Now the manner of Christ's birth was this: his mother Mary being promised in marriage to Joseph, before they came together, she became pregnant by the holy Spirit.

Now John had heard in prison about the Christ's doings, and he sent some of his disciples to inquire:

And coming out of their tombs after Christ's resurrection they entered the holy city and showed themselves to many.

For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink, because ye are Christ's, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.

Whoever believes and has decided to trust in Him [as personal Savior and Lord] is not judged [for this one, there is no judgment, no rejection, no condemnation]; but the one who does not believe [and has decided to reject Him as personal Savior and Lord] is judged already [that one has been convicted and sentenced], because he has not believed and trusted in the name of the [One and] only begotten Son of God [the One who is truly unique, the only One of His kind, the One who alone can save him].

Isaiah said these things because he saw Christ's glory, and spoke about him.

Nevertheless, even among the rulers many believed in him, but because of the Pharisees they would not confess Jesus to be the Christ, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue.

Giving her his hand, Peter raised her up, and, calling in the widows and others of Christ's People, presented her to them alive.

And now I commend you to the Lord and to the Message of his Love--a Message which has the power to build up your characters, and to give you your place among all those who have become Christ's People.

So now, what are you waiting for? Get up and be immersed [into Christ], and have your sins washed away as you appeal to His name [i.e., to Christ's authority].'

To all in Rome who are dear to God and have been called to become Christ's People, From Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, who has been called to become an Apostle, and has been set apart to tell God's Good News.

among whom are ye also called to be Jesus Christ's:

All of you there in Rome [i.e., the church there] are also among such obedient believers. You are called Jesus Christ's [people], loved by God and called to be His holy people. May you have unearned favor and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

But God gives proof of His love to us in Christ's dying for us while we were still sinners.

Therefore, since we have now been justified [declared free of the guilt of sin] by His blood, [how much more certain is it that] we will be saved from the wrath of God through Him.

For if while we were hostile to God we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, it is still more certain that now that we are reconciled, we shall obtain salvation through Christ's life.

So then, just as [God's] judgment came, condemning all people [to physical death] because of one sin [i.e., Adam's]; even so the free gift of being made right with God and [resulting in] life may be received by all people because of one man's [i.e., Christ's] act of righteousness. [Note: This "life" may refer to spiritual life now, or to being made alive in the resurrection, which would reverse the curse of physical death caused by Adam's sin].

And our belief is, that, as we have shared Christ's Death, we shall also share his Life.

Therefore, my fellow believers, you too died to the Law through the [crucified] body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.

But, ye, have not your being in flesh, but in spirit, - if at least, God's Spirit, dwelleth in you; and, if anyone hath not Christ's Spirit, the same, is not his; -

And if children, heirs also: heirs of God, and Christ's joint heirs; if indeed we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified with him.

Yet he who searches all our hearts knows what the Spirit's meaning is, because the pleadings of the Spirit for Christ's People are in accordance with his will.

Who shall ever separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?

Relieving the wants of Christ's People; devoted to hospitality.

For this was the purpose of Christ's dying and coming to life--namely that He might be Lord both of the dead and the living.

And he who in these things is Christ's servant, is pleasing to God and has the approval of men.

May God, [the source] of hope, fill you with complete joy and peace as you believe [in Christ], so that you may have an abundance of hope in the power of the Holy Spirit.

by the force of miracles and marvels, by the power of the Spirit of God. Thus from Jerusalem right round to Illyricum, I have been able to complete the preaching of the gospel of Christ ??20 my ambition always being to preach it only in places where there had been no mention of Christ's name, that I might not build on foundations laid by others,

Accordingly I set a goal to preach the gospel, not where Christ’s name was already known, so that I would not build on another man’s foundation;

Just now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem, to take help to Christ's People there.

For Macedonia and Greece have been glad to make a collection for the poor among Christ's People at Jerusalem.

and I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of Christ's blessing.

Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me;

Pray that I may be rescued from those in Judea who reject the Faith, and that the help which I am taking to Jerusalem may prove acceptable to Christ's People;

I recommend to you Phebe our sister, who is a deaconess of the church at Kenchrea; receive her for Christ's sake,

And I ask you to give her a Christian welcome--one worthy of Christ's People--and to aid her in any matter in which she may need your assistance. She has proved herself a staunch friend to me and to many others.

Remember me to Urbanus, our fellow-worker in Christ's cause, and to my dear Stachys.

Also to Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and to all Christ's People who are with them.

That is, that some of you say, I am of Paul; some say, I am of Apollos; some say, I am of Cephas; and some say, I am Christ's.

"For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct him?" But we have Christ's mind.

And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's.

So let a man think of us as Christ's servants, and stewards of God's mysteries.

We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised.

Can it be that, when one of you has a dispute with another, he dares to have his case tried before the heathen, instead of before Christ's People?

Do not you know that Christ's People will try the world? And if the world is to be tried by you, are you unfit to try the most trivial cases?

Such some of you used to be; but you washed yourselves clean. You became Christ's People! you were pronounced righteous through the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and through the Spirit of our God!

Don’t you know that your bodies are a part of Christ’s body? So should I take a part of Christ’s body and make it part of a prostitute? Absolutely not!

To other people I would say, though not as Christ's command, if a Christian has a wife who is not a believer, and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her,

For, through his wife, the husband who is an unbeliever has become associated with Christ's People; and the wife who is an unbeliever has become associated with Christ's People through our Brother whom she has married. Otherwise your children would be 'defiled,' but, as it is, they belong to Christ's People.

For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant.

If others share this authority over you, do not I far more? Yet I have not availed myself of it, but am patiently enduring; so that I may not in any way hinder the progress of Christ's gospel.

to men without Law as if I were without Law--although I am not without Law in relation to God but am abiding in Christ's Law--in order to win those who are without Law.

Does not the "cup of blessing," which we bless, signify a fellowship with Christ's [physical] blood? [Note: This was the cup used at the close of the Passover meal and was called this because of the prayer of thanksgiving offered for it. Paul refers to such a prayer in connection with its use in the Lord's Supper]. Does not the bread that we break signify a fellowship with Christ's [physical] body?

You must follow my example in this, as I am following Christ's.

But I wish you to know that the Christ is the head of every man, but woman's head is the man, and the Christ's head God.

For anyone who eats and drinks [without solemn reverence and heartfelt gratitude for the sacrifice of Christ], eats and drinks a judgment on himself if he does not recognize the body [of Christ].

Now ye are Christ's body, and members in particular.

For God is not a God of disorder, but of peace.) This custom prevails in all the Churches of Christ's People.

But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.

Then [i.e., at Christ's return] the end [of the world] will occur, when He will turn over the kingdom to God, the Father, after He has abolished all [hostile] dominion, authority and power.

For Christ must [continue to] rule [over His kingdom, the church] until God has put all of His enemies under Christ's feet.

For He (the Father) has put all things in subjection under His (Christ’s) feet. But when He says, “All things have been put in subjection [under Christ],” it is clear that He (the Father) who put all things in subjection to Him (Christ) is excepted [since the Father is not in subjection to His own Son].

And after everything [else] has been subjected to Christ, then the Son Himself will also be subjected [i.e., He will subject Himself] to God, who subjected everything to Christ, so that God may rule over everything.

With reference to the Collection for Christ's People, I want you to follow the instructions that I gave to the Churches in Galatia.

I have another request to make of you, Brothers. You remember Stephanas and his household, and that they were the first-fruits gathered in from Greece, and set themselves to serve Christ's People.

To the Church of God in Corinth, and to all Christ's People throughout Greece, from Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God, and from Timothy, a Brother.

For just as Christ’s sufferings are ours in abundance [as they overflow to His followers], so also our comfort [our reassurance, our encouragement, our consolation] is abundant through Christ [it is truly more than enough to endure what we must].

Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ's gospel, and a door was opened unto me of the Lord,

But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us spreads and makes evident everywhere the sweet fragrance of the knowledge of Him.

I am Christ's fragrance upwafted unto God, among those who are being saved and those who are perishing;

We are; for, unlike most teachers, we are not fraudulent hucksters of God's Message; but with transparent motives, as commissioned by God, in God's presence and in communion with Christ, so we speak.

being manifested to be Christ's epistle ministered by us, written, not with ink, but the Spirit of the living God; not on stone tables, but on fleshy tables of the heart.

For God, who said [Gen. 1:3], "Light will shine out of darkness," has [also] shone in our hearts to provide [us with] the light of the knowledge of God's splendor [as it shines] on the face of Christ. [Note: This allusion to "splendor shining on Christ's face" may be a continuation of the analogy used in 3:13].

For we [believers will be called to account and] must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be repaid for what has been done in the body, whether good or bad [that is, each will be held responsible for his actions, purposes, goals, motives—the use or misuse of his time, opportunities and abilities].

For Christ’s love compels us, since we have reached this conclusion: If One died for all, then all died.

Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

Whether as regards Titus, he is my companion and fellow-labourer in your behalf; or our brethren, they are deputed messengers of assemblies, Christ's glory.

Now I Paul, who am humble [when speaking] face to face with you, but bold when I am away from you, urge you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ [Note: This means either Paul was imitating Christ's behavior or that the Corinthians were to do so]:

Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? If any man trust to himself that he is Christ's, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ's, even so are we Christ's.

For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as Christ's apostles.

Are they ministers of Christ? So am I. I am talking like a man that has gone crazy -- as such I am superior! -- serving Him with labors greater by far, with far more imprisonments, with floggings vastly worse, and often at the point of death.

But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me.

Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

since you seek a proof of Christ's speaking in me, who toward you is not weak, but who is mighty in you:

Make a test of yourselves, if you are in the faith; make certain of yourselves. Or are you not conscious in yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you, if you are truly Christ's?

But it is my hope that you will have no doubt that we are truly Christ's.

All Christ's people here send you their greetings.

I wonder that ye thus quickly change, from him that called you in Christ's grace, to a different gospel,

For do I now seek to satisfy men or God? or do I seek to please men? If I were yet pleasing men, I were not Christ's bondman.

For through the Law I died to the Law and its demands on me [because salvation is provided through the death and resurrection of Christ], so that I might [from now on] live to God.

I have been crucified with Christ. So it is no longer I that live, but it is Christ who lives in me; and, as for my present earthly life, I am living it by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

I do not annul God's grace; but if righteousness comes by way of the Law, then indeed Christ's death was useless.

[This happened] so that the blessing [promised] to Abraham might be received by the Gentiles through [the person and work of] Christ, so that we might receive the promised [gift of the] Holy Spirit through [our] faith [in Jesus].

The law, then, was our guardian until Christ, so that we could be justified by faith.

And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Look, I Paul am telling you that, if you revert to [the practice of] circumcision [i.e., the Jewish rite of identity, signifying the responsibility to observe the law of Moses], then Christ's [sacrifice] will be of no value to you.

And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

Always carry one another's burdens, and so obey the whole of Christ's Law.

To Christ's People [AT EPHESUS] who are faithful to him, from Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God.

Blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all the spiritual blessings in Christ's kingdom.