So then, my brothers, we are in debt, not to the flesh to be living in the way of the flesh:
Because those of whom he had knowledge before they came into existence, were marked out by him to be made like his Son, so that he might be the first among a band of brothers:
For I have a desire to take on myself the curse for my brothers, my family in the flesh:
Brothers, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them is, that they may get salvation.
For it is my desire, brothers, that this secret may be clear to you, so that you may not have pride in your knowledge, that Israel has been made hard in part, till all the gentiles have come in;
For this reason I make request to you, brothers, by the mercies of God, that you will give your bodies as a living offering, holy, pleasing to God, which is the worship it is right for you to give him.
Be kind to one another with a brother's love, putting others before yourselves in honour;
Do not give punishment for wrongs done to you, dear brothers, but give way to the wrath of God; for it is said in the holy Writings, Punishment is mine, I will give reward, says the Lord.
But you, why do you make yourself your brother's judge? or again, why have you no respect for your brother? because we will all have to take our place before God as our judge.
Then let us not be judges of one another any longer: but keep this in mind, that no man is to make it hard for his brother, or give him cause for doubting.
And if because of food your brother is troubled, then you are no longer going on in the way of love. Do not let your food be destruction to him for whom Christ went into death.
It is better not to take meat or wine or to do anything which might be a cause of trouble to your brother.
And I myself am certain of you, brothers, that you are full of what is good, complete in all knowledge, able to give direction to one another.
Now I make request to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the love of the Spirit, that you will be working together with me in your prayers to God for me;
Give my love to Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers who are with them.
Now, it is my desire, brothers, that you will take note of those who are causing division and trouble among you, quite against the teaching which was given to you: and keep away from them.
Gaius, with whom I am living, whose house is open to all the church, sends his love, so does Erastus, the manager of the accounts of the town, and Quartus, the brother.
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the purpose of God, and Sosthenes the brother,
Now I make request to you, my brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you will all say the same thing, and that there may be no divisions among you, so that you may be in complete agreement, in the same mind and in the same opinion.
Because it has come to my knowledge, through those of the house of Chloe, that there are divisions among you, my brothers.
For you see God's design for you, my brothers, that he has not taken a great number of the wise after the flesh, not the strong, not the noble:
And when I came to you, my brothers, I did not come with wise words of knowledge, putting before you the secret of God.
And the teaching I gave you, my brothers, was such as I was able to give, not to those who have the Spirit, but to those who are still in the flesh, even to children in Christ.
My brothers, it is because of you that I have taken Apollos and myself as examples of these things, so that in us you might see that it is not wise to go farther than what is in the holy Writings, so that no one of you may be lifted up against his brother.
For who made you better than your brother? or what have you that has not been given to you? but if it has been given to you, what cause have you for pride, as if it had not been given to you?
But the sense of my letter was that if a brother had the name of being one who went after the desires of the flesh, or had the desire for other people's property, or was in the way of using violent language, or being the worse for drink, or took by force what was not his, you might not keep company with such a one, or take food with him.
I say this to put you to shame. Is there not among you one wise man who may be able to give a decision between his brothers?
But a brother who has a cause at law against another takes it before Gentile judges.
So far from doing this, you yourselves do wrong and take your brothers' property.
But to the rest I say, and not the Lord; If a brother has a wife who is not a Christian, and it is her desire to go on living with him, let him not go away from her.
For the husband who has not faith is made holy through his Christian wife, and the wife who is not a Christian is made holy through the brother: if not, your children would be unholy, but now are they holy.
But if the one who is not a Christian has a desire to go away, let it be so: the brother or the sister in such a position is not forced to do one thing or the other: but it is God's pleasure that we may be at peace with one another.
My brothers, let every man keep in that condition which is the purpose of God for him.
But I say this, my brothers, the time is short; and from now it will be wise for those who have wives to be as if they had them not;
And so, through your knowledge, you are the cause of destruction to your brother, for whom Christ underwent death.
And in this way, doing evil to the brothers, and causing trouble to those whose faith is feeble, you are sinning against Christ.
For this reason, if food is a cause of trouble to my brother, I will give up taking meat for ever, so that I may not be a cause of trouble to my brother.
Have we no right to take about with us a Christian wife, like the rest of the Apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?
For it is my desire, my brothers, that you may keep in mind how all our fathers were under the cloud, and they all went through the sea;
For this cause, my dear brothers, give no worship to false gods.
So then, my brothers, when you come together to the holy meal of the Lord, let there be waiting for one another.
But about the things of the spirit, my brothers, it is not right for you to be without teaching.
But, now, my brothers, if I come to you using tongues, what profit will it be to you, if I do not give you a revelation, or knowledge, or the word of the prophet, or teaching?
My brothers, do not be children in mind: in evil be as little children, but in mind be of full growth.
What is it then, my brothers? when you come together everyone has a holy song, or a revelation, or a tongue, or is giving the sense of it. Let everything be done for the common good.
So then, my brothers, let it be your chief desire to be prophets; but let no one be stopped from using tongues.
Now I am going to make clear to you, my brothers, what the good news was which I gave to you, and which you took, and on which your faith is based,
Then by more than five hundred brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, but some are sleeping;
Yes, truly, by your pride in me, my brothers in Christ Jesus our Lord, my life is one long death.
Now I say this, my brothers, that it is not possible for flesh and blood to have a part in the kingdom of God; and death may not have a part in life.
For this cause, my dear brothers, be strong in purpose and unmoved, ever giving yourselves to the work of the Lord, because you are certain that your work is not without effect in the Lord.
See then that he has the honour which is right. But send him on his way in peace, so that he may come to me: for I am looking for him with the brothers.
But as for Apollos, the brother, I had a great desire for him to come to you with the brothers, but it was not his pleasure to come now; but he will come when he has a chance.
Now I make my request to you, my brothers, for you have knowledge that the house of Stephanas is the first-fruits of Achaia, and that they have made themselves the servants of the saints,
All the brothers send their love to you. Give one another a holy kiss.
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the purpose of God, and Timothy the brother, to the church of God which is in Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia:
I had no rest in my spirit because Titus my brother was not there: so I went away from them, and came into Macedonia.
Because God, then, will give us such rewards, dear brothers, let us make ourselves clean from all evil of flesh and spirit, and become completely holy in the fear of God.
And now we give you news, brothers, about the grace of God which has been given to the churches of Macedonia;
And with him we have sent a brother whose praise in the good news has gone through all the churches;
And we have sent with them our brother, whose ready spirit has been made clear to us at times and in ways without number, but it is now all the more so because of the certain faith which he has in you.
If any question comes up about Titus, he is my brother-worker, working with me for you; or about the others, they are the representatives of the churches to the glory of Christ.
But I have sent the brothers, so that the good things we said about you may be seen to be true, and that, as I said, you may be ready:
So it seemed to me wise for the brothers to go before, and see that the amount which you had undertaken to give was ready, so that it might be a cause for praise, and not as if we were making profit out of you.
And when I was present with you, and was in need, I let no man be responsible for me; for the brothers, when they came from Macedonia, gave me whatever was needed; and in everything I kept myself from being a trouble to you, and I will go on doing so.
In frequent travels, in dangers on rivers, in dangers from outlaws, in dangers from my countrymen, in dangers from the Gentiles, in dangers in the town, in dangers in the waste land, in dangers at sea, in dangers among false brothers;
I gave orders to Titus, and I sent the brother with him. Did Titus make any profit out of you? were we not guided by the same Spirit, in the same ways?
It may seem to you that all this time we have been attempting to put ourselves in the right; but we are saying these things before God in Christ. For all things, dear brothers, are for your profit.
Let this be my last word, brothers; be glad; be complete; be comforted; be of the same mind; be at peace with one another: and the God of love and peace will be with you.
And all the brothers who are with me, to the churches of Galatia:
Because I say to you, my brothers, that the good news of which I was the preacher is not man's.
But of the other Apostles I saw only James, the Lord's brother.
And that because of the false brothers let in secretly, who came searching out our free condition which we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might make servants of us;
Brothers, as men would say, even a man's agreement, when it has been made certain, may not be put on one side, or have additions made to it.
My desire for you, brothers, is that you may be as I am, because I am as you are. You have done me no wrong;
Now we, brothers, as Isaac was, are the children of the undertaking of God.
So, brothers, we are not children of the servant-woman, but of the free woman.
But I, brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still attacked? then has the shame of the cross been taken away.
Because you, brothers, were marked out to be free; only do not make use of your free condition to give the flesh its chance, but through love be servants one to another.
Brothers, if a man is taken in any wrongdoing, you who are of the spirit will put such a one right in a spirit of love; keeping watch on yourself, for fear that you yourself may be tested.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. So be it.
But so that you may have knowledge of my business, and how I am, Tychicus, the well-loved brother and tested servant in the Lord, will give you news of all things:
Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now it is my purpose to make clear to you, brothers, that the cause of the good news has been helped by my experiences;
And most of the brothers in the Lord, taking heart because of my chains, are all the stronger to give the word of God without fear.
But it seemed to me necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, who has taken part with me in the work and in the fight, and your servant, sent by you for help in my need;
For the rest, my brothers, be glad in the Lord. Writing the same things to you is no trouble to me, and for you it is safe.
Brothers, it is clear to me that I have not come to that knowledge; but one thing I do, letting go those things which are past, and stretching out to the things which are before,
Brothers, take me as your example, and take note of those who are walking after the example we have given.
So my brothers, well loved and very dear to me, my joy and crown, be strong in the Lord, my loved ones.
And I make request to you, true helper in my work, to see to the needs of those women who took part with me in the good news, with Clement and the rest of my brother-workers whose names are in the book of life.
For the rest, my brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things have honour, whatever things are upright, whatever things are holy, whatever things are beautiful, whatever things are of value, if there is any virtue and if there is any praise, give thought to these things.
Give words of love to every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send you their love.
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the purpose of God, and Timothy our brother,
To the saints and true brothers in Christ at Colossae: grace to you and peace from God our Father.
Being gentle to one another and having forgiveness for one another, if anyone has done wrong to his brother, even as the Lord had forgiveness for you:
Tychicus will give you news of all my business: he is a dear brother and true servant and helper in the word;
And with him I have sent Onesimus, the true and well-loved brother, who is one of you. They will give you word of everything which is taking place here.
Aristarchus, my brother-prisoner, sends his love to you, and Mark, a relation of barnabas (about whom you have been given orders: if he comes to you, be kind to him),
And Jesus, whose other name is Justus; these are of the circumcision: they are my only brother-workers for the kingdom of God, who have been a comfort to me.
Give my love to the brothers in Laodicea and to Nymphas and the church in their house.
Being conscious, my brothers, dear to God, that you have been marked out by God's purpose;
For you yourselves, brothers, are conscious that our coming among you was not without effect:
For you have the memory, my brothers, of our trouble and care; how, working night and day, so that we might not be a trouble to any of you, we gave you the good news of God.
For you, my brothers, took as your examples the churches of God which are in judaea in Christ Jesus; because you underwent the same things from your countrymen as they did from the Jews;
But we, my brothers, being away from you for a short time, in body but not in heart, had all the more desire to see your face;
We sent Timothy, our brother and God's servant in the good news of Christ, to give you strength and comfort in your faith;
For this cause, brothers, in all our trouble and grief we were comforted about you because of your faith;
And that no man may make attempts to get the better of his brother in business: for the Lord is the judge in all these things, as we said to you before and gave witness.
But about loving the brothers, there is no need for me to say anything to you in this letter: for you have the teaching of God that love for one another is right and necessary;
And, truly, you are lovers of all the brothers in Macedonia; but it is our desire that your love may be increased still more;
But it is our desire, brothers, that you may be certain about those who are sleeping; so that you may have no need for sorrow, as others have who are without hope.
But about the times and their order, my brothers, there is no need for me to say anything to you.
But you, my brothers, are not in the dark, for that day to overtake you like a thief:
But we make this request to you, my brothers: give attention to those who are working among you, who are over you in the Lord to keep order among you;
Brothers, keep us in mind in your prayers.
Give all the brothers a holy kiss.
I give orders in the name of the Lord that all the brothers are to be present at the reading of this letter.
It is right for us to give praise to God at all times for you, brothers, because of the great increase of your faith, and the wealth of your love for one another;
Now as to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, and our meeting with him, it is our desire, my brothers,
But it is right for us to give praise to God at all times for you, brothers, loved by the Lord, because it was the purpose of God from the first that you might have salvation, being made holy by the Spirit and by faith in what is true:
So then, brothers, be strong in purpose, and keep the teaching which has been given to you by word or by letter from us.
For the rest, my brothers, let there be prayer for us that the word of the Lord may go forward with increasing glory, even as it does with you;
Now we give you orders, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from all those whose behaviour is not well ordered and in harmony with the teaching which they had from us.
And you, my brothers, do not get tired of well-doing.
Have no feeling of hate for him, but take him in hand seriously as a brother.
If you keep these things before the minds of the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, trained in the words of the faith and of the right teaching which has been your guide:
Do not say sharp words to one who has authority in the church, but let your talk be as to a father, and to the younger men as to brothers:
And let those whose masters are of the faith have respect for them because they are brothers, working for them the more readily, because those who take part in the good work are of the faith and are dear. Give orders and teaching about these things.
Do your best to come before the winter. Eubulus sends you his love, and Pudens and Linus and Claudia, and all the brothers.
Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon, our dear helper in the faith,
And to Apphia, our sister, and to Archippus, our brother in God's army, and to the church in your house:
For I had great joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been made strong again through you, brother.
No longer as a servant, but more than a servant, a brother, very dear to me specially, but much more to you, in the flesh as well as in the Lord.
If then you take me to be your friend and brother, take him in as myself.
So brother, let me have joy of you in the Lord: give new life to my heart in Christ.
Epaphras, my brother-prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you his love;
And so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my brother-workers.
For he who makes holy and those who are made holy are all of one family; and for this reason it is no shame for him to give them the name of brothers,
Saying, I will give the knowledge of your name to my brothers, I will make a song of praise to you before the church.
Because of this it was necessary for him to be made like his brothers in every way, so that he might be a high priest full of mercy and keeping faith in everything to do with God, making offerings for the sins of the people.
For this reason, holy brothers, marked out to have a part in heaven, give thought to Jesus the representative and high priest of our faith;
My brothers, take care that there is not by chance in any one of you an evil heart without belief, turning away from the living God:
And it is true that by the law, those of the sons of levi who have the position of priests may take a tenth part of the people's goods; that is to say, they take it from their brothers though these are the sons of Abraham.
And there will be no need for every man to be teaching his brother, or his neighbour, saying, This is the knowledge of the Lord: for they will all have knowledge of me, great and small.
So then, my brothers, being able to go into the holy place without fear, because of the blood of Jesus,
Go on loving your brothers in the faith.
But, brothers, take kindly the words which I have said for your profit; for I have not sent you a long letter.
Our brother Timothy has been let out of prison; and if he comes here in a short time, he and I will come to you together.
Let it be all joy to you, my brothers, when you undergo tests of every sort;
But let the brother of low position be glad that he is lifted up;
Do not be turned from the right way, dear brothers.
You have knowledge of this, dear brothers. But let every man be quick in hearing, slow in words, slow to get angry;
My brothers, if you have the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ of glory, do not take a man's position into account.
Give ear, my dear brothers; are not those who are poor in the things of this world marked out by God to have faith as their wealth, and for their heritage the kingdom which he has said he will give to those who have love for him?
What use is it, my brothers, for a man to say that he has faith, if he does nothing? will such a faith give him salvation?
If a brother or a sister is without clothing and in need of the day's food,
Do not all be teachers, my brothers, because we teachers will be judged more hardly than others.
Out of the same mouth comes blessing and cursing. My brothers, it is not right for these things to be so.
Is a fig-tree able to give us olives, my brothers, or do we get figs from a vine, or sweet water from the salt sea?
Do not say evil against one another, my brothers. He who says evil against his brother or makes himself his brother's judge, says evil against the law and is judging the law: and in judging the law you become, not a doer of the law but a judge.
Go on waiting calmly, my brothers, till the coming of the Lord, like the farmer waiting for the good fruit of the earth till the early and late rains have come.
Say no hard things against one another, brothers, so that you will not be judged; see, the judge is waiting at the doors.
But most of all, my brothers, do not take oaths, not by the heaven, or by the earth, or by any other thing: but let your Yes be Yes, and your No be No: so that you may not be judged.
My brothers, if one of you has gone out of the way of the true faith and another has made him see his error,
Have respect for all, loving the brothers, fearing God, honouring the king.
Last of all, see that you are all in agreement; feeling for one another, loving one another like brothers, full of pity, without pride:
Dear brothers, do not be surprised, as if it was something strange, if your faith is tested as by fire:
Do not give way to him but be strong in your faith, in the knowledge that your brothers who are in the world undergo the same troubles.
I have sent you this short letter by Silvanus, a true brother, in my opinion; comforting you and witnessing that this is the true grace of God; keep to it.
And love of the brothers to fear of God, and to love of the brothers, love itself.
For this reason, my brothers, take all the more care to make your selection and approval certain; for if you do these things you will never have a fall:
And be certain that the long waiting of the Lord is for salvation; even as our brother Paul has said in his letters to you, from the wisdom which was given to him;
He who says that he is in the light, and has hate in his heart for his brother, is still in the dark.
He who has love for his brother is in the light, and there is no cause of error in him.
But he who has hate for his brother is in the dark, walking in the dark with no knowledge of where he is going, unable to see because of the dark.
In this way it is clear who are the children of God and who are the children of the Evil One; anyone who does not do righteousness or who has no love for his brother, is not a child of God.
Not being of the Evil One like Cain, who put his brother to death. And why did he put him to death? Because his works were evil and his brother's works were good.
Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world has no love for you.
We are conscious that we have come out of death into life because of our love for the brothers. He who has no love is still in death.
Anyone who has hate for his brother is a taker of life, and you may be certain that no taker of life has eternal life in him.
In this we see what love is, because he gave his life for us; and it is right for us to give our lives for the brothers.
But if a man has this world's goods, and sees that his brother is in need, and keeps his heart shut against his brother, how is it possible for the love of God to be in him?
If a man says, I have love for God, and has hate for his brother, his words are false: for how is the man who has no love for his brother whom he has seen, able to have love for God whom he has not seen?
And this is the word which we have from him, that he who has love for God is to have the same love for his brother.
If a man sees his brother doing a sin which is not bad enough for death, let him make a prayer to God, and God will give life to him whose sin was not bad enough for death. There is a sin whose punishment is death: I do not say that he may make such a request then.
For it gave me great joy when some of the brothers came and gave witness that you had the true faith and were walking in the true way.
My loved one, you are doing a good work in being kind to those brothers who come from other places;
So if I come, I will keep in mind the things he does, talking against us with evil words: and as if this was not enough, he does not take the brothers into his house, and those who are ready to take them in, he keeps from doing so, putting them out of the church if they do.
Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and the brother of James, to those of God's selection who have been made holy by God the Father and are kept safe for Jesus Christ:
I, John, your brother, who have a part with you in the trouble and the kingdom and the quiet strength of Jesus, was in the island which is named Patmos, for the word of God and the witness of Jesus.
And there was given to every one a white robe, and they were ordered to take their rest for a little time, till the number was complete of the other servants, their brothers, who would be put to death, even as they had been.
And a great voice in heaven came to my ears, saying, Now is come the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ: because he who says evil against our brothers before our God day and night is forced down.
And I went on my face before his feet to give him worship. And he said to me, See you do it not: I am a brother-servant with you and with your brothers who keep the witness of Jesus: give worship to God: for the witness of Jesus is the spirit of the prophet's word.
And he said to me, See you do it not; I am a brother-servant with you and with your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book: give worship to God.
Most of the teaching of Jesus are recorded in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The Complete Sayings of Jesus presents every word spoken by Jesus in one place and provides an index to assist in finding specific ocassions, places and/or events. It is a must read aid for serious Bible study.
He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, saith the Lord. These are the words of Christ; and they direct us to imitate his life and character. The Imitation of Christ is guide to following the example of Jesus Christ. Let it be our most earnest study to dwell upon the life and example of Jesus.
The Apocrypha books are 14 books that were included between the old and new testaments in the original King James Version of the bible and many others. Church leaders agreed that these books were valuable for instruction in life and manners, but did not all agree that they should be considered cannon.
The Childrens Bible provides bible lessons from the Old and New testaments. There are 216 stories written in plain english. The stories are easy to read and understand but they are not just for childern. It is a pleasure to read and enjoy these important stories.
Let us love one another, for love comes from God and every one who loves is a child of God and knows God. He who loves not man does not know God, for God is love. God showed his love for us, for he sent his only Son into the world that through him we might have life. Love the stranger.
In Mark 12:30 Jesus said;
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this [is] the first commandment.
And the second Mark 12:31 [is] like, [namely] this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
The Gospel of The Birth of Mary was attributed to St. Matthew and was received as genuine and authentic by early Christians. It is to be found in the works of Jerome, a Father of the Church in the 4th century and is translated from his collection.
The Book of Enoch is ascribed to the great-grandfather of Noah and is included in the cannon of some churches. It describes the fall of the angels (watchers), visions of heaven and hell and the birth of Noah. Quotes from the book of Enoch are found in the New Testament.
The First Book of Adam and Eve. Books 1 begins immediately after the expulsion from the Garden of Eden. We learn about the fall but also of the promise to save Adam and his decendents. The story depicts mans struggle against evil, the devil and sin.
The Second Book of Adam and Eve. Discusses Adam's sorrow and death. The history of the patriarchs who lived before the Flood until the birth of Noah; the children of Seth on Mount Hermon and Cain's death. It ends with the testament and translation of Enoch.
The Infancy of Jesus Christ (Infancy Gospel of Thomas) relates the life of Jesus from the ages of five to twelve. It is believed that the document was transcribed from oral traditions some time prior to the second century. The ancient writing is possibly Gnostic and many early church leaders considered it heretical.
Daily Bible study is essential. The Bible Verse of the Day provides a collection of enlightening and inspiration bible verses. Improve your knowledge and understanding of the Bible and your life by studying the words of the holy scripture. Explore the King James Bible (kjv) and discover new insights.
The World English Bible was produced to provide speakers of modern English with a version of the Bible that is easily understood. The Bible is in the public domain and available world-wide. It is an accurate modern translation of the original King James Bible, including the Apocryphal books.
Looking for something in the Bible? Want to find a specifc verse or list of words? The Bible search feature makes it easy find verses or words. Enter the verses or words in the search bar or visit the search page to access additional search options. Finding information in the Bible will never be easier.
The favorite verses page is a list of popular bible verses. Each verse includes a link to the chapter and verse of the book where it is found in the bible. Click on any link for a bible verse and it will take you to that location in the bible.
The bible contains great stories. Visit the bible stories page for links to some of the best known and most significant stories and passages in the bible.