Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called Sons of God.

You have heard that it was said--'Thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thy enemy.' I, however, say to you--Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, read more. That you may become Sons of your Father who is in Heaven; for he causes his sun to rise upon bad and good alike, and sends rain upon the righteous and upon the unrighteous.

That you may become Sons of your Father who is in Heaven; for he causes his sun to rise upon bad and good alike, and sends rain upon the righteous and upon the unrighteous. For, if you love only those who love you, what reward will you have? Even the tax-gatherers do this! read more. And, if you show courtesy to your brothers only, what are you doing more than others? Even the Gentiles do this! You, then, must become perfect--as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Take care not to perform your religious duties in public in order to be seen by others; if you do, your Father who is in Heaven has no reward for you.

But, if you do not forgive others their offences, not even your Father will forgive your offences.

Look at the wild birds--they neither sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns; and yet your heavenly Father feeds them! And are not you more precious than they?

At that same time Jesus uttered the words: "I thank thee, Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, that, though thou has hidden these things from the wise and learned, thou hast revealed them to the child-like!

At that same time Jesus uttered the words: "I thank thee, Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, that, though thou has hidden these things from the wise and learned, thou hast revealed them to the child-like!

Then shall the righteous shine, like the sun, in the Kingdom of their Father. Let him who has ears hear.

Going on a little further, he threw himself on his face in prayer. "My Father," he said, "if it is possible, let me be spared this cup; only, not as I will, but as thou willest."

And, whenever you stand up to pray, forgive any grievance that you have against any one, that your Father who is in Heaven also may forgive you your offenses."

But love your enemies, and show them kindness, and lend to them, never despairing. Then your reward shall be great, and you shall be Sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the thankless and the bad. Learn to be merciful--even as your Father is merciful.

Everything has been committed to me by my Father; nor does any one know who the Son is, except the Father, or who the Father is, except the Son and those to whom the Son may choose to reveal him."

"When you pray," Jesus answered, "say--'Father, May thy named be held holy, thy Kingdom come.

If you, then, naturally wicked though you are, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in Heaven give the Holy Spirit to those that ask him!"

Then Jesus, with a loud cry, said: "Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit." And with these words he expired.

But to all who did receive him he gave power to become Children of God--to those who believe in his Name. For not to natural conception, nor to human instincts, nor to will of man did they owe the new Life, but to God. read more. And the Word became Man, and dwelt among us, (We saw his glory--the glory of the Only Son sent from the Father), full of love and truth.

No man has ever yet seen God; God the Only Son, who is ever with the Father--He has revealed him.

"In truth I tell you," exclaimed Jesus, "unless a man is reborn, he cannot see the Kingdom of God." "How can a man," asked Nicodemus, "be born when he is old? Can he be born a second time?" read more. "In truth I tell you," answered Jesus, "unless a man owes his birth to Water and Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God. All that owes its birth to human nature is human, and all that owes its birth to the Spirit is spiritual.

All that owes its birth to human nature is human, and all that owes its birth to the Spirit is spiritual. Do not wonder at my telling you that you all need to be reborn. read more. The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes, or where it goes; it is the same with every one that owes his birth to the Spirit."

"No one can come to me, unless the Father who sent me draws him to me; and I will raise him up at the Last Day.

And he added: "This is why I told you that no one can come to me, unless enabled by the Father."

"Our father is Abraham," was their answer. "If you are Abraham's children," replied Jesus, "do what Abraham did. But, as it is, you are seeking to put me to death--a man who has told you the Truth as he heard it from God. Abraham did not act in that way. read more. You are doing what your own father does." "We are not bastards," they said, "we have one Father--God himself." "If God were your Father," Jesus replied, "you would have loved me, for I came out from God, and now am here; and I have not come of myself, but he sent me as his Messenger.

"Are there not," replied Jesus, "these words in your Law--'I said "Ye are gods"'?

And not for the nation only, but also that he might unite in one body the Children of God now scattered far and wide.

Jesus answered: "I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life; no one ever comes to the Father except through me.

At that time you will recognize that I am in union with the Father, and you with me, and I with you.

"Do not hold me," Jesus said; "for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my Brothers, and tell them that I am ascending to him who is my Father and their Father, my God and their God."

But these have been recorded that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God--and that, through your belief in his Name, you may have Life.

For in him we live and move and are. To use the words of some of your own poets--'His offspring, too, are we.'

But, as to the spirit of holiness within him, was miraculously designated Son of God by his resurrection from the dead.

All who are guided by the Spirit of God are Sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of a slave, to fill you once more with fear, but the spirit of a son which leads us to cry 'Abba, Our Father.' read more. The Spirit himself unites with our spirits in bearing witness to our being God's children, And if children, then heirs-heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ, since we share Christ's sufferings in order that we may also share his Glory. I do not count the sufferings of our present life worthy of mention when compared with the Glory that is to be revealed and bestowed upon us. All Nature awaits with eager expectation the appearing of the Sons of God. For Nature was made subject to imperfection-not by its own choice, but owing to him who made it so-- Yet not without the hope that some day Nature, also, will be set free from enslavement to decay, and will attain to the freedom which will mark the Glory of the Children of God. We know, indeed, that all Nature alike has been groaning in the pains of labor to this very hour. And not Nature only; but we ourselves also, though we have already a first gift of the Spirit-we ourselves are inwardly groaning, while we eagerly await our full adoption as Sons-the redemption of our bodies.

And not Nature only; but we ourselves also, though we have already a first gift of the Spirit-we ourselves are inwardly groaning, while we eagerly await our full adoption as Sons-the redemption of our bodies. By our hope we were saved. But the thing hoped for is no longer an object of hope when it is before our eyes; for who hopes for what is before his eyes? read more. But when we hope for what is not before our eyes, then we wait for it with patience.

For those whom God chose from the first he also destined from the first to be transformed into likeness to his Son, so that his Son might be the eldest among many Brothers.

For those whom God chose from the first he also destined from the first to be transformed into likeness to his Son, so that his Son might be the eldest among many Brothers.

For they are Israelites, and theirs are the adoption as Sons, the visible Presence, the Covenants, the revealed Law, the Temple worship, and the Promises.

This means that it is not the children born in the course of nature who are God's Children, but it is the children born in fulfillment of the Promise who are to be regarded as Abraham's descendants.

This, indeed, is what he says in the Book of Hosea-'I will call those my People who were not my People, and her my beloved who was not beloved. And in the very place where it was said to them-"Ye are not my People", they shall be called Sons of the Living God.'

And in the very place where it was said to them-"Ye are not my People", they shall be called Sons of the Living God.'

For no distinction is made between the Jew and the Greek, for all have the same Lord, and he is bountiful to all who invoke him. For 'every one who invokes the Name of the Lord shall be saved.'

But again I ask 'Did not the people of Israel understand? First there is Moses, who says--'I, the Lord, will stir you to rivalry with a nation which is no nation; Against an undiscerning nation I will arouse your anger.'

Before the coming of faith, we were kept under the guard of the Law, in bondage, awaiting the Faith that was destined to be revealed.

For you are all Sons of God, through your faith in Christ Jesus.

My point is this--As long as the heir is under age, there is no difference between him and a slave, though he is master of the whole estate. He is subject to the control of guardians and stewards, during the period for which his father has power to appoint them. read more. And so is it with us; when we were under age, as it were, we were slaves to the puerile teaching of this world; But, when the full time came, God sent his Son--born a woman's child, born subject to Law-- To ransom those who were subject to Law, so that we might take our position as sons. And it is because you are sons that God sent into our hearts the Spirit of his Son, with the cry--'Abba, our Father.' You, therefore, are no longer a slave, but a son; and, if a son, then an heir also, by God's appointment.

You, therefore, are no longer a slave, but a son; and, if a son, then an heir also, by God's appointment.

As for ourselves, brothers, we, like Isaac, are children born in fulfillment of a promise.

From the first he destined us, in his good-will towards us, to be adopted as Sons through Jesus Christ, And so to enhance that glorious manifestation of his loving- kindness which he gave us in The Beloved; read more. For in him, and through the shedding of his blood, we have found redemption in the pardon of our offenses. All this accords with the loving-kindness which God lavished upon us, accompanied by countless gifts of wisdom and discernment, When he made known to us his hidden purpose. And it also accords with the good-will which God purposed to exhibit in Christ, In view of that Divine Order which was to mark the completion of the ages, when he should make everything, both in Heaven and on earth, center in him. In him, I say, for by our union with him we became God's Heritage, having from the first been destined for this in the intention of him who, in all that happens, is carrying out his own fixed purpose; That we should enhance his glory--we who have been the first to rest our hopes on the Christ. And you, too, by your union with him, after you had heard the Message of the Truth, the Good News of your Salvation--you believed in him and were sealed as his by receiving the holy Spirit, which he had promised. And the Spirit is a pledge of our future heritage, fore- shadowing the full redemption of God's own People--to enhance his Glory.

And the Spirit is a pledge of our future heritage, fore- shadowing the full redemption of God's own People--to enhance his Glory. And therefore I, ever since I heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which prevails among you, and of your confidence in all Christ's People, read more. Have never omitted to thank God on your behalf, whenever I make mention of you in my prayers. My prayer is that the God of Jesus Christ our Lord, the all- glorious Father, may inspire you with wisdom and true insight through a fuller knowledge of himself; That your minds may be so enlightened that you may realize the hope given by God's Call, the wealth of the glory of his heritage among Christ's People,

So as to prove yourselves blameless and innocent-- 'faultless children of God, in the midst of an evil-disposed and perverse generation,' in which you are seen shining like stars in a dark world,

For to which of the angels did God ever say-- 'Thou art my Son; this day I have become thy Father'? or again-- 'I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son'?

What our eyes do see is Jesus, who was made for a while lower than angels, now, because of his sufferings and death, crowned with glory and honour; so that his tasting the bitterness of death should, in God's loving-kindness, be on behalf of all mankind. It was, indeed, fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, should, when leading many sons to glory, make the author of their Salvation perfect through suffering. read more. For he who purifies, and those whom he purifies, all spring from One; and therefore he is not ashamed to call them 'Brothers.' He says-- 'I will tell of thy Name to my Brothers, In the midst of the congregation I will sing thy praise.' And again-- 'As for me, I will put my trust in God.' And yet again-- 'See, here am I and the children whom God gave me.' Therefore, since human nature is the common heritage of 'the Children,' Jesus also shared it, in order that by death he might render powerless him whose power lies in death--that is, the Devil-- and so might deliver all those who, from fear of death, had all their lives been living in slavery. It was not, surely, to the help of the angels that Jesus came, but 'to the help of the descendants of Abraham.' And consequently it was necessary that he should in all points be made like 'his Brothers,' in order that he might prove a merciful as well as a faithful High Priest in man's relations with God, for the purpose of expiating the sins of his People. The fact that he himself suffered under temptation enables him to help those who are tempted.

You have not yet, in your struggle with sin, resisted to the death; and you have forgotten the encouraging words which are addressed to you as God's Children-- 'My child, think not lightly of the Lord's discipline, do not despond when he rebukes you; read more. for it is him whom he loves that he disciplines, and he chastises every child whom he acknowledges.' It is for your discipline that you have to endure all this. God is dealing with you as his Children. For where is there a child whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without that discipline, in which all children share, it shows that you are bastards, and not true Children. Further, when our earthly fathers disciplined us, we respected them. Shall we not, then, much rather yield submission to the Father of souls, and live? Our fathers disciplined us for only a short time and as seemed best to them; but God disciplines us for our true good, to enable us to share his holiness. No discipline is pleasant at the time; on the contrary, it is painful. But afterwards its fruit is seen in the peacefulness of a righteous life which is the lot of those who have been trained under it. Therefore 'lift again the down-dropped hands and straighten the weakened knees; make straight paths for your feet,' so that the lame limb may not be put out of joint, but rather be cured.

Every good thing given us, and every perfect gift, is from above, and comes down to us from the Maker of the Lights in the heavens, who is himself never subject to change or to eclipse. Because he so willed, he gave us Life, through the Message of the Truth, so that we should be, as it were, an earnest of still further creations.

That religious observance which is pure and spotless in the eyes of God our Father is this--to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself uncontaminated by the world.

With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men who are made 'in God's likeness.'

Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has, in his great mercy, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

And since you call upon him as 'Father,' who judges every one impartially by what he has done, let reverence be the spirit of your lives during the time of your stay upon earth.

since your new Life has come, not from perishable, but imperishable, seed, through the Message of the Everliving God.

Now that you have done with all malice, all deceitfulness, insincerity, jealous feelings, and all back-biting, like newly born infants, crave pure spiritual milk, so that you may be enabled by it to grow till you attain Salvation-- read more. since 'you have found by experience that the Lord is kind.' Come to Him, then, as to a living stone, rejected, indeed, by men, but in God's eyes choice and precious; and, as living stones, form yourselves into a spiritual House, to be a consecrated Priesthood, for the offering of spiritual sacrifices that will be acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For there is a passage of Scripture that runs-- 'See, I am placing in Zion a choice and precious corner-stone; And he who believes in him shall have no cause for shame.' It is to you, then, who believe in him that he is precious, but to those who do not believe he is 'a stone which, though rejected by the builders, has now itself become the corner-stone,' and 'a stumbling-block, and a rock which shall prove a hindrance.' They stumble because they do not accept the Message. This was the fate destined for them. But you are 'a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, God's own People,' entrusted with the proclamation of the goodness of him who called you out of Darkness into his wonderful Light. Once you were 'not a people,' but now you are 'God's People'; once you 'had not found mercy,' but now you 'have found mercy.'

Once you were 'not a people,' but now you are 'God's People'; once you 'had not found mercy,' but now you 'have found mercy.'

for all that the world can offer--the gratification of the earthly nature, the gratification of the eye, the pretentious life--belongs, not to the Father, but to the world.

No one who rejects the Son has found the Father; he who acknowledges the Son has found the Father also.

Knowing him to be righteous, you realize that every one who lives righteously has received the new Life from him.

Dear friends, we are God's Children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is that, when it is revealed, we shall be like Christ; because we shall see him as he is.

No one who has received the new Life from God lives sinfully, because the very nature of God dwells within him; and he cannot live in sin, because he has received the new Life from God.

Dear friends, let us love one another, because Love comes from God; and every one who loves has received the new Life from God and knows God.

Every one who believes that Jesus is the Christ has received the new Life from God; and every one who loves him who gave that Life loves him who has received it.

because all that has received the new Life from God conquers the world. And this is the power that has conquered the world--our faith!

He who conquers shall enter into possession of these things, and I will be his God, and he shall be my Son. But as for cowards, unbelievers, the degraded, murderers, the impure, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars--their place will be in the burning lake of fire and sulphur. That is the Second Death.'