For God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ.

I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you a spirit

of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.

This was not made known to people in other generations as it is now revealed to His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit:

That

On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel for the uncircumcised, just as Peter was for the circumcised,

But the Lord said to him, “Go! For this man is My chosen instrument to take My name to Gentiles, kings, and the Israelites.

“Then He said to me, ‘Go, because I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”

I will rescue you from the people and from the Gentiles. I now send you to them

Now I want you to know,

brothers, that I often planned to come to you (but was prevented until now) in order that I might have a fruitful ministry among you, just as among the rest of the Gentiles.

Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. In view of the fact that I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry,

to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, serving as a priest of God’s good news. My purpose is that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

For this reason, I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles—

I have become its servant, according to God’s administration that was given to me for you, to make God’s message fully known,

hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. As a result, they are always completing the number of their sins, and wrath has overtaken them at last.

For this I was appointed a herald, an apostle (I am telling the truth; I am not lying), and a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

For this gospel I was appointed a herald, apostle, and teacher,

Immediately

Now I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel preached by me is not based on human thought.

Then after 14 years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along also.

He said about his father and mother,
“I do not regard them.”
He disregarded his brothers
and didn’t acknowledge his sons,
for they kept Your word
and maintained Your covenant.

Then He said to them all, “If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

“Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision.

From now on, then, we do not know anyone in a purely human way. Even if we have known Christ in a purely human way, yet now we no longer know Him in this way.

Flesh

And Jesus responded, “Simon son of Jonah,

you are blessed because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father in heaven.

Stay awake and pray, so that you won’t enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Brothers, I tell you this: Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, and corruption cannot inherit incorruption.

For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.

Now since the children have flesh and blood in common, Jesus also shared in these, so that through His death He might destroy the one holding the power of death—that is, the Devil—

General references

So Abraham got up early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took with him two of his young men and his son Isaac. He split wood for a burnt offering and set out to go to the place God had told him about.

But if the raw flesh changes and turns white, he must go to the priest.

Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.