Book of Common Prayer

¹⁶ Let me say this to you: live by the spirit, and you won’t do what the flesh wants you to. ¹⁷ For the flesh wants to go against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh. They are opposed to each other, so that you can’t do what you want. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the spirit, you are not under the law.

¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are obvious. They are such things as fornication, uncleanness, licentiousness, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, hostilities, strife, jealousy, bursts of rage, selfish ambition, factiousness, divisions, ²¹ moods of envy, drunkenness, wild partying, and similar things. I told you before, and I tell you again: people who do such things will not inherit God’s kingdom.

Fruit of the spirit

²² But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, great-heartedness, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control. There is no law that opposes things like that! ²⁴ And those who belong to the Messiah, Jesus, crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Peter’s declaration of Jesus’ messiahship

¹³ Jesus came to Caesarea Philippi. There he put this question to his disciples: “Who do people say that the son of man is?”

¹⁴ “John the Baptist,” they replied. “Others say Elijah. Others say Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”

¹⁵ “What about you?” he asked them. “Who do you say I am?”

¹⁶ Simon Peter answered.

“You’re the Messiah,” he said. “You’re the son of the living God!”

¹⁷ “God’s blessing on you, Simon, son of John!” answered Jesus. “Flesh and blood didn’t reveal that to you; it was my father in heaven. ¹⁸ And I’ve got something to tell you, too: you are Peter, the rock, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell won’t overpower it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you tie up on earth will have been tied up in heaven, and whatever you untie on earth will have been untied in heaven.”

²⁰ Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.