9But the voice answered me, a second time, from heaven, ‘Things that God has made clean you must not call ‘common’.’
14who will speak words to you by which you and all your household will be saved.’
16I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John indeed baptized with water, but you will be baptized with Holy Spirit.’See Acts 1:5. This was spoken by the Lord Jesus just before His ascension.
17… indicates that the key to salvation is believing upon the Lord …
4Also, forgive us our sins,because we also forgive everyone indebted to us.And, do not lead us into testing,but deliver us from the malignant one."Most modern versions, following a mere 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, seriously truncate this prayer by omitting: "Our … who is in the heavens … Your will must be done on earth as it is in heaven … but deliver us from the malignant one." Some versions, like NIV and NASB, have a footnote saying that "some manuscripts" add this material. How can any honest person use ‘some’ to refer to 99% (1,600 X 16)? ‘The malignant one’ refers to Satan.
35So see to it that the ‘light’ in you not be darkness.
51from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah,If the reference is to Zechariah the prophet, his death is not recorded in Scripture, but the temple was rebuilt in his day, so he could have died there. who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation!Guilt accumulates. Often a subsequent generation pays.
2just as You gave Him authority over all humanity, so that He will give eternal life to all those whom You have given Him.Here is a clear statement of divine participation in our salvation. The whole process is under the authority of the Father.
3Now eternal life is this: that they may know You,I take it that the reference here is to experiential knowledge. ‘Eternal life’ refers mainly to a quality of life (more than longevity), and that quality is defined by relationship with the Father. The person who conceives of God as a distant, detached authority figure doesn’t really know Him. the only true God, and the One whom You sent—Jesus Christ.This is the first recorded time that the Lord used this title, ‘Jesus Christ’ (in Matthew 16:20 there is ‘Jesus, the Christ’—as in over 95% of the Greek manuscripts). He did so when He could also say, "I have finished the work that You have given me to do" (next verse) (He still had a few hours to go, but is declaring His victory). In Acts and the epistles the title is very frequent—it affirms that Jesus is the Messiah. Also, what happens to those who only ‘know’ the Father, but not the Son?
4I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work that You have given me to do.The older I get, finishing ‘the work You have given me to do’ looms larger and larger in my mind.
12While I was with them in the world I kept them in Your name. I protected those whom You gave me, and not one of them was lost except the son of perdition, so that the Scripture might be fulfilled.This is perhaps the clearest of a very few passages in the Bible that might be said to indicate what has been called ‘double predestination’ or ‘preterition’, that is, that someone is predestined to be lost. In Hebrew usage (Jesus, a Jew among Jews, was presumably speaking Hebrew here) a ‘son’ of something is characterized by that something; so a ‘son of perdition’ is characterized by lostness; the Scripture in question would be part of the Old Testament and hence written long before the person was born. (I have not been able to locate a clear text to that effect, but there are indirect ones.)
1Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through a man,Paul’s apostleship did not depend upon human ordination or recognition. So what about apostleship today? but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the deadThe resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is absolutely central to the Christian Faith (1 Corinthians 15:14,17).—
5to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
15But when God—who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace—resolved
2through which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word that I proclaimed to you—unless you believed in vain.Is this just a ‘scarecrow’?
31I die every dayPaul could not have been referring to actual physical death, obviously, since Hebrews 9:27 affirms that it is appointed to men to die only once (no reincarnation). He may well have faced possible death often enough, but I suppose he is referring to dying to himself, to his own ambitions, ideas and wishes, so as to embrace God’s will.—so I affirm by the boasting about you that I have in Christ Jesus our Lord.
34Sober up righteously, and stop sinning, for some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.Dear me, what is Paul saying? As long as anyone around us does not know about God, we should be ashamed. Since he speaks of ‘evil associations’ and ‘sobering up’, I suppose that they had not made a clean break with their surrounding culture, and their former associates were not seeing all that much difference in their lifestyle. A clean break would require an explanation.
13And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake,It is already the case in many places that anyone who takes a public stand in defense of biblical values is vituperated by the media—some have gone to prison in what once were ‘Christian’ countries. yet he who endures to the end, he will be saved.We must endure persecution, without denying the Lord—if you deny Him, He will deny you.
25the stars of heaven will be falling, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken.’See Isaiah 13:10, 34:4. The reference is presumably to angelic beings, not literal stars (just one would demolish the planet).
33Watch! Keep alert! Pray!Since the Return draws ever closer, of necessity, we, of all people, should be doing this. A mere handful (0.6%) of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit ‘pray’ (to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.). Because you do not know when that time will be.
2And then, they came to Him carrying a paralytic lying on a pallet. And seeing their faith Jesus said to the paralytic, "Courage, son; your sins are forgiven you!"
13But go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."Perhaps 4% of the Greek manuscripts omit "to repentance" (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).
22But Jesus, turning around and seeing her, said, "Take courage, daughter; your faith has made you well." And the woman was healed from that very hour.
4I have great confidence in you; I do a lot of boasting about you. I am filled with encouragement, overflowing with joy in spite of all our affliction.
9Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry as God intended, so as not to be harmed by us in any way.The implication is that it is possible for those in spiritual authority to cause harm, through the misuse of that authority. I imagine that we have all seen this sort of thing happen in fact.
10Now godly sorrow produces repentance into salvation without regret, but the world’s sorrow produces death.The Creator made us with emotions, which when properly used are beneficial, but that under the world’s control are destructive.
5we must hand such a one over to Satan for a destruction of the ‘flesh’, that the spirit may be saved in the Day of the Lord Jesus.I do not understand this. If while in the group the man fell into such sin, how can excommunicating him (verse 13) and turning him over to Satan bring about an improvement? I would expect Satan to lock him up tight. Unless it be that the shock treatment would somehow wake the man up. Perhaps 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit "Jesus", to be followed by NIV, LB, TEV, etc.
7Therefore purge out the old leaven, so that you can be a new batch, like you are, without yeast. Especially since Christ our Passover has been sacrificed in our place.Some 3% of the Greek manuscripts omit "in our place", to be followed by NIV, NASB, TEV, etc.
10not of course the fornicators of this world, or the greedy, or the swindlers, or the idolaters; since then you would have to exit the world!
9Therefore, you pray like this:‘Our Father who is in the heavens,let Your name be reverenced;
13And do not bring us into testing,but rescue us from the evil one;The Father can rescue us from the evil one because He is far greater.because Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’About 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit the last clause (as in NIV, [NASB], LB, TEV, etc.).
20but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust ruins and where thieves neither break in nor steal;
14Now thanks be to the God who always leads us in triumph in the Christ,The title ‘Christ’ is usually accompanied by the definite article, ‘the Christ’—we are not to forget what the title really means. and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of HimThe antecedent of the pronoun could be either the Father or the Son, but in this context most likely refers to the Son—getting to know Him is in view. in every place.
15Because we are the aroma of Christ for God, among those who are being saved and among those who are being wastedWe are accustomed to ‘perishing’. The verb here has a considerable semantic area and can be rendered—destroy, kill, deprive, void, lose, perish—depending on the context, but I believe the root idea is ‘waste’. The only way to fulfill the purpose for which you were created, to realize your potential, is to turn your life over to Jesus. The alternative is to waste your life, both now and forever. Of course the enemy works to make people think the opposite.—
16to these a smell of death into death, while to those a fragrance of life into lifeThe Gospel of Christ represents both life and death: if you receive it, you get life; if you reject it, you get death. Naturally, those in rebellion against God do not enjoy being reminded that they have chosen death.—and who is adequate for such things?
24Because whoever desires to ‘save’ his life will waste it, but whoever ‘wastes’ his life for my sake, he will save it.What the Lord is talking about is the potential one’s life represents. The only way not to throw away or waste your life is to live for the Kingdom.
31they appeared in glory and were explaining His ‘departure’, that He was about to bring to fruition in Jerusalem.Evidently they communicated the details of the game plan.
56Further, the Son of the Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save."Some 27% of the Greek manuscripts omit "saying: ‘You do not know of what sort of spirit you are. Further, the Son of the Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save’ ", to be followed by most modern versions. The 73% includes the best line of transmission, which I follow. And they went to another village.
12Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath."
15So being aware, Jesus withdrew from there. And large crowds followed Him, and He healed them all.He did not go looking for sick people to cure, but He healed all who came to Him.
18"Behold my Servant whom I chose,my Beloved in whom my soul is well pleased!I will put my Spirit upon Him,and He will declare justice to the nations.
20But God said to him: ‘Stupid! This very night your life is being taken back from you;‘Taken back’—we have our life on loan, like a trust, and an accounting will be required. then who will get the things you have prepared?’
24Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storeroom nor barn, and God feeds them. You are far more valuable than the birds!
33Sell your possessions and give to charity. Make for yourselves ‘purses’ that will not wear out, an unfailing treasure in the heavens, where a thief cannot approach, nor a moth destroy.