²¹ For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they ^(A)became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. ^22 (B)Claiming to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and ^(C)exchanged the glory of ^(D)the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

²⁴ Therefore ^(E)God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to ^(F)the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, ²⁵ because they exchanged the truth about God for ^(G)a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, ^(H)who is blessed forever! Amen.

¹³ For ^(A)judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Faith Without Works Is Dead

¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith ^(B)but does not have works? Can that faith save him? ^15 (C)If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food,

¹¹ So you also must consider yourselves ^(A)dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

¹² Let not ^(B)sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. ^13 (C)Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but ^(D)present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.

^19 (A)I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For ^(B)just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members ^(C)as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.

^20 (D)For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. ^21 (E)But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things ^(F)of which you are now ashamed? ^(G)For the end of those things is death. ²² But now that you ^(H)have been set free from sin and ^(I)have become slaves of God, ^(J)the fruit you get leads to sanctification and ^(K)its end, eternal life. ^23 (L)For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Do Not Love the World

^15 (A)Do not love the world or the things in the world. ^(B)If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For all that is in the world—^(C)the desires of the flesh and ^(D)the desires of the eyes and pride of life^[a]—is not from the Father but is from the world. ¹⁷ And ^(E)the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.