| Inside the Scriptures
Jesus [Chapter 1]
13 "Enter God's kingdom through the narrow gate. The gate is large and the road is wide that leads to death and hell. Many people go that way. 14 But the gate is small and the road is narrow that lead to life. Only a few people find it. [Matthew 7]
7 Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water." So they filled them to the top. 8 Then he told them, "Now dip some out. Take it to the person in charge of the dinner." They did what he said. 9 The person in charge tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He didn't realize where it had come from. But the servants who had brought the water knew. Then the person in charge called the groom to one side. 10 He said to him, "Everyone brings out the best wine first. They bring out the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink. But you have saved the best until now." 11 That was the first of Jesus' miraculous signs. He did it at Cana in Galilee. Jesus showed his glory by doing it. And his disciples put their faith in him. [John 2]
46 He told them, This is what is written. The Christ will suffer. He will rise from the dead on the third day. 47 His followers will preach in his name. They will tell others to turn away from their sins and be forgiven. People from every nation will hear it, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You have seen these things with your own eyes. [Luke 24]
7 There are three that give witness about Jesus. 8 They are the Holy Spirit, the baptism of Jesus and his death. And the three of them agree. 9 We accept the witness of people. But the witness of God is more important because it is God who gives it. He has given witness about his Son. 10 Those who believe in the Son of God have accepted that witness in their hearts. Those who do not believe God's witness are calling him a liar. That's because they have not believed his witness about his Son. 11 Here is God's witness. He has given us eternal life. That life is found in his Son. 12 Those who belong to the Son have life. Those who do not belong to the Son of God do not have life. 13 I'm writing these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God. I'm doing it so you will know that you have eternal life. [1 John 5]
The Resurrection [Subsection of Chapter 1]
11 While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city. They reported to the chief priests all that had happened. 12 When the chief priests met with the elders, they came up with a plan. They gave the soldiers a large amount of money. 13 They told the soldiers, "We want you to say, 'His disciples came during the night. They stole his body while we were sleeping.' 14 If the governor hears this report, we will pay him off. That will keep you out of trouble." 15 So the soldiers took the money and did as they were told. This story has spread all around among the Jews to this very day. [Matthew 28]
Anti Christ [Subsection of Chapter 1]
1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit. Put the spirits to the test to see if they belong to God. Many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 How can you recognize the Spirit of God? Every spirit that agrees that Jesus Christ came in a human body belongs to God. 3 But every spirit that doesn't agree with this does not belong to God. It is the spirit of the great enemy of Christ. You have heard that the enemy is coming. Even now he is already in the world. 4 Dear children, you belong to God. You have not accepted the teachings of the false prophets. That's because the One who is in you is more powerful than the one who is in the world. 5 False prophets belong to the world. So they speak from the world's point of view. The world listens to them. 6 We belong to God. And those who know God listen to us. But those who don't belong to God don't listen to us. That's how we can tell the difference between the Spirit of truth and the spirit of lies. [1 John 4]
Holy Spirit [Chapter 2]
26 In the same way, the Holy Spirit helps us when we are weak. We don't know what we should pray for. But the Spirit himself prays for us. He prays with groans too deep for words. 27 God, who looks into our hearts, knows the mind of the Spirit. And the Spirit prays for God's people just as God wants him to pray. 28 We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him. He appointed them to be saved in keeping with his purpose. 29 God planned that those he had chosen would become like his Son. In that way, Christ will be the first and most honored among many brothers. 30 And those God has planned for he has also appointed to be saved. Those he has appointed, he has made right with himself. To those he has made right with himself, he has given his glory. [Romans 8]
Heaven [Chapter 3]
1 I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth were completely gone. There was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem. It was coming down out of heaven from God. It was prepared like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 I heard a loud voice from the throne. It said, "Now God makes his home with people. He will live with them. They will be his people. And God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or sadness. There will be no more crying or pain. Things are no longer the way they used to be." 5 He who was sitting on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down. You can trust these words. They are true." 6 He said to me, "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last. I am the Beginning and the End. Anyone who is thirsty may drink from the spring of the water of life. It doesn't cost anything! 7 Anyone who overcomes will receive all this from me. I will be his God, and he will be my child. 8 "But others will have their place in the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. Those who are afraid and those who do not believe will be there. Murderers and those who pollute themselves will join them. Those who commit sexual sins and those who practice witchcraft will go there. Those who worship statues of gods and all who tell lies will be there too. It is the second death." [Revelation 21]
1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life. It was as clear as crystal. It flowed from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 It fl owed down the middle of the city's main street. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing 12 crops of fruit. Its fruit was ripe every month. The leaves of the tree bring healing to the nations. 3 There will no longer be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city. God's servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face. His name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun. The Lord God will give them light. They will rule forever and ever. 6 The angel said to me, "You can trust these words. They are true. The Lord is the God of the spirits of the prophets. He sent his angel to show those who serve him the things that must soon take place." [Revelation 22]
Belief [Chapter 4]
35 Who can separate us from Christ's love? Can trouble or hard times or harm or hunger? Can nakedness or danger or war? 36 It is written, "Because of you, we face death all day long. We are considered as sheep to be killed." (Psalm 44:22) 37 No! In all these things we will do even more than win! We owe it all to Christ, who has loved us. 38 I am absolutely sure that not even death or life can separate us from God's love. Not even angels or demons, the present or the future, or any powers can do that. 39 Not even the highest places or the lowest, or anything else in all creation can do that. Nothing at all can ever separate us from God's love because of what Christ Jesus our Lord has done. [Romans 8]
1 You were living in your sins and lawless ways. But in fact you were dead. 2 You used to live as sinners when you followed the ways of this world. You served the one who rules over the spiritual forces of evil. He is the spirit who is now at work in those who don't obey God. 3 At one time we all lived among them. We tried to satisfy what our sinful nature wanted to do. We followed its longings and thoughts. God was angry with us and everyone else because of the kind of people we were. 4 But God loves us deeply. He is full of mercy. 5 So he gave us new life because of what Christ has done. He gave us life even when we were dead in sin. God's grace has saved you. 6 God raised us up with Christ. He has seated us with him in his heavenly kingdom because we belong to Christ Jesus. 7 He has done it to show the riches of his grace for all time to come. His grace can't be compared with anything else. He has shown it by being kind to us because of what Christ Jesus has done. 8 God's grace has saved you because of your faith in Christ. Your salvation doesn't come from anything you do. It is God's gift. 9 It is not based on anything you have done. No one can brag about earning it. 10 God made us. He created us to belong to Christ Jesus. Now we can do good things. Long ago God prepared them for us to do. [Ephesians 2]
Prayer [Chapter 5]
5 When you pray, do not be like those who only pretend to be holy. They love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners. They want to be seen by others. What I'm about to tell you is true. They have received their complete reward. 6 When you pray, go into your room. Close the door and pray to your Father, who can't be seen. He will reward you. Your Father sees what is done secretly. 7 "When you pray, do not keep talking on and on the way ungodly people do. They think they will be heard because they talk a lot. 8 Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need even before you ask him. [Matthew 6]
Love [Chapter 6]
4 Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not want what belongs to others. It does not brag. It is not proud. 5 It is not rude. It does not look out for its own interests. It does not easily become angry. It does not keep track of other people's wrongs. 6 Love is not happy with evil. But it is full of joy when the truth is spoken. 7 It always protects. It always trusts. It always hopes. It never gives up. 8 Love never fails. But prophecy will pass away. Speaking in languages that had not been known before will end. And knowledge will pass away. [1 Corinthians 13]
Ministry [Chapter 7]
42 The believers studied what the apostles taught. They shared life together. They broke bread and ate together. And they prayed. 43 Everyone felt that God was near. The apostles did many wonders and miraculous signs. 44 All the believers were together. They shared everything they had. 45 They sold what they owned. They gave each other everything they needed. 46 Every day they met together in the temple courtyard. In their homes they broke bread and ate together. Their hearts were glad and honest and true. 47 They praised God. They were respected by all the people. Every day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved. [Acts 2]
Giving [Chapter 8]
32 All the believers were agreed in heart and mind. They didn't claim that anything they had was their own. They shared everything they owned. 33 With great power the apostles continued their teaching. They gave witness that the Lord Jesus had risen from the dead. And they were greatly blessed by God. 34 There were no needy persons among them. From time to time, those who owned land or houses sold them. They brought the money from the sales. 35 They put it down at the apostles' feet. It was then given out to anyone who needed it. [Acts 4]
Governance [Chapter 9]
1 Suppose one of you wants to bring a charge against another believer. Should you take it to the ungodly to be judged? Why not take it to God's people? 2 Don't you know that God's people will judge the world? And if you are going to judge the world, aren't you able to judge small cases? 3 Don't you know that we will judge angels? Then we should be able to judge the things of this life even more! 4 So if you want to press charges in matters like that, appoint as judges members of the church who aren't very important! 5 I say this to shame you. Is it possible that no one among you is wise enough to judge matters between believers? 6 Instead, one believer goes to court against another. And this happens in front of unbelievers! 7 The very fact that you take another believer to court means you have lost the battle. Why not be treated wrongly? Why not be cheated? 8 Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong. And you do it to your brothers and sisters. [1 Corinthians 6]
Race Relations [Subsection of Chapter 9]
18 Slaves, obey your masters with all the respect you should give them. Obey not only those who are good and kind. Obey also those who are not kind. 19 Suppose a person suffers pain unfairly because he wants to obey God. That is worthy of praise. 20 But suppose you receive a beating for doing wrong, and you put up with it. Will anyone honor you for that? Of course not, But suppose you suffer for doing good, and you put up with it. God will praise you for that. 21 Christ suffered for you. He left you an example. He expects you to follow in his steps. You too were chosen to suffer. 22 Scripture says, "He didn't commit any sin. No lies ever came out of his mouth." —(Isaiah 53:9) 23 People shouted at him and made fun of him. But he didn't do the same back to them. He suffered. But he didn't say that bad things would happen to them. Instead, he trusted in the One who judges fairly. 24 He himself carried our sins in his body on the cross. He did it so that we would die as far as sins are concerned. Then we would lead godly lives. His wounds have made you whole. 25 You were like sheep who were wandering away. But now you have returned to the Shepherd. He is the Leader of your souls. [1 Peter 2]
Earth Revelation [Subsection of Chapter 9]
15 Do not love the world or anything in it. If you love the world, love for the Father is not in you. 16 Here is what people who belong to this world do. They try to satisfy what their sinful natures want to do. They long for what their sinful eyes look at. They brag about what they have and what they do. All of this comes from the world. It doesn't come from the Father. 17 The world and its evil longings are passing away. But those who do what God wants them to do live forever. [1 John 2]
Family [Chapter 10]
49 "I have come to bring fire on the earth. How I wish the fire had already started! 50 But I have a baptism of suffering to go through. And I will be very troubled until it is completed. 51 "Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you. I have come to separate people. 52 From now on there will be five members in a family, each one against the other. There will be three against two and two against three. 53 They will be separated. Father will turn against son and son against father. Mother will turn against daughter and daughter against mother. Mother-in-law will turn against daughter-in-law and daughter-in law against mother-in-law." [Luke 12]
34 "Do not think that I came to bring peace to the earth. I didn't come to bring peace. I came to bring a sword. 35 I have come to turn sons against their fathers. Daughters will (Micah 7:6)37 Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. Anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And anyone who does not pick up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 If anyone finds his life, he will lose it. If anyone loses his life because of me, he will find it." [Matthew 10]
Marriage [Subsection of Chapter 10]
14 Do not be joined to unbelievers. What do right and wrong have in common? Can light and darkness be friends? 15 How can Christ and Satan agree? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16 How can the temple of the true God and the statues of other gods agree? We are the temple of the living God. God has said, "I will live with them. I will walk among them. I will be their God. And they will be my people."—(Leviticus 26:12; Jeremiah 32:38; Ezekiel 37:27) 17 "So come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch anything that is not pure and clean. Then I will receive you." —(Isaiah 52:11; Ezekiel 20:34,41) 18 "I will be your Father. You will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord who rules over all."—(2 Samuel 7:14; 7:8) [2 Corinthians 6]
1 Wives, follow the lead of your husbands. Suppose some of them don't believe God's word. Then let them be won to Christ without words by seeing how their wives behave. 2 Let them see how pure you are. Let them see that your lives are full of respect for God. 3 Braiding your hair doesn't make you beautiful. Wearing gold jewelry or fine clothes doesn't make you beautiful. 4 Instead, your beauty comes from inside you. It is the beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit. Beauty like that doesn't fade away. God places great value on it. 5 This is how the holy women of the past used to make themselves beautiful. They put their hope in God. And they followed the lead of their own husbands. 6 Sarah was like that. She obeyed Abraham. She called him her master. Do you want to be like her? Then do what is right. And don't give in to fear. 7 Husbands, take good care of your wives. They are weaker than you. So treat them with respect. Honor them as those who will share with you the gracious gift of life. Then nothing will stand in the way of your prayers. [1 Peter 3]
Children [Subsection of Chapter 10]
22 Run away from the evil things that young people long for. Try hard to do what is right. Have faith, love and peace. Do these things together with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. 23 Don't have anything to do with arguing. It is dumb and foolish. You know it only leads to fights. 24 Anyone who serves the Lord must not fight. Instead, he must be kind to everyone. He must be able to teach. He must not hold anything against anyone. 25 He must gently teach those who oppose him. Maybe God will give a change of heart to those who are against you. That will lead them to know the truth. 26 Maybe they will come to their senses. Maybe they will escape the devil's trap. He has taken them prisoner to do what he wanted. [2 Timothy 2]
1 Children, obey your parents as believers in the Lord. Obey them because it's the right thing to do. 2 Scripture says, "Honor your father and mother." That is the first commandment that has a promise. 3 "Then things will go well with you. You will live a long time on the earth." (Deuteronomy 5:16) 4 Fathers, don't make your children angry. Instead, train them and teach them the ways of the Lord as you raise them. [Ephesians 6]
Ways [Chapter 11]
4 There must not be any unclean speech or foolish talk or dirty jokes. All of them are out of place. Instead, you should give thanks. 5 Here is what you can be sure of. Those who give themselves over to sexual sins are lost. So are people whose lives are not pure. The same is true of those who always want more and more. People who do those things might as well worship statues of gods. No one who does them will receive a share in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Don't let anyone fool you with words that don't mean anything. Because of things like that, God is angry with those who don't obey. 7 So don't go along with people like that. [Ephesians 5]
23 Stop drinking only water. If your stomach is upset, drink a little wine. It can also help the other sicknesses you often have. 24 The sins of some people are easy to see. They are already being judged. Others will be judged later. 25 In the same way, good works are easy to see. But even good works that are hard to see can't stay hidden. [1 Timothy 5]
18 God shows his anger from heaven. It is against all the godless and evil things people do. They are so evil that they say no to the truth. 19 The truth about God is plain to them. God has made it plain. 20 Ever since the world was created it has been possible to see the qualities of God that are not seen. I'm talking about his eternal power and about the fact that he is God. Those things can be seen in what he has made. So people have no excuse for what they do. 21 They knew God. But they didn't honor him as God. They didn't thank him. Their thinking became worthless. Their foolish hearts became dark. 22 They claimed to be wise. But they made fools of themselves. 23 They would rather have statues of gods than the glorious God who lives forever. Their statues of gods are made to look like people, birds, animals and reptiles. 24 So God let them go. He allowed them to do what their sinful hearts wanted to. He let them commit sexual sins. They polluted one another's bodies by what they did. 25 They chose a lie instead of God's truth. They worshiped and served created things. They didn't worship the Creator. But he must be praised forever. Amen. 26 So God let them go. They were filled with shameful longings. Their women committed sexual acts that were not natural. 27 In the same way, the men turned away from their natural love for women. They burned with sexual longing for each other. Men did shameful things with other men. They suffered in their bodies for all the twisted things they did. 28 They didn't think it was important to know God. So God let them go. He allowed them to have dirty minds. They did things they shouldn't do. 29 They are full of every kind of sin, evil and ungodliness. They want more than they need. They commit murder. They want what belongs to other people. They fight and cheat. They hate others. They say mean things about other people. 30 They tell lies about them. They hate God. They are rude and proud. They brag. They think of new ways to do evil. They don't obey their parents. 31 They are foolish. They can't be trusted. They are not loving and kind. 32 They know that God's commands are right. They know that those who do evil things should die. But they continue to do those very things. They also approve of others who do them. [Romans 1]
Money [Chapter 12]
3 Suppose someone teaches ideas that are false. He doesn't agree with the true teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ. He doesn't agree with godly teaching. 4 People like that are proud. They don't understand anything. They like to argue more than they should. They can't agree about what words mean. All of that results in wanting what others have. It causes fighting, harmful talk, and evil distrust. 5 It stirs up trouble all the time among people whose minds are twisted by sin. The truth they once had has been taken away from them. They think they can get rich by being godly. 6 You gain a lot when you live a godly life. But you must be happy with what you have. 7 We didn't bring anything into the world. We can't take anything out of it. 8 If we have food and clothing, we will be happy with that. 9 People who want to get rich are tempted. They fall into a trap. They are tripped up by wanting many foolish and harmful things. Those who live like that are dragged down by what they do. They are destroyed and die. 10 Love for money causes all kinds of evil. Some people want to get rich. They have wandered away from the faith. They have wounded themselves with many sorrows. [1 Timothy 6]
24 "But how terrible it will be for you who are rich! You have already had your easy life. 25 How terrible for you who are well fed now! You will go hungry. How terrible for you who laugh now! You will cry and be sad. 26 How terrible for you when everyone says good things about you! Their people treated the false prophets the same way long ago. [Luke 6]
Knowledge [Chapter 13]
"The wisdom of this world is foolish in God's eyes. It is written, "God catches wise people in their own tricks." It is also written, "The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise don't amount to anything." [1 Corinthians 3:19-20]
13 Are any of you wise and understanding? You should show it by living a good life. Wise people aren't proud when they do good works. 14 But suppose your hearts are jealous and bitter. Suppose you are concerned only about getting ahead. Don't brag about it. Don't say no to the truth. 15 Wisdom like that doesn't come down from heaven. It belongs to the earth. It doesn't come from the Holy Spirit. It comes from the devil. 16 Are you jealous? Are you concerned only about getting ahead? Then your life will be a mess. You will be doing all kinds of evil things. 17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is pure. That's the most important thing about it. And that's not all. It also loves peace. It thinks about others. It obeys. It is full of mercy and good fruit. It is fair. It doesn't pretend to be what it is not. 18 Those who make peace should plant peace like a seed. If they do, it will produce a crop of right living. [James 3]
Old Testament [Chapter 14]
10 The glory of the old covenant is nothing compared with the far greater glory of the new. 11 The glory of the old is fading away. How much greater is the glory of the new! It will last forever. 12 Since we have that kind of hope, we are very bold. 13 We are not like Moses. He used to cover his face with a veil. That was to keep the people of Israel from looking at his face while the brightness was fading away. 14 But their minds were made stubborn. To this very day, the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. The veil has not been removed. Only faith in Christ can take it away. [2 Corinthians 3]
Last Days [Chapter 15]
1 Here is what I want you to know. There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will love themselves. They will love money. They will brag and be proud. They will tear others down. They will not obey their parents. They won't be thankful or holy. 3 They won't love others. They won't forgive others. They will tell lies about people. They will be out of control. They will be wild. They will hate what is good. 4 They will turn against their friends. They will act without thinking. They will think they are better than others. They will love what pleases them instead of loving God. 5 They will act as if they were serving God. But what they do will show that they have turned their backs on God's power. Have nothing to do with those people. 6 They are the kind who worm their way into the homes of silly women. They get control over them. Women like that are loaded down with sins. They give in to all kinds of evil longings. 7 They are always learning. But they never come to know the truth. 8 Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses. In the same way, the teachers I'm talking about oppose the truth. Their minds are twisted. As far as the faith is concerned, God doesn't accept them. [2 Timothy 3]
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