And when they came to him, he said to them: “You know, from the first day I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time—

When they heard it, they glorified God and said, “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law.

Absolutely not! Otherwise, how will God judge the world?

How joyful are those whose lawless acts are forgiven
and whose sins are covered!

How joyful is the man
the Lord will never charge with sin!

In what way then was it credited—while he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while he was circumcised, but uncircumcised.

For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, then how much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by His life!

But the gift is not like the trespass. For if by the one man’s trespass the many died, how much more have the grace of God and the gift overflowed to the many by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ.

Since by the one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive the overflow of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it?

He did not even spare His own Son
but offered Him up for us all;
how will He not also with Him grant us everything?

But how can they call on Him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about Him? And how can they hear without a preacher?

And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who announce the gospel of good things!

God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or don’t you know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he pleads with God against Israel?

Now if their stumbling brings riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full number bring!

For if you were cut off from your native wild olive and against nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these—the natural branches—be grafted into their own olive tree?

Oh, the depth of the riches
both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God!
How unsearchable His judgments
and untraceable His ways!

According to God’s grace that was given to me, I have laid a foundation as a skilled master builder, and another builds on it. But each one must be careful how he builds on it.

For you, wife, how do you know whether you will save your husband? Or you, husband, how do you know whether you will save your wife?

I want you to be without concerns. An unmarried man is concerned about the things of the Lord—how he may please the Lord.

But a married man is concerned about the things of the world—how he may please his wife—

and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or a virgin is concerned about the things of the Lord, so that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the things of the world—how she may please her husband.

You know that when you were pagans, you used to be led off to the idols that could not speak.

But now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in other languages, how will I benefit you unless I speak to you with a revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching?

Even inanimate things that produce sounds—whether flute or harp—if they don’t make a distinction in the notes, how will what is played on the flute or harp be recognized?

In the same way, unless you use your tongue for intelligible speech, how will what is spoken be known? For you will be speaking into the air.

Otherwise, if you praise with the spirit, how will the uninformed person say “Amen” at your giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying?

What then is the conclusion, brothers? Whenever you come together, each one has a psalm, a teaching, a revelation, another language, or an interpretation. All things must be done for edification.

Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say, “There is no resurrection of the dead”?

But someone will say, “How are the dead raised? What kind of body will they have when they come?”

how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?

For consider how much diligence this very thing—this grieving as God wills—has produced in you: what a desire to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what deep longing, what zeal, what justice! In every way you showed yourselves to be pure in this matter.

And his affection toward you is even greater as he remembers the obedience of all of you, and how you received him with fear and trembling.

But when I saw that they were deviating from the truth of the gospel, I told Cephas in front of everyone, “If you, who are a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel Gentiles to live like Jews?”

But now, since you know God, or rather have become known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and bankrupt elemental forces? Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again?

But that is not how you learned about the Messiah,

Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise—

Tychicus, our dearly loved brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you all the news about me so that you may be informed.

I am sending him to you for this very reason, to let you know how we are and to encourage your hearts.

For God is my witness, how deeply I miss all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

Therefore, I hope to send him as soon as I see how things go with me.

I know both how to have a little, and I know how to have a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need.

For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you, for those in Laodicea, and for all who have not seen me in person.

Your speech should always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person.

I have sent him to you for this very purpose, so that you may know how we are and so that he may encourage your hearts.

for they themselves report what kind of reception we had from you: how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God

You are witnesses, and so is God, of how devoutly, righteously, and blamelessly we conducted ourselves with you believers.

How can we thank God for you in return for all the joy we experience before our God because of you,

Finally then, brothers, we ask and encourage you in the Lord Jesus, that as you have received from us how you must walk and please God—as you are doing—do so even more.

so that each of you knows how to control his own body in sanctification and honor,

For you yourselves know how you must imitate us: We were not irresponsible among you;

This greeting is in my own hand—Paul. This is a sign in every letter; this is how I write.

(If anyone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of God’s church?)

But if I should be delayed, I have written so that you will know how people ought to act in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.

May the Lord grant that he obtain mercy from Him on that day. And you know very well how much he ministered at Ephesus.

how will we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was first spoken by the Lord and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him.

Now consider how great this man was—even Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the plunder to him!

how much more will the blood of the Messiah, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to serve the living God?

How much worse punishment do you think one will deserve who has trampled on the Son of God, regarded as profane the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and insulted the Spirit of grace?

So too, though the tongue is a small part of the body, it boasts great things. Consider how large a forest a small fire ignites.

Therefore, brothers, be patient until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth and is patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains.

then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment,

This is how we are sure that we have come to know Him: by keeping His commands.

But whoever keeps His word, truly in him the love of God is perfected. This is how we know we are in Him:

Look at how great a love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children. And we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it didn’t know Him.

This is how God’s children—and the Devil’s children—are made evident.

Whoever does not do what is right is not of God, especially the one who does not love his brother.

This is how we have come to know love: He laid down His life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers.

If anyone has this world’s goods and sees his brother in need but closes his eyes to his need—how can God’s love reside in him?

This is how we will know we belong to the truth and will convince our conscience in His presence,

This is how you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.

This is how we know that we remain in Him and He in us: He has given assurance to us from His Spirit.

This is how we know that we love God’s children when we love God and obey His commands.

For I was very glad when some brothers came and testified to your faithfulness to the truth—how you are walking in the truth.

Remember then how far you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.

They cried out with a loud voice: “Lord, the One who is holy and true, how long until You judge and avenge our blood from those who live on the earth?”

This is how I saw the horses in my vision: The horsemen had breastplates that were fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow. The heads of the horses were like lions’ heads, and from their mouths came fire, smoke, and sulfur.