¹² training us to renounce ungodliness and ^(A)worldly passions, and ^(B)to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in ^(C)the present age,

^27 (A)And I will put my Spirit within you, ^(B)and cause you to walk in my statutes and ^(C)be careful to obey my rules.^[a]

Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus

²⁴ Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him ^(A)deny himself and ^(B)take up his cross and follow me.

^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.

⁹ then ^(A)the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials,^[a] and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment,

²² to ^(A)put off ^(B)your old self,^[a] which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through ^(C)deceitful desires, ²³ and ^(D)to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, ²⁴ and to put on ^(E)the new self, ^(F)created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

²⁵ Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you ^(G)speak the truth with his neighbor, for ^(H)we are members one of another.

⁶ whoever says he ^(A)abides in him ^(B)ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

¹² Indeed, all who desire to ^(A)live a godly life in Christ Jesus ^(B)will be persecuted,