But God chose you to be his own people, his royal priests, a holy nation, his special treasure. You’re all these things so that you can tell everyone how wonderful God is. He brought you out of darkness and into his marvelous light.
Because God has shown you such mercy, brothers and sisters, I ask you to offer up your bodies to God while you are still alive. That will be a sacrifice that is holy and pleasing to God. It’s the right kind of worship to offer God.
You were set free from the empty way of life that was handed down to you by your own people from long ago. You know that you were not bought with things that can pass away, like silver or gold.
I truly expect and hope that I won’t be ashamed in any way, but that I’ll be brave enough so that now as always, Christ will be honored in my body, whether I live or die.
Keep watch over yourselves and all the believers that the Holy Spirit has made you leaders over. Be shepherds of God’s church, which he bought with his own blood.
He didn’t enter by shedding the blood of goats and calves. Instead, he entered the Most Holy Place by shedding his own blood, once and for all time. In that way, he paid the price to set us free from sin forever.
They sang a new song that said, “You are worthy to take the scroll and break open its seals, because you were put to death, and you bought people for God with your blood. They come from every tribe, language, race, and nation.
But there were also false prophets among the people. In the same way, there will be false teachers among you. They’ll secretly bring in wrong teachings that can destroy you. They’ll even deny the Lord and Master who died to pay for their sins. So they will quickly destroy themselves.
I’m using an example from everyday human life to help you understand. You used to offer yourselves as slaves to dirty habits, and you did more and more things that were wrong. Now offer yourselves as slaves to the right way of living. Then you will become holy.