Book of Common Prayer

15 ¹ But^[a] we, the strong ones, ought to be carrying^[b] the weaknesses of the ones not-strong, and not to be pleasing ourselves.

Be Pleasing Your Neighbor. For Even Christ Didn’t Please Himself, As It Is Written

² Let each of us be pleasing his neighbor for good, toward [his] edification. ³ For even Christ did not please Himself, but just as it has been written [in Ps 69:9]: “The reproaches of the ones reproaching You fell upon Me”.

For Scripture Was Written To Give Us Hope As We Endure In This

⁴ For all that was written-before was written for our instruction, in order that we might have hope through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures.

May God Help You All To Think The Same Thing, To His Glory

⁵ Now may the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to be thinking the same^[c] thing among one another according-to^[d] Christ Jesus, ⁶ in order that with-one-accord you may with one mouth be glorifying the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore Accept One Another As Christ Has Accepted You, Both Jew And Gentile

⁷ Therefore, be accepting one-another, just as Christ also accepted you— for the glory of God. ⁸ For I say that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God, so that He might confirm the promises of ^[e] the fathers, ⁹ and the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy just as it has been written: “For this reason I will praise You among the Gentiles and I will sing-praise to Your name” [Ps 18:49]. ¹⁰ And again he says, “Celebrate, Gentiles, with His people” [Deut 32:43]. ¹¹ And again, “All Gentiles, be praising the Lord, and let all the peoples praise Him” [Ps 117:1]. ¹² And again Isaiah says, “There will be the root of Jesse, even the One rising-up to rule^[f] the Gentiles. The Gentiles will put-their-hope upon Him” [Isa 11:10].

Peace And Joy To You All

¹³ Now may the God of ^[g] hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may be abounding in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus Goes To Judea. John The Baptist Declares Himself The Friend of The Bridegroom

²² After these things Jesus and His disciples went into the Judean land, and there He was spending-time with them and baptizing. ²³ Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there were many waters^[a] there. And they were coming and being baptized. ²⁴ For John had not yet been thrown into prison. ²⁵ Then a debate^[b] arose from the disciples of John with a Jew about purification. ²⁶ And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, concerning Whom you have testified, look— this One is baptizing, and all are going to Him!” ²⁷ John responded and said “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it has been given to him from heaven. ²⁸ You yourselves are testifying concerning me that I said that ‘I am not the Christ’, but that ‘I am one having been sent-forth ahead of that One’. ²⁹ The one having the bride is the bridegroom. And the friend of the bridegroom, the one standing there and hearing him, rejoices with joy^[c] because of the voice of the bridegroom. So this^[d], my joy, has been made-full. ³⁰ It-is-necessary for that One to grow, and for me to diminish.

Jesus Has Come From Heaven With The Words of God. He Is Above All

³¹ “The^[e] One coming from-above is above^[f] all. The one being from the earth is from the earth and is speaking from the earth. The One coming from heaven is above all. ³² What He has seen and did hear— this He is testifying. And no one is receiving His testimony. ³³ The one having received His testimony certified^[g] that God is truthful, ³⁴ for He Whom God sent forth is speaking the words of God. For He does not give Him the Spirit from a measure^[h]. ³⁵ The Father loves the Son, and has given all things in His hand. ³⁶ The one believing in the Son has eternal life. But the one disobeying^[i] the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him”.