They both lived good lives in God's sight and obeyed fully all the Lord's laws and commands.

He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be faultless on the Day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

in order to present the church to himself in all its beauty---pure and faultless, without spot or wrinkle or any other imperfection.

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.

A church leader must be without fault; he must have only one wife, be sober, self-controlled, and orderly; he must welcome strangers in his home; he must be able to teach;

They should be tested first, and then, if they pass the test, they are to serve.

Give them these instructions, so that no one will find fault with them.

an elder must be without fault; he must have only one wife, and his children must be believers and not have the reputation of being wild or disobedient.

And so, my friends, as you wait for that Day, do your best to be pure and faultless in God's sight and to be at peace with him.

"Listen! I am sending you out just like sheep to a pack of wolves. You must be as cautious as snakes and as gentle as doves.

Everyone has heard of your loyalty to the gospel, and for this reason I am happy about you. I want you to be wise about what is good, but innocent in what is evil.

Jesus, then, is the High Priest that meets our needs. He is holy; he has no fault or sin in him; he has been set apart from sinners and raised above the heavens.

so that you will be able to choose what is best. Then you will be free from all impurity and blame on the Day of Christ.

so that you may become the children of your Father in heaven. For he makes his sun to shine on bad and good people alike, and gives rain to those who do good and to those who do evil.

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

No! Love your enemies and do good to them; lend and expect nothing back. You will then have a great reward, and you will be children of the Most High God. For he is good to the ungrateful and the wicked.

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.

Since you are God's dear children, you must try to be like him.

Your life must be controlled by love, just as Christ loved us and gave his life for us as a sweet-smelling offering and sacrifice that pleases God.

So have nothing at all to do with such people.

Be obedient to God, and do not allow your lives to be shaped by those desires you had when you were still ignorant.

The scripture says, "Be holy because I am holy."

But you are the chosen race, the King's priests, the holy nation, God's own people, chosen to proclaim the wonderful acts of God, who called you out of darkness into his own marvelous light.

See how much the Father has loved us! His love is so great that we are called God's children---and so, in fact, we are. This is why the world does not know us: it has not known God.

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

So I would prefer that the younger widows get married, have children, and take care of their homes, so as to give our enemies no chance of speaking evil of us.

Rebuke publicly all those who commit sins, so that the rest may be afraid.

or steal from them. Instead, they must show that they are always good and faithful, so as to bring credit to the teaching about God our Savior in all they do.

Teach these things and use your full authority as you encourage and rebuke your hearers. Let none of them look down on you.

Listen! As for that group that belongs to Satan, those liars who claim that they are Jews but are not, I will make them come and bow down at your feet. They will all know that I love you.

But you are unfaithful, unworthy to be his people, a sinful and deceitful nation.

Here the kings of Israel sat to judge their people.

Jesus answered, "How unbelieving and wrong you people are! How long must I stay with you? How long do I have to put up with you? Bring the boy here to me!"

The time will come when some men from your own group will tell lies to lead the believers away after them.

Your conduct among the heathen should be so good that when they accuse you of being evildoers, they will have to recognize your good deeds and so praise God on the Day of his coming.

Arise, Jerusalem, and shine like the sun; The glory of the LORD is shining on you!

"You are like light for the whole world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid.

In the same way your light must shine before people, so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.

John was like a lamp, burning and shining, and you were willing for a while to enjoy his light.

You yourselves used to be in the darkness, but since you have become the Lord's people, you are in the light. So you must live like people who belong to the light,