Book of Common Prayer
Freedom in Christ
5 The Messiah set us free so that we could enjoy freedom! So stand firm, and don’t get yourselves tied down by the chains of slavery.
2 Look here: I, Paul, am telling you that if you get circumcised, the Messiah will be of no use to you. 3 I testify once more, against every person who gets circumcised, that he is thereby under obligation to perform the entire law. 4 You are split off from the Messiah, you people who want to be justified by the law! You have dropped out of grace. 5 For we are waiting eagerly, by the spirit and by faith, for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in the Messiah, Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any power. What matters is faith, working through love.
Warnings against compromise
7 You were running well. Who got in your way and stopped you being persuaded by the truth? 8 This persuasion didn’t come from the one who called you! 9 A little leaven works its way through the whole lump. 10 I am persuaded in the Lord that you won’t differ from me on this. But the one who is troubling you will bear the blame, whoever he may be. 11 As for me, my dear family, if I am still announcing circumcision, why are people still persecuting me? If I were, the scandal of the cross would have been neutralized. 12 If only those who are making trouble for you would cut the whole lot off!
The law and the spirit
13 When God called you, my dear family, he called you to make you free. But you mustn’t use that freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. Rather, you must become each other’s servants, through love. 14 For the whole law is summed up in one word, namely this: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite each other and devour each other, watch out! You may end up being destroyed by each other.
27 Jesus and his disciples came to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked his disciples, “Who are people saying that I am?”
28 “John the Baptist,” they said, “or, some say, Elijah; or, others say, one of the prophets.”
29 “What about you?” asked Jesus. “Who do you say I am?”
Peter spoke up. “You’re the Messiah,” he said.
30 He gave them strict orders not to tell anyone about him.
Jesus predicts his death
31 Jesus now began to teach them something new.
“There’s big trouble in store for the son of man,” he said. “The elders, the chief priests and the scribes are going to reject him. He will be killed—and after three days he’ll be raised.” 32 He said all this quite explicitly.
At this, Peter took him aside and started to scold him. 33 But he turned round, saw the disciples, and scolded Peter.
“Get behind me, Accuser!” he said. “You’re thinking human thoughts, not God’s thoughts.”
34 He called the crowd to him, with his disciples. “If any of you want to come the way I’m going,” he said, “you must say ‘no’ to your own selves, pick up your cross, and follow me. 35 Yes: if you want to save your life, you’ll lose it; but if you lose your life because of me and the message you’ll save it. 36 After all, what use is it to win the world and lose your life? 37 What can you give in exchange for your life? 38 If you’re ashamed of me and my words in this cheating and sinning generation, the son of man will be ashamed of you when he ‘comes in the glory of his father with the holy angels.’
9 “I’m telling you the truth,” he said; “some people standing here won’t experience death before they see God’s kingdom come in power.”
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.