so that you may learn to recognize and treasure what is excellent [identifying the best, and distinguishing moral differences], and that you may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ [actually living lives that lead others away from sin];

Now I want you to know, believers, that what has happened to me [this imprisonment that was meant to stop me] has actually served to advance [the spread of] the good news [regarding salvation].

What then? That, in any way, whether in pretext, or in truth, Christ, is declared, and, in this, I rejoice - yea, and will rejoice!

But, if living in flesh, is Christ , this, unto me, is a fruit of work, - and, what I shall choose, I make not known:

so that [what] you can be proud of may increase in Christ Jesus because of me through my return again to you.

Only conduct yourselves worthily of the glad tidings of the Christ, in order that whether coming and seeing you, or absent, I may hear of what concerns you, that ye stand firm in one spirit, with one soul, labouring together in the same conflict with the faith of the glad tidings;

and that no man consider his own, but what is mete for others.

Instead, He gave up what He had and took on the form [i.e., the nature] of a slave, becoming like a man, [and even] His appearance was found to be like a man's.

and in what appertained to him appearing as a man, he humbled himself, and was obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

that in the name of Jesus every knee may bow -- of heavenlies, and earthlies, and what are under the earth --

So then, my loved ones, as you have at all times done what I say, not only when I am present, but now much more when I am not with you, give yourselves to working out your salvation with fear in your hearts;

for it is God who is at work in you, both to motivate the desire and to carry out what pleases Him.

I trust in the Lord Jesus for to send Timothy shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know what case ye stand in.

For I have none like-minded, who will naturally care for what concerneth you.

For they all go after what is theirs, not after the things of Christ.

But you know what Timothy has proved himself to be, and how, like a child working for his father, he worked hard with me in spreading the Good News.

I hope therefore to send him to you as soon as I find what turn my affairs shall take:

for it was through the work of the Lord that he came near to death; for he hazarded his very life to supply what was lacking in the help you sent me.

Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. it is not uneasy to me to write what I have already said, and it is an advantage to you.

for we [who are born-again have been reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, set apart for His purpose and] are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory and take pride and exult in Christ Jesus and place no confidence [in what we have or who we are] in the flesh—

But what was once gain to me, that I have counted loss for Christ.

What is more, I consider everything to be a loss compared to the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus [as] my Lord, for whose sake I have suffered the loss of all things. [I now] consider [all of] them to be trash, in order to gain Christ

and be actually in union with Him, not having a supposed right standing with God which depends on my doing what the law commands, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the real right standing with God which originates from Him and rests on faith.

I want to know the Messiah what his resurrection power is like and what it means to share in his sufferings by becoming like him in his death,

[It is] not that I have already arrived at the goal [of spiritual maturity], or have already been made perfectly [righteous], but I am pushing onward in order to take hold of what Christ Jesus took hold of me for [i.e., to receive all that Christ intended for me].

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have made it my own yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,

Only let us stay true to what we have already attained.

Their [ultimate] end is [spiritual] destruction; their god is their appetite; they boast of what they ought to be ashamed of, and they [constantly] think about worldly things.

Now, brothers, practice thinking on what is true, what is honorable, what is right, what is pure, what is lovable, what is high-toned, yes, on everything that is excellent or praiseworthy.

The things which you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things [in daily life], and the God [who is the source] of peace and well-being will be with you.

It was a great joy to me in the Lord that your care for me could revive again; for what you lacked was never the care but the chance of showing it.

Not that I speak regarding need, for I have learned in what things I am to be content.

I know what it is even to be kept low, and I know what it is to have more than enough, - in every way, and in all things, have I been let into the secret - both to be well fed, and to be hungering, both to have more than enough, and to be coming short:

not that I desire a present; but what I desire is, that the fruits of your liberality may greatly redound to your own account.

But I give you a receipt in full for all things abound. I am amply supplied with what you sent by Epaphroditus??n odor of sweet fragrance, a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God.

for what we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love you have for all God's people,

because of the [confident] hope [of experiencing that] which is reserved and waiting for you in heaven. You previously heard of this hope in the message of truth, the gospel [regarding salvation]

Bearing fruit and growing, as it does, through all the world, just as it did among you, from the very day that you heard of God's loving-kindness, and understood what that loving-kindness really is.

It is just what you learned from Epaphras, our dear fellow- servant, who, as a minister of the Christ, faithfully represents us,

That is why, from the day I first heard of it, I have never given up praying for you and asking God to fill you, through full spiritual wisdom and insight, with a clear knowledge of what his will is,

I am now rejoicing in my sufferings on your behalf; and I am filling up in my own body what is yet lacking of the sufferings of Christ in behalf of the church, his Body.

To whom God wanted to make known what is the wealth of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

this is what I earnestly strive to effect, by virtue of that power, which effectually operates in me.

For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh;

What I mean is, let nobody mislead you by specious arguments.

He has destroyed what was against us, a certificate of indebtedness expressed in decrees opposed to us. He has taken it away by nailing it to the cross.

Therefore do not permit any one to sit in judgment on you in regard to what you may eat or drink, or in regard to feast-days or new moons or sabbaths.

Such things are only a shadow of what is to come and they have only symbolic value; but the substance [the reality of what is foreshadowed] belongs to Christ.

Let, no one, against you, be arbitrating, however wishful, - in respect of lowliness of mind, and of a religious observance of the messengers: upon what things he hath seen, taking his stand, in vain, puffed up by his carnal mind, -

All these regulations refer to what is destroyed by being used up; they are commands and doctrines of men.

So if you have been raised with the Messiah, seek what is above, where the Messiah is, seated at the right hand of God.

Set your mind and keep focused habitually on the things above [the heavenly things], not on things that are on the earth [which have only temporal value].

Therefore put to death {what is earthly in you}: sexual immorality, uncleanness, lustful passion, evil desire, and greediness, which is idolatry,

Here, what matters is not "Greek" and "Jew," the circumcised and the uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, freeborn, but Christ is everything and in us all.

Whatever you do [no matter what it is] in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus [and in dependence on Him], giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

For he who does wrong will be punished for his wrongdoing, and [with God] there is no partiality [no special treatment based on a person’s position in life].

Masters, present to the bondmen what is right and equitable, knowing that ye also have a Master in heavens.

Let your conversation always be kindly, and seasoned, as it were, with salt; that you may know in each case what answer you ought to give.

As to what relates to me, you will be inform'd of it by Tychicus my dear brother, who is a faithful minister of the Lord, and serves him with me.

I have sent him with Onesimus a faithful and beloved brother, who is of your city: they will inform you of what passes here.

for our good news [regarding salvation] came to you not only in word, but also in [its inherent] power and in the Holy Spirit and with great conviction [on our part]. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your benefit.

For they themselves report about us, telling what kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,

But as God tested and approved us before entrusting us with His Good News, so in what we say we are seeking not to please men but to please God, who tests and approves our motives.

You can testify, and God too, with what pure, upright, and irreproachable motives I dealt with you who believed;

For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.

For who is [the object of] our hope or joy or our victor’s wreath of triumphant celebration [when we stand] in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? Is it not you?

and encourage you not to be led astray, any of you, in all these troubles. You know yourselves that this is what we must expect,

In fact, when we were with you, we told you ahead of time that we were going to suffer persecution. And as you know, that is what happened.

For what thanks can we repay God about you, for all the joy in which we rejoiced because of you before our God,

as night and day I continue to pray with deepest earnestness and keenest eagerness that I may see your faces and round out to completeness what is lacking in your faith?

And last of all, the prayer which we make to you from our heart and in the name of the Lord Jesus, is this: that as we made clear to you what sort of behaviour is pleasing to God, as in fact you are doing now, so you will go on in these ways, but more and more.

For ye know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

So, the person who rejects [this exhortation] is not [merely] rejecting what man says but God [Himself], who gives His Holy Spirit to you.

For we say this to you by [the authority of] the word of the Lord [Note: Paul was either quoting what Jesus had previously said, or was giving a revelation he had received from the Lord. See I Cor. 14:37], that we [Christians] who are [still] alive, who are left [on earth] when the Lord returns, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. [Note: The point Paul is making is that the living will not be "changed" (I Cor. 15:51-52) and taken to heaven before the dead are raised].

Therefore, comfort one another with what I have told you.

When people say, "What peace and security!" then suddenly destruction will be upon them, like birth-pains upon a woman about to give birth to a child, and there will be no escape.

Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to appreciate those who diligently work among you [recognize, acknowledge, and respect your leaders], who are in charge over you in the Lord and who give you instruction,

Hold them in the highest esteem and affection for what they do. Live at peace with one another.

Take care that none of you ever return evil for evil, but always pursue what is kind to one another and to all.

in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.

but continue to prove all things until you can approve them, and then hold on to what is good.

God, who calls you [into His fellowship] is faithful; He will also do [what He promises].

It is with this view also that we continually pray to our God for you, asking that He will count you worthy of His call, and by His mighty power fully gratify your every desire for what is truly good and make your work of faith complete;

Have you no memory of what I said when I was with you, giving you word of these things?

And now you know what is holding him back, to the end that he may be revealed in his appointed time.

This is why God sends them a misleading influence till they actually believe what is false,

So that they all may be judged, who had no faith in what is true, but took pleasure in evil.

But it is right for us to give praise to God at all times for you, brothers, loved by the Lord, because it was the purpose of God from the first that you might have salvation, being made holy by the Spirit and by faith in what is true:

And we are persuaded in Lord toward you, that what we command you, ye both are doing and will do.

for you know what an example we have given for your imitation: that our conduct among you was regular:

In fact, when we were with you, this is what we commanded you: “If anyone isn’t willing to work, he should not eat.”

But [as for] you, brothers, do not be discouraged [while] doing what is right.

If anyone refuses to obey what we have said in this letter, mark that person and stop having anything to do with him, so that he will feel ashamed of it.

But the effect of the order is love coming from a clean heart, and a knowledge of what is right, and true faith:

desiring to be law teachers, understanding neither what they say, nor about what they confidently assert.

This, then, is the charge that I lay upon you, Timothy, my Child, in accordance with what was predicted of you--Fight the good fight in the spirit of those predictions,

Whose desire is that all men may have salvation and come to the knowledge of what is true.

who gave himself for the redemption of all mankind: this is what was to be promulg'd in due time:

And of this I became a preacher and an Apostle (what I say is true, not false,) and a teacher of the Gentiles in the true faith.

but, what becomes women making profession of the fear of God, by good works.