for it is he who is the "Yes" to all of God's promises. This is why through Jesus Christ our "Amen" is said to the glory of God.

And so the Lord says, "You must leave them and separate yourselves from them. Have nothing to do with what is unclean, and I will accept you.

I will be your father, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."

Law was introduced in order to increase wrongdoing; but where sin increased, God's grace increased much more.

So then, just as sin ruled by means of death, so also God's grace rules by means of righteousness, leading us to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

What shall we say, then? Should we continue to live in sin so that God's grace will increase?

For surely you know that when we were baptized into union with Christ Jesus, we were baptized into union with his death.

For since we have become one with him in dying as he did, in the same way we shall be one with him by being raised to life as he was.

For when we die, we are set free from the power of sin.

For we know that Christ has been raised from death and will never die again---death will no longer rule over him.

In the same way you are to think of yourselves as dead, so far as sin is concerned, but living in fellowship with God through Christ Jesus.

Now, God has offered us the promise that we may receive that rest he spoke about. Let us take care, then, that none of you will be found to have failed to receive that promised rest.

In this way he has given us the very great and precious gifts he promised, so that by means of these gifts you may escape from the destructive lust that is in the world, and may come to share the divine nature.

to your knowledge add self-control; to your self-control add endurance; to your endurance add godliness;

These are the qualities you need, and if you have them in abundance, they will make you active and effective in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Create a pure heart in me, O God, and put a new and loyal spirit in me.

How can young people keep their lives pure? By obeying your commands.

Can anyone really say that his conscience is clear, that he has gotten rid of his sin?

There are people who think they are pure when they are as filthy as they can be.

Wash yourselves clean. Stop all this evil that I see you doing. Yes, stop doing evil

He has seen you do the things he hates. He has seen you go after pagan gods on the hills and in the fields, like a man lusting after his neighbor's wife or like a stallion after a mare. People of Jerusalem, you are doomed! When will you ever be pure?

"Now I, the Sovereign LORD, am telling you Israelites that I will judge each of you by what you have done. Turn away from all the evil you are doing, and don't let your sin destroy you.

I do not want anyone to die," says the Sovereign LORD. "Turn away from your sins and live."

I will sprinkle clean water on you and make you clean from all your idols and everything else that has defiled you.

I will give you a new heart and a new mind. I will take away your stubborn heart of stone and give you an obedient heart.

"Happy are the pure in heart; they will see God!

"To have good fruit you must have a healthy tree; if you have a poor tree, you will have bad fruit. A tree is known by the kind of fruit it bears.

"How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You clean the outside of your cup and plate, while the inside is full of what you have gotten by violence and selfishness.

Blind Pharisee! Clean what is inside the cup first, and then the outside will be clean too!

So the Lord said to him, "Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of your cup and plate, but inside you are full of violence and evil.

Fools! Did not God, who made the outside, also make the inside?

For God has revealed his grace for the salvation of all people.

as we wait for the blessed Day we hope for, when the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ will appear.

Come near to God, and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners! Purify your hearts, you hypocrites!

Now that by your obedience to the truth you have purified yourselves and have come to have a sincere love for other believers, love one another earnestly with all your heart.

I appeal to you, my friends, as strangers and refugees in this world! Do not give in to bodily passions, which are always at war against the soul.

But if we live in the light---just as he is in the light---then we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from every sin.

But if we confess our sins to God, he will keep his promise and do what is right: he will forgive us our sins and purify us from all our wrongdoing.

Everyone who has this hope in Christ keeps himself pure, just as Christ is pure.

Let the wicked leave their way of life and change their way of thinking. Let them turn to the LORD, our God; he is merciful and quick to forgive.

Jerusalem, wash the evil from your heart, so that you may be saved. How long will you go on thinking sinful thoughts?

he bought you for a price. So use your bodies for God's glory.

Actually all of us were like them and lived according to our natural desires, doing whatever suited the wishes of our own bodies and minds. In our natural condition we, like everyone else, were destined to suffer God's anger.

May the God who gives us peace make you holy in every way and keep your whole being---spirit, soul, and body---free from every fault at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

You must be perfect---just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

He did this to prepare all God's people for the work of Christian service, in order to build up the body of Christ.

And so we shall all come together to that oneness in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God; we shall become mature people, reaching to the very height of Christ's full stature.

I do not claim that I have already succeeded or have already become perfect. I keep striving to win the prize for which Christ Jesus has already won me to himself.

So I run straight toward the goal in order to win the prize, which is God's call through Christ Jesus to the life above.

In this way he will strengthen you, and you will be perfect and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all who belong to him.

God did not call us to live in immorality, but in holiness.

You have come to the joyful gathering of God's first-born, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, who is the judge of all people, and to the spirits of good people made perfect.

But after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who calls you to share his eternal glory in union with Christ, will himself perfect you and give you firmness, strength, and a sure foundation.

He gave them the following instructions: "You must perform your duties in reverence for the LORD, faithfully obeying him in everything you do.

Reverence for the LORD is good; it will continue forever. The judgments of the LORD are just; they are always fair.

To honor the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil ways and false words.

Be loyal and faithful, and God will forgive your sin. Obey the LORD and nothing evil will happen to you.

And so it was that the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had a time of peace. Through the help of the Holy Spirit it was strengthened and grew in numbers, as it lived in reverence for the Lord.

Let us be thankful, then, because we receive a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Let us be grateful and worship God in a way that will please him, with reverence and awe;