Book of Common Prayer

5 Christ has made us really free. So, stay free! Do not let yourselves be made slaves again.

² I, Paul, say to you again that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ is no help to you at all.

³ Again I say to every man who is circumcised, he must obey all the law.

⁴ Some of you are trying to obey the law, so that God will call you good. If you do this, you have been cut off from Christ. You have lost the blessing of God.

⁵ But we hope to be made right by believing in Christ. The Spirit helps us to do this.

⁶ So if a man belongs to Christ Jesus, it does not matter if he is circumcised or not. He must show by his love that he believes.

⁷ You were doing well. Who stopped you from doing what is right?

⁸ God calls you but he is not the one who made you change your minds.

⁹ Even a little yeast makes all the bread rise.

¹⁰ The Lord makes me sure that you will not think any other way. But the teacher who is troubling your minds will be punished. It does not matter who he is.

¹¹ My brothers, am I still telling people to be circumcised? If I am, why are people still troubling me? If it were true, the cross of Christ, which they do not like, has lost its power.

¹² These teachers are troubling your minds. How I wish they would cut themselves off!

¹³ You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not take that to mean that you can do as you please. But work for each other because you love each other.

¹⁴ This one law is the whole law: `Love your neighbour as you love yourself.'

¹⁵ But if you bite and chew each other, be careful, or you will be killed by each other.

²⁷ Jesus went with his disciples to the villages in Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked his disciples, `Who do people say that I am?'

²⁸ They answered, `People say that you are John the Baptizer. Others say that you are Elijah. And others say that you are one of the prophets from long ago.'

²⁹ Then he asked them, `But who do you say I am?' Peter answered, `You are the Christ.'

³⁰ Jesus said to them, `Do not tell anyone about me.'

³¹ Then he began to teach them. He said, `The Son of Man will have much trouble. The leaders, the chief priests, and the scribes will not believe him. He will be killed. After three days he will rise.'

³² Jesus said this very plainly. Peter took him to one side and began to tell him not to say such things.

³³ Jesus turned around and saw the disciples. Then he talked to Peter. He said, `Get away from me, Satan! You are not thinking the way God thinks, but the way people think.'

³⁴ Jesus called the people and the disciples to him. He said, `If anyone wants to come with me he must leave what he himself wants to do. He must be ready to carry his own cross and come with me.

³⁵ Anyone who tries to keep his life will lose it. And anyone who gives up his life for my sake and for the sake of the good news will find it.

³⁶ What good will it do a man if he gets the whole world for himself but loses his soul?

^37-38 hat can a person give to get back his soul? People have gone away from God and are full of wrong ways. If anyone in this time is ashamed of me and the things I say, the Son of Man also will be ashamed of that person when he comes. The Son of Man will come with his holy angels, and be great like his Father.'

9 Jesus said to them, `I tell you the truth. Some people are standing here who will not die before they see the kingdom of God come with power.'