so that it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. This life that I live now, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave his life for me.

Since Christ suffered physically, you too must strengthen yourselves with the same way of thinking that he had; because whoever suffers physically is no longer involved with sin.

From now on, then, you must live the rest of your earthly lives controlled by God's will and not by human desires.

The weapons we use in our fight are not the world's weapons but God's powerful weapons, which we use to destroy strongholds. We destroy false arguments;

For if you live according to your human nature, you are going to die; but if by the Spirit you put to death your sinful actions, you will live.

Timothy, my child, I entrust to you this command, which is in accordance with the words of prophecy spoken in the past about you. Use those words as weapons in order to fight well,

Take your part in suffering, as a loyal soldier of Christ Jesus.

A soldier on active duty wants to please his commanding officer and so does not get mixed up in the affairs of civilian life.

I have done my best in the race, I have run the full distance, and I have kept the faith.

As for us, we have this large crowd of witnesses around us. So then, let us rid ourselves of everything that gets in the way, and of the sin which holds on to us so tightly, and let us run with determination the race that lies before us.