The Parable of the Net

⁴⁷ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is ^(A)like a net that was thrown into the sea and ^(B)gathered fish of every kind.

² For people will be ^(A)lovers of self, ^(B)lovers of money, ^(C)proud, ^(D)arrogant, abusive, ^(E)disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ^3 (F)heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, ^(G)not loving good, ⁴ treacherous, reckless, ^(H)swollen with conceit, ^(I)lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, ⁵ having the appearance of godliness, but ^(J)denying its power. ^(K)Avoid such people.

⁶ If anyone does not abide in me ^(A)he is thrown away like a branch and withers; ^(B)and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.

Test the Spirits

4 Beloved, ^(A)do not believe every spirit, but ^(B)test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for ^(C)many ^(D)false prophets ^(E)have gone out into the world. ² By this you know the Spirit of God: ^(F)every spirit that confesses that ^(G)Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, ³ and every spirit ^(H)that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and ^(I)now is in the world already. ⁴ Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for ^(J)he who is in you is greater than ^(K)he who is in the world. ^5 (L)They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and ^(M)the world listens to them. ⁶ We are from God. ^(N)Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know ^(O)the Spirit of truth and ^(P)the spirit of error.

To the Church in Sardis

3 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him ^(A)who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.

“‘I know your works. You have the reputation ^(B)of being alive, ^(C)but you are dead.

¹³ suffering wrong as ^(A)the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure ^(B)to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions,^[a] while ^(C)they feast with you. ¹⁴ They have eyes full of adultery,^{[b] (D)}insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts ^(E)trained in greed. ^(F)Accursed children! ¹⁵ Forsaking the right way, ^(G)they have gone astray. They have followed ^(H)the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved ^(I)gain from wrongdoing, ¹⁶ but was rebuked for his own transgression; ^(J)a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet's madness.

^17 (K)These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. ^(L)For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved. ¹⁸ For, ^(M)speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely ^(N)escaping from those who live in error. ¹⁹ They promise them ^(O)freedom, ^(P)but they themselves are slaves^[c] of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. ²⁰ For if, ^(Q)after they have escaped the defilements of the world ^(R)through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, ^(S)the last state has become worse for them than the first. ²¹ For ^(T)it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from ^(U)the holy commandment delivered to them. ²² What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The ^(V)dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.”

⁹ He must ^(A)hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in ^(B)sound^[a] doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

¹⁰ For there are many who are insubordinate, ^(C)empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of ^(D)the circumcision party.^{[b] 11} They must be silenced, since ^(E)they are upsetting whole families by teaching ^(F)for shameful gain what they ought not to teach.

^3 (A)For the time is coming when people will not endure ^(B)sound^[a] teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, ⁴ and ^(C)will turn away from listening to the truth and ^(D)wander off into myths.

²⁰ For I fear that perhaps ^(A)when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder. ²¹ I fear that when I come again my God may humble me before you, and I may have to mourn over many of those ^(B)who sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, ^(C)sexual immorality, and sensuality that they have practiced.