Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews. They have been in prison with me, and they are leaders among the apostles. They became believers in Christ before I did.
Aristarchus, who’s in prison with me, sends you his greetings. So does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. You’ve been given directions about him. If he comes to you, welcome him.
I, John, am your brother and your partner in the suffering, the kingdom, and the patient endurance of Jesus. I was on the island of Patmos because of God’s word and the testimony of Jesus.
We also know that the Son of God has come and given us understanding so that we can know the God who is true. And we are in the true God by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
If a person believes in Christ Jesus, it doesn’t matter whether they’re circumcised or not. The only thing that matters is faith expressing itself through love.
The people in Jerusalem who were considered to be important didn’t add anything to my message. (And it didn’t matter to me who they were anyway. God doesn’t see some people as more important than others.)
Are they serving Christ? I’m serving him even more. (I’m out of my mind to talk like this!) I’ve worked much harder. I’ve been in prison more often. I’ve suffered terrible beatings. Again and again I’ve almost died.
Because of what God has done, you belong to Christ Jesus. He has become God’s wisdom for us. He makes us right with God, he makes us holy, and he sets us free.
I went because God showed me that he wanted me to go. I met privately with those who are respected as leaders. I presented to them the good news that I preach among the Gentiles. I wanted to be sure that it wasn’t useless for me to keep presenting the good news that way.
If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, then the one who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.