⁴⁰ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, ^(A)inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

^42 (A)And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”

^41 (A)For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.

The Enduring Word

²² Since you ^(A)have purified your souls in obeying the truth ^[a]through the Spirit in ^[b]sincere ^(B)love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,

^5 (A)Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.

Jesus Warns of Offenses^(B)

^6 (C)“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

⁶ For ^(A)in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but ^(B)faith working through love.

¹⁴ We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love ^[a]his brother abides in death. ^15 (A)Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that ^(B)no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

The Outworking of Love

^16 (C)By this we know love, ^(D)because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. ¹⁷ But ^(E)whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?

¹⁸ My little children, ^(F)let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. ¹⁹ And by this we ^[b]know ^(G)that we are of the truth, and shall ^[c]assure our hearts before Him.