Book of Common Prayer

¹¹ God raised Christ Jesus from death. Does God's Spirit live in you? Then God will also give life to your bodies which die. He does this through his Spirit who lives in you.

¹² So, my brothers, we must not live the way our bodies want us to live. We must not be ruled by our wrong ways.

¹³ If you live the way your bodies wants to live, you will die. But if, by the help of the Spirit, you stop doing the wrong things your bodies want to do, you will live.

¹⁴ All who do what God's Spirit leads them to do are God's sons.

¹⁵ The Holy Spirit you have received does not make you a slave again so that you are afraid. But the Spirit you have received makes you sons of God.

¹⁶ So we say, `Father! Father!' The Spirit himself also, along with our own spirits, tells us that we are God's children.

¹⁷ If we are his children, God will give us the good things that children receive. He will give us these blessings along with Christ. He will give it to us if we suffer with Christ. If we suffer with Christ, we will also be made great with him.

¹⁸ I think that the troubles we have in this life are nothing when we think of the great things that we shall have.

¹⁹ The whole world is waiting for the time when the sons of God will be seen.

²⁰ The world was spoiled. It did not want to be spoiled, but God allowed it.

²¹ And it hoped to be free like God's children when they are made great.

²² We know that the whole world has been crying. It has had much pain until now.

²³ And not the world only, but we ourselves also cry out. We have the first blessing God gives of his Spirit. But we cry out in our hearts. We are waiting for God to finish making us his sons. Then our bodies will be set free.

²⁴ That is what we hoped for when we were saved. When the thing hoped for is seen, there is no more hoping. When a person sees a thing, how can he hope for it?

²⁵ But if we hope for something we do not see, we keep on waiting for it.

²⁷ Do not work for the food that spoils, but work for the food that will never spoil, the food that will give you life for ever. The Son of Man will give you that food. God my Father has chosen him to do that.'

²⁸ They asked him, `What works does God ask us to do?'

²⁹ Jesus answered them, `The work that God asks you to do is to believe in the one whom he has sent.'

³⁰ They said, `What big work will you do? We want to see it and believe you. What work are you are going to do?

^31-32 ur fathers ate bread in the wilderness. The holy writings say, "He gave them bread from heaven to eat." ' Jesus said to them, `I tell you the truth. It was not Moses who gave you that bread from heaven. But my Father gives you true bread from heaven.

³³ He who comes down from heaven is the bread that God gives. He is the one who gives life to the world.'

³⁴ They said to him, `Lord, give us this bread always!'

³⁵ Jesus said, `I am the bread that gives life. Anyone who comes to me will never be hungry. Anyone who believes in me will never be thirsty.

³⁶ But I said to you that you have seen me, and yet you will not believe in me.

³⁷ All those whom my Father gives me, they will come to me. I will never turn anyone away who comes to me.

³⁸ I did not come down from heaven to do what I myself want to do. I came to do what the one who sent me wants me to do.

³⁹ My Father sent me. He wants me to lose nothing that he has given me. And he wants me to raise it up on the last day.

⁴⁰ My Father wants everyone who sees his Son and believes in him to live for ever. I will raise him up on the last day.'