Scripture describes the church as Christ’s body, God’s household, and a people built together for his dwelling. These descriptions explain why fellowship matters: Christians receive mercy together and are called to help one another live by it. Shared worship, teaching, material care, leadership, correction, and mission all belong within this life under Christ.
Receive the people Christ has brought into his household
Begin with what Christ has done to bring people together. Ephesians 2:11–18 addresses Gentiles who had been distant from Israel’s covenants and hope. Christ brings those who were far away near through his blood, reconciles both groups to God through the cross, and gives both access to the Father by one Spirit. The people you receive in the church are people brought near by the same Lord. Welcome them with the humility of someone who also lives by grace.
Ephesians 2:19–22 explains the resulting relationship: former strangers are fellow citizens and members of God’s household. They are built on the foundation of apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ as the chief cornerstone, and grow together as God’s dwelling through the Spirit. The cornerstone gives the whole building its alignment. Shared life therefore has a foundation and direction: receive the apostolic testimony to Christ and help the people joined to him grow in it. Ephesians 1:20–23 places the risen Christ above every power and identifies the church as his body. He is the Lord to whom its life answers.
First Peter 2:4–10 likewise calls believers living stones built into a spiritual house and a holy priesthood. Their offerings are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ, and their calling is to declare the excellence of the One who brought them from darkness into light. Peter grounds this calling in mercy: those once without a people now belong to God. Give worship, thankful speech, and faithful conduct a shared place in your life. The privilege of approaching God through Christ belongs to his people together; it carries a calling to serve him.
This shared belonging takes a recognizable local form. First Corinthians 1:2 addresses God’s church at Corinth while joining it with those everywhere who call on the same Lord; verse 9 grounds their fellowship in God’s call into fellowship with his Son. Become known among a congregation where Christ’s gospel is taught and his instructions are practiced. Learn its people, receive its care, and undertake responsibilities toward them. Particular ways of recognizing membership differ, but the relationships described in Scripture involve people who can actually teach, help, and answer to one another.
Further study: Joel B. Green · Richard Carlson
Gather faithfully and help one another persevere
Give gathering with the church a dependable place in your life. Acts 2:37–47 describes people receiving Peter’s message, being baptized, and continuing in the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayers. Their fellowship also includes shared meals, praise, and meeting material needs. Luke records the particular beginnings of the Jerusalem church; its daily temple attendance describes that setting. The account shows how receiving the gospel led into an ongoing life of learning, worship, and practical concern.
Hebrews 10:19–25 explains why Christians should continue gathering. Through Jesus’ blood they have access to God and a great priest over his house. On that basis, the writer urges them to draw near in faith, hold firmly to their confession because God is faithful, and consider how to stir one another toward love and good works. The instruction to keep assembling serves that mutual encouragement. Come ready both to receive help and to contribute to another person’s faithfulness.
Notice the attention this requires: consider one another. Hebrews 3:12–14 calls for daily encouragement so that sin’s deceit does not harden a person into unbelief. The surrounding account recalls Israel hearing God’s voice and refusing to trust him. Encouragement therefore includes bringing God’s truth to one another, strengthening hope, and helping someone respond while there is opportunity. Learn enough about the people around you to pray for them, recognize their needs, and speak with care.
The church’s concern extends to those unable to be present. Hebrews 13:1–3 joins brotherly love with hospitality and remembrance of prisoners and those suffering mistreatment. James 5:14 tells the sick person to call the elders for prayer. These instructions move care toward people whose circumstances limit their participation. Seek the fellowship available to you, make your need known, and help the congregation maintain contact and care. Hebrews 10:26–39 addresses a grave retreat from Christ amid pressure; it gives urgency to perseverance without treating every absence as that rejection.
Further study: Mitzi J. Smith · Madison N. Pierce
Hear Christ’s Word and worship with understanding
Receive Scripture as teaching to understand and obey. In 1 Timothy 4:13–16, Timothy is charged to attend to reading, exhortation, and doctrine, while watching both his life and his teaching. His ministry serves the hearers’ salvation and growth. Second Timothy 4:1–5 tells him to preach the Word patiently even when people prefer teachers who tell them what they want to hear. Your part as a hearer is to attend carefully, seek understanding, and welcome truthful instruction that calls you to change.
Colossians 3:12–17 connects worship with the life of the congregation. People clothed in compassion, patience, forgiveness, and love are to let Christ’s word dwell richly among them, teaching and admonishing one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Singing is directed to the Lord with thankfulness, and its words also help others learn. Join thoughtfully in the church’s praise. Let what you sing, hear, and say strengthen your knowledge of Christ and your love for the people sharing that worship.
Paul makes understanding a practical test of gathered speech in 1 Corinthians 14:6–19. Indistinct musical notes communicate no tune, and an uncertain trumpet gives no usable signal. Likewise, a hearer who cannot understand a prayer cannot join its thanksgiving with an Amen. Paul therefore prefers a few intelligible words that teach others to a multitude they cannot understand. Verses 26–33 require contributions to build up the church, tongues to be interpreted, and prophetic speech to be weighed. Participate in a way that helps others hear, learn, and respond; receive the order needed for that shared purpose.
Shared prayer should reach beyond the congregation’s own needs. First Timothy 2:1–6 calls for petitions and thanksgiving for all people, including rulers, and connects peaceable, godly life with God’s saving concern and Christ’s work as the one mediator. Pray for people to know the truth, for those entrusted with authority, and for the conditions in which people can live faithfully. First Thessalonians 5:16–22 joins rejoicing, prayer, thanksgiving, openness to the Spirit’s work, and testing what is heard. Bring both grateful faith and thoughtful attention to worship.
Receive baptism within a life of learning to obey Christ
Take baptism seriously as part of Christ’s instruction for disciples. In Matthew 28:18–20, the risen Jesus grounds his commission in his authority, sends the eleven to make disciples of all nations, commands baptism in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and requires teaching obedience to all he has commanded. Baptism belongs with coming under Christ’s lordship and continuing to learn his ways. Seek faithful instruction concerning it, and receive it with the church in obedience to him.
Acts 2:37–42 places baptism within the response to the gospel. The hearers ask what to do, and Peter calls them to repent and be baptized in Jesus Christ’s name for the remission of sins, with the promise of the Holy Ghost. Those who receive the message are baptized and continue with the believers. Remission means forgiveness. The passage joins repentance, baptism, forgiveness, the Spirit, and fellowship closely; it deserves to be heard in that fullness. Acts 10:43–48 also records the Spirit falling on Gentiles as they hear the message, before Peter commands their water baptism. These accounts direct confidence to God’s saving action through Christ while maintaining baptism’s importance.
Live out the allegiance baptism expresses. Romans 6:1–14 answers the suggestion that grace gives permission to continue sinning. Paul recalls baptism into Christ’s death and burial, then draws the purpose: as Christ was raised, his people should walk in newness of life. They are to reckon themselves alive to God and present their bodies for righteousness. Baptism belongs within that whole change of life. Let the church help you learn obedience, and help other baptized people grow in the faith they confess.
Christians differ over whether baptism is given only upon personal profession or also to believers’ infants, over immersion, pouring, and sprinkling, and over its precise relation to regeneration and forgiveness. Those differences affect how a congregation receives people and recognizes an earlier baptism. Acts 16:13–34 records Lydia’s household baptism and later describes the jailer’s household hearing the Word and being baptized; it does not state the age of every household member. Study these questions with the congregation’s teachers, considering its explanation against Scripture. A past baptism calls for faithful discipleship; uncertainty about its recognition calls for careful instruction and an honest conversation.
Further study: Biblical Studies Press · Southern Baptist Convention · Westminster Assembly; Orthodox Presbyterian Church edition · Catholic Church
Share the Lord’s Supper with remembrance, gratitude, and care
Come to the Lord’s Supper remembering the Lord who gave himself for his people. Luke 22:14–20 places the bread and cup within Jesus’ final Passover before suffering. He gives thanks, identifies the bread with his body given for them and the cup with the new testament in his blood, and commands remembrance. Here testament speaks of the covenant established through his death. First Corinthians 11:23–26 passes this instruction to a congregation: eating the bread and drinking the cup proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. Receive the meal with thankful attention to his gift and with hope in his return.
The meal also declares shared belonging. First Corinthians 10:16–17 calls the cup and bread communion in Christ’s blood and body, and reasons that the many are one body because they share the one bread. Verses 18–22 use participation in sacrificial meals to explain why sharing the Lord’s table cannot be joined to participating in idolatrous worship. Communion is participation, with a claim upon allegiance. Honor Christ as Lord and recognize the people who share his table as people bound to you in him.
Paul’s correction in 1 Corinthians 11:17–22 shows what that recognition requires. Some Corinthians eat their own supper ahead of others; one is hungry while another is drunk. Their conduct humiliates those who have nothing and contradicts their gathering as God’s church. Paul answers by recalling Jesus’ body given for them, then tells them to examine themselves and to wait for one another in verses 28–34. Approach with repentance and reverence, and take responsibility for how you treat other participants, including those with little social standing or material means.
The warning concerns eating and drinking unworthily, and Paul directs the person who examines himself to eat and drink. In 1 Corinthians 11:29–32, the KJV’s damnation refers to the judgment Paul goes on to describe, including bodily weakness and death; he distinguishes the Lord’s chastening from condemnation with the world. The warning is serious, and its purpose is a corrected response to the Lord and his people. Christians differ over how Christ is present in the meal and over admission and frequency. Learn the congregation’s teaching and practice, while retaining the passage’s clear calls to remembrance, examination, shared care, and hope.
Further study: Lois Malcolm · Southern Baptist Convention · Westminster Assembly; Orthodox Presbyterian Church edition · Catholic Church · Philipp Melanchthon and the confessing estates
Use what God gives you to build up the whole body
Take your own service seriously and value the service of others. First Corinthians 12:4–11 names different gifts, ministries, and workings from the same Spirit, Lord, and God. Their purpose is common benefit, and the Spirit distributes them as he wills. Verses 14–20 imagine a foot or an ear denying its place because it is not another part. A body needs their different work. Offer the help God enables you to give, without making someone else’s gift the measure of whether you belong.
The same picture teaches you to receive help. In 1 Corinthians 12:21–26, the eye cannot dismiss the hand, and the head cannot dismiss the feet. Parts that seem weaker are necessary, and honor is given where it is lacking so that the members share concern for each other. Suffering and joy become shared matters. Make room for people whose contribution is easily overlooked; attend to their needs and receive what they offer. James 2:1–9 makes this concrete by condemning an assembly’s preference for a richly dressed visitor over a poor person.
Service grows through learning. Ephesians 4:11–16 describes Christ giving ministers so that his people are prepared for service and the body is built up. The aim is maturity in knowing the Son, steadiness against deceptive teaching, and growth through truth spoken in love. The whole body grows as its parts work in relation to Christ the head. Receive instruction, develop faithful habits, and undertake work that actually helps others become mature in him. Romans 12:3–8 joins sober self-assessment with diligent service, teaching, encouragement, giving, leadership, and mercy.
Give every gift the character of love. First Corinthians 13:1–7 says that remarkable speech, knowledge, and even costly giving gain nothing without love. Paul describes patient, kind conduct that seeks others’ good, rejoices in truth, and endures. First Peter 4:9–11 adds willing hospitality and service from the strength God supplies, so that God is glorified through Jesus Christ. Ask both what you can contribute and how your manner of contributing will strengthen the people receiving it.
Further study: Richard Carlson
Give willingly and support the church’s work with integrity
Plan to share resources as part of fellowship. In 1 Corinthians 16:1–4, Paul directs the Corinthians to set something aside regularly in keeping with how God has prospered them, for the collection serving believers in Jerusalem. Approved representatives will carry their gift. The immediate destination and arrangement belong to that collection; the instructions show deliberate preparation, participation according to means, and trustworthy delivery. Give thoughtful attention to the needs and work your congregation supports.
Second Corinthians 8:1–15 places giving within grace. The Macedonian churches give willingly amid poverty, and Paul points the Corinthians to Christ, who became poor for their sake. He urges them to complete the help they had intended, accepting the gift according to what a person has. His aim is mutual supply, not easing others by crushing the giver. In 2 Corinthians 9:6–12, cheerful generosity leads to needs being met and thanksgiving to God; God’s provision equips further good work. Give freely, follow through on willing commitments, and look toward the good your resources can accomplish.
Acts 4:32–37 describes remarkable sharing: owners sell property, bring proceeds, and enable distribution according to need. Barnabas is named as one who does this. The following account of Ananias and Sapphira includes Peter’s statement that the property, and then its proceeds, had remained under Ananias’s control (Acts 5:1–11). Their wrongdoing is deception before God. The description honors costly generosity without making every property sale compulsory. Bring honesty as well as willingness to your giving.
Material support includes those who labor in teaching. First Timothy 5:17–18 joins honor for elders who serve well with the laborer’s right to provision; 1 Corinthians 9:7–14 explains the same right through the soldier, farmer, shepherd, and temple service. Paul can choose to forgo that support for the gospel’s sake, as verses 15–18 explain. Second Corinthians 8:16–24 also takes public integrity seriously by using trusted church representatives to administer the gift. Support faithful ministry and welcome accountable handling of what the congregation entrusts to others.
Further study: Mitzi J. Smith
Receive faithful leadership under Christ’s authority
Recognize leadership as care entrusted by Christ. In Acts 20:17,28, Paul addresses the Ephesian elders as overseers charged to feed God’s church, purchased at the cost of blood. They must first watch themselves and then the flock. First Peter 5:1–4 likewise tells elders to shepherd willingly, eagerly, and by example, looking to Christ the chief Shepherd. The work is serious because the people belong to God. Receive faithful oversight with appreciation for the responsibility it carries.
Judge suitability for that work by the qualifications Scripture gives. First Timothy 3:1–13 requires integrity, self-control, hospitality, tested character, and faithful household conduct; overseers must be able to teach, and deacons must hold the faith with a clear conscience. Titus 1:5–9 connects appointment of elders with sound teaching and the ability to answer contradiction. The comparison with care of a household in 1 Timothy 3:4–5 makes the purpose plain: the work is caring for God’s church. Value reliable character and sound teaching when leaders are recognized.
Respond to faithful leaders with teachability and cooperation. Hebrews 13:7 directs attention to those who spoke God’s Word, the outcome of their conduct, and their faith to imitate. Verse 17 calls for obedience and submission because they watch over souls and must give account. First Thessalonians 5:12–13 calls for loving esteem for their work and peace among the believers. Listen seriously, carry your responsibilities, pray for those serving, and make their work a joy through your own readiness to do good.
This accountability runs both ways. Acts 20:29–32 warns that distortions can arise even among the elders and directs the church to God and the word of his grace. First Timothy 5:19–22 requires proper witnesses, rebuke of sin, impartial judgment, and care in appointing people. These instructions protect truth and justice together. Bring concerns honestly and receive correction yourself. Acts 5:27–32 records the apostles obeying God when the council forbids the witness Christ commanded; human authority remains accountable to God.
Christians differ over how local elders, bishops, wider councils, and congregations should share authority. They also differ over the scope of teaching offices: 1 Timothy 2:11–14 restricts a woman’s teaching and authority over a man and reasons from Adam and Eve, while 1 Corinthians 11:4–5 recognizes women praying and prophesying, and Acts 18:24–28 shows Priscilla and Aquila instructing Apollos. These passages require careful attention to what kind of ministry each addresses. Receive and practice the service Scripture clearly calls for, and seek a congregation’s reasoned account of its leadership and office commitments before undertaking those responsibilities.
Further study: Richard Carlson · Biblical Studies Press · Biblical Studies Press · Craig S. Keener · Southern Baptist Convention · Westminster Assembly; Orthodox Presbyterian Church edition · Catholic Church
Pursue holiness, restoration, and peace together
Treat another person’s return to faithfulness as something to seek. Matthew 18:12–17 moves from the shepherd seeking the wandering sheep to dealing with a brother’s sin. Jesus first directs a personal approach aimed at gaining the brother. If he refuses to hear, one or two others establish the matter, and continued refusal brings it before the church. Refusal to hear even the church means he is to be treated as an outsider. Seeking his return includes the responsibility to act when he continues refusing correction. Galatians 6:1 requires those restoring someone to act gently while considering their own vulnerability to temptation.
The church also has a responsibility to name conduct incompatible with its confession. First Corinthians 5:1–8 addresses a man living with his father’s wife while the congregation boasts instead of mourning. Paul requires his removal, with the stated hope of his eventual salvation, and uses leaven to explain how tolerated wickedness affects the whole community. Verses 9–13 distinguish discipline among those called brothers from withdrawal from everyone outside the church. Take holiness seriously within the congregation and respond humbly when conduct must be corrected.
Correction must leave room for restored fellowship. In 2 Corinthians 2:5–11, Paul says that the punishment imposed by the many is sufficient and calls for forgiveness, comfort, and renewed assurance of love, lest the person be overwhelmed by sorrow. The text does not establish that this is the offender of 1 Corinthians 5:1–5. Its instruction is clear in its own setting: after discipline has done its needed work, the congregation should actively affirm love. Matthew 18:21–35 likewise grounds forgiveness in the extraordinary mercy the servant first received. Seek repentance and repair with a heart ready to forgive.
Distinguish wrongdoing from differences that call for patient welcome. Romans 14:1–12 addresses believers who differ about food and the observance of days, yet act with thanksgiving to the same Lord. Each will answer to God, so they are to receive one another without contempt or condemnation over those matters. Romans 14:13–15:7 then asks the strong to limit their freedom for another person’s good and directs everyone toward peace, edification, and the welcome Christ has given. Use freedom considerately and work to strengthen faith rather than win a dispute.
Keep loyalty centered on Christ. In 1 Corinthians 1:10–17, Paul challenges groups taking pride in competing teachers by asking whether Christ is divided, whether Paul was crucified for them, or whether they were baptized in Paul’s name. Christ’s saving work exposes the misplaced allegiance. Ephesians 4:1–6 calls for humility, patience, and preserving the Spirit’s unity because the people share one Lord and one hope. Jesus’ prayer in John 17:20–23 joins believers’ unity with the world’s recognition of his mission. Practice truthful love that helps the church make him known.
Further study: Richard Ward
Share the church’s witness and continue in hope
Let the church’s shared life reach outward in witness and service. Acts 13:1–3 records the Antioch church praying and fasting as Barnabas and Saul are set apart for the work the Spirit names. Acts 14:21–28 then shows the missionaries making disciples, returning to strengthen believers through expected hardship, appointing elders, and reporting to the gathered church what God has done. The particular call is theirs, but the account makes the congregation’s real participation visible. Pray for gospel work, support faithful workers, and receive their reports with concern and thanksgiving.
Third John 1:5–8 gives a direct reason for helping those who travel for Christ’s name: those who receive and send them on become fellowhelpers to the truth. Such help includes hospitality and provision. First Peter 2:9–12 also places the whole people’s declaration of God’s goodness beside honorable conduct among their neighbors. Take part in the church’s witness through truthful speech, practical help, and a life that makes its confession visible.
Continue with these people in hope. Hebrews 10:32–39 remembers believers standing with others under public mistreatment and enduring loss because they looked toward an enduring possession. It calls for continuing confidence and patience as they await the coming Lord. First Thessalonians 5:9–11 gives the reason for mutual encouragement: Christ died so that his people might live with him. Keep worshiping, learning, serving, and encouraging one another with that future in view. The Lord who calls his people together gives their shared faithfulness its purpose and hope.
Read the passages
Scripture in context
65 contextual selections for this subject, including the passages cited above and further related reading. Every selected range is reproduced in full from the KJV. Context notes identify the setting and kind of evidence.
COVENANT_NARRATIVE 1 selections
Exodus 19:1–8 KJV
Context: Redeemed Israel reaches Sinai and is called to covenant obedience as a kingdom of priests.
19:1 In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai.
19:2 For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount.
19:3 And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel;
19:4 Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.
19:5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
19:6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
19:7 And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD commanded him.
19:8 And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD.
COVENANT_LAW 1 selections
Deuteronomy 31:9–13 KJV
Context: Moses charges Israel to read the law at the seven-year Feast of Tabernacles gathering.
31:9 And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and unto all the elders of Israel.
31:10 And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles,
31:11 When all Israel is come to appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing.
31:12 Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law:
31:13 And that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.
PROPHETIC_COVENANT_APPEAL 1 selections
Malachi 3:6–12 KJV
Context: The sons of Jacob are called to return with tithes, within temple and land-blessing promises.
3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
3:7 Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?
3:8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
3:9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
3:10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
3:11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.
3:12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.
GOSPEL_NARRATIVE 3 selections
Matthew 16:13–20 KJV
Context: Peter confesses Jesus as Messiah; Jesus promises to build his church and grants keys.
16:13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
16:14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
16:15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16:16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
16:17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
16:20 Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.
Luke 22:14–23 KJV · In this guide
Context: Jesus eats his final Passover, gives bread and cup, and speaks of betrayal.
22:14 And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him.
22:15 And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:
22:16 For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.
22:17 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves:
22:18 For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.
22:19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.
22:20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.
22:21 But, behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table.
22:22 And truly the Son of man goeth, as it was determined: but woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed!
22:23 And they began to enquire among themselves, which of them it was that should do this thing.
John 13:1–17 KJV
Context: Jesus washes the disciples’ feet, explains cleansing, and calls them to follow his example as Lord and Teacher.
13:1 Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.
13:2 And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him;
13:3 Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God;
13:4 He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself.
13:5 After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.
13:6 Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet?
13:7 Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.
13:8 Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.
13:9 Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.
13:10 Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.
13:11 For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean.
13:12 So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?
13:13 Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.
13:14 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.
13:15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.
13:16 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.
13:17 If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.
GOSPEL_INSTRUCTION 1 selections
Matthew 18:10–35 KJV · In this guide
Context: Care for little ones and the lost sheep leads into corrective steps and the unforgiving-servant parable.
18:10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.
18:11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.
18:12 How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?
18:13 And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.
18:14 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.
18:15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
18:16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
18:17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
18:18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
18:19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
18:21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
18:22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
18:23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.
18:24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.
18:25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
18:26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
18:27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
18:28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.
18:29 And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
18:30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.
18:31 So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.
18:32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:
18:33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?
18:34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
18:35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
GOSPEL_COMMISSION 1 selections
Matthew 28:16–20 KJV · In this guide
Context: The risen Jesus meets the eleven, declares his authority, and commissions them with his presence.
28:16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.
28:17 And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.
28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
GOSPEL_PRAYER 1 selections
John 17:20–26 KJV · In this guide
Context: Jesus prays for those who will believe through the apostles’ word, their unity, and their final presence with him.
17:20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
17:21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
17:22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
17:23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
17:24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
17:25 O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.
17:26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.
NARRATIVE 11 selections
Acts 2:37–47 KJV · In this guide
Context: Peter’s Pentecost sermon prompts repentance and baptism, followed by a summary of the new community.
2:37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
2:39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
2:40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
2:41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
2:42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
2:43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.
2:44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
2:45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
2:46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
2:47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
Acts 5:27–32 KJV · In this guide
Context: The council forbids apostolic witness; the apostles answer from God’s command and Christ’s exaltation.
5:27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them,
5:28 Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.
5:29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
5:30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.
5:31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
5:32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.
Acts 6:1–7 KJV · In this guide
Context: Neglect in the daily distribution prompts congregational selection and apostolic appointment of seven.
6:1 And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.
6:2 Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables.
6:3 Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.
6:4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.
6:5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:
6:6 Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.
6:7 And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.
Acts 10:34–48 KJV · In this guide
Context: Peter proclaims Christ among Gentiles; the Spirit’s gift precedes commanded water baptism.
10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
10:35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.
10:36 The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:)
10:37 That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judæa, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached;
10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
10:39 And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree:
10:40 Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly;
10:41 Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead.
10:42 And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.
10:43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.
10:44 While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.
10:45 And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.
10:46 For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter,
10:47 Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?
10:48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.
Acts 13:1–3 KJV · In this guide
Context: Prophets and teachers at Antioch worship and fast as the Spirit names Barnabas and Saul for a particular work.
13:1 Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
13:2 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.
13:3 And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
Acts 14:21–28 KJV · In this guide
Context: Returning missionaries strengthen disciples, appoint elders, and report to the sending church.
14:21 And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch,
14:22 Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
14:23 And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.
14:24 And after they had passed throughout Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia.
14:25 And when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down into Attalia:
14:26 And thence sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been recommended to the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled.
14:27 And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles.
14:28 And there they abode long time with the disciples.
Acts 15:1–35 KJV
Context: The circumcision dispute is considered by apostles and elders with the church; a letter brings relief and instruction.
15:1 And certain men which came down from Judæa taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.
15:2 When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.
15:3 And being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the brethren.
15:4 And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them.
15:5 But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.
15:6 And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.
15:7 And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.
15:8 And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;
15:9 And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
15:10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
15:11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.
15:12 Then all the multitude kept silence, and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them.
15:13 And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me:
15:14 Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name.
15:15 And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,
15:16 After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:
15:17 That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.
15:18 Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.
15:19 Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:
15:20 But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.
15:21 For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.
15:22 Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren:
15:23 And they wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia:
15:24 Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:
15:25 It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
15:26 Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
15:27 We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth.
15:28 For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things;
15:29 That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.
15:30 So when they were dismissed, they came to Antioch: and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle:
15:31 Which when they had read, they rejoiced for the consolation.
15:32 And Judas and Silas, being prophets also themselves, exhorted the brethren with many words, and confirmed them.
15:33 And after they had tarried there a space, they were let go in peace from the brethren unto the apostles.
15:34 Notwithstanding it pleased Silas to abide there still.
15:35 Paul also and Barnabas continued in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.
Acts 16:13–34 KJV · In this guide
Context: Lydia’s reception is followed by imprisonment, the jailer’s question, household instruction, and baptism.
16:13 And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither.
16:14 And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.
16:15 And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.
16:16 And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:
16:17 The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.
16:18 And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.
16:19 And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers,
16:20 And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city,
16:21 And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans.
16:22 And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them.
16:23 And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:
16:24 Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.
16:25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
16:26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.
16:27 And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.
16:28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.
16:29 Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,
16:30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
16:32 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.
16:33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.
16:34 And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.
Acts 18:24–28 KJV · In this guide
Context: Apollos’s incomplete knowledge receives more accurate instruction from Priscilla and Aquila, followed by fruitful ministry.
18:24 And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus.
18:25 This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.
18:26 And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.
18:27 And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace:
18:28 For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.
Acts 20:7–12 KJV
Context: A first-day gathering at Troas includes teaching, breaking bread, and Eutychus’s restoration.
20:7 And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.
20:8 And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together.
20:9 And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead.
20:10 And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him.
20:11 When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed.
20:12 And they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted.
NARRATIVE_ADDRESS 1 selections
Acts 20:17–38 KJV · In this guide
Context: Paul’s farewell recalls his ministry, charges the elders, warns about false teaching, and commends generous labor.
20:17 And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church.
20:18 And when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons,
20:19 Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews:
20:20 And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house,
20:21 Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
20:22 And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there:
20:23 Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me.
20:24 But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.
20:25 And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more.
20:26 Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men.
20:27 For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.
20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
20:29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
20:30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
20:31 Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.
20:32 And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.
20:33 I have coveted no man’s silver, or gold, or apparel.
20:34 Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.
20:35 I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
20:36 And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all.
20:37 And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul’s neck, and kissed him,
20:38 Sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake, that they should see his face no more. And they accompanied him unto the ship.
APOSTOLIC_ARGUMENT 8 selections
Romans 6:1–14 KJV · In this guide
Context: Paul answers whether grace permits continuing sin by recalling participation in Christ’s death and resurrection.
6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
6:2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
6:5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
6:7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
6:8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
6:9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
6:10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
6:12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
6:13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
1 Corinthians 9:1–18 KJV · In this guide
Context: Paul establishes the right to ministry support and explains his own decision not to use it.
9:1 Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not ye my work in the Lord?
9:2 If I be not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you: for the seal of mine apostleship are ye in the Lord.
9:3 Mine answer to them that do examine me is this,
9:4 Have we not power to eat and to drink?
9:5 Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?
9:6 Or I only and Barnabas, have not we power to forbear working?
9:7 Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock?
9:8 Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also?
9:9 For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen?
9:10 Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope.
9:11 If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?
9:12 If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ.
9:13 Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar?
9:14 Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.
9:15 But I have used none of these things: neither have I written these things, that it should be so done unto me: for it were better for me to die, than that any man should make my glorying void.
9:16 For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!
9:17 For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me.
9:18 What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel.
1 Corinthians 10:14–22 KJV · In this guide
Context: Paul’s prohibition of idolatry reasons from participation at different sacrificial tables.
10:14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.
10:15 I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say.
10:16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?
10:17 For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.
10:18 Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?
10:19 What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing?
10:20 But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.
10:21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils.
10:22 Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?
1 Corinthians 12:1–31 KJV · In this guide
Context: Diverse gifts from one Spirit lead into the extended body comparison and questions about differing functions.
12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.
12:2 Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led.
12:3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.
12:4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
12:5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.
12:6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.
12:7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
12:8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
12:9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
12:10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
12:11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
12:12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
12:14 For the body is not one member, but many.
12:15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
12:16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
12:17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
12:18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
12:19 And if they were all one member, where were the body?
12:20 But now are they many members, yet but one body.
12:21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.
12:22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:
12:23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.
12:24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:
12:25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
12:26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.
12:27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
12:28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
12:29 Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?
12:30 Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?
12:31 But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.
Colossians 2:8–15 KJV · In this guide
Context: Christ’s fullness, circumcision without hands, baptism, faith, forgiveness, and triumph answer rival claims.
2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
2:10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
2:11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
2:12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
2:13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
2:15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
James 2:1–17 KJV · In this guide
Context: Status-based treatment in an assembly is tested against love of neighbor, followed by a needy brother or sister.
2:1 My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.
2:2 For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;
2:3 And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:
2:4 Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?
2:5 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?
2:6 But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?
2:7 Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?
2:8 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:
2:9 But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.
2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
2:11 For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.
2:12 So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.
2:13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
2:14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
2:15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
2:16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
1 Peter 3:18–22 KJV · In this guide
Context: Christ’s suffering and victory frame the Noah analogy and baptism’s saving language.
3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
3:19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
3:20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
3:21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
3:22 Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.
1 John 3:11–24 KJV · In this guide
Context: Love distinguishes life from death; Christ’s self-giving tests material compassion and shapes assurance.
3:11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
3:12 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.
3:13 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.
3:14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
3:15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
3:16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
3:17 But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
3:18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
3:19 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.
3:20 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
3:21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
3:22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
3:23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
3:24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.
APOSTOLIC_INSTRUCTION 16 selections
Romans 12:1–21 KJV · In this guide
Context: God’s mercy calls forth whole-life service, sober use of gifts, genuine love, and peace.
12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
12:4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:
12:5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
12:6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
12:7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;
12:8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
12:9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
12:10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
12:11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
12:12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
12:13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.
12:14 Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.
12:15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
12:16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.
12:17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
12:18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
12:20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
12:21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 14:1–15:7 KJV · In this guide
Context: Food and day disputes are addressed through shared lordship, conscience, self-restraint, and Christ’s welcome.
14:1 Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.
14:2 For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.
14:3 Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.
14:4 Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.
14:5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
14:6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.
14:7 For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.
14:8 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.
14:9 For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.
14:10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
14:11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
14:12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
14:13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.
14:14 I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.
14:15 But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.
14:16 Let not then your good be evil spoken of:
14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
14:18 For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.
14:19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.
14:20 For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.
14:21 It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.
14:22 Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.
14:23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
15:1 We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
15:2 Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.
15:3 For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.
15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
15:5 Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:
15:6 That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
15:7 Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 1:1–17 KJV · In this guide
Context: The greeting and thanksgiving lead into correction of factions around named teachers.
1:1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,
1:2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
1:3 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
1:4 I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ;
1:5 That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge;
1:6 Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you:
1:7 So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:
1:8 Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1:9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
1:11 For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
1:12 Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.
1:13 Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?
1:14 I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius;
1:15 Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name.
1:16 And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other.
1:17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
1 Corinthians 5:1–13 KJV · In this guide
Context: A known sexual offense and congregational pride require discipline; Paul distinguishes insiders from outsiders.
5:1 It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife.
5:2 And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.
5:3 For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,
5:4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
5:5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
5:6 Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
5:7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
5:8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
5:9 I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:
5:10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.
5:11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.
5:12 For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?
5:13 But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.
1 Corinthians 11:2–16 KJV · In this guide
Context: Head-covering instructions discuss men and women praying or prophesying, creation, and mutual dependence in the Lord.
11:2 Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.
11:3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.
11:4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head.
11:5 But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.
11:6 For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered.
11:7 For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.
11:8 For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man.
11:9 Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.
11:10 For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels.
11:11 Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.
11:12 For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God.
11:13 Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered?
11:14 Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?
11:15 But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.
11:16 But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.
1 Corinthians 11:17–34 KJV · In this guide
Context: Divided and humiliating meals are corrected through the institution and significance of the Supper.
11:17 Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse.
11:18 For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it.
11:19 For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.
11:20 When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord’s supper.
11:21 For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken.
11:22 What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.
11:23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:
11:24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
11:25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
11:26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.
11:27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
11:28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
11:29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.
11:30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
11:31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
11:32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.
11:33 Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another.
11:34 And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come.
1 Corinthians 14:1–40 KJV · In this guide
Context: The full argument compares prophecy and tongues, explains intelligibility, and orders gathered speech.
14:1 Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy.
14:2 For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.
14:3 But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.
14:4 He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church.
14:5 I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying.
14:6 Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine?
14:7 And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped?
14:8 For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?
14:9 So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into the air.
14:10 There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification.
14:11 Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me.
14:12 Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.
14:13 Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret.
14:14 For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.
14:15 What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.
14:16 Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest?
14:17 For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified.
14:18 I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all:
14:19 Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue.
14:20 Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.
14:21 In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord.
14:22 Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.
14:23 If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?
14:24 But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all:
14:25 And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.
14:26 How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.
14:27 If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret.
14:28 But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.
14:29 Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge.
14:30 If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace.
14:31 For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted.
14:32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.
14:33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
14:34 Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.
14:35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.
14:36 What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only?
14:37 If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.
14:38 But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.
14:39 Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues.
14:40 Let all things be done decently and in order.
2 Corinthians 2:1–11 KJV · In this guide
Context: Paul explains his sorrowful communication and the need to forgive an offender after sufficient punishment.
2:1 But I determined this with myself, that I would not come again to you in heaviness.
2:2 For if I make you sorry, who is he then that maketh me glad, but the same which is made sorry by me?
2:3 And I wrote this same unto you, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice; having confidence in you all, that my joy is the joy of you all.
2:4 For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears; not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you.
2:5 But if any have caused grief, he hath not grieved me, but in part: that I may not overcharge you all.
2:6 Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many.
2:7 So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.
2:8 Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him.
2:9 For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things.
2:10 To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ;
2:11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.
Galatians 6:1–10 KJV · In this guide
Context: Life in the Spirit takes shape in gentle restoration, shared burdens, personal testing, support, and doing good.
6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
6:2 Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
6:3 For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.
6:4 But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.
6:5 For every man shall bear his own burden.
6:6 Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.
6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
6:8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
Ephesians 4:1–16 KJV · In this guide
Context: The call to conduct fitting grace joins unity, diverse gifts, leaders, truth, and maturity.
4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
4:2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
4:3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4:4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
4:5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
4:6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
4:7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
4:8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
4:9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
4:10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
4:16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
Colossians 3:12–17 KJV · In this guide
Context: Those chosen and loved by God are to live in compassion, forgiveness, love, and thanksgiving.
3:12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
3:13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
3:14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
3:17 And what soever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
1 Thessalonians 5:9–28 KJV · In this guide
Context: Hope of life with Christ grounds encouragement, recognition of leaders, differentiated care, and prayer.
5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
5:10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
5:11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.
5:12 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;
5:13 And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.
5:14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.
5:15 See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.
5:16 Rejoice evermore.
5:17 Pray without ceasing.
5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
5:19 Quench not the Spirit.
5:20 Despise not prophesyings.
5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.
5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
5:24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.
5:25 Brethren, pray for us.
5:26 Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss.
5:27 I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren.
5:28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
1 Timothy 2:1–15 KJV · In this guide
Context: Prayer for all is grounded in one God and mediator; conduct and learning instructions follow.
2:1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
2:2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
2:7 Where unto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.
2:8 I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.
2:9 In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;
2:10 But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.
2:11 Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.
2:12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.
2:13 For Adam was first formed, then Eve.
2:14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.
2:15 Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.
James 5:13–20 KJV · In this guide
Context: The letter ends with suffering and joyful prayer, elder care, mutual confession, Elijah, and recovering a wanderer.
5:13 Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.
5:14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
5:15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
5:17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
5:18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
5:19 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;
5:20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
1 Peter 4:7–11 KJV · In this guide
Context: The approaching end gives urgency to prayer, love, hospitality, and responsible service.
4:7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.
4:8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.
4:9 Use hospitality one to another without grudging.
4:10 As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
4:11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
1 Peter 5:1–11 KJV · In this guide
Context: Elders are exhorted as fellow servants under the chief Shepherd; humility and endurance follow.
5:1 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:
5:2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;
5:3 Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.
5:4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.
5:5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
5:9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
5:10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
5:11 To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
APOSTOLIC_COMMENDATION 1 selections
Romans 16:1–16 KJV · In this guide
Context: Paul commends Phoebe and greets named fellow workers and household congregations.
16:1 I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea:
16:2 That ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you: for she hath been a succourer of many, and of myself also.
16:3 Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus:
16:4 Who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles.
16:5 Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Salute my wellbeloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ.
16:6 Greet Mary, who bestowed much labour on us.
16:7 Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellowprisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.
16:8 Greet Amplias my beloved in the Lord.
16:9 Salute Urbane, our helper in Christ, and Stachys my beloved.
16:10 Salute Apelles approved in Christ. Salute them which are of Aristobulus’ household.
16:11 Salute Herodion my kinsman. Greet them that be of the household of Narcissus, which are in the Lord.
16:12 Salute Tryphena and Tryphosa, who labour in the Lord. Salute the beloved Persis, which laboured much in the Lord.
16:13 Salute Rufus chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine.
16:14 Salute Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, and the brethren which are with them.
16:15 Salute Philologus, and Julia, Nereus, and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints which are with them.
16:16 Salute one another with an holy kiss. The churches of Christ salute you.
APOSTOLIC_TEACHING 3 selections
1 Corinthians 13:1–13 KJV · In this guide
Context: Between discussions of gifts, Paul establishes love’s necessity, character, and enduring priority.
13:1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
13:2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
13:3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
13:4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
13:5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
13:6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
13:7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
13:8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
13:9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
13:10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
13:11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
13:12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
Ephesians 2:1–22 KJV · In this guide
Context: Salvation by grace leads into the reconciliation of Jews and Gentiles and their shared access and household.
2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
2:3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
2:7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
2:11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
2:12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
2:14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
2:15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
2:16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
2:17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
2:18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
2:19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
2:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
2:21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
2:22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
1 Peter 2:1–12 KJV · In this guide
Context: A call to growth develops into a people built on Christ and living honorably among outsiders.
2:1 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,
2:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
2:3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
2:4 To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,
2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
2:6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.
2:7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
2:8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
2:10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
2:12 Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.
PARTICULAR_INSTRUCTION 1 selections
1 Corinthians 16:1–4 KJV · In this guide
Context: Paul arranges the Jerusalem collection before his arrival and approved delivery afterward.
16:1 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye.
16:2 Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.
16:3 And when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters, them will I send to bring your liberality unto Jerusalem.
16:4 And if it be meet that I go also, they shall go with me.
APOSTOLIC_APPEAL 2 selections
2 Corinthians 8:1–24 KJV · In this guide
Context: The relief collection is urged by Macedonian generosity, Christ’s grace, mutual provision, and accountable representatives.
8:1 Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia;
8:2 How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.
8:3 For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves;
8:4 Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.
8:5 And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.
8:6 Insomuch that we desired Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also finish in you the same grace also.
8:7 Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also.
8:8 I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love.
8:9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
8:10 And herein I give my advice: for this is expedient for you, who have begun before, not only to do, but also to be forward a year ago.
8:11 Now therefore perform the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which ye have.
8:12 For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.
8:13 For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened:
8:14 But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality:
8:15 As it is written, He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack.
8:16 But thanks be to God, which put the same earnest care into the heart of Titus for you.
8:17 For indeed he accepted the exhortation; but being more forward, of his own accord he went unto you.
8:18 And we have sent with him the brother, whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches;
8:19 And not that only, but who was also chosen of the churches to travel with us with this grace, which is administered by us to the glory of the same Lord, and declaration of your ready mind:
8:20 Avoiding this, that no man should blame us in this abundance which is administered by us:
8:21 Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.
8:22 And we have sent with them our brother, whom we have oftentimes proved diligent in many things, but now much more diligent, upon the great confidence which I have in you.
8:23 Whether any do enquire of Titus, he is my partner and fellowhelper concerning you: or our brethren be enquired of, they are the messengers of the churches, and the glory of Christ.
8:24 Wherefore shew ye to them, and before the churches, the proof of your love, and of our boasting on your behalf.
2 Corinthians 9:1–15 KJV · In this guide
Context: Preparation for the gift leads into willing giving, God’s provision, and thanksgiving among its recipients.
9:1 For as touching the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you:
9:2 For I know the forwardness of your mind, for which I boast of you to them of Macedonia, that Achaia was ready a year ago; and your zeal hath provoked very many.
9:3 Yet have I sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this behalf; that, as I said, ye may be ready:
9:4 Lest haply if they of Macedonia come with me, and find you unprepared, we (that we say not, ye) should be ashamed in this same confident boasting.
9:5 Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your bounty, whereof ye had notice before, that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty, and not as of covetousness.
9:6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:
9:9 (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever.
9:10 Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)
9:11 Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.
9:12 For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God;
9:13 Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men;
9:14 And by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you.
9:15 Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.
APOSTOLIC_PRAYER 1 selections
Ephesians 1:15–23 KJV · In this guide
Context: Paul’s prayer concerns knowing God’s hope and power shown in the exalted Christ.
1:15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,
1:16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;
1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
1:21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
1:22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
1:23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
PASTORAL_INSTRUCTION 5 selections
1 Timothy 1:3–11 KJV · In this guide
Context: Timothy’s Ephesian charge names false teaching, speculation, and the goal of love from a pure heart.
1:3 As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine,
1:4 Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.
1:5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:
1:6 From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling;
1:7 Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.
1:8 But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully;
1:9 Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
1:10 For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;
1:11 According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.
1 Timothy 3:1–16 KJV · In this guide
Context: Overseer and deacon qualifications serve proper conduct in God’s household and the confession concerning Christ.
3:1 This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
3:2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
3:3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
3:4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;
3:5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)
3:6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.
3:7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
3:8 Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;
3:9 Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.
3:10 And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless.
3:11 Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.
3:12 Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.
3:13 For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.
3:14 These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly:
3:15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
1 Timothy 5:1–16 KJV · In this guide
Context: Intergenerational respect introduces detailed instructions for families and the support and enrollment of widows.
5:1 Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren;
5:2 The elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity.
5:3 Honour widows that are widows indeed.
5:4 But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to shew piety at home, and to requite their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God.
5:5 Now she that is a widow indeed, and desolate, trusteth in God, and continueth in supplications and prayers night and day.
5:6 But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth.
5:7 And these things give in charge, that they may be blameless.
5:8 But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.
5:9 Let not a widow be taken into the number under threescore years old, having been the wife of one man,
5:10 Well reported of for good works; if she have brought up children, if she have lodged strangers, if she have washed the saints’ feet, if she have relieved the afflicted, if she have diligently followed every good work.
5:11 But the younger widows refuse: for when they have begun to wax wanton against Christ, they will marry;
5:12 Having damnation, because they have cast off their first faith.
5:13 And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.
5:14 I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.
5:15 For some are already turned aside after Satan.
5:16 If any man or woman that believeth have widows, let them relieve them, and let not the church be charged; that it may relieve them that are widows indeed.
1 Timothy 5:17–25 KJV · In this guide
Context: Honor and material support of elders are followed by witness standards, impartial rebuke, and careful appointment.
5:17 Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.
5:18 For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.
5:19 Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses.
5:20 Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear.
5:21 I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality.
5:22 Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins: keep thyself pure.
5:23 Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities.
5:24 Some men’s sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after.
5:25 Likewise also the good works of some are manifest beforehand; and they that are otherwise can not be hid.
Titus 1:5–16 KJV · In this guide
Context: Titus must appoint qualified elders who hold sound teaching amid damaging false instruction.
1:5 For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee:
1:6 If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.
1:7 For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;
1:8 But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate;
1:9 Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.
1:10 For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision:
1:11 Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake.
1:12 One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.
1:13 This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith;
1:14 Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.
1:15 Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.
1:16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.
MINISTRY_INSTRUCTION 2 selections
1 Timothy 4:6–16 KJV · In this guide
Context: Timothy is directed to godliness, faithful teaching, public reading, and attention to his own life.
4:6 If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.
4:7 But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.
4:8 For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
4:9 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.
4:10 For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.
4:11 These things command and teach.
4:12 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
4:13 Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
4:14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.
4:15 Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.
4:16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.
2 Timothy 4:1–5 KJV · In this guide
Context: A solemn charge before Christ anticipates resistance to sound teaching.
4:1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4:4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
4:5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
EXHORTATION 4 selections
Hebrews 3:7–19 KJV · In this guide
Context: Psalm 95 and the wilderness generation supply the warning against hardened unbelief.
3:7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,
3:8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
3:9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.
3:10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.
3:11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)
3:12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
3:13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
3:14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
3:15 While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.
3:16 For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.
3:17 But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?
3:18 And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?
3:19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
Hebrews 10:19–39 KJV · In this guide
Context: Christ’s priesthood grounds three exhortations; warning and remembered endurance explain their urgency.
10:19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
10:20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
10:21 And having an high priest over the house of God;
10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
10:26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
10:27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
10:28 He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
10:29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
10:30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
10:32 But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions;
10:33 Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used.
10:34 For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.
10:35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.
10:36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
10:37 For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.
10:38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
10:39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.
Hebrews 13:1–6 KJV · In this guide
Context: Closing exhortations connect brotherly love, hospitality, prisoners, marriage, contentment, and God’s help.
13:1 Let brotherly love continue.
13:2 Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
13:3 Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.
13:4 Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.
13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
13:6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
Hebrews 13:7–19 KJV · In this guide
Context: Remembered teachers, stable allegiance to Christ, praise, sharing, responsive submission, and prayer form connected exhortations.
13:7 Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.
13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
13:9 Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.
13:10 We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.
13:11 For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp.
13:12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.
13:13 Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.
13:14 For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.
13:15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
13:16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
13:17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.
13:18 Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly.
13:19 But I beseech you the rather to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner.
APOSTOLIC_LETTER 1 selections
3 John 1:5–12 KJV · In this guide
Context: Gaius’s hospitality is commended, Diotrephes’s obstruction exposed, and Demetrius’s good testimony affirmed.
1:5 Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and to strangers;
1:6 Which have borne witness of thy charity before the church: whom if thou bring forward on their journey after a godly sort, thou shalt do well:
1:7 Because that for his name’s sake they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles.
1:8 We therefore ought to receive such, that we might be fellowhelpers to the truth.
1:9 I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.
1:10 Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church.
1:11 Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.
1:12 Demetrius hath good report of all men, and of the truth itself: yea, and we also bear record; and ye know that our record is true.
Go deeper
Sources & interpretation
The teaching starts with the cited Scripture. These consulted works inform wording, context, and interpretive questions. No qualified human review has been recorded for this guide.
Who should receive baptism, and how does it relate to faith and salvation?
Matthew 28 joins disciple-making, baptism, and teaching. Acts 2:38 joins repentance and baptism with forgiveness and the Spirit, while Acts 10:43–48 records the Spirit before water baptism. Romans 6:1–14 uses participation in Christ to reason toward new life. First Peter 3:21 gives baptism saving significance while distinguishing it from bodily dirt removal and grounding it in Christ’s resurrection.
- Believer-baptism readings emphasize personal reception and faith; the Baptist confession specifies immersion.
- Covenant-child readings connect household inclusion and covenant continuity; Westminster includes believers’ infants and permits pouring or sprinkling, without making every baptized person regenerate.
- Sacramental readings understand baptism as an instrument of God’s grace; Catholic teaching includes infants and retains exceptions to water baptism’s necessity. These readings need not mean earning salvation by human effort.
VERY_STRONG: baptism belongs to Christ’s commission and life under him. STRONG: preserve its stated connection with forgiveness and new life. UNRESOLVED: recipient, mode, and precise efficacy. Household ages are unspecified; Colossians 2:11–12 also explicitly names faith. Neither a simple because-of paraphrase of Acts 2:38 nor an automatic account detached from faith is imposed.
Further study: Biblical Studies Press · Southern Baptist Convention · Westminster Assembly; Orthodox Presbyterian Church edition · Catholic Church
Further examination: How does each proposal account for all of Acts 2:38–42, Acts 10:43–48, Colossians 2:11–13, and 1 Peter 3:21? Which conclusions are explicit, and which depend on a larger account of the covenant?
What do communion and discerning the body mean at the Lord’s Supper?
Jesus identifies the bread and cup with his body and covenant blood. Paul calls them communion, reasons to one body, and condemns conduct that shames the poor. The KJV includes the Lord’s body in 1 Corinthians 11:29; the full paragraph connects the Lord’s gift, the participants’ conduct, and judgment.
- Memorial readings emphasize obedient remembrance and proclamation.
- Reformed readings understand believers truly feeding on Christ spiritually by faith.
- Lutheran confession affirms Christ’s body and blood truly present and distributed.
- Catholic teaching describes a change of substance with the outward appearances remaining, and the one sacrifice made sacramentally present.
- Discerning the body may primarily concern Christ’s body in the Supper, the congregation, or both; Malcolm argues for both.
VERY_STRONG: remembrance, proclamation, communion, self-examination, and care for fellow participants. PROBABLE: the body language deliberately connects Christ’s gift and his people; its exact referent at 11:29 remains debated. This guide does not settle sacramental presence, who may administer, admission, or frequency. It does not treat all traditions as teaching the same thing.
Further study: Lois Malcolm · Southern Baptist Convention · Westminster Assembly; Orthodox Presbyterian Church edition · Catholic Church · Philipp Melanchthon and the confessing estates
Further examination: How does a reading explain both 1 Corinthians 10:16–17 and 11:20–34? What conduct does Paul actually tell the congregation to change, and how does that change honor Christ’s gift?
How do recognized membership and church authority take shape?
A local congregation can be addressed, recognize overseers, and distinguish those within from outsiders. Acts 20:17,28 and Titus 1:5,7 closely connect elders and overseers. Matthew 16:13–20 gives Peter keys; Matthew 18:15–20 involves the church; Acts 15 includes apostles, elders, the gathered people, and a communicated judgment.
- Congregational models locate decisive local responsibilities in the congregation, usually with recognized elders and deacons.
- Presbyterian models stress government through elders and connected councils, including appeals beyond the local congregation.
- Episcopal models distinguish the bishop’s oversight within a wider ordered ministry; Catholicism additionally claims a distinctive continuing Petrine office. Other episcopal traditions are not identical to that claim.
STRONG: recognizable belonging, qualified care, and accountable authority under Christ are warranted. UNRESOLVED: the precise distribution of jurisdiction and apostolic succession. A universal registration form, vote rule, or claim that every later council has apostolic authority is not inferred. The church’s priestly calling does not by itself erase distinctions of ministry.
Further study: Southern Baptist Convention · Westminster Assembly; Orthodox Presbyterian Church edition · Catholic Church
Further examination: Who acts in each narrative, what authority is stated, and what belongs particularly to the apostles? What additional argument is needed to move from those observations to a present constitution?
How should the restrictions and examples concerning women’s ministry be held together?
First Timothy 2:11–14 requires learning, restricts teaching and authority, and appeals to Adam and Eve; 3:1–13 gives household and character qualifications. First Corinthians 11:5 speaks of women praying and prophesying; 14:34–35 directs silence and questions at home. Priscilla and Aquila instruct Apollos together, and Romans 16 commends women’s service.
- A continuing male-elder reading takes the creation argument and the qualifications as defining an enduring office restriction, while distinguishing prophecy and other teaching from that office.
- A situational reading, represented by Keener, connects restrictions with disorder or false teaching and interprets them alongside women’s recognized ministry. It must explain the creation appeal and establish, rather than assume, the local reconstruction.
- First Timothy 3:11 can refer to deacons’ wives or to women serving as deacons. This is a distinct question from elder eligibility. The meaning of authority in 2:12 and of the silence in 1 Corinthians 14 is also disputed.
VERY_STRONG: the restrictive texts and the positive examples both require explanation. STRONG: no inference that women may do no ministry, or that every ministry example proves eligibility for every office. UNRESOLVED: the full office boundary. Historical claims about every woman’s education and a particular Ephesian teaching crisis are not made certain by repetition. No owner-approved office policy is asserted.
Further study: Craig S. Keener · Biblical Studies Press · Biblical Studies Press · Southern Baptist Convention
Further examination: What precise activity is restricted or described in each passage? How does each proposal account for the creation reasoning, acknowledged prophecy, instruction of Apollos, and the difference between shared service and an appointed office?
What does common participation require without fixing every church practice?
First Corinthians 12–14 assumes diverse gifts, requires love, and orders speech for intelligible benefit. Acts 20:7 describes a first-day meeting; Deuteronomy 31:9–13 commands a particular Israelite gathering. John 13:14–15 calls disciples to wash one another’s feet after Jesus’ example.
- Continuationist and cessationist accounts differ over the duration and present form of prophecy, tongues, and related gifts; both must address Paul’s actual argument and the transition he expects in 1 Corinthians 13:8–12.
- Liturgical and less formally ordered gatherings apply edification and peace through different practices. Descriptive examples do not settle every timetable or service order.
- Some churches keep footwashing as an enacted ordinance; others understand the command through the humble service its example teaches. The command’s concrete action should not be silently erased.
VERY_STRONG: intelligible, loving, ordered participation and serious shared hearing. UNRESOLVED: duration of every gift, required liturgical forms, and whether footwashing must be a recurring rite. Naming baptism and the Supper in the main article is not a ruling on every tradition’s sacrament count. No fixed meeting schedule is extracted from the whole Troas narrative.
Further study: Richard Carlson · Mitzi J. Smith
Further examination: Which instructions state a purpose that governs gathered life? Which details describe a particular occasion? How does the account of gifts’ duration explain Paul’s then-and-now comparison without importing its conclusion?
How do support, correction, and the promise of restoration fit together?
James 5:14–16 promises restoration through prayer, names the Lord as agent, and makes sins conditional. Matthew 18 seeks the brother while providing for exclusion after refusal; 1 Corinthians 5 requires removal, and 2 Corinthians 2:5–11 requires renewed love after sufficient punishment. First Timothy 5 gives both witness standards and impartial rebuke.
- James’s language is ordinarily read of bodily illness and healing, while some understand spiritual weariness or give final resurrection a larger role; the precise relation between the promise and continued illness requires fuller treatment.
- The Matthew steps are read as an ordinary process for interpersonal sin or as a comprehensive discipline sequence; publicly established grave wrongdoing in 1 Corinthians 5 complicates a rule that every case begins privately.
- The offender in 2 Corinthians 2 may or may not be the man of 1 Corinthians 5; the restorative instruction does not require that identification.
STRONG: pray expectantly, care practically, investigate truthfully, and seek restoration. Do not diagnose an individual illness as proof of sin or deficient faith. The main article preserves James’s promise without claiming a timetable or resolving every healing question. Church discipline is ecclesial accountability; it supplies no warrant to conceal harm or displace appropriate civil responsibility.
Further study: Richard Ward · Lois Malcolm
Further examination: What outcome does each passage seek, what facts does it establish, and who is responsible to act? How can the congregation preserve truth, patient care, and restored love without making promises beyond the text?
How do the Jerusalem sharing accounts and Israel’s tithe commands guide giving?
Acts describes property sales for real needs, while Acts 5:4 preserves the owner’s choice. Paul’s collection instructions use willingness, means, completion, and accountable representatives. Malachi 3:6–12 addresses the sons of Jacob, temple provision, and promised protection for crops and land.
- Some Christians treat the tithe as an enduring baseline; others regard its covenant arrangements as fulfilled and apply the New Testament’s instructions without prescribing a universal percentage.
- Acts’ common resources can be read as a continuing communal-property ideal or as extraordinary voluntary sharing; Peter’s statement about ownership prevents treating the narrative as straightforward confiscation.
VERY_STRONG: generous, honest, proportionate, dependable giving and support for faithful labor. STRONG: the collection’s purpose is needs met and thanksgiving, not a guaranteed individual financial return. A universal percentage and the continuation of all Israelite land blessings are not established in this guide.
Further study: Mitzi J. Smith
Further examination: Which elements are commanded to a named covenant community, which describe an actual gift, and which are direct instructions to churches? What do 2 Corinthians 8:12–15 and 9:8–12 identify as the measure and purpose of giving?
- Commentary on 1 Peter 2:2–10
Joel B. Green · Working Preacher, Luther Seminary · 2023-05-07
Connects priestly identity with Christ and Israel’s Scriptures.
What was reviewed
Article body, from identity and vocation through the closing discussion of nourishment; retrieved lines 56–79. Accessed 2026-09-25.
Architectural precision and the proposed account of predestination were not used.
- Commentary on Ephesians 4:1–16
Richard Carlson · Working Preacher, Luther Seminary · 2021-08-01
Connects the unity Christ gives with conduct and every member’s growth.
What was reviewed
Opening theological argument through leadership, equipping, and maturity; retrieved lines 58–71. Accessed 2026-09-25 · Read in part.
The lexical etymology and any closing material beyond this portion are not independent evidence here.
- Commentary on Acts 2:42–47
Mitzi J. Smith · Working Preacher, Luther Seminary · 2011-05-15
Stresses material sharing as part of fellowship.
What was reviewed
Body sections on summary narratives, mutual commitment, and signs and wonders; retrieved lines 53–69. Accessed 2026-09-25.
Her summary of Ananias needs Acts 5:4’s distinction between retention and deceit; generalizing apostolic signs to every believer was not adopted.
- Commentary on Hebrews 10:11–14 [15–18] 19–25
Madison N. Pierce · Working Preacher, Luther Seminary · 2021-11-14
Locates mutual encouragement within access through Christ and God’s faithfulness.
What was reviewed
Body from Christ’s effective sacrifice through the three exhortations and their transitional function; retrieved lines 60–84. Accessed 2026-09-25 · Read in part.
Her fuller interpretation of perfection was not adopted; closing material beyond the retrieved portion was not credited.
- NET Bible, Acts 2:38 translator notes
Biblical Studies Press · NET Bible
Questions the simple causal rendering because of forgiveness and recognizes interpretive alternatives.
What was reviewed
Notes 1–2 and the retrieved portion of note 3: imperative force, Jesus’ name, and alternatives concerning for forgiveness; lines 133–136. Accessed 2026-09-25 · Read in part.
Remaining note text and the cited ExSyn pages were not read; direct retrieval returned HTTP 403. The note’s works-based characterization of a sacramental reading is not assumed.
- Baptist Faith and Message 2000, VI–VII
Southern Baptist Convention · Southern Baptist Convention · 2000; VI amended 2023-06-14
Primary statement for congregational governance, male pastor/elder/overseer office, believer immersion, and a symbolic memorial Supper.
What was reviewed
Complete articles VI and VII, including the amendment notice. Accessed 2026-09-25 · Read in part.
Describes this confession; it does not represent all Baptists or establish the owner’s policy.
- Westminster Confession of Faith, chapters 25–31
Westminster Assembly; Orthodox Presbyterian Church edition · Orthodox Presbyterian Church · 1646–1647; current OPC online edition
Primary evidence for covenant-child baptism, spiritual feeding on Christ, and officer/council authority.
What was reviewed
Chapters 25–31 read in full from the official HTML, especially 28.3–6, 29.5–7, and 30–31. Accessed 2026-09-25 · Read in part.
A confessional position, not neutral exegesis; polemical judgments are not adopted.
- Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church
Catholic Church · Libreria Editrice Vaticana · 2005
Primary evidence for episcopal/papal authority, infant baptism and grace, and Eucharistic presence.
What was reviewed
Questions 178–187, 252–262, and 271–289, read from official HTML; 282–289 separately re-opened in full. Accessed 2026-09-25 · Read in part.
The full Catechism, Eastern Christian traditions, and every admission rule were not inspected.
- Commentary on 1 Corinthians 11:23–26
Lois Malcolm · Working Preacher, Luther Seminary · 2022-04-14
Argues that discerning the body concerns both Christ and the congregation.
What was reviewed
Complete commentary body and five notes: Handing on what we have received; Sharing the bread and cup; Proclaiming the Lord’s death until he comes. Accessed 2026-09-25.
Late arrival because of work is a reconstruction, not a stated fact. The apparent 11:12 citation error was not repeated; Luther’s cited work was not read.
- Augsburg Confession, Article X: The Lord’s Supper
Philipp Melanchthon and the confessing estates · Concordia Publishing House, online Book of Concord · 1530; modern English online edition
Primary evidence for Lutheran confession of Christ’s body and blood truly present and distributed.
What was reviewed
Complete Article X, paragraphs 1–2. Accessed 2026-09-25 · Read in part.
Only this short article was inspected, not the entire Book of Concord or subsequent sacramental debates.
- NET Bible, 1 Thessalonians 5:14
Biblical Studies Press · NET Bible
The discouraged rendering supports the explanation of KJV feebleminded in the care paragraph.
What was reviewed
Complete verse and its single translator note on the passage page, retrieved lines 3–8. Accessed 2026-09-25.
A translation comparison, not independent lexicon research. The initial verse-page opening timed out; the passage page was successfully read.
- NET Bible, 1 Timothy 2:12 notes 1–3
Biblical Studies Press · NET Bible
Identifies a consequential authority and quietness translation question.
What was reviewed
Notes on the contrast with learning, the authority verb, and quietness, read in full on the verse page, retrieved lines 82–83. Accessed 2026-09-25 · Read in part.
The broad assertion about all Jewish women’s learning is not adopted. BDAG itself was not independently inspected; direct retrieval returned HTTP 403.
- NET Bible, 1 Timothy 3:11 note 1
Biblical Studies Press · NET Bible
Documents a material alternative to the KJV’s wives.
What was reviewed
Retrieved opening of note 1, including women/wives and the first four arguments for women deacons; line 70. Accessed 2026-09-25 · Read in part.
The note’s continuation and cited resources were not independently read; direct retrieval returned HTTP 403.
- Was Paul For or Against Women in Ministry?
Craig S. Keener · Enrichment, Spring 2001 · 2001
Argues that particular circumstances limit the restrictions’ application, comparing women’s acknowledged ministry.
What was reviewed
Printed pp. 82–84 and the beginning of the concluding discussion on p. 85, including Let Women Keep Silent and In Quietness and Submission. Accessed 2026-09-25 · Read in part.
Educational conditions, household reconstructions, and the move from ministry examples to office eligibility remain arguments, not established premises. Notes cite books not separately read.
- Commentary on Matthew 18:15–20
Richard Ward · Working Preacher, Luther Seminary · 2023-09-10
Reads correction within care, humility, and forgiveness.
What was reviewed
Opening contextual discussion and concluding restoration emphasis; retrieved lines 58–64 and 73–74. Accessed 2026-09-25 · Read in part.
Modern conflict anecdotes and intervening unretrieved paragraphs were not used. Removal from fellowship is retained from the biblical text.
