2:15 that you may be. The corporate witness of a united church is in view.

blameless and innocent . . . without blemish. The meanings of these terms overlap considerably. Paul describes the quality of life required of “children of God.” Such persons will “shine as lights in the world,” in marked contrast to their “crooked and twisted” contemporaries, but offering hope to them at the same time (cf. Matt. 5:14–16; Acts 2:40).