Galatians 5:6 原来在基督耶稣里，受割礼不受割礼全无功效，惟独使人生发仁爱的信心才有功效。

5:6 MSG

逐节对照

新标点和合本 - 原来在基督耶稣里，受割礼不受割礼全无功效，惟独使人生发仁爱的信心才有功效。
和合本2010（上帝版-简体） - 因为在基督耶稣里，受割礼不受割礼都没有功效，惟独使人发出仁爱的信心才有功效。
和合本2010（神版-简体） - 因为在基督耶稣里，受割礼不受割礼都没有功效，惟独使人发出仁爱的信心才有功效。
当代译本 - 因为在基督耶稣里，受不受割礼根本无关紧要，借着爱表现出来的信心才至关重要。
圣经新译本 - 因为在基督耶稣里，受割礼或不受割礼，都没有用处，唯有那藉着爱表达出来的信，才有用处。
中文标准译本 - 因为在基督耶稣里，受割礼或不受割礼都没有用处，只有藉着爱行出来的信仰才有用处。
现代标点和合本 - 原来在基督耶稣里，受割礼不受割礼全无功效，唯独使人生发仁爱的信心才有功效。
和合本（拼音版） - 原来在基督耶稣里，受割礼不受割礼全无功效，惟独使人生发仁爱的信心才有功效。
New International Version - For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
New International Reader's Version - Circumcision and uncircumcision aren’t worth anything to those who believe in Christ Jesus. The only thing that really counts is faith that shows itself through love.
English Standard Version - For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.
New Living Translation - For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love.
Christian Standard Bible - For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision accomplishes anything; what matters is faith working through love.
New American Standard Bible - For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.
New King James Version - For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.
Amplified Bible - For [if we are] in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but only faith activated and expressed and working through love.
American Standard Version - For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith working through love.
King James Version - For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.
New English Translation - For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision carries any weight – the only thing that matters is faith working through love.
World English Bible - For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision amounts to anything, nor uncircumcision, but faith working through love.
新標點和合本 - 原來在基督耶穌裏，受割禮不受割禮全無功效，惟獨使人生發仁愛的信心才有功效。
和合本2010（上帝版-繁體） - 因為在基督耶穌裏，受割禮不受割禮都沒有功效，惟獨使人發出仁愛的信心才有功效。
和合本2010（神版-繁體） - 因為在基督耶穌裏，受割禮不受割禮都沒有功效，惟獨使人發出仁愛的信心才有功效。
當代譯本 - 因為在基督耶穌裡，受不受割禮根本無關緊要，藉著愛表現出來的信心才至關重要。
聖經新譯本 - 因為在基督耶穌裡，受割禮或不受割禮，都沒有用處，唯有那藉著愛表達出來的信，才有用處。
呂振中譯本 - 因為在基督耶穌裏、受割禮沒有效力，不受割禮也沒有效力，惟獨以愛力行的信才有效力。
中文標準譯本 - 因為在基督耶穌裡，受割禮或不受割禮都沒有用處，只有藉著愛行出來的信仰才有用處。
現代標點和合本 - 原來在基督耶穌裡，受割禮不受割禮全無功效，唯獨使人生發仁愛的信心才有功效。
文理和合譯本 - 於基督耶穌中、或割或否、皆無益、惟信之以愛而行者有益、
文理委辦譯本 - 蓋宗基督耶穌者、受割不受割、皆無益、惟信主而行仁者有益、
施約瑟淺文理新舊約聖經 - 信基督耶穌、受割禮不受割禮皆無益、惟使人行仁愛之信德有益、
吳經熊文理聖詠與新經全集 - 在基督道中、受割與否、無關宏旨、亦惟興於仁而立於信而已矣。
Nueva Versión Internacional - En Cristo Jesús de nada vale estar o no estar circuncidados; lo que vale es la fe que actúa mediante el amor.
현대인의 성경 - 그리스도 예수님 안에서는 할례를 받고 안 받는 것이 문제가 아니라 사랑으로 표현되는 믿음만이 중요합니다.
Новый Русский Перевод - Во Христе Иисусе не имеет значения ни обрезание, ни необрезание, и единственное, что решает все, – это вера, которая действует через любовь.
Восточный перевод - В единении с Исой Масихом не имеет значения ни обрезание, ни необрезание, и единственное, что решает всё, – это вера, которая действует через любовь.
Восточный перевод, версия с «Аллахом» - В единении с Исой аль-Масихом не имеет значения ни обрезание, ни необрезание, и единственное, что решает всё, – это вера, которая действует через любовь.
Восточный перевод, версия для Таджикистана - В единении с Исо Масехом не имеет значения ни обрезание, ни необрезание, и единственное, что решает всё, – это вера, которая действует через любовь.
La Bible du Semeur 2015 - Car pour ceux qui sont unis à Jésus-Christ, ce qui importe, ce n’est pas d’être circoncis ou incirconcis, c’est d’avoir la foi, une foi qui agit par amour.
リビングバイブル - キリストから永遠のいのちをいただいた私たちは、割礼を受けたかどうか、ユダヤ教の儀式を守っているかどうか、心配する必要はありません。私たちに必要なのは、愛によって働く信仰だけです。
Nestle Aland 28 - ἐν γὰρ Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ οὔτε περιτομή τι ἰσχύει οὔτε ἀκροβυστία ἀλλὰ πίστις δι’ ἀγάπης ἐνεργουμένη.
unfoldingWord® Greek New Testament - ἐν γὰρ Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, οὔτε περιτομή τι ἰσχύει, οὔτε ἀκροβυστία, ἀλλὰ πίστις δι’ ἀγάπης ἐνεργουμένη.
Nova Versão Internacional - Porque em Cristo Jesus nem circuncisão nem incircuncisão têm efeito algum, mas sim a fé que atua pelo amor.
Hoffnung für alle - Wenn wir mit Jesus Christus verbunden sind, ist es völlig gleich, ob wir beschnitten oder unbeschnitten sind. Bei ihm gilt allein der Glaube, der sich in Taten der Liebe zeigt.
Kinh Thánh Hiện Đại - Một khi Chúa Cứu Thế Giê-xu đã ban cho chúng ta sự sống vĩnh cửu, chúng ta không cần quan tâm đến việc chịu cắt bì hay không, giữ luật pháp hay không. Điều quan trọng là hành động do tình yêu thương, để chứng tỏ đức tin mình.
พระคริสตธรรมคัมภีร์ไทย ฉบับอมตธรรมร่วมสมัย - เพราะในพระเยซูคริสต์การเข้าสุหนัตหรือไม่เข้าสุหนัตก็ไม่มีค่าอันใด สิ่งเดียวที่สำคัญคือความเชื่ออันแสดงออกด้วยความรัก
พระคัมภีร์ ฉบับแปลใหม่ - ด้วยว่าในพระเยซูคริสต์ ไม่ว่าจะเข้าสุหนัตหรือไม่นั้น ไม่มีความหมายแต่อย่างใด สิ่งสำคัญคือ การมีความเชื่อซึ่งแสดงออกโดยความรัก

交叉引用

Romans 3:29 - And where does that leave our proud Jewish claim of having a corner on God? Also canceled. God is the God of outsider non-Jews as well as insider Jews. How could it be otherwise since there is only one God? God sets right all who welcome his action and enter into it, both those who follow our religious system and those who have never heard of our religion.
Romans 3:31 - But by shifting our focus from what we do to what God does, don’t we cancel out all our careful keeping of the rules and ways God commanded? Not at all. What happens, in fact, is that by putting that entire way of life in its proper place, we confirm it.
Hebrews 11:8 - By an act of faith, Abraham said yes to God’s call to travel to an unknown place that would become his home. When he left he had no idea where he was going. By an act of faith he lived in the country promised him, lived as a stranger camping in tents. Isaac and Jacob did the same, living under the same promise. Abraham did it by keeping his eye on an unseen city with real, eternal foundations—the City designed and built by God.
Galatians 5:2 - I am emphatic about this. The moment any one of you submits to circumcision or any other rule-keeping system, at that same moment Christ’s hard-won gift of freedom is squandered. I repeat my warning: The person who accepts the ways of circumcision trades all the advantages of the free life in Christ for the obligations of the slave life of the law.
Hebrews 11:17 - By faith, Abraham, at the time of testing, offered Isaac back to God. Acting in faith, he was as ready to return the promised son, his only son, as he had been to receive him—and this after he had already been told, “Your descendants shall come from Isaac.” Abraham figured that if God wanted to, he could raise the dead. In a sense, that’s what happened when he received Isaac back, alive from off the altar.
Galatians 3:28 - In Christ’s family there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. Among us you are all equal. That is, we are all in a common relationship with Jesus Christ. Also, since you are Christ’s family, then you are Abraham’s famous “descendant,” heirs according to the covenant promises.
Romans 2:25 - Circumcision, the surgical ritual that marks you as a Jew, is great if you live in accord with God’s law. But if you don’t, it’s worse than not being circumcised. The reverse is also true: The uncircumcised who keep God’s ways are as good as the circumcised—in fact, better. Better to keep God’s law uncircumcised than break it circumcised. Don’t you see: It’s not the cut of a knife that makes a Jew. You become a Jew by who you are. It’s the mark of God on your heart, not of a knife on your skin, that makes a Jew. And recognition comes from God, not legalistic critics. * * *
1 Peter 1:8 - You never saw him, yet you love him. You still don’t see him, yet you trust him—with laughter and singing. Because you kept on believing, you’ll get what you’re looking forward to: total salvation.
Matthew 25:31 - “When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left.
Matthew 25:34 - “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why: I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was homeless and you gave me a room, I was shivering and you gave me clothes, I was sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to me.’
Matthew 25:37 - “Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’
2 Corinthians 5:14 - Our firm decision is to work from this focused center: One man died for everyone. That puts everyone in the same boat. He included everyone in his death so that everyone could also be included in his life, a resurrection life, a far better life than people ever lived on their own.
1 John 3:14 - The way we know we’ve been transferred from death to life is that we love our brothers and sisters. Anyone who doesn’t love is as good as dead. Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know very well that eternal life and murder don’t go together.
1 John 3:16 - This is how we’ve come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed his life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves. If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God’s love? It disappears. And you made it disappear.
1 John 3:18 - My dear children, let’s not just talk about love; let’s practice real love. This is the only way we’ll know we’re living truly, living in God’s reality. It’s also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves.
James 2:14 - Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?
James 2:18 - I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, “Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I’ll handle the works department.” Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove.
James 2:19 - Do I hear you professing to believe in the one and only God, but then observe you complacently sitting back as if you had done something wonderful? That’s just great. Demons do that, but what good does it do them? Use your heads! Do you suppose for a minute that you can cut faith and works in two and not end up with a corpse on your hands?
James 2:21 - Wasn’t our ancestor Abraham “made right with God by works” when he placed his son Isaac on the sacrificial altar? Isn’t it obvious that faith and works are yoked partners, that faith expresses itself in works? That the works are “works of faith”? The full meaning of “believe” in the Scripture sentence, “Abraham believed God and was set right with God,” includes his action. It’s that weave of believing and acting that got Abraham named “God’s friend.” Is it not evident that a person is made right with God not by a barren faith but by faith fruitful in works?
James 2:25 - The same with Rahab, the Jericho harlot. Wasn’t her action in hiding God’s spies and helping them escape—that seamless unity of believing and doing—what counted with God? The very moment you separate body and spirit, you end up with a corpse. Separate faith and works and you get the same thing: a corpse.

逐节对照

交叉引用

新标点和合本 - 原来在基督耶稣里，受割礼不受割礼全无功效，惟独使人生发仁爱的信心才有功效。
和合本2010（上帝版-简体） - 因为在基督耶稣里，受割礼不受割礼都没有功效，惟独使人发出仁爱的信心才有功效。
和合本2010（神版-简体） - 因为在基督耶稣里，受割礼不受割礼都没有功效，惟独使人发出仁爱的信心才有功效。
当代译本 - 因为在基督耶稣里，受不受割礼根本无关紧要，借着爱表现出来的信心才至关重要。
圣经新译本 - 因为在基督耶稣里，受割礼或不受割礼，都没有用处，唯有那藉着爱表达出来的信，才有用处。
中文标准译本 - 因为在基督耶稣里，受割礼或不受割礼都没有用处，只有藉着爱行出来的信仰才有用处。
现代标点和合本 - 原来在基督耶稣里，受割礼不受割礼全无功效，唯独使人生发仁爱的信心才有功效。
和合本（拼音版） - 原来在基督耶稣里，受割礼不受割礼全无功效，惟独使人生发仁爱的信心才有功效。
New International Version - For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
New International Reader's Version - Circumcision and uncircumcision aren’t worth anything to those who believe in Christ Jesus. The only thing that really counts is faith that shows itself through love.
English Standard Version - For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.
New Living Translation - For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love.
Christian Standard Bible - For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision accomplishes anything; what matters is faith working through love.
New American Standard Bible - For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.
New King James Version - For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.
Amplified Bible - For [if we are] in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but only faith activated and expressed and working through love.
American Standard Version - For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith working through love.
King James Version - For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.
New English Translation - For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision carries any weight – the only thing that matters is faith working through love.
World English Bible - For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision amounts to anything, nor uncircumcision, but faith working through love.
新標點和合本 - 原來在基督耶穌裏，受割禮不受割禮全無功效，惟獨使人生發仁愛的信心才有功效。
和合本2010（上帝版-繁體） - 因為在基督耶穌裏，受割禮不受割禮都沒有功效，惟獨使人發出仁愛的信心才有功效。
和合本2010（神版-繁體） - 因為在基督耶穌裏，受割禮不受割禮都沒有功效，惟獨使人發出仁愛的信心才有功效。
當代譯本 - 因為在基督耶穌裡，受不受割禮根本無關緊要，藉著愛表現出來的信心才至關重要。
聖經新譯本 - 因為在基督耶穌裡，受割禮或不受割禮，都沒有用處，唯有那藉著愛表達出來的信，才有用處。
呂振中譯本 - 因為在基督耶穌裏、受割禮沒有效力，不受割禮也沒有效力，惟獨以愛力行的信才有效力。
中文標準譯本 - 因為在基督耶穌裡，受割禮或不受割禮都沒有用處，只有藉著愛行出來的信仰才有用處。
現代標點和合本 - 原來在基督耶穌裡，受割禮不受割禮全無功效，唯獨使人生發仁愛的信心才有功效。
文理和合譯本 - 於基督耶穌中、或割或否、皆無益、惟信之以愛而行者有益、
文理委辦譯本 - 蓋宗基督耶穌者、受割不受割、皆無益、惟信主而行仁者有益、
施約瑟淺文理新舊約聖經 - 信基督耶穌、受割禮不受割禮皆無益、惟使人行仁愛之信德有益、
吳經熊文理聖詠與新經全集 - 在基督道中、受割與否、無關宏旨、亦惟興於仁而立於信而已矣。
Nueva Versión Internacional - En Cristo Jesús de nada vale estar o no estar circuncidados; lo que vale es la fe que actúa mediante el amor.
현대인의 성경 - 그리스도 예수님 안에서는 할례를 받고 안 받는 것이 문제가 아니라 사랑으로 표현되는 믿음만이 중요합니다.
Новый Русский Перевод - Во Христе Иисусе не имеет значения ни обрезание, ни необрезание, и единственное, что решает все, – это вера, которая действует через любовь.
Восточный перевод - В единении с Исой Масихом не имеет значения ни обрезание, ни необрезание, и единственное, что решает всё, – это вера, которая действует через любовь.
Восточный перевод, версия с «Аллахом» - В единении с Исой аль-Масихом не имеет значения ни обрезание, ни необрезание, и единственное, что решает всё, – это вера, которая действует через любовь.
Восточный перевод, версия для Таджикистана - В единении с Исо Масехом не имеет значения ни обрезание, ни необрезание, и единственное, что решает всё, – это вера, которая действует через любовь.
La Bible du Semeur 2015 - Car pour ceux qui sont unis à Jésus-Christ, ce qui importe, ce n’est pas d’être circoncis ou incirconcis, c’est d’avoir la foi, une foi qui agit par amour.
リビングバイブル - キリストから永遠のいのちをいただいた私たちは、割礼を受けたかどうか、ユダヤ教の儀式を守っているかどうか、心配する必要はありません。私たちに必要なのは、愛によって働く信仰だけです。
Nestle Aland 28 - ἐν γὰρ Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ οὔτε περιτομή τι ἰσχύει οὔτε ἀκροβυστία ἀλλὰ πίστις δι’ ἀγάπης ἐνεργουμένη.
unfoldingWord® Greek New Testament - ἐν γὰρ Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, οὔτε περιτομή τι ἰσχύει, οὔτε ἀκροβυστία, ἀλλὰ πίστις δι’ ἀγάπης ἐνεργουμένη.
Nova Versão Internacional - Porque em Cristo Jesus nem circuncisão nem incircuncisão têm efeito algum, mas sim a fé que atua pelo amor.
Hoffnung für alle - Wenn wir mit Jesus Christus verbunden sind, ist es völlig gleich, ob wir beschnitten oder unbeschnitten sind. Bei ihm gilt allein der Glaube, der sich in Taten der Liebe zeigt.
Kinh Thánh Hiện Đại - Một khi Chúa Cứu Thế Giê-xu đã ban cho chúng ta sự sống vĩnh cửu, chúng ta không cần quan tâm đến việc chịu cắt bì hay không, giữ luật pháp hay không. Điều quan trọng là hành động do tình yêu thương, để chứng tỏ đức tin mình.
พระคริสตธรรมคัมภีร์ไทย ฉบับอมตธรรมร่วมสมัย - เพราะในพระเยซูคริสต์การเข้าสุหนัตหรือไม่เข้าสุหนัตก็ไม่มีค่าอันใด สิ่งเดียวที่สำคัญคือความเชื่ออันแสดงออกด้วยความรัก
พระคัมภีร์ ฉบับแปลใหม่ - ด้วยว่าในพระเยซูคริสต์ ไม่ว่าจะเข้าสุหนัตหรือไม่นั้น ไม่มีความหมายแต่อย่างใด สิ่งสำคัญคือ การมีความเชื่อซึ่งแสดงออกโดยความรัก

Romans 3:29 - And where does that leave our proud Jewish claim of having a corner on God? Also canceled. God is the God of outsider non-Jews as well as insider Jews. How could it be otherwise since there is only one God? God sets right all who welcome his action and enter into it, both those who follow our religious system and those who have never heard of our religion.
Romans 3:31 - But by shifting our focus from what we do to what God does, don’t we cancel out all our careful keeping of the rules and ways God commanded? Not at all. What happens, in fact, is that by putting that entire way of life in its proper place, we confirm it.
Hebrews 11:8 - By an act of faith, Abraham said yes to God’s call to travel to an unknown place that would become his home. When he left he had no idea where he was going. By an act of faith he lived in the country promised him, lived as a stranger camping in tents. Isaac and Jacob did the same, living under the same promise. Abraham did it by keeping his eye on an unseen city with real, eternal foundations—the City designed and built by God.
Galatians 5:2 - I am emphatic about this. The moment any one of you submits to circumcision or any other rule-keeping system, at that same moment Christ’s hard-won gift of freedom is squandered. I repeat my warning: The person who accepts the ways of circumcision trades all the advantages of the free life in Christ for the obligations of the slave life of the law.
Hebrews 11:17 - By faith, Abraham, at the time of testing, offered Isaac back to God. Acting in faith, he was as ready to return the promised son, his only son, as he had been to receive him—and this after he had already been told, “Your descendants shall come from Isaac.” Abraham figured that if God wanted to, he could raise the dead. In a sense, that’s what happened when he received Isaac back, alive from off the altar.
Galatians 3:28 - In Christ’s family there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. Among us you are all equal. That is, we are all in a common relationship with Jesus Christ. Also, since you are Christ’s family, then you are Abraham’s famous “descendant,” heirs according to the covenant promises.
Romans 2:25 - Circumcision, the surgical ritual that marks you as a Jew, is great if you live in accord with God’s law. But if you don’t, it’s worse than not being circumcised. The reverse is also true: The uncircumcised who keep God’s ways are as good as the circumcised—in fact, better. Better to keep God’s law uncircumcised than break it circumcised. Don’t you see: It’s not the cut of a knife that makes a Jew. You become a Jew by who you are. It’s the mark of God on your heart, not of a knife on your skin, that makes a Jew. And recognition comes from God, not legalistic critics. * * *
1 Peter 1:8 - You never saw him, yet you love him. You still don’t see him, yet you trust him—with laughter and singing. Because you kept on believing, you’ll get what you’re looking forward to: total salvation.
Matthew 25:31 - “When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left.
Matthew 25:34 - “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why: I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was homeless and you gave me a room, I was shivering and you gave me clothes, I was sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to me.’
Matthew 25:37 - “Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’
2 Corinthians 5:14 - Our firm decision is to work from this focused center: One man died for everyone. That puts everyone in the same boat. He included everyone in his death so that everyone could also be included in his life, a resurrection life, a far better life than people ever lived on their own.
1 John 3:14 - The way we know we’ve been transferred from death to life is that we love our brothers and sisters. Anyone who doesn’t love is as good as dead. Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know very well that eternal life and murder don’t go together.
1 John 3:16 - This is how we’ve come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed his life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves. If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God’s love? It disappears. And you made it disappear.
1 John 3:18 - My dear children, let’s not just talk about love; let’s practice real love. This is the only way we’ll know we’re living truly, living in God’s reality. It’s also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves.
James 2:14 - Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?
James 2:18 - I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, “Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I’ll handle the works department.” Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove.
James 2:19 - Do I hear you professing to believe in the one and only God, but then observe you complacently sitting back as if you had done something wonderful? That’s just great. Demons do that, but what good does it do them? Use your heads! Do you suppose for a minute that you can cut faith and works in two and not end up with a corpse on your hands?
James 2:21 - Wasn’t our ancestor Abraham “made right with God by works” when he placed his son Isaac on the sacrificial altar? Isn’t it obvious that faith and works are yoked partners, that faith expresses itself in works? That the works are “works of faith”? The full meaning of “believe” in the Scripture sentence, “Abraham believed God and was set right with God,” includes his action. It’s that weave of believing and acting that got Abraham named “God’s friend.” Is it not evident that a person is made right with God not by a barren faith but by faith fruitful in works?
James 2:25 - The same with Rahab, the Jericho harlot. Wasn’t her action in hiding God’s spies and helping them escape—that seamless unity of believing and doing—what counted with God? The very moment you separate body and spirit, you end up with a corpse. Separate faith and works and you get the same thing: a corpse.