(AB)sealed in ^[p]Him with ^(AC)the Holy Spirit of promise, ¹⁴ who is ^[q](AD)given as a pledge of ^(AE)our inheritance, with a view to the ^(AF)redemption of ^(AG)God’s own possession, ^(AH)to the praise of His glory.

¹⁵ For this reason I too, ^(AI)having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and ^[r]your love for ^(AJ)all the ^[s]saints, ^16 (AK)do not cease giving thanks for you, ^(AL)while making mention of you in my prayers; ¹⁷ that the ^(AM)God of our Lord Jesus Christ, ^(AN)the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of ^(AO)wisdom and of ^(AP)revelation in the ^[t]knowledge of Him. ¹⁸ I pray that ^(AQ)the eyes of your heart ^[u]may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the ^(AR)hope of His ^(AS)calling, what are ^(AT)the riches of the glory of ^(AU)His inheritance in ^(AV)the ^[v]saints, ¹⁹ and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. ^(AW)These are in accordance with the working of the ^(AX)strength of His might ²⁰ which He brought about in Christ, when He ^(AY)raised Him from the dead and ^(AZ)seated Him at His right hand in ^(BA)the heavenly places, ²¹ far above ^(BB)all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every ^(BC)name that is named, not only in ^(BD)this age but also in the one to come. ²² And He ^(BE)put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as ^(BF)head over all things to the church, ²³ which is His ^(BG)body, the ^(BH)fullness of Him who ^(BI)fills ^(BJ)all in all.

Made Alive in Christ

2 And you ^[a]were ^(A)dead ^[b]in your trespasses and sins, ² in which you ^(B)formerly walked according to the ^[c]course of ^(C)this world, according to ^(D)the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in ^(E)the sons of disobedience. ³ Among them we too all ^(F)formerly lived in ^(G)the lusts of our flesh, ^[d]indulging the desires of the flesh and of the ^[e]mind, and were ^(H)by nature ^(I)children of wrath, ^(J)even as the rest. ⁴ But God, being ^(K)rich in mercy, because of ^(L)His great love with which He loved us, ⁵ even when we were ^(M)dead ^[f]in our transgressions, made us alive together ^[g]with Christ (^(N)by grace you have been saved), ⁶ and ^(O)raised us up with Him, and ^(P)seated us with Him in ^(Q)the heavenly places in ^(R)Christ Jesus, ⁷ so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing ^(S)riches of His grace in ^(T)kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For ^(U)by grace you have been saved ^(V)through faith; and ^[h]that not of yourselves, it is ^(W)the gift of God; ^9 (X)not as a result of works, so that ^(Y)no one may boast. ¹⁰ For we are His workmanship, ^(Z)created in ^(AA)Christ Jesus for ^(AB)good works, which God ^(AC)prepared beforehand so that we would ^(AD)walk in them.