It’s right for me to feel this way about all of you. You have a special place in my heart. Whether I’m being held in chains or standing up for the truth of the good news, either way, all of you share together in God’s grace with me.
But if we walk in the light, just as he is in the light, then we share life with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son makes us pure from all sin.
From Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ. To you who have received a faith as precious as ours and who have been made right with our God and Savior Jesus Christ.
And so, my dear friends, as you’ve always obeyed God—not just while I was with you, but even more now that I’m not with you— continue to work out your own salvation. Do it with fear and trembling.
Some of the natural branches have been broken off. You Gentiles are like a wild olive branch that has been grafted onto the tree with the other branches. Now you’re enjoying the life-giving sap of the olive tree root.
But no matter what happens, live in a way that brings honor to the good news about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you, I’ll know that you’re standing firm together in the one Spirit and that you’re fighting together as a unit to defend the good news.
And I urge you, my true companion, to help these women, because they’ve worked with me to spread the good news. So has Clement, and so have the rest of those who’ve worked together with me. Their names are all written in the book of life.