Beloved,while I was makingeveryeffortto writeyou aboutour commonsalvation,I feltthe necessityto writeto you appealingthat you contend earnestlyfor the faithwhich was once for allhanded downto the saints.
Fightthe goodfightof faith;take holdof the eternallifeto whichyou were called,and you madethe goodconfessionin the presenceof manywitnesses.
Onlyconductyourselves in a manner worthyof the gospelof Christ,sothat whetherI comeand seeyou orremain absent,I will hearof you that you are standing firmin onespirit,with onemindstriving togetherfor the faithof the gospel;
But you, beloved,buildingyourselvesup on your mostholyfaith,prayingin the HolySpirit,
"And they overcamehim becauseof the bloodof the Lamband becauseof the wordof their testimony,and they did not lovetheir lifeeven whenfaced with death.
To Titus,my true childin a commonfaith:Graceand peacefrom Godthe Fatherand ChristJesusour Savior.
Do not fearwhatyou are aboutto suffer.Behold,the devilis aboutto castsome of you into prison,sothat you will be tested,and you will havetribulationfor tendays.Be faithfuluntildeath,and I will giveyou the crownof life.
Retainthe standardof soundwordswhichyou have heardfrom me, in the faithand lovewhich are in ChristJesus.
ThiscommandI entrustto you, Timothy,[my] son,in accordancewith the propheciespreviously madeconcerningyou, that by them you fightthe goodfight,
But we did not yieldin subjectionto them for evenan hour,sothat the truthof the gospelwould remainwith you.
But I urgeyou, brethren,bearwith thiswordof exhortation,for I have writtento you briefly.
But Saulkept increasing in strengthand confoundingthe Jewswho livedat Damascusby provingthat this[Jesus] is the Christ.
"Turnto Me and be saved,allthe endsof the earth;For I am God,and thereis noother.
"The LORDgaveme the twotabletsof stonewrittenby the fingerof God;and on them [were] allthe wordswhichthe LORDhad spokenwith you at the mountainfrom the midstof the fireon the dayof the assembly.
but after we had already sufferedand been mistreatedin Philippi,as you know,we had the boldnessin our Godto speakto you the gospelof Godamidmuchopposition.
For I deliveredto you as of first importancewhatI alsoreceived,that Christdiedfor our sinsaccordingto the Scriptures,
"And there is salvationin nooneelse;for there is noothernameunderheaventhat has been givenamongmenby whichwe mustbe saved."
for he powerfullyrefutedthe Jewsin public,demonstratingby the Scripturesthat Jesuswas the Christ.
explainingand giving evidencethat the Christhadto sufferand rise againfrom the dead,and [saying], "ThisJesuswhomI am proclaimingto you is the Christ."
But you, beloved,ought to rememberthe wordsthat were spoken beforehandby the apostlesof our LordJesusChrist,
SimonPeter,a bond-servantand apostleof JesusChrist,To thosewho have receiveda faithof the same kindas ours,by the righteousnessof our Godand Savior,JesusChrist:
ThroughSilvanus,our faithfulbrother(for soI regard[him]), I have writtento you briefly,exhortingand testifyingthat thisis the true graceof God.Stand firmin it!
To the saintsand faithfulbrethrenin Christ[who are] at Colossae:Graceto you and peacefrom Godour Father.
Pauland Timothy,bond-servantsof ChristJesus,To allthe saintsin ChristJesuswho are in Philippi,includingthe overseersand deacons:
Paul,an apostleof ChristJesusby the willof God,To the saintswho are at Ephesusand [who are] faithfulin ChristJesus:
Seewith what largelettersI am writingto you with my ownhand.
"Thereforelet it be knownto you that thissalvationof Godhas been sentto the Gentiles;they will alsolisten."
"For I did not shrinkfrom declaringto you the wholepurposeof God.
"They bendtheir tongue[like] their bow;Liesand not truthprevailin the land;For they proceedfrom evilto evil,And they do not knowMe," declaresthe LORD.
Israelhas been savedby the LORDWith an everlastingsalvation;You will not be putto shameor humiliatedTo alleternity.
Thereis neitherJewnorGreek,thereis neitherslavenorfree man,thereis neithermalenorfemale;for you are allonein ChristJesus.
So I contendedwith them and cursedthem and strucksomeof them and pulledout their hair,and made them swearby God,"You shall not giveyour daughtersto their sons,nortakeof their daughtersfor your sonsor for yourselves.
"So you shall removethe guiltof innocentbloodfrom your midst,whenyou dowhatis rightin the eyesof the LORD.
The wordof Godkept on spreading;and the numberof the disciplescontinued to increasegreatlyin Jerusalem,and a greatmanyof the priestswere becoming obedientto the faith.
But Ananiasanswered,"Lord,I have heardfrom manyaboutthisman,how muchharmhe didto Your saintsat Jerusalem;
But, beloved,we are convincedof better thingsconcerningyou, and things that accompanysalvation,thoughwe are speakingin this way.
For it would be betterfor them not to have knownthe wayof righteousness,thanhaving knownit, to turn awayfrom the holycommandmenthandedon to them.
Jude,a bond-servantof JesusChrist,and brotherof James,To thosewho are the called,belovedin Godthe Father,and keptfor JesusChrist:
