How serious is your heart con...

How Serious is Your Heart Condition? (v 24.2)

(What it means to become truly right with GOD)

Romans 10:9-11, Ephesians 2:8-10, 2 Corinthians 7:10, Jeremiah 29:13

Written and compiled by Ross Jantzi

The Bible says that all who publicly testify that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe by faith, born of a repentant heart, that He died on the cross (crucifixion) and was raised by GOD to life again (resurrection), will experience a life-changing, spiritual transformation now, and be saved from the everlasting consequences of sin in the life to come.

GOD created and rules over all with perfect love and justice. GOD made people as His children, for mutual love and relational intimacy. GOD endowed His most prized creations with a free will (the capacity to think and act autonomously) to make independent moral choices and to accept or reject His love. GOD's first people betrayed His love by a simple yet profound act of unfaithfulness, called sin. Sin (any violation of GOD's law or will) separates us from GOD and sentences us to an eternally lost fate, completely devoid of hope, love or intimate communion with Him.

Salvation (deliverance from evil and judgment) is initiated by GOD's offer of grace (to give us what we don't deserve) and mercy (to spare us from what we do deserve) and enabled by Jesus' loving sacrifice (suffering and dying on the cross in our place). Jesus interceded on our behalf, to atone (compensate or pay) for our sins, in keeping with GOD's law, and provide the only way possible for humanity's redemption (forgiveness and reconciliation).

GOD's gift of redemption is received through faith. Faith is conceived and rooted in a heart made tender or sensitive to GOD's touch, not hardened or blinded to His light, and cultivated by the knowledge that He reveals to us about Himself. A repentant heart (one's symbolic spiritual and emotional core, where our soul and His Spirit connect) responds to the Gospel story of Jesus' sacrifice and GOD's grace and mercy, with sincere sorrow and gratitude, seeking forgiveness and surrendering to His love, authority and will.

Believers are saved for good works, according to GOD's preordained purposes, not by them. Genuine heartfelt faith will naturally motivate the true believer, led by the Holy Spirit, to validating expressions of love and faithfulness (in our daily thoughts, words and actions), bearing fruit that brings glory to GOD, blessings to others, and peace, joy and fulfillment to oneself.

Getting to the heart of the matter: Twelve Foundational Tenets of Christianity

Consider, from a mosaic of His Word, the extraordinary depth of the Creator's love for His creation and the supernatural lengths that divine love will go to rescue the lost and restore our broken hearts and lives:

1. GOD is portrayed in the Bible as one, uniquely self-existent being ^1a, in three distinct, yet interdependent persons (a mystery often referred to as the "Trinity", meaning "three in one"): GOD the Father, His only Son, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit ^1b. GOD is PREEMINENT: Sovereign (Ruler over all), all-powerful ^1a, all-knowing and wise ^1d, unfathomable (far beyond our capacity to fully comprehend Him), ^1e consistently and firmly uncompromising ^1f. GOD is INFINITE: Immortal, eternal, invisible ^1c, ever-present ^1g, without beginning or end, nor bound by time ^1h. GOD is HOLY: Completely trustworthy (incapable of lying) ¹ⁱ, perfectly just and fair ^1j, gracious, righteous, compassionate ^1k, singularly good ^1l, inherently loving ^1m, merciful and forgiving ¹ⁿ.

2. GOD created and rules over all, in both the natural (seen) and spirit (unseen) realms ^2a. GOD made people as His children, specially treasured for mutual love, friendship and relational intimacy. GOD fashioned a terrestrial paradise called the Garden of Eden (or "delight") as a place to commune with His people, a place for them to find rest, peace and joy, to bask in the majesty of His creation and share their love for one another ^2b. GOD gave us a creative intellect to invent, imagine, moralize and reason, and a free will (autonomy) to make independent choices to obey or do otherwise, even the freedom to accept or reject His love ^2c. Satan (a once great, but since fallen angel) ^2d seduced GOD's first people into committing a simple yet profound act of betrayal against Him, defiling and severing GOD's sacred romance with the object of His affection, and enslaving humanity ^2e. Honor-bound by His own immutable (unchangeable) law, GOD was obliged to banish them from His holy presence, now scarred, as a consequence of their choice, with a spiritually genetic rebelliousness (our sin nature) that resists His love, authority and will ^2f.

3. GOD did not create evil but tolerates it and ultimately determines its fate. The Bible refers to GOD as light, the supreme source of goodness, truth and life ^3a. As darkness prevails where light is withheld, so evil (in the absence of goodness) is allowed temporary, limited authority and influence. GOD restrains Himself from exercising His full fury (righteous indignation) and sovereignty (supreme authority) over evil, until a time and manner of His choosing. GOD's purposes and plans cannot fail, nor can those against Him succeed ^3b. Darkness is never good but as a contrast to light, can serve a godly purpose. GOD can derive positive results from actions that His enemies intend for evil ^3c.

4. Satan works to deceive, defeat and separate people from GOD. Satan (the author of evil and “father of lies”) glamorizes sin to lure, subvert (i.e. weaken, corrupt, disable, dishearten, disaffect) and delude those unwilling to acknowledge GOD into futilely hiding from His light, under a false cover of darkness ^4a. But GOD sufficiently reveals Himself through His word (Bible), the Word made flesh (Jesus), His appointed messengers (human and angelic), our conscience (enlightened and prompted by the Holy Spirit), and creation (in all its vastness, beauty and complexity), to all people, so no one will be excused for not knowing Him ^4b. GOD gave written laws through Moses, to teach us right from wrong and to illuminate and point the way back to Him ^4c. Mosaic law (rules governing GOD's original covenant relationship with His people) ultimately affirmed its power to convict but not save, since no one can claim to be righteous enough by keeping the law to be made right in GOD's sight ^4d.

5. People separated from GOD are lost and destined to serve an eternity in Hell. Hell is variously described as a lake of unquenchable fire or total darkness, and the road to Hell, as broad and well-traveled ^5a. In the fullness of time, when GOD's enemies have been violently overthrown and evil vanquished for good, GOD will pour out His fearsome and inconceivably unbearable wrath on all who rejected or opposed Him. These disinherited souls will be completely and irrevocably cut off from GOD's nurturing light and touch, inconsolably tormented by the knowledge that they suffer this never-ending curse of their own choosing ^5b ^2c.

6. The Gospel (or “Good News”) is the revelation of GOD's “new covenant” plan of redemption for humanity. The Gospel proclaims, from the perspectives of four of His disciples and New Testament authors (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), the epic love story of Christ (the Messiah or Anointed One) Jesus' virgin birth, earthly ministry (teacher, prophet, healer, miracle-worker, suffering servant), crucifixion, death (Martyr), burial, resurrection (Savior) and ascension (Lord) ^6a. Jesus abdicated Heaven's throne for a lowly manger in a hostile land, a crown of thorns, and a fatal mission to rescue and reclaim the lost ^6b. As GOD's sinless, sacrificial lamb, Jesus paid the penalty (ransom) for our unfaithfulness by taking the sins of the world upon Himself. In GOD's perfect form of justice, only Jesus' atoning shedding of blood and death could fulfill the law and restore our broken relationship with Him. Accordingly, the names of all GOD's redeemed are indelibly inscribed in the Book of Life, written in and sealed by the blood of the Lamb. Clothed now in the "blood-washed linens" of Christ's righteousness, we are once again made holy (consecrated and sanctified), evermore blameless and worthy to take rest and refuge in His pure and holy presence, the One who longs to draw us into His eternal embrace ^6c. The Gospel has the power to break the grip of sin that strains to keep us hostage, melt away our inherent resistance to GOD's touch and woo us back into His light. The story of GOD's transcendent love for each one of us, is the spark that ignites the kindling in a seeker's soul, the flickering flame of faith that answers His personal overtures to become the desire of our heart, and our foothold on the narrow path that leads to salvation ^6d.

7. Repentance is the heart's effectual (consummating) and timely (before it is too late) response to Jesus' sacrifice and GOD's grace and mercy ^7a. The inspirational power of the Gospel can overcome (if we let it) the human mind's secular reasoning and demand for tangible proof in search of understanding, and prepare a repentant heart to believe (adhere to with conviction, rely on as true) by faith (firmly relying trust and confidence in GOD's power, wisdom and goodness), all that GOD promises to accomplish in, through and for us. Repentance (a “U-turn” on the road to hell) says, with a seeking, surrendering heart, that we:

humbly recognize our need,
sorrowfully confess, ask for and thankfully receive forgiveness for our guilt,
obediently turn away from godless living and sinful pleasures, and
willingly acknowledge and submit to Jesus' lordship over our lives ^7b.

A sincerely repentant believer is said to be "born again" (a "new person") because of the resulting supernatural conversion or rebirth, induced by baptism of the Holy Spirit. The Bible says that we cannot be reconciled to GOD or enter the Kingdom of Heaven without being spiritually reborn ^7c.

8. The Holy Spirit indwells (inhabits the lives of) all newly adopted (or grafted) into GOD's family. The Holy Spirit sows and nurtures seeds of a new divine nature, writing the spirit of GOD's law on the hearts of all “born again” believers (superseding the old covenant Mosaic law) ^8a. GOD's people still contend with their old nature and its self-centered, immoral appetites and passions of the heart (i.e. pride, envy, quick-tempered anger, self-indulgence, lust, greed). But now, led by a Holy Spirit-enlightened conscience and infused with a new motivation to be rid of habits, influences and connections to the world that pull them away from GOD, they are increasingly aware of sin, and more willing and able to practice holy, selfless, Christ-centered living. GOD's people won't be sinless, but will invariably sin less ^8b.

9. The Holy Spirit cultivates “fruit” (enduring character traits reflective of GOD's divine nature) in a new believer's life that will be nourishing and evident to those around us, while pruning away our natural inclination to act otherwise ^9a. This fruit of the Spirit is: Love (the greatest), joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control ^9b. Other evidence of a new divine nature and an indwelling Holy Spirit (shared by all GOD's children) include heartfelt spiritual desires to:

Be baptized once as a primary act of obedience and public declaration of one's conversion ^9c.
Grow in spiritual health and maturity, in pursuit of an ever deepening faith in, relationship with and understanding of GOD:
- Pray continually through daily (even moment by moment) conversations (talking and listening) or "PACTs" with GOD, about everything and in every circumstance (Praise - testify to His greatness in worshipful adoration, Ask – make known to Him requests for help, guidance, wisdom and the needs of self and others, Confess - seeking forgiveness, healing and release from sins committed, Thank - for all that He has done, is doing and will do) ^9d;
- Feed on His word - Hear ^9e, study, mediate on and memorize ^9f; with fasting (where, for a time, we literally feed only on His word);
- Worship - privately, in quiet solitude, or publicly, with communal praise, thanksgiving, celebration and songs, and, in all ways, with joy, reverence and awe ^9g;
- Fellowship - through mutual submission to one another and the formation of loving, caring, accountability-building relationships in a church-based community of like-minded believers ^9h;
- Apply GOD's Word, faithfully and obediently, in all that we think, say and do ⁹ⁱ. Our lifestyle will aspire to please, glorify, respect, draw us closer to and fearfully reverence GOD, not offend, grieve or dishonor Him ^9j.
Serve GOD's will and purpose for our lives, making more of our time, energy, resources and abilities (God-given talents and acquired skills) available to use as He sees fit, while spending less on pursuits or possessions that have no eternal value ^9k. GOD reaches out to those in need with human hands – OURS – equipping, gifting and enabling ordinary people (us) in extraordinary ways, to love, bless and help meet their needs. By allowing ourselves to be used by GOD in this way, we learn to see life, events and others through His eyes, further magnifying our benefit and His glory ^9l.

Receive communion regularly to commemorate Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross and rededicate our lives (as living sacrifices) and allegiance (faithful devotion) to Him ^9m.

10. GOD expects His people (us) to patiently trust and love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength ^10a. GOD wants us to entrust our burdens to Him. GOD doesn't spare us from life's trials, but uses them to build and reveal character in us, while reaffirming our faith in Him. Trials draw us into a more intimate and abiding dependence on Him, opening our hearts to receive His love, parental influence and healing power. A human heart craves intimacy (feelings of intense personal connectedness; that our life matters, has value or significance to others or self) that only communion with GOD can fully satisfy. Substituting intimacy from any other source, real or imagined (i.e. fame, power, career, materialism, illicit/adulterous relationships, pornography, drugs/alcohol), invariably leads to disappointment and (heart) brokenness ^10b. GOD expects us to treat others the way we want to be treated ^10c, with love, compassion ^10d, sexual purity, moral respect ^10e, humility ^10f, generosity ^10g, sacrificial service ^10h, honesty, integrity ¹⁰ⁱ, patience and forgiveness ^10j. GOD's people will feel privileged and obligated to share our understanding of Him, readily testifying to transformed lives and the hope that now lies within us ^10k. GOD expects us to persevere in faith, to the end of our earthly sojourn and the culmination of human history ^10l.

11. GOD promises to bless His people (us) both here and now, and in the hereafter ^11a. GOD knows, cares for and is intimately involved in every aspect of our lives ^11b. GOD is always with us: Guiding, correcting, comforting, protecting, strengthening and encouraging ^11c. GOD hears and answers our prayers, though not always when and how we may want. Knowing what's better for us than we do, His reply may be “no” or “not now”. At times we miss GOD's response, expecting a shout instead of a whisper. Or, GOD may temporarily withhold His blessings and even allow suffering (disciplining us in parental love for our own good), when we stray from His will and stubbornly resist His call to return to right living. Often we let the vain illusion of self-sufficiency get in His way (not letting go and letting GOD), only to find Him waiting at the end of our rope, with opened arms ^11d. GOD frees and empowers us to resist Satan's temptations and sin's fleeting pleasures, to avoid its control and destructive consequences ^11e. GOD gives us supernatural joy, peace of mind, hope that our salvation is eternally secure and assurance that our citizenship is in Heaven ^11f, a paradise of indescribable beauty and joy ^11g. Jesus promises to return to join with us in our inheritance – to give us resurrected, glorified (perfect and immortal) bodies and reunite us with the departed faithful, ever gathering on Heaven's shores, joyously anticipating our celebrated homecoming – living, loving and reigning with us forever ^11h.

12. Professing Christians should examine themselves to be certain that their faith is genuine ^12a. Saying or doing ''religious” things does not guarantee salvation ^12b. Ultimately, all creation will stand before GOD in judgment. GOD will judge the hidden motives and condition of our heart, not just what we said or did in life. GOD will grant mercy and grace to a select few, punishment to others and perfect justice to all ^12c. True believers are saved by the free and unmerited gift of redemption on the basis of Christ's sacrificially shed blood and finished work in the cross, and through our faith in Him. GOD's redeemed are saved for the intended purpose of doing good, blessing others and glorifying Him. Genuine faith will invariably result in and be recognized by acts of love and faithfulness ^12d.

Are you serious?

Genuine faith (that leads to salvation) is ultimately determined by the condition of our heart. Jesus' loving sacrifice and GOD's grace and mercy, made salvation possible and available to an otherwise lost and hopeless people. We receive the gift of redemption through faith, born of a repentant heart. Observers may witness confessions of the lordship of Jesus Christ and even see evidence of seemingly changed lives, but only GOD can look into a person's heart and judge the conviction of our beliefs, the genuineness of our faith and the sincerity of our repentance. We can call ourselves Christians, try to be good and even go to church regularly; but if we are not led by the Holy Spirit, living and working in and through us, and motivated by a genuine, heartfelt faith, in gratitude and as a reflection of GOD's love, then we are not truly “born again”. At the same time, faithfulness (faith in action) is a natural, outward manifestation of an inward spiritual transformation and, therefore, an inevitable by-product of genuine faith.

The Word of GOD shows us that the key to unleashing the floodgates of love and blessings that He holds in His heart for each one of His children, lies in our response to His grace and mercy, and what we choose to hold deeply in our hearts about Him. If the heartfelt spiritual desires and “fruit of the Spirit” described above are sometimes not your experience, pray that GOD will more fully reveal Himself to you, increase your faith and help you better conform your life to His plan for it. At times or for a season, life's trials can test our faith and drive even true believers to despair and to feel distant or cut off from GOD. But if these are things you have seldom or never deeply felt or experienced, then you are right in doubting that you have ever been reborn. Knowing that your life matters to GOD and is given meaning, first and foremost, by Him, invite Jesus, in a spirit of repentance, to be the Lord and Savior of your life. Ask Him to send and fill your heart with the Holy Spirit, lead you to a church where you can begin to grow and serve, and help you start living life to the fullest.

(1a) Revelation 1:8 (AMP) ⁸"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, says the Lord God, He Who is and Who was and Who is to come, the Almighty (the Ruler of all).

Exodus 3:14 (NIV) ¹⁴God said to Moses, "I am who I am . This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.' "

Isaiah 43:10 (NLT) ¹⁰"But you are my witnesses, O Israel!" says the LORD. "And you are my servant. You have been chosen to know me, believe in me, and understand that I alone am God. There is no other God; there never has been and never will be.

(1b) Ephesians 4:4-6 (NIV) ⁴There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called-- ⁵one Lord, one faith, one baptism; ⁶one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Mark 1:10-11 (NIV) ¹⁰As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. ¹¹And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."

(1c) 1 Timothy 1:17 (AMP) ¹⁷Now to the King of eternity, incorruptible and immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever (to the ages of ages). Amen (so be it).

(1d) Psalm 139:1 (NLT) ¹LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.

Job 12:13 (NLT) ¹³"But true wisdom and power are with God; counsel and understanding are his.

Romans 11:33 (NLT) ³³ Oh, what a wonderful God we have! How great are his riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his methods!

(1e) Job 9:10 (NIV) ¹⁰He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.

Isaiah 55:8-9 (NLT) ⁸"My thoughts are completely different from yours," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. ⁹For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

Isaiah 40:12-13 (NIV) ¹² Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? ¹³Who has understood the mind of the LORD, or instructed him as his counselor?

(1f) Hebrews 13:8 (NIV) ⁸Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

James 1:17 (NLT) ¹⁷Whatever is good and perfect comes to us from God above, who created all heaven's lights. Unlike them, he never changes or casts shifting shadows.

(1g) Psalm 139:7 (NIV) ⁷Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?

Jeremiah 23:24 (NLT) ²⁴Can anyone hide from me? Am I not everywhere in all the heavens and earth?" asks the LORD.

(1h) Psalm 90:2 (NLT) ²Before the mountains were created, before you made the earth and the world, you are God, without beginning or end.

(1i) Hebrews 6:18 (NLT) ¹⁸So God has given us both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can take new courage, for we can hold on to his promise with confidence.

(1j) Deuteronomy 32:4 (NLT) ⁴He is the Rock; his work is perfect. Everything he does is just and fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright he is!

(1k) Psalm 116:5 (NIV) ⁵ The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.

(1l) Mark 10:18 (NIV) ¹⁸"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone.

Psalm 118:29 (NIV)²⁹ Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

(1m) 1 John 4:12,16 (NIV) ¹²No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love has been brought to full expression through us. ¹⁶And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.

(1n) Daniel 9:9 (NIV) ⁹The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him;

Jonah 3:10 (NLT) ¹⁰When God saw that they had put a stop to their evil ways, he had mercy on them and didn't carry out the destruction he had threatened.

(2a) Isaiah 45:18 (NLT) ¹⁸For the LORD is God, and he created the heavens and earth and put everything in place. He made the world to be lived in, not to be a place of empty chaos. "I am the LORD," he says, "and there is no other.

John 1:1-3 (NIV) ¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was with God in the beginning.³Through him all things were made;without him nothing was made that has been made.

Ephesians 6:11-12 (NLT) ¹¹Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the Devil. ¹²For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.

2 Kings 6:16-17 (NLT) ¹⁶"Don't be afraid!" Elisha told him. "For there are more on our side than on theirs!" ¹⁷Then Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes and let him see!" The LORD opened his servant's eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.

(2b) Genesis 1:26 (NIV) ²⁶ Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness...

Romans 8:38-39 (NIV) ³⁸For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:16-18 (NLT) ¹⁶For his Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us that we are God's children. ¹⁷And since we are his children, we will share his treasures--for everything God gives to his Son, Christ, is ours, too. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. ¹⁸Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will give us later.

1 John 3:1 (NLT) ¹ See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him.

Deuteronomy 7:6 (NLT) ⁶For you are a holy people, who belong to the LORD your God. Of all the people on earth, the LORD your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure.

Job 29:4 (NIV) ⁴ Oh, for the days when I was in my prime, when God's intimate friendship blessed my house,

James 2:23 (NIV) ²³And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend.

Genesis 2:8-9 (NIV) ⁸Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed.⁹ And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food...

Genesis 3:8 (NIV) ⁸ Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"

(2c) Isaiah 1:18 (NIV) ¹⁸ "Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD.

Proverbs 1:28-30 (NIV) ²⁸ "Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me. ²⁹Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD, ³⁰ since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke,

2 Corinthians 5:20 (NLT) ²⁰We are Christ's ambassadors, and God is using us to speak to you. We urge you, as though Christ himself were here pleading with you, "Be reconciled to God!"

Psalm 119:30 (NIV) ³⁰I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws.

John 7:17 (NIV) ¹⁷If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.

James 4:4 (NIV) ⁴You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.

Genesis 6:5-6 (AMP) ⁵The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination and intention of all human thinking was only evil continually. ⁶And the Lord regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved at heart. ⁷So the Lord said, I will destroy, blot out, and wipe away mankind, whom I have created from the face of the ground--not only man, [but] the beasts and the creeping things and the birds of the air--for it grieves Me and makes Me regretful that I have made them.

John 3:36 (NIV) ³⁶Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."

(2d) Ezekiel 28:12-19 (NLT) ¹² “... You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and exquisite in beauty. ¹³ You were in Eden, the garden of God. Your clothing was adorned with every precious stone - red carnelian, pale-green peridot, white moonstone, blue-green beryl, onyx, green jasper, blue lapis lazuli, turquoise, and emerald—all beautifully crafted for you and set in the finest gold. They were given to you on the day you were created. ¹⁴ I ordained and anointed you as the mighty angelic guardian. You had access to the holy mountain of God and walked among the stones of fire. ¹⁵ “You were blameless in all you did from the day you were created until the day evil was found in you. ¹⁶ Your rich commerce led you to violence, and you sinned. So I banished you in disgrace from the mountain of God. I expelled you, O mighty guardian, from your place among the stones of fire. ¹⁷ Your heart was filled with pride because of all your beauty. Your wisdom was corrupted by your love of splendor. So I threw you to the ground and exposed you to the curious gaze of kings. ¹⁸You defiled your sanctuaries with your many sins and your dishonest trade. So I brought fire out from within you, and it consumed you. I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching. ¹⁹ All who knew you are appalled at your fate. You have come to a terrible end, and you will exist no more.”

2 Peter 2:4 (NLT) ⁴For God did not spare even the angels when they sinned; he threw them into hell, in gloomy caves and darkness until the judgment day.

Isaiah 14:12-15 (NIV)¹²How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! ¹³ You said in your heart, "I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. ¹⁴I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High." ¹⁵But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit.

Revelation 12:7-9 (NLT) ⁷Then there was war in heaven. Michael and the angels under his command fought the dragon and his angels. ⁸And the dragon lost the battle and was forced out of heaven. ⁹This great dragon--the ancient serpent called the Devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world--was thrown down to the earth with all his angels.

(2e) Genesis 3:1-7 (NIV) ¹Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" ² The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, ³ but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' " ⁴ "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. ⁵ "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." ⁶ When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. ⁷ Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

John 8:34 (NLT) ³⁴ Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin.

(2f) Ephesians 2:1-2 (CEV) ¹In the past you were dead because you sinned and fought against God. ²You followed the ways of this world and obeyed the devil. He rules the world, and his spirit has power over everyone who doesn't obey God.

Isaiah 53:6 (NLT) ⁶All of us have strayed away like sheep. We have left God's paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the guilt and sins of us all.

Psalm 51:5 (NIV) ⁵ Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

Genesis 3:22-23 (NLT) ²²Then the Lord God said, “Look, the human beings have become like us, knowing both good and evil. What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it? Then they will live forever!” ²³ So the Lord God banished them from the Garden of Eden...

(3a) 1 John 1:5-6 (NIV) ⁵... God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. ⁶If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.

Habakkuk 1:13 (NIV) ¹³ Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?

John 1:4-5 (NLT) ⁴Life itself was in him, and this life gives light to everyone. ⁵The light shines through the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.

(3b) Isaiah 42:13 (NLT) ¹³ The LORD will march forth like a mighty hero; he will come out like a warrior, full of fury. He will shout his battle cry and crush all his enemies.

Proverbs 19:21 (NIV) ²¹ Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.

Proverbs 21:30 (NIV) ³⁰ There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD.

Psalm 78:38 (NLT) ³⁸Yet he was merciful and forgave their sins and didn't destroy them all. Many a time he held back his anger and did not unleash his fury!

Romans 9:22 (NLT) ²²God has every right to exercise his judgment and his power, but he also has the right to be very patient with those who are the objects of his judgment and are fit only for destruction.

John 12:31-32 (NLT) ³¹The time of judgment for the world has come, when the prince of this world (Satan) will be cast out. ³²And when I am lifted up on the cross, I will draw everyone to myself."

1 Chronicles 21:15 (NIV) ¹⁵ And God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem. But as the angel was doing so, the LORD saw it and was grieved because of the calamity and said to the angel who was destroying the people, "Enough! Withdraw your hand."

Job 42:1-3 (NIRV) ¹Job replied to the Lord, ²"I know that you can do anything. No one can keep you from doing what you plan to do. ³You asked me, 'Who do you think you are to disagree with my plans? You do not know what you are talking about.' I spoke about things I didn't completely understand. I talked about things that were too wonderful for me to know.

1 Corinthians 15:24-25 (NLT) ²⁴After that the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having put down all enemies of every kind. ²⁵For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies...

Revelation 19:15 (NLT) ¹⁵From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress.

Psalm 37:12-15 (NLT) ¹²The wicked plot against the godly; they snarl at them in defiance. ¹³ But the Lord just laughs, for he sees their day of judgment coming. ¹⁴The wicked draw their swords and string their bows to kill the poor and the oppressed, to slaughter those who do right. ¹⁵ But their swords will stab their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.

(3c) Genesis 50:20 (NIV) ²⁰ "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.

(4a) 1 Peter 5:8 (NIV) ⁸... Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

John 8:44 (NIV) ⁴⁴You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

2 Timothy 2:25-26 (AMP) ²⁵He must correct his opponents with courtesy and gentleness, in the hope that God may grant that they will repent and come to know the Truth [that they will perceive and recognize and become accurately acquainted with and acknowledge it], ²⁶And that they may come to their senses [and] escape out of the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him, [henceforth] to do His [God's] will.

Isaiah 59:2 (NLT) ²But there is a problem--your sins have cut you off from God. Because of your sin, he has turned away and will not listen anymore.

2 Corinthians 4:4 (NLT) ⁴Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ...

Mark 4:15 (AMP) ¹⁵The ones along the path are those who have the Word sown [in their hearts], but when they hear, Satan comes at once and [by force] takes away the message which is sown in them.

Hebrews 4:13-16 (NLT) ¹³Nothing in all creation can hide from him. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes. This is the God to whom we must explain all that we have done.

Romans 1:21-30 (NLT) ²¹Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn't worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. The result was that their minds became dark and confused. ²²Claiming to be wise, they became utter fools instead. ²³And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people, or birds and animals and snakes. ²⁴So God let them go ahead and do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other's bodies. ²⁵Instead of believing what they knew was the truth about God, they deliberately chose to believe lies. So they worshiped the things God made but not the Creator himself, who is to be praised forever. Amen. ²⁶That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. ²⁷And the men, instead of having normal sexual relationships with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men and, as a result, suffered within themselves the penalty they so richly deserved. ²⁸When they refused to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their evil minds and let them do things that should never be done. ²⁹Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, fighting, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. ³⁰They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They are forever inventing new ways of sinning and are disobedient to their parents.

John 3:19-20 (NLT) ¹⁹Their judgment is based on this fact: The light from heaven came into the world, but they loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. ²⁰They hate the light because they want to sin in the darkness. They stay away from the light for fear their sins will be exposed and they will be punished.

Ephesians 4:17-19 (NLT)  ¹⁷... Live no longer as the ungodly do, for they are hopelessly confused. ¹⁸Their closed minds are full of darkness; they are far away from the life of God because they have shut their minds and hardened their hearts against him. ¹⁹They don't care anymore about right and wrong, and they have given themselves over to immoral ways. Their lives are filled with all kinds of impurity and greed.

John 8:12 (NLT) ¹² Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

(4b) Proverbs 24:12 (NLT) ¹²Don't try to avoid responsibility by saying you didn't know about it. For God knows all hearts, and he sees you. He keeps watch over your soul, and he knows you knew! And he will judge all people according to what they have done.

John 1:14 (NIV) ¹⁴The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us...

1 Corinthians 2:10 (NLT) ¹⁰But we know these things because God has revealed them to us by his Spirit, and his Spirit searches out everything and shows us even God's deep secrets.

Romans 1:18-20 (NLT) ¹⁸But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who push the truth away from themselves.¹⁹For the truth about God is known to them instinctively. God has put this knowledge in their hearts. ²⁰From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God.

Luke 1:19 (NIV)¹⁹The angel answered, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.

John 1:6-7 (NLT) ⁶God sent John the Baptist ⁷to tell everyone about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. ⁸John himself was not the light; he was only a witness to the light.

Psalm 19:1-2 (NLT) ¹The heavens tell of the glory of God. The skies display his marvelous craftsmanship. ²Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known.

Hebrews 1:14 (NIV) ¹⁴Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

(4c) Exodus 20:3-4,7-8,12-17 (NLT) ³"Do not worship any other gods besides me. ⁴ "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. ⁷"Do not misuse the name of the LORD your God. The LORD will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name. ⁸"Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. ¹²"Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the LORD your God will give you. ¹³"Do not murder. ¹⁴"Do not commit adultery. ¹⁵"Do not steal. ¹⁶"Do not testify falsely against your neighbor. ¹⁷"Do not covet your neighbor's house. Do not covet your neighbor's wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else your neighbor owns."

Psalm 119:105 (NLT) ¹⁰⁵Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path.

(4d) Romans 3:19-20 (NLT) ¹⁹Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses and to bring the entire world into judgment before God. ²⁰For no one can ever be made right in God's sight by doing what his law commands. For the more we know God's law, the clearer it becomes that we aren't obeying it.

Galatians 2:16 (NIRV) ¹⁶ We know that no one is made right with God by obeying the law. It is by believing in Jesus Christ. So we too have put our faith in Christ Jesus. That is so we can be made rigth with God by believing in Christ, not by obeying the law. No one can be made right with God by obeying the law.

Galatians 3:10-11 (NLT) ¹⁰ But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, “Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God’s Book of the Law.” ¹¹ So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”

(5a) Revelation 20:15 (NIV) ¹⁵If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Matthew 7:13-14 (NLT) ¹³"You can enter God's Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose the easy way. ¹⁴But the gateway to life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it.

1 Peter 4:18 (NIV) ¹⁸ And, "If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?"

Mark 9:42-48 (NLT) ⁴² “But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone hung around your neck. ⁴³ If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand than to go into the unquenchable fires of hell with two hands. ⁴⁵ If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one foot than to be thrown into hell with two feet. ⁴⁷ And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out. It’s better to enter the Kingdom of God with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, ⁴⁸ ‘where the maggots never die and the fire never goes out.’

(5b) Psalm 2:2 (AMP) ²The kings of the earth take their places; the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and His Anointed One (the Messiah, the Christ)...

Ezekiel 8:18 (NLT) ¹⁸Therefore, I will deal with them in fury. I will neither pity nor spare them. And though they scream for mercy, I will not listen."

Matthew 8:29-31 (NIV) ²⁹"What do you want with us, Son of God?" they shouted. "Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?" ³⁰Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding. ³¹The demons begged Jesus, "If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs."

Philippians 3:18-19 (NLT) ¹⁸For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. ¹⁹Their future is eternal destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and all they think about is this life here on earth.

Revelation 17:14 (NIV)¹⁴They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers."

Matthew 13:41-43 (NIV) ⁴¹The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. ⁴²They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ⁴³Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father...

Hebrews 10:30-31 (NIV) ³⁰For we know him who said, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay,"and again, "The Lord will judge his people." ³¹It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Luke 16:23-31 (AMP) ²³And in Hades (the realm of the dead), being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far away, and Lazarus in his bosom. ²⁴And he cried out and said, Father Abraham, have pity and mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame. ²⁵But Abraham said, Child, remember that you in your lifetime fully received [what is due you in] comforts and delights, and Lazarus in like manner the discomforts and distresses; but now he is comforted here and you are in anguish. ²⁶And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who want to pass from this [place] to you may not be able, and no one may pass from there to us. ²⁷And [the man] said, Then, father, I beseech you to send him to my father's house-- ²⁸For I have five brothers--so that he may give [solemn] testimony and warn them, lest they too come into this place of torment. ²⁹But Abraham said, They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear and listen to them. ³⁰But he answered, No, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent (change their minds for the better and heartily amend their ways, with abhorrence of their past sins). ³¹He said to him, If they do not hear and listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded and convinced and believe [even] if someone should rise from the dead.

(6a) 2 Corinthians 3:6 (NLT) ⁶He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life.

Luke 2:10-11 (NIV) ¹⁰But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

Matthew 1:23 (NIV) ²³"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us."

John 8:31-32 (NIV) ³¹To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. ³²Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

Matthew 13:54 (NIV) ⁵⁴Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. "Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?" they asked.

Mark 10:33-34 (NLT) ³³"When we get to Jerusalem," he told them, "the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die and hand him over to the Romans. ³⁴They will mock him, spit on him, beat him with their whips, and kill him, but after three days he will rise again."

Isaiah 53:3 (AMP) ³He was despised and rejected and forsaken by men, a Man of sorrows and pains, and acquainted with grief and sickness; and like One from Whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we did not appreciate His worth or have any esteem for Him.

Isaiah 53:5 (NIV) ⁵But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

John 3:16 (AMP)¹⁶For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.

John 3:17 (NLT) ¹⁷God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it.

1 Corinthians 15:4-6 (NLT) ⁴He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, as the Scriptures said. ⁵He was seen by Peter and then by the twelve apostles. ⁶After that, he was seen by more than five hundred of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died by now.

John 21:25 (NIV) ²⁵Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.

Ephesians 2:4-6 (NLT) ⁴But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so very much, ⁵that even while we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God's special favor that you have been saved!) ⁶For he raised us from the dead along with Christ, and we are seated with him in the heavenly realms--all because we are one with Christ Jesus.

Luke 24:49-51 (NLT) ⁴⁹"And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven." ⁵⁰Then Jesus led them to Bethany, and lifting his hands to heaven, he blessed them. ⁵¹While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up to heaven.

Colossians 1:15-17 (NIV) ¹⁵He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. ¹⁷He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

(6b) Luke 19:10 (NLT) ¹⁰And I, the Son of Man, have come to seek and save those like him who are lost."

Matthew 18:11-13 (AMP) 11For the Son of man came to save [from the penalty of eternal death] that which was lost. 12What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray and gets lost, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountain and go in search of the one that is lost? 13And if it should be that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not get lost.

Philippians 2:6-7 (NIV) ⁶Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, ⁷but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

Ephesians 1:3-14 (NLT) ³ All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. ⁴ Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. ⁵God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. ⁶ So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. ⁷ He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. ⁸He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding. ⁹God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. ¹⁰ And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. ¹¹Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan. ¹² God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. ¹³ And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. ¹⁴ The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.

(6c) John 1:29 (NLT) ²⁹The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look! There is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

John 14:6 (NLT) ⁶Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

Colossians 1:12 (NIV) ¹²... giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

Mark 10:45 (NLT) ⁴⁵For even I, the Son of Man, came here not to be served but to serve others, and to give my life as a ransom for many."

Acts 4:12 (NIV) ¹²Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

1 John 4:10 (NIV) ¹⁰This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Colossians 1:19-22 (NLT) ¹⁹For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, ²⁰and by him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of his blood on the cross. ²¹This includes you who were once so far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions, ²²yet now he has brought you back as his friends. He has done this through his death on the cross in his own human body. As a result, he has brought you into the very presence of God, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.

Hebrews 9:22 (NIV) ²²In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

Revelation 1:5 (NLT) ⁵and from Jesus Christ, ... the first to rise from the dead, and the commander of all the rulers of the world. All praise to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (NLT) ²¹For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

Galatians 3:13 (AMP) ¹³Christ purchased our freedom [redeeming us] from the curse (doom) of the Law [and its condemnation] by [Himself] becoming a curse for us, for it is written [in the Scriptures], Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree (is crucified);

Matthew 5:17 (NLT) ¹⁷"Don't misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to fulfill them.

Romans 8:1-3 (NLT) ¹So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. ²For the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you through Christ Jesus from the power of sin that leads to death. ³The law of Moses could not save us, because of our sinful nature. But God put into effect a different plan to save us. He sent his own Son in a human body like ours, except that ours are sinful. God destroyed sin's control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.

Revelation 3:5 (AMP) ⁵Thus shall he who conquers (is victorious) be clad in white garments, and I will not erase or blot out his name from the Book of Life; I will acknowledge him [as Mine] and I will confess his name openly before My Father and before His angels.

Hebrews 10:10 (AMP) ¹⁰And in accordance with this will [of God], we have been made holy (consecrated and sanctified) through the offering made once for all of the body of Jesus Christ (the Anointed One).

Galatians 3:26-27 (NLT) ²⁶ For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁷ And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes.

(6d) 1 Peter 2:9 (NIV) ⁹But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

John 8:12 (NLT) ¹² Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

Romans 3:22-24 (NLT) ²²We are made right in God's sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done. ²³For all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard. ²⁴Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins.

2 Timothy 1:10 (NLT) ¹⁰And now he has made all of this plain to us by the coming of Christ Jesus, our Savior, who broke the power of death and showed us the way to everlasting life through the Good News.

Romans 1:16 (NLT) ¹⁶For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes--Jews first and also Gentiles.

Hebrews 12:2 (NLT) ² We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.

Luke 8:4-8,11-15 (NLT) ⁴One day Jesus told a story in the form of a parable to a large crowd that had gathered from many towns to hear him: ⁵ “A farmer went out to plant his seed. As he scattered it across his field, some seed fell on a footpath, where it was stepped on, and the birds ate it. ⁶ Other seed fell among rocks. It began to grow, but the plant soon wilted and died for lack of moisture. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns that grew up with it and choked out the tender plants. ⁸ Still other seed fell on fertile soil. This seed grew and produced a crop that was a hundred times as much as had been planted!” When he had said this, he called out, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”... ¹¹ “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is God’s word. ¹² The seeds that fell on the footpath represent those who hear the message, only to have the devil come and take it away from their hearts and prevent them from believing and being saved. ¹³The seeds on the rocky soil represent those who hear the message and receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they believe for a while, then they fall away when they face temptation. ¹⁴ The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity. ¹⁵ And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest.

(7a) Colossians 1:13-14 (NIV)¹³For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, ¹⁴in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Hebrews 4:1-2 (NLT) ¹God's promise of entering his place of rest still stands, so we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might fail to get there. ²For this Good News--that God has prepared a place of rest--has been announced to us just as it was to them. But it did them no good because they didn't believe what God told them.

2 Peter 3:9 (NIV) ⁹The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

Luke 15:7 (NIV) ⁷ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

Joel 2:12-13 (NLT) ¹²That is why the LORD says, "Turn to me now, while there is time! Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. ¹³Don't tear your clothing in your grief; instead, tear your hearts." Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful. He is not easily angered. He is filled with kindness and is eager not to punish you.

Jeremiah 13:16 (NLT) ¹⁶Give glory to the LORD your God before it is too late. Acknowledge him before he brings darkness upon you, causing you to stumble and fall on the dark mountains. For then, when you look for light, you will find only terrible darkness.

Isaiah 55:6 (NIV) ⁶ Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.

(7b) Hebrews 11:1 (NLT) ¹What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see.

1 John 1:9 (NIV) ⁹If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

(top) 2 Corinthians 7:10 (NLT) ¹⁰ For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.

Psalm 118:20-22 (NIV) ²⁰ This is the gate of the LORD through which the righteous may enter. ²¹ I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation. ²² The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone;

James 4:7-10 (NLT) ⁷ So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. ⁹ Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.

Acts 3:19 (NIV)¹⁹Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,

Luke 24:46-47 (NLT) ⁴⁶And he said, "Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah must suffer and die and rise again from the dead on the third day. ⁴⁷With my authority, take this message of repentance to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: `There is forgiveness of sins for all who turn to me.'

Matthew 4:17 (NLT) ¹⁷From then on, Jesus began to preach, "Turn from your sins and turn to God, because the Kingdom of Heaven is near".

Romans 6:23 (NLT) ²³For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Matthew 7:7-8 (NIV) ⁷"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Revelation 3:20 (NIV) ²⁰Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

Romans 12:2 (NLT) ²Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.

(top) Romans 10:9-11 (NLT) ⁹For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. ¹¹As the Scriptures tell us, "Anyone who believes in him will not be disappointed."

Romans 10:9-11 (AMP) ⁹ Because if you acknowledge and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and in your heart believe (adhere to, trust in, and rely on the truth) that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰For with the heart a person believes (adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Christ) and so is justified (declared righteous, acceptable to God), and with the mouth he confesses (declares openly and speaks out freely his faith) and confirms [his] salvation. ¹¹The Scripture says, No man who believes in Him [who adheres to, relies on, and trusts in Him] will [ever] be put to shame or be disappointed.

(top) Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV)¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Philippians 2:9-11 (NLT) ⁹Because of this, God raised him up to the heights of heaven and gave him a name that is above every other name, ¹⁰so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Psalm 107:1-9 (AMP) ¹O GIVE thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever! ²Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has delivered from the hand of the adversary, ³And gathered them out of the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the [Red] Sea in the south. ⁴Some wandered in the wilderness in a solitary desert track; they found no city for habitation. ⁵Hungry and thirsty, they fainted; their lives were near to being extinguished. ⁶Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them out of their distresses. ⁷He led them forth by the straight and right way, that they might go to a city where they could establish their homes. ⁸Oh, that men would praise [and confess to] the Lord for His goodness and loving-kindness and His wonderful works to the children of men! ⁹For He satisfies the longing soul and fills the hungry soul with good.

Titus 2:12-13 (NLT) ¹²And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with self-control, right conduct, and devotion to God, ¹³while we look forward to that wonderful event when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed.

John 11:25-26 (NLT) ²⁵Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again. ²⁶They are given eternal life for believing in me and will never perish."

(7c) John 1:12-13 (NLT)¹²But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. ¹³They are reborn! This is not a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan--this rebirth comes from God.

John 3:3-6 (NLT) ³Jesus replied, "I assure you, unless you are born again, you can never see the Kingdom of God." ⁴"What do you mean?" exclaimed Nicodemus. "How can an old man go back into his mother's womb and be born again?" ⁵Jesus replied, "The truth is, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. ⁶Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives new life from heaven.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT) ¹⁷What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!

1 Peter 1:21-23 (NLT) ²¹Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And because God raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory, your faith and hope can be placed confidently in God. ²²Now you can have sincere love for each other as brothers and sisters - because you were cleansed from your sins when you accepted the truth of the Good News. So see to it that you really do love each other intensely with all your hearts. ²³For you have been born again. Your new life did not come from your earthly parents because the life they gave you will end in death. But this new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God.

Matthew 3:11 (NIV) ¹¹"I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

(8 a) Romans 8:15 (AMP) ¹⁵For [the Spirit which] you have now received [is] not a spirit of slavery to put you once more in bondage to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption [the Spirit producing sonship] in [the bliss of] which we cry, Abba (Father)! Father!

Ezekiel 36:26-27 (NLT) ²⁶And I will give you a new heart with new and right desires, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony heart of sin and give you a new, obedient heart. ²⁷And I will put my Spirit in you so you will obey my laws and do whatever I command.

Galatians 5:18 (AMP) But if you are guided (led) by the [Holy] Spirit, you are not subject to the Law.

Acts 13:52 (AMP) ⁵²And the disciples were continually filled [throughout their souls] with joy and the Holy Spirit.

Romans 2:15 (NLT) ¹⁵They demonstrate that God's law is written within them, for their own consciences either accuse them or tell them they are doing what is right.

Jeremiah 24:7 (NLT) 7 I will give them hearts that recognize me as the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me wholeheartedly.

Jeremiah 31:33 (NLT) ³³says the LORD. "I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts"

(8b) Romans 9:1 (AMP) ¹I AM speaking the truth in Christ. I am not lying; my conscience [enlightened and prompted] by the Holy Spirit bearing witness with me...

Romans 7:5,6 (NLT) ⁵When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us... ⁶But now we have been released from the law, for we died with Christ, and we are no longer captive to its power. Now we can really serve God, not in the old way by obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way, by the Spirit.

John 14:26 (NLT) ²⁶But when the Father sends the Counselor as my representative - and by the Counselor I mean the Holy Spirit - he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I myself have told you.

Romans 7:19 (NLT) ¹⁹When I want to do good, I don't. And when I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway.

Romans 8:9,12-14 (NIV) ⁹But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them are not Christians at all.) ¹²... you have no obligation whatsoever to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. ¹³For if you keep on following it, you will perish. But if through the power of the Holy Spirit you turn from it and its evil deeds, you will live. ¹⁴For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

Hebrews 10:26-27 (NIV) ²⁶If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, ²⁷but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.

Colossians 3:8-10 (NLT) ⁸But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. ⁹Don't lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old evil nature and all its wicked deeds. ¹⁰In its place you have clothed yourselves with a brand-new nature that is continually being renewed as you learn more and more about Christ, who created this new nature within you.

Galatians 5:19-21 (NLT) ¹⁹When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, ²⁰idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, ²¹envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

Romans 8:5-6 (NLT) ⁵Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. ⁶If your sinful nature controls your mind, there is death. But if the Holy Spirit controls your mind, there is life and peace.

1 John 2:1 (NLT) ¹My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if you do sin, there is someone to plead for you before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who pleases God completely.

John 10:10 (AMP) ¹⁰The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).

2 Corinthians 7:1 (NLT) ¹ Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God.

(9a) Matthew 7:19-20 (NLT) ¹⁹So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰Yes, the way to identify a tree or a person is by the kind of fruit that is produced.

Matthew 7:16 (NIV) ¹⁶By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes...?

Proverbs 11:30 (NIV) ³⁰ The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.

James 3:17-18 (NLT) ¹⁷But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no partiality and is always sincere. ¹⁸And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of goodness.

(9b) Galatians 5:22-23 (AMP) ²² But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, ²³Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law.

1 Corinthians 13:1-8,13 (NLT) ¹If I could speak in any language in heaven or on earth but didn't love others, I would only be making meaningless noise like a loud gong or a clanging cymbal. ²If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I knew all the mysteries of the future and knew everything about everything, but didn't love others, what good would I be? And if I had the gift of faith so that I could speak to a mountain and make it move, without love I would be no good to anybody. ³If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn't love others, I would be of no value whatsoever. ⁴Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud ⁵or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. ⁶It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. ⁷Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. ⁸Love will last forever, but prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will all disappear. ... ¹³There are three things that will endure--faith, hope, and love--and the greatest of these is love.

Galatians 5:6 (NIV) ⁶... The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

(9c) Mark 16:16 (AMP) ¹⁶He who believes [who adheres to and trusts in and relies on the Gospel and Him Whom it sets forth] and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

Acts 2:38 (NIV) ³⁸Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

(9d) Matthew 6:9-13 (NLT) ⁹Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored.¹⁰May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven. ¹¹Give us our food for today, ¹²and forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us. ¹³And don't let us yield to temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

Ephesians 6:18 (NLT) ¹⁸Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere.

1 Timothy 2:1 (NLT) ¹I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. As you make your requests, plead for God's mercy upon them, and give thanks.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV) ¹⁸give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Psalm 107:1,8 (NIV)¹ Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. ⁸Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men.

Colossians 1:9-12 (NIV) ⁹For this reason, ... we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. ¹⁰And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, ¹¹being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully ¹²giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT) ⁶Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. ⁷If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

(9e) Romans 10:17 (NLT) ¹⁷Yet faith comes from listening to this message of good news-the Good News about Christ.

James 1:21-25 (NLT) ²¹ So get rid of everything that is dirty and sinful. Get rid of the evil that is all around us. Don't be too proud to accept the word that is planted in you. It can save you. ²² But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. ²³ For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. ²⁴ You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. ²⁵ But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

(9f) Matthew 4:4 (NLT) ⁴But Jesus told him, "No! The Scriptures say,`People need more than bread for their life; they must feed on every word of God.'

Joshua 1:8 (NLT) ⁸Study this Book of the Law continually. Meditate on it day and night so you may be sure to obey all that is written in it. Only then will you succeed.

Colossians 3:16 (NLT) ¹⁶Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise. Use his words to teach and counsel each other. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV) ¹⁶All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Deuteronomy 11:18-19 (CEV) ¹⁸Memorize these laws and think about them. Write down copies and tie them to your wrists and your foreheads to help you obey them. ¹⁹Teach them to your children. Talk about them all the time--whether you're at home or walking along the road or going to bed at night, or getting up in the morning.

Matthew 6:15-18 (NIV) ¹⁶"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. ¹⁷But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, ¹⁸so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

(9g) Psalm 95:6-7 (NIRV) ⁶Come, let us bow down and worship him. Let us fall on our knees in front of the Lord our Maker. ⁷ He is our God. We are the sheep belonging to his flock. We are the people he takes good care of. Listen to his voice today.

Romans 12:1 (NIV) ¹Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.

Hebrews 12:28 (NIV) ²⁸Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,

Romans 1:25 (NIV) ²⁵They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

John 4:23 (AMP) ²³A time will come, however, indeed it is already here, when the true (genuine) worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth (reality); for the Father is seeking just such people as these... worshipers.

Psalm 100:2 (NIV) ²Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.

(9h) John 13:34-35 (NLT) ³⁴So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. ³⁵Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples."

Matthew 18:20 (NIV) ²⁰For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”

1 Corinthians 1:10 (NLT) ¹⁰Now, dear brothers and sisters, I appeal to you by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ to stop arguing among yourselves. Let there be real harmony so there won't be divisions in the church. I plead with you to be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.

Galatians 6:2 (NIV) ²Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Acts 2:42-47 (NIV) ⁴²They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. ⁴³Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. ⁴⁴All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. ⁴⁶Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, ⁴⁷praising God ...

2 Corinthians 6:14 (NASB) ¹⁴Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?

(9i) James 1:22 (NIV) ²²Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

Romans 2:13 (NLT) ¹³ For merely listening to the law doesn’t make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in his sight.

Psalm 19:14 (NIV) ¹⁴May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Psalm 1:1-5 (NIRV) ¹Blessed is the one who obeys the law of the Lord. He doesn't follow the advice of evil people. He doesn't make a habit of doing what sinners do. He doesn't join those who make fun of the Lord and his law. ²Instead, he takes delight in the law of the Lord. He thinks about his law day and night. ³He is like a tree that is planted near a stream of water. It always bears its fruit at the right time. Its leaves don't dry up. Everything godly people do turns out well. ⁴Sinful people are not like that at all. They are like straw that the wind blows away. ⁵When the Lord judges them, their life will come to an end. Sinners won't have any place among those who are godly.

1 John 2:3-5 (NLT) ³And how can we be sure that we belong to him? By obeying his commandments.⁴If someone says,"I belong to God," but doesn't obey God's commandments, that person is a liar and does not live in the truth. ⁵But those who obey God's word really do love him. That is the way to know whether or not we live in him.

Deuteronomy 13:4 (AMP) ⁴You shall walk after the Lord your God and [reverently] fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice, and you shall serve Him and cling to Him.

(9j) Psalm 86:11-12 (NLT) ¹¹Teach me your ways, O LORD, that I may live according to your truth! Grant me purity of heart, that I may honor you. ¹² With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever,

1 Samuel 12:24 (NIRV) ²⁴"But be sure to have respect for the Lord. Serve him faithfully. Do it with all your heart. Think about the great things he has done for you.

Proverbs 1:7 (NLT) ⁷Fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge. Only fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Micah 6:8 (NLT) ⁸No, O people, the LORD has already told you what is good, and this is what he requires: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

1 Thessalonians 4:3 (AMP) ³For this is the will of God, that you should be consecrated (separated and set apart for pure and holy living): that you should abstain and shrink from all sexual vice,

Matthew 12:36 (NIV) ³⁶But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.

Ephesians 4:29 (NLT)²⁹Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

Ephesians 4:26 (NIV) ²⁶"In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,

Psalm 139:23-24 (NLT) ²³Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. ²⁴Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

Proverbs 6:17-19 (NIRV) ¹⁶There are six things the Lord hates. In fact, he hates seven things.¹⁷ The Lord hates proud eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that kill those who aren't guilty. ¹⁸ He also hates hearts that make evil plans, feet that are quick to do evil,¹⁹any witness who pours out lies, and anyone who stirs up family fights.

Genesis 6:7 (AMP) ⁷So the Lord said, I will destroy, blot out, and wipe away mankind, whom I have created from the face of the ground--not only man, [but] the beasts and the creeping things and the birds of the air--for it grieves Me and makes Me regretful that I have made them.

Ephesians 4:30 (NLT) ³⁰And do not bring sorrow to God's Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he is the one who has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.

(9k) 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 (NLT) ⁴Now there are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but it is the same Holy Spirit who is the source of them all. ⁵There are different kinds of service in the church, but it is the same Lord we are serving. ⁶There are different ways God works in our lives, but it is the same God who does the work through all of us.

Ephesians 1:11 (NIRV) ¹¹We were also chosen to belong to him. God decided to choose us long ago in keeping with his plan. He works out everything to fit his plan and purpose.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) ¹¹For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Proverbs 3:6 (NLT) ⁶Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths.

1 Peter 4:10 (NLT) ¹⁰God has given gifts to each of you from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Manage them well so that God's generosity can flow through you.

(9l) 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NLT) ⁹Each time he said, "My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me.

Isaiah 26:3 (NLT) ³You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, whose thoughts are fixed on you!

2 Corinthians 9:12-13 (NIV) ¹²This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. ¹³Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.

2 Corinthians 4:7 (NLT) ⁷ We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.

1 Peter 3:9 (NLT) ⁹Don't repay evil for evil. Don't retaliate when people say unkind things about you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God wants you to do, and he will bless you for it.

Romans 12:8-10 (NLT) ⁸If your gift is to encourage others, do it! If you have money, share it generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. ⁹Don't just pretend that you love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Stand on the side of the good. ¹⁰Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.

(9m) 1 Corinthians 11:24-26 (NIV) ²⁴and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." ²⁵In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." ²⁶For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

(10a) Deuteronomy 6:5 (NIV) ⁵Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

Matthew 22:36-40 (NLT) ³⁶"Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?" ³⁷Jesus replied, " `You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.' ³⁸This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹A second is equally important: `Love your neighbor as yourself.' ⁴⁰All the other commandments and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments."

Proverbs 3:5-6 (AMP) ⁵Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. ⁶ In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths.

Psalm 37:3-6 (NLT) ³ Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. ⁴ Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. ⁵ Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you. ⁶ He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.

Psalm 65:5-8 (NLT) ⁵ Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. ⁶ He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken. ⁷ My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me. ⁸O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge.

Isaiah 45:9-12 (NLT) ⁹"Destruction is certain for those who argue with their Creator. Does a clay pot ever argue with its maker? Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying, `Stop, you are doing it wrong!' Does the pot exclaim, `How clumsy can you be!' ¹⁰How terrible it would be if a newborn baby said to its father and mother, `Why was I born? Why did you make me this way?' " ¹¹This is what the LORD, the Creator and Holy One of Israel, says: "Do you question what I do? Do you give me orders about the work of my hands? ¹²I am the one who made the earth and created people to live on it. With my hands I stretched out the heavens. All the millions of stars are at my command.

Jeremiah 17:5 (NLT) ⁵This is what the LORD says: "Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans and turn their hearts away from the LORD.

(10b) John 15:4 (AMP) ⁴Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you. [Live in Me, and I will live in you.] Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me.

Psalm 68:19 (NIV) ¹⁹Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.

James 1:2-4 (NIV) ²Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. ⁴Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Romans 5:3-5 (NLT) ³We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us--they help us learn to endure. ⁴And endurance develops strength of character in us, and character strengthens our confident expectation of salvation. ⁵And this expectation will not disappoint us. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NLT) ¹⁶ Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. ¹⁷For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. ¹⁸So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

James 1:12 (NIV) ¹²Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

Matthew 11:28 (NIV) ²⁸"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Psalm 94:18-19 (NLT) ¹⁸ I cried out, "I'm slipping!"and your unfailing love, O LORD, supported me. ¹⁹When doubts filled my mind,your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.

Isaiah 40:31 (NIRV) ³¹But those who trust in the Lord will receive new strength. They will fly as high as eagles. They will run and not get tired. They will walk and not grow weak.

Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NLT) ⁷"But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. ⁸They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they go right on producing delicious fruit.

Psalm 55:22 (NLT) ²²Give your burdens to the LORD, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.

Romans 8:15 (NLT) ¹⁵ So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”

Psalm 16:1-2 (NIV) ¹ Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge. ² I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing."

1 John 2:15-17 (AMP) ¹⁵Do not love or cherish the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. ¹⁶For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh [craving for sensual gratification] and the lust of the eyes [greedy longings of the mind] and the pride of life [assurance in one's own resources or in the stability of earthly things]--these do not come from the Father but are from the world [itself].¹⁷And the world passes away and disappears, and with it the forbidden cravings (the passionate desires, the lust) of it; but he who does the will of God and carries out His purposes in his life abides (remains) forever.

(10c) Matthew 7:12 (NIV)¹²So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

Hebrews 6:10 (NLT) ¹⁰For God is not unfair. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other Christians, as you still do.

(10d) 1 Peter 4:8-9 (NLT) ⁸Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. ⁹Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay.

John 15:12-14 (NIV) ¹²My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. ¹³Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. ¹⁴You are my friends if you do what I command.

1 John 3:10 (NLT)¹⁰So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the Devil. Anyone who does not obey God's commands and does not love other Christians does not belong to God.

Ephesians 4:32 (NIV) ³²Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

(10e) Hebrews 13:4 (NIV) ⁴Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.

Ephesians 5:3-5 (NLT) ³Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God's people. ⁴Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes--these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. ⁵You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is really an idolater who worships the things of this world.

1 Corinthians 6:18-20 (NLT) ¹⁸Run away from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. ¹⁹Or don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, ²⁰for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

(10f) Philippians 2:3-4 (NLT) ³Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.⁴Don't think only about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too,and what they are doing.

Ephesians 4:2 (NLT) ²Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love.

(10g) Psalm 112:5 (NLT) ⁵All goes well for those who are generous, who lend freely and conduct their business fairly.

Romans 12:13 (NIV) ¹³Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Luke 6:38 (NLT) ³⁸If you give, you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use in giving--large or small--it will be used to measure what is given back to you."

Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV)¹⁹"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

2 Corinthians 9:7 (NIV) ⁷Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

(10h) Acts 20:35 (NLT) ³⁵And I have been a constant example of how you can help the poor by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: `It is more blessed to give than to receive.' "

Mark 9:35 (NIV) ³⁵He sat down and called the twelve disciples over to him. Then he said, "Anyone who wants to be the first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else."

(10i) 1 Chronicles 29:17 (CEV) ¹⁷ You know what is in everyone's heart, and you are pleased when people are honest.

Proverbs 12:22 (NIV) ²²The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful.

Psalm 15:1-3 (NLT) ¹Who may worship in your sanctuary, LORD? ... ²Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking the truth from sincere hearts. ³Those who refuse to slander others or harm their neighbors or speak evil of their friends.

(10j) Matthew 18:21-22 (NLT) ²¹Then Peter came to him and asked, "Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?" ²²"No!" Jesus replied, "seventy times seven!

Colossians 3:13 (NLT) ¹³You must make allowance for each other's faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.

Luke 6:37 (NIV) ³⁷"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven."

James 1:19-20 (NLT) ¹⁹My dear brothers and sisters, be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. ²⁰Your anger can never make things right in God's sight.

1 Peter 3:15 (NIRV)¹⁵ But make sure in your hearts that Christ is Lord. Always be ready to give an answer to any one who asks you about the hope you have. Be ready to give the reason for it. But do it gently and with respect.

(10k) Matthew 28:19-20 (NLT) ¹⁹Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. ²⁰Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Isaiah 42:6-7 (NLT) ⁶"I, the LORD, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness. I will guard and support you, for I have given you to my people as the personal confirmation of my covenant with them. And you will be a light to guide all nations to me. ⁷You will open the eyes of the blind and free the captives from prison. You will release those who sit in dark dungeons.

(10l) Matthew 5:13 (NLT) ¹³"You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it useful again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.

2 Peter 2:20-21 (NLT) ²⁰And when people escape from the wicked ways of the world by learning about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then get tangled up with sin and become its slave again, they are worse off than before. ²¹It would be better if they had never known the right way to live than to know it and then reject the holy commandments that were given to them.

Colossians 1:22-23 (NIV) ²²But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— ²³if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven...

Hebrews 10:35-36 (NLT)³⁵Do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord, no matter what happens. Remember the great reward it brings you! ³⁶Patient endurance is what you need now, so you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.

2 Timothy 4:6-8 (NLT) ⁶As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. ⁷I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. ⁸And now the prize awaits me--the crown of righteousness that the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that great day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his glorious return.

John 15:5-7 (NIV) ⁵"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. ⁷If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.

Hebrews 12:1 (NIV) ¹ ...since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

2 Timothy 2:11-13 (AMP) ¹¹The saying is sure and worthy of confidence: If we have died with Him, we shall also live with Him. ¹²If we endure, we shall also reign with Him. If we deny and disown and reject Him, He will also deny and disown and reject us. ¹³If we are faithless [do not believe and are untrue to Him], He remains true (faithful to His Word and His righteous character), for He cannot deny Himself.

James 1:12 (NIV) ¹²Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

(11a) Joshua 23:14 (NLT) ¹⁴"... Deep in your hearts you know that every promise of the LORD your God has come true. Not a single one has failed!

Romans 8:32 (NIV) ³²He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

Psalm 31:19 (NLT) ¹⁹Your goodness is so great! You have stored up great blessings for those who honor you. You have done so much for those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world.

Matthew 5:3-12 (NLT) ³"God blesses those who realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is given to them.⁴God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. ⁵God blesses those who are gentle and lowly, for the whole earth will belong to them.⁶God blesses those who are hungry and thirsty for justice, for they will receive it in full. ⁷God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. ⁸God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. ⁹God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. ¹⁰God blesses those who are persecuted because they live for God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. ¹¹"God blesses you when you are mocked and persecuted and lied about because you are my followers. ¹²Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven.

(11b) Jeremiah 1:5 (NLT) ⁵"I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my spokesman to the world."

Psalm 46:1 (NIV) ¹ God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

Isaiah 46:4 (NLT) ⁴ I will be your God throughout your lifetime--until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.

Luke 12:7 (NIV) ⁷Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; ...

Matthew 6:25-26 (NLT) ²⁵"...don't worry about everyday life-whether you have enough food, drink and clothes. Doesn't life consist of more than food and clothing? ²⁶Look at the birds. They don't need to plant or harvest or put food in barns because your heavenly Father feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than they are.

Psalm 37:23-24 (NLT) ²³The steps of the godly are directed by the LORD. He delights in every detail of their lives. ²⁴Though they stumble, they will not fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand.

James 2:23 (NLT) ²³ And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God.

Job 29:4 (NIV) ⁴ Oh, for the days when I was in my prime, when God's intimate friendship blessed my house,

Romans 8:28 (NLT) ²⁸And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

1 Peter 5:7 (NLT) ⁷Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you.

(11c) Proverbs 2:6 (NIV) ⁶ For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

Deuteronomy 31:8 (NLT) ⁸Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD is the one who goes before you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor forsake you."

Psalm 73:23-24 (NIV)²³ Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. ²⁴ You guide me with your counsel and afterward you will take me into glory.

2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT) ⁷For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline.

Joshua 1:9 (NLT)⁹ This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Isaiah 30:21 (NIV) ²¹Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."

Hebrews 12:6 (AMP) ⁶For the Lord corrects and disciplines everyone whom He loves, and He punishes, even scourges, every son whom He accepts and welcomes to His heart and cherishes.

Jeremiah 10:23-24 (NLT) ²³I know, LORD, that a person's life is not his own. No one is able to plan his own course. ²⁴So correct me, LORD, but please be gentle. Do not correct me in anger, for I would die.

Psalm 18:2 (NLT) ²The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the strength of my salvation, and my stronghold.

Psalm 23:1-6 (NLT) ¹The LORD is my shepherd; I have everything I need. ²He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. ³He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. ⁴Even when I walk through the dark valley of death, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. ⁵You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You welcome me as a guest, anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. ⁶Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NLT) ³Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, ⁴who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

(11d) Psalm 55:16-17 (NLT) ¹⁶ But I will call on God, and the LORD will rescue me. ¹⁷ Morning, noon, and night I cry out in my distress, and the LORD hears my voice.

Psalm 86:6-7 (NLT) ⁶Listen closely to my prayer, O LORD; hear my urgent cry. ⁷I will call to you whenever trouble strikes, and you will answer me.

Psalm 91:14-16 (NLT) ¹⁴ The LORD says, "I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. ¹⁵ When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue them and honor them. ¹⁶ I will satisfy them with a long life and give them my salvation.

Matthew 7:7-8 (NLT) ⁷"Keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened. ⁸For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks.

James 5:16 (NLT) ¹⁶Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results.

1 Kings 19:12 (NLT) ¹²And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper.

Hebrews 12: 5-11 (NIV) ⁵And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, ⁶because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son." ⁷Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? ⁸If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. ⁹Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! ¹⁰Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.¹¹No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Proverbs 15:10 (NLT) ¹⁰ Whoever abandons the right path will be severely disciplined; whoever hates correction will die.

1 Corinthians 13:11-12 (NLT) ¹¹It's like this: When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child does. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. ¹²Now we see things imperfectly as in a poor mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God knows me now.

(11e) 2 Peter 1:3-7 (NLT) ³As we know Jesus better, his divine power gives us everything we need for living a godly life. He has called us to receive his own glory and goodness! ⁴And by that same mighty power, he has given us all of his rich and wonderful promises. He has promised that you will escape the decadence all around you caused by evil desires and that you will share in his divine nature. ⁵So make every effort to apply the benefits of these promises to your life. Then your faith will produce a life of moral excellence. A life of moral excellence leads to knowing God better. ⁶Knowing God leads to self-control. Self-control leads to patient endurance, and patient endurance leads to godliness. ⁷Godliness leads to love for other Christians, and finally you will grow to have genuine love for everyone.

Isaiah 48:17 (NIRV) ¹⁷ The Lord is the Holy One of Israel. He sets his people free. He says to them, "I am the Lord your God. I teach you what is best for you. I direct you in the way you should go.

I Corinthians 10:13 (NLT) ¹³ The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.

1 John 4:4 (NLT) ⁴But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won your fight with these false prophets, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.

Isaiah 61:1 (NLT) ¹ The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed.

1 Peter 2:11 (AMP) ¹¹Beloved, I implore you as aliens and strangers and exiles [in this world] to abstain from the sensual urges (the evil desires, the passions of the flesh, your lower nature) that wage war against the soul.

(11f) Romans 15:13 (NIV) ¹³May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

John 10:29 (NIV) ²⁹My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.

Philippians 1:6 (NLT) ⁶And I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again.

Philippians 3:20 (NIV) ²⁰But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,

Ephesians 2:19 (NIRV) ¹⁹So you are no longer strangers and outsiders. You are citizens together with God's people. You are members of God's family.

Luke 23:40-43 (NLT) ⁴⁰But the other criminal protested, "Don't you fear God even when you are dying? ⁴¹We deserve to die for our evil deeds, but this man hasn't done anything wrong."⁴²Then he said,"Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom." ⁴³And Jesus replied, "I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise."

1 Corinthians 2:9 (NLT) ⁹That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him."

(11g) Matthew 22:30 (NLT) ³⁰For when the dead rise, they won't be married. They will be like the angels in heaven.

John 14:2-4 (NLT) ²There are many rooms in my Father's home, and I am going to prepare a place for you. If this were not so, I would tell you plainly. ³When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. ⁴And you know where I am going and how to get there."

Revelation 21:1-5 (NIV) ¹Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. ²I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. ³And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." ⁵He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."

Revelation 21:21-23 (NIV) ²¹The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass. ²²I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. ²³The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.

(11h) Hebrews 9:27-28 (NIV) ²⁷Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, ²⁸so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

2 Peter 3:10-11(NIV) ¹⁰But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.¹¹Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives.

1 Thessalonians 4:14-17 (NLT) ¹⁴For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus comes, God will bring back with Jesus all the Christians who have died. ¹⁵I can tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not rise to meet him ahead of those who are in their graves. ¹⁶For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the call of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, all the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. ¹⁷Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and remain with him forever.

Matthew 16:27 (NIV) ²⁷For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.

Matthew 24:30-31 (NIV) ³⁰And then at last, the sign of the coming of the Son of Man will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the nations of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man arrive on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. ³¹And he will send forth his angels with the sound of a mighty trumpet blast, and they will gather together his chosen ones from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.

Matthew 24:36-42 (NIV) ³⁶"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³⁷As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ³⁸For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; ³⁹and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ⁴⁰Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. ⁴¹Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left. ⁴²So be prepared, because you don't know what day your Lord is coming.

Matthew 25:34 (NLT) 34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.

1 Corinthians 15:21-23 (NLT) ²¹So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, Adam, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man, Christ. ²²Everyone dies because all of us are related to Adam, the first man. But all who are related to Christ, the other man, will be given new life. ²³But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised first; then when Christ comes back, all his people will be raised.

1 Corinthians 15:42-44 (NLT) ⁴²It is the same way for the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies, which die and decay, will be different when they are resurrected, for they will never die. ⁴³Our bodies now disappoint us, but when they are raised, they will be full of glory. They are weak now, but when they are raised, they will be full of power. ⁴⁴They are natural human bodies now, but when they are raised, they will be spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, so also there are spiritual bodies.

1 John 3:2-3 (NLT) ²Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. ³And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.

(12a) 2 Peter 1:10-11 (NLT) ¹⁰So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Doing this, you will never stumble or fall away. ¹¹And God will open wide the gates of heaven for you to enter into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 13:5 (NIV) ⁵Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?

Hebrews 11:6 (NLT) ⁶So, you see, it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

(12b) Matthew 7:21-23 (CEV) ²¹Not everyone who calls me their Lord will get into the kingdom of heaven. Only the ones who obey my Father in heaven will get in. ²²On the day of judgment many will call me their Lord. They will say, "We preached in your name, and in your name we forced out demons and worked many miracles." ²³But I will tell them, "I will have nothing to do with you! Get out of my sight, you evil people!"

(12c) 1 Corinthians 4:5 (NIV) ⁵Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.

2 Corinthians 5:10 (NLT) ¹⁰For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in our bodies.

Romans 2:16 (AMP) ¹⁶On that day when, as my Gospel proclaims, God by Jesus Christ will judge men in regard to the things which they conceal (their hidden thoughts).

Revelations 12:5 (NIV)⁵ And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.

Matthew 22:14 (AMP) ¹⁴For many are called (invited and summoned), but few are chosen.

Romans 2:4-8 (NLT) ⁴Don't you realize how kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Or don't you care? Can't you see how kind he has been in giving you time to turn from your sin? ⁵But no, you won't listen. So you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself because of your stubbornness in refusing to turn from your sin. For there is going to come a day of judgment when God, the just judge of all the world, ⁶will judge all people according to what they have done. ⁷He will give eternal life to those who persist in doing what is good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. ⁸But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and practice evil deeds.

Matthew 25:31-46 (NLT) ³¹ “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. ³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home.³⁶ I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ ³⁷ “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? ³⁹ When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ ⁴⁰“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ ⁴¹ “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. ⁴² For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. ⁴³ I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’ ⁴⁴ “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’ ⁴⁵ “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’ ⁴⁶ “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.

1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV) ⁷ ... "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

Jeremiah 17:9-10 (NLT) ⁹"The human heart is most deceitful and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? ¹⁰But I know! I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve."

(12d) Ephesians 2:8-10 (AMP) ⁸For it is by free grace (God's unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ's salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God; ⁹Not because of works [not the fulfillment of the Law's demands], lest any man should boast. [It is not the result of what anyone can possibly do, so no one can pride himself in it or take glory to himself.] ¹⁰For we are God's [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].

(top) Ephesians 2:8-10 (NIV) ⁸For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - ⁹not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Mark 10:15 (NIV) ¹⁵I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."

2 Timothy 1:9 (NLT) ⁹It is God who saved us and chose us to live a holy life. He did this not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan long before the world began--to show his love and kindness to us through Christ.

James 2:19-20, 26 (NLT) ¹⁹Do you still think it's enough just to believe that there is one God? Well, even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror! ²⁰Fool! When will you ever learn that faith that does not result in good deeds is useless? ²⁶Just as the body is dead without a spirit, so also faith is dead without good deeds.

Psalm 14:1 (NLT) ¹Only fools say in their hearts, "There is no God."...

Topics for further bible study (corresponding to the twelve points outlined above):

Who is God? What has God allowed us to know about Him? What is meant by the "Trinity"?
How does God relate to His creation? Why did God create people? Did God create everything? What is the difference between creation (making something from nothing) and invention (making something from other things)?
Did God create evil? What is the origin of sin? Is evil a created thing? Why does God allow evil to exist?
Who is Satan? Why does Satan work to separate people from God? How does Satan separate people from God?
What will happen to those separated from God, all who ultimately reject or oppose Him?
How has Jesus provided those separated from God, a way to reconciliation and restoration of our inheritance as a child of God? Why did He do this? Why can't we accomplish that on our own?
What is the key to finding the path to salvation? What is faith? What is a repentance?
What does it mean to be "born again"? What role does the Holy Spirit play in our spiritual "rebirth"?
How does the Holy Spirit help us to attain a maturing life of spiritual growth and service?
What does God expect of a growing and serving believer? What can we expect the life of a believer to be like? Will a believer's life be free of trials and temptations?
What does God promise believers about this life and the life to come? How can we keep God from fulfilling promises in our life?
Am I saved? How can I know for certain that God, through the Holy Spirit, is living in my heart? If not, what must I do to be saved?

Editorial Note: All biblical references taken from various translations (NIV, NLT, AMP, NIRV, CEV) found at www.biblegateway.com. Several parenthetical notes were also used from those found in the AMP translation. Special thanks to Karen Dishman, Saundra Echtler, Alexis Southard-Wray and Howard Wilkie for their feedback, encouragement, spiritual insight and editorial contributions. Thanks also the pastoral team at Peters Creek Baptist Church, led by Greg Adkins, for their sound biblical teaching, much of which is faithfully (hopefully) repeated here.

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