\{The Lord prepared for battle\}.\par The Lord put on\par the armor of goodness,\par the helmet of salvation,\par the clothes of punishment,\par the coat of strong love. {\cf2\super [448]} \par
The followers went everywhere in the world and told the Good News {\cf2\super [243]} to people. And the Lord helped them. The Lord proved that the Good News they told people was true. He proved this by giving the followers power to do miracles. {\cf2\super [244]}
It is true that Christ was weak when he was killed on the cross. But he lives now by God’s power. And it is true that we are weak in Christ. But for you we will be alive in Christ by God’s power.
But we have turned away from secret and shameful ways. We don’t use trickery, and we don’t change the teaching of God. No! We teach the truth plainly. This is how we show people who we are. And this is how they can know in their hearts what kind of people we are before God.
I boasted to Titus about you. And you showed that I was right. Everything that we said to you was true. And you have proved that the things that we boasted about to Titus are true.
It is the same with you people. You heard the true teaching—the Good News {\cf2\super [5]} about your salvation. When you heard that Good News, you believed in Christ. And in Christ, God put his special mark on you by giving you the Holy Spirit {\cf2\super [6]} that he promised.
You have faith in Christ and love God’s people because of the hope you have. You know that the things you hope for are saved for you in heaven. You learned about this hope when you heard the true teaching, the Good News {\cf2\super [3]}
But we belong to the day (goodness), so we should control ourselves. We should wear faith and love to protect us. And the hope of salvation should be our helmet.
Do the very best you can to be the kind of person that God will accept, and give yourself to him. Be a worker who is not ashamed of his work—a worker who uses the true teaching in the right way.
God also proved it by using wonders, great signs, and many kinds of miracles. {\cf2\super [7]} And he proved it by giving people gifts through the Holy Spirit. {\cf2\super [8]} He gave those gifts the way he wanted.