2 Timothy 2:15 - Easy To Read Version 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. Tuilleadh leaganachaKing James Version (Oxford) 1769 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. Amplified Bible - Classic Edition Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth. American Standard Version (1901) Give diligence to present thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, handling aright the word of truth. Common English Bible Make an effort to present yourself to God as a tried-and-true worker, who doesn’t need to be ashamed but is one who interprets the message of truth correctly. Catholic Public Domain Version Be solicitous in the task of presenting yourself before God as a proven and unashamed worker who has handled the Word of Truth correctly. Douay-Rheims version of The Bible - 1752 version Carefully study to present thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. |
Then Jesus said to the followers, “So every teacher of the law who has been taught \{the new things\} about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house. He has new things and old things saved in that house. And he brings out those new things with the old things.”
Jesus used many stories like these to teach them. He taught them all that they could understand.
The Lord said, “Who is the wise and trusted servant? The master trusts one servant to give the other servants their food at the right time. Who is the servant that the master trusts to do that work?
“My Jewish brothers, listen to these words: Jesus from Nazareth was a very special man. God clearly showed this to you. God proved this by the powerful and amazing things he did through Jesus. You all saw these things. So you know this is true.
I can say this because I know that I told you everything that God wants you to know.
Any person who serves Christ by living this way is pleasing God. And that person will be accepted by other people.
Say hello to Apelles. He was tested and proved that he truly loves Christ. Say hello to all those people that are in the family of Aristobulus.
Don’t offer the parts of your body to serve sin. Don’t use your bodies as things to do evil with. But you should offer yourselves to God. Be like people that have died and now live. Offer the parts of your body to God to be used for doing good.
We teach wisdom to people that are mature. But this wisdom we teach is not from this world. It is not the wisdom of the rulers of this world. Those rulers are losing their power.
It is not the person who says that he is good who is accepted. It is the person that the Lord thinks is good who is accepted.
God made us able to be servants of a new agreement \{from God to his people\}. This new agreement is not a written law. It is of the Spirit. {\cf2\super [9]} The written law brings death, but the Spirit gives life.
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.
Our only goal is to please God. We want to please him when we are living here \{in our body\} or there \{with the Lord\}.
Now do you think I am trying to make people accept me? No! God is the One I am trying to please. Am I trying to please people? If I wanted to please people, I would not be a servant of Jesus Christ.
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.
No. We speak the Good News because God tested us and trusted us to tell the Good News. So when we speak, we are not trying to please men. We are trying to please God. God is the One who tests (looks closely at) our hearts.
We ask you, brothers and sisters, to warn those people who don’t work. Encourage the people who are afraid. Help the people who are weak. Be patient with every person.
Tell these things to the brothers and sisters there. This will show that you are a good servant of Christ Jesus. You will show that you are made strong by the words of faith and good teaching that you have followed.
So let us try as hard as we can to enter God’s rest. We must try hard so that none of us will be lost by following the example of those people who refused to obey God.
What great blessings there are for the person who is tempted and still continues strong. Why? Because after he has proved his faith, God will give him the reward of life forever. God promised this to all people who love him.
God decided to give us life through the word of truth. He wanted us to be the most important of all the things he made.
My brothers and sisters, God called you and chose you to be his. Do your best to live in a way that shows you really are God’s called and chosen people. If you do all those things, you will never fall.
I will try the best I can to help you remember these things always. I want you to be able to remember these things after I am gone.
Dear friends, we are waiting for this to happen. So try as hard as you can to be without sin and without fault. Try to be at peace with God.