22 But God’s Spirit causes us to do these things: We love others. We are joyful. We are peaceful. We are patient. We are kind. We are good. We are ones whom others can trust. 23 We are gentle. We control our behavior. There is no law that says people should not think and act in such ways.

8 because formerly you did not know God’s truth [MET], as those who are in darkness do not know what is around them. But now it is as though you are in the light [MET] because you know God’s truth because of your relationship with the Lord Jesus. So do those things that those who know God’s truth [MET] should do. 9 Keep in mind that as light [MET] causes good things to grow, those who know God’s truth should do those things that are good, righteous, and honest. 10 And as you do that, try ◄to find out/to discover► what pleases the Lord.

17 But when people are wise [PRS] in the way that God [MTY] wants them to be, they are pure in every way, which God considers to be very important. They also act peaceably towards others, they ◄are considerate of/think about the rights and feelings of► others, they are willing to yield to the wishes of others, they act compassionately toward others, and they do all kinds of good things for others [MET]. How they treat others does not depend on ◄others’ status/whether others are important or not►, and they are sincere in all they do. 18 Those who act peaceably toward others cause others to also act peaceably, with the result that they all live together acting toward each other in a righteous way [MET].

4 Likewise, my fellow believers, just like people are free from having to obey any law after they die [MET], you and I have been freed {God has freed you and me} from having to obey all the Jewish rituals and laws [MET]. That is because it is as though we died with Christ when he was crucified. Now you and I belong to someone else [MET], like a woman who marries again after her husband dies belongs to another man. Specifically, you and I belong to Christ, who has come back to life {whom God has caused to live again after he died}, in order that we may live righteously [IDM] to honor God. 5 When our self-directed nature controlled us, desires that led us to sin were acting in our bodies. Those desires were increased because of our knowing God’s laws [PRS]. As a result we did evil things [IDM] that caused us to be separated from God. 6 But now we are freed {free} from having to obey all the Jewish rituals— it is as though we have died. The result is that now we are not controlled by those rituals {those rituals do not control us now}. So we serve God, not by having to obey those rituals, which is the old way, but in the new way, as God’s Spirit helps us to serve him.

21 Nevertheless, doing those things resulted in your being separated from God, so you did not benefit at all from doing the sinful things that you are now ashamed of. [RHQ] 22 But you have been freed {God has freed you} from letting the desire to sin control you. You have become as though you are [MET] the slaves of God. So now the result is that God has caused you to completely belong to him and, as a result, you will live eternally.

4 Remain having a close relationship with me. If you do that, I will remain having a close relationship with you. A branch of a vine cannot bear fruit if it is cut off and left by itself. To bear fruit, it must remain attached to the vine. Similarly, you cannot live the way that God wants you to if you do not remain united to me [MET].

5 I am like [MET] a vine. You are like [MET] the branches. All those who have a close relationship with me and with whom I have a close relationship will do much that pleases God, like [MET] a vine that bears much fruit. Remember that you can do nothing [HYP] that truly pleases God without my help.

8 The way my Father is honored is by your {The way you honor my Father is by} doing much that pleases him [MET], and by doing that, you will show that you are my disciples.

43 "People are like trees [MET]. Healthy trees do not bear bad fruit (OR, bear only good fruit), and unhealthy trees do not bear good fruit. 44 Just like you can tell if a tree is good or bad by looking at its fruit, you can tell which people are good and which are bad by looking at the way they conduct their lives. For example, because thornbushes cannot produce figs, no one can pick figs from thornbushes. And since bramble bushes cannot produce grapes, no one can pick grapes from bramble bushes. 45 Similarly, good people will conduct their lives in a good way because they think a lot of good things, and evil people will live in an evil way because they think a lot of evil things. The basic principle is that people speak and act according to all that they think."

8 Do what is appropriate [IDM] for people who have truly turned away from their sinful behavior before you come to me in order to be baptized {that I baptize you}.

12 You plow your fields and plant your seeds and harvest your crops [MET],

but what you need to do is to act righteously and to faithfully love me;

you need to repent [MET],

because it is time to try to know me, Yahweh;

and if you do that, I will pour out [MET] many blessings on you.

10 Yahweh told me to tell the righteous people that good things will happen to them;

they will enjoy the blessings that they will receive for their good deeds.

23 Not only do those things groan, but we ourselves also groan inwardly. We who have God’s Spirit, who is like a partial gift [MET] we have received as we wait for the future glory, groan inwardly. We groan while we wait eagerly for the time when we will receive our full rights as God’s adopted children. That will include his freeing our bodies from the things that hinder us on earth. He will do this by giving us new bodies.

19 What I can give people is more valuable than fine/pure gold and the best silver.