God’s Sovereign Choice

⁶ It is not as though God’s word^(A) had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.^(B)

³⁶ Or did the word of God^(A) originate with you? Or are you the only people it has reached?

¹⁷ Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit.^(A) On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity,^(B) as those sent from God.^(C)

² Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways;^(A) we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God.^(B) On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience^(C) in the sight of God.

¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation^(A) and the sword of the Spirit,^(B) which is the word of God.^(C)

¹⁴ And because of my chains,^(A) most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.^(B)

²⁵ I have become its servant^(A) by the commission God gave me^(B) to present to you the word of God^(C) in its fullness—

¹³ And we also thank God continually^(A) because, when you received the word of God,^(B) which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.

⁵ because it is consecrated by the word of God^(A) and prayer.

⁹ for which I am suffering^(A) even to the point of being chained^(B) like a criminal. But God’s word^(C) is not chained.