People who obey God’s commands are happy.\par Those people do good things all the time.\par
James 1:25 - Easy To Read Version But you must not be like that. You must carefully study God’s perfect law that makes people free. You must continue to study it. You must listen to God’s teaching and not forget what you heard. Then you must obey what God’s teaching says. When you do this, it will make you truely happy. Tuilleadh leaganachaKing James Version (Oxford) 1769 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. Amplified Bible - Classic Edition But he who looks carefully into the faultless law, the [law] of liberty, and is faithful to it and perseveres in looking into it, being not a heedless listener who forgets but an active doer [who obeys], he shall be blessed in his doing (his life of obedience). American Standard Version (1901) But he that looketh into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and so continueth, being not a hearer that forgetteth but a doer that worketh, this man shall be blessed in his doing. Common English Bible But there are those who study the perfect law, the law of freedom, and continue to do it. They don’t listen and then forget, but they put it into practice in their lives. They will be blessed in whatever they do. Catholic Public Domain Version But he who gazes upon the perfect law of liberty, and who remains in it, is not a forgetful hearer, but instead a doer of the work. He shall be blessed in what he does. Douay-Rheims version of The Bible - 1752 version But he that hath looked into the perfect law of liberty, and hath continued therein, not becoming a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work; this man shall be blessed in his deed. |
People who obey God’s commands are happy.\par Those people do good things all the time.\par
I will gladly obey your commands.\par Lord, your commands make me happy.\par
So I will be free. Why?\par Because I try hard to obey your laws.\par
A fool will believe anything he hears. But a wise man thinks carefully about everything.
You should follow the teachings and the agreement. {\cf2\super [105]} If you don’t follow these commands, then you might follow the wrong commands. (The wrong commands are those commands that come from the wizards and fortune tellers. Those commands are worth nothing; you will gain nothing by following those commands.)
But Jesus said, “The people that hear the teaching of God and obey it—they are the people that are truly happy!”
After the meeting, many of the Jews followed Paul and Barnabas from that place. With the Jews there were many converts {\cf2\super [275]} to the Jewish religion. These converts also worshiped the true God. Paul and Barnabas were persuading them to continue trusting in God’s grace (kindness).
\{The believers continued to meet together.\} They used their time to learn the teaching of the apostles. {\cf2\super [45]} The believers shared with each other. They ate {\cf2\super [46]} together and prayed together.
But God helped me, and he is still helping me today. With God’s help I am standing here today and telling all people the things I have seen. But I am saying nothing new. I am saying the same things that Moses and the prophets {\cf2\super [498]} said would happen.
So you see that God is kind, but he can also be very strict. God punishes those people that stop following him. But God is kind to you, if you continue following in his kindness. If you don’t continue following him, you will be cut off \{from the tree\}.
Hearing the law does not make people right with God. The law makes people right with God only if those people always obey everything the law says.
So the law {\cf2\super [56]} is holy, and the command is holy and right and good.
The Spirit {\cf2\super [65]} that we received is not a spirit that makes us slaves again and causes us to fear. The Spirit that we have makes us God’s chosen children. And with that Spirit we say, “Abba, {\cf2\super [66]} Father.”
Why? Because in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit {\cf2\super [58]} that brings life made you {\cf2\super [59]} free. It made you {\cf2\super [60]} free from the law that brings sin and death.
So, my dear brothers and sisters, stand strong. Don’t let anything change you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord. You know that your work in the Lord is never wasted.
Look closely at yourselves. Test yourselves to see if you are \{living\} in the faith. You know that Christ Jesus is in you. But if you fail the test (are not living in the faith), then Christ is not living in you.
We have freedom now. Christ made us free. So stand strong. Don’t change and go back into the slavery \{of law\}.
Help each other with your troubles. When you do this, you truly obey the law of Christ.
Christ will do this if you continue to believe in the Good News {\cf2\super [7]} you heard. You must continue strong and sure in your faith. You must not be moved away from the hope that Good News gave you. That same Good News has been told to all people in the world. I, Paul, help in telling that Good News.
But women will be saved in their work of having children. They will be saved if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, and control themselves in the right way.
Be careful in your life and in your teaching. Continue to live and teach rightly. Then you will save yourself and those people who listen to your teaching.
Be careful that no person fails to get God’s grace (kindness). Be careful that no person becomes like a bitter weed growing among you. A person like that can ruin your whole group.
You will be judged by the law that makes people free. You should remember this in everything you say and do.
Live like free men. But don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. Live like you are serving God.
Be sure that you continue to follow the teaching that you heard from the beginning. If you continue in that teaching, then you will stay in the Son (Christ) and in the Father (God).
Then I heard a voice from heaven. The voice said, “Write this: From now on, the dead people who were in the Lord when they died are blessed (happy).”
“Those people who washed their robes {\cf2\super [174]} will be blessed. They will have the right to \{eat the food from\} the tree of life. They can go through the gates into the city.
You must fear and respect the Lord. You must serve him and obey his commands. You must not turn against him. You and the king ruling over you must follow the Lord your God. If you do those things, then God will save you. [117]