Lament over Jerusalem

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!

So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’”

Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”

He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.

Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?

You Are of Your Father the Devil

They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works Abraham did,

They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out.

Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.

If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.”

Now therefore you, along with the council, give notice to the tribune to bring him down to you, as though you were going to determine his case more exactly. And we are ready to kill him before he comes near.”

But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed,

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.

For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.

For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience,

that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge—

God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name.

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.

I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready,

And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men.

You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led.

As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us.

Paul's Concern for the Galatians

Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods.

You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

By Grace Through Faith

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins

remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light

God's Provision

I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity.

rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,

having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.

If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations—

In these you too once walked, when you were living in them.

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.

Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings,

Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?

knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold,

Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.

“‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot!

And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,