Selections from Philemon & Titus

PHILEMON
You are generous because of your trust in God. (Philemon 6, NLT)

The sharing of your trust in God is effective while you acknowledge every good thing that is in you in Christ Jesus. (Philemon 6-7, PIE)

I want your act of kindness to come from your heart, and not be something you feel forced to do. (Philemon 14, CEV)

TITUS
My aim is to raise hopes by pointing the way to life without end. This is the life God promised long ago—and he doesn’t break promises! (Titus 1:2 MSG)

Receive everything God our Father and Jesus our Savior give you! (Titus 1:4 MSG)

God’s readiness to give and free is now public. Salvation is available for everyone! (Titus 2:11)

Our Savior Jesus poured out new life so generously. God’s gift has restored our relationship with him and given us back our lives. And there’s more life to come—an eternity of life! You can count on this. (Titus 3:7-8 MSG)

Jesus Christ gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, eager to do good. (Titus 2:14 NLT)

Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled by others and became slaves to many wicked desires and evil pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy. We hated others, and they hated us. But then God our Savior showed us his kindness and love. He saved us, not because of the good things we did, but because of his compassion. He washed away our sins and gave us a new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us because of what Jesus Christ our Savior did. He declared us not guilty because of his great kindness. And now we know that we will inherit eternal life. These things I have told you are all true. (Titus 3:3-7, NLT)

Don’t pay any attention to human commands. These are made up by people who won’t trust the good news. (Titus 1:14 PIE)

God has shown us how kind he is by coming to save all people. (Titus 2:11, CEV)

Our Savior Jesus Christ gave himself to save us from everything that is evil and to make our hearts pure. (Titus 2:14, CEV)

God our Savior showed us how good and kind he is. He saved us because of his compassion, and not because of any good things that we have done. God washed us by the power of the Holy Spirit. He gave us new birth and a fresh beginning. God sent Jesus Christ
our Savior to give us his Spirit. (Titus 3:4-6, CEV)

To the pure, all things are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are polluted and untrusting. Both their minds and their consciences are polluted with lies. (Titus 1:15, PIE)

The grace of God is His love for you! God's grace teaches you to reject godless ways & worldly desires and to live self-controlled, upright, & godly lives. (Titus 2:12, PIE)

Jesus Christ gave himself for us to purify us & free us from all sin. He did this not by demanding we keep commands with our flesh but instead by giving us new life that is joined with His very own Spirit. He brought us into God's own family, to the chest of our Father. We are so close to His heart that our hearts begin to beat in sync with His. Boom! Boom! Booms of passion to bestow love & to bask in each other's loveliness. (Titus 2:14, PIE)

The kindness of God our Savior and his love toward humanity appeared. (Titus 3:4)

God richly poured out the Holy Spirit on us through Jesus Christ our Savior. He said, "My grace is my love for you. You are innocent. You are guiltless. Rejoice & stand upright because you bear the burdens no longer! You are my child & I give you my life & my riches! Trust these things are true. What I am saying is completely trustworthy." (Titus 3:5-7 PIE)

Avoid people who polarize situations, who label & encamp people into boxes, who condemn themselves & others. Their minds are polluted with lies. They miss the truth & do not consider the hearts of others. Give them only two chances or you too will breathe in their unintentional lies. (Titus 3:10-11 PIE)

Greet those who love us in trust. The only thing that counts is trust expressing itself through love. (Titus 3:15, Galatians 5:6)

Selections from 1-2 John (based on the NLT 1996 Ed.)

He is Jesus Christ the Word of life. This one who is life itself. He is the one who is eternal life.  (1 John 1:1-2)

Our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. (1 John 1:3)

Jesus Christ takes away not only our sins but the sins of all the world. (1 John 2:2)

This commandment -- to love one another -- is true in Christ and is true among you, because the darkness is disappearing and the true light is already shining. (1 John 2:7-8)

Let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it by our actions. (1 John 3:18)

This is God's commandment: We must trust in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another as He has loved us. (1 John 3:23)

Love comes from God. (1 John 4:7)

God showed how much he loved us by sending his only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to take away our sins & make us at one with God. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. (1 John 4:9-11)

The Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.

All who proclaim that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God.

We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in him.

God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.

As we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we are like Christ here in this world. Such love has no fear because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of judgment. Fear of judgment shows that his love has not been perfected in us. (1 John 4:14-18)

We love each other as a result of his loving us first. (1 John 4:14-19)

Everyone who trusts that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God.

Everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too. We know we love God's children if we love God and trust Him. Loving God means to trust Him & love others and really, that isn't difficult.

Every child of God defeats this evil world by trusting Christ to give the victory.

The ones who win this battle against the world are the ones who trust that Jesus is the Son of God. And Jesus Christ was revealed as God's Son by his baptism in water and by shedding his blood on the cross and by the Spirit's testimony that this is true. (1 John 5:1-6)

This is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

Whoever has God's Son has life; whoever does not have his Son does not have life.

I write this to you who trust in the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life. (1 John 5:11-13)

We know that those who have become part of God's family are held securely by God's Son, and the evil one cannot get his hands on them.

We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the power and control of the evil one.

We know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we are in God because we are in his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life. (1 John 5:18-20)

God's truth lives in us and will be in our hearts forever. (2 John 2)

Selections from The Message: Genesis

God spoke: “Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature. God created human beings; he created them godlike, Reflecting God’s nature. When God created the human race, he made it godlike, with a nature akin to God. (Genesis 1:26-27, 5:1)

God looked over everything he had made; it was so good, so very good! (Genesis 1:31)

You’re the God who sees me! Yes! He saw me; and then I saw him! (Genesis 16:13)

Judah said to father. “Let the boy go. I’ll take full responsibility for his safety; it’s my life on the line for his. If I don’t bring him back safe and sound, I’m the guilty one; I’ll take all the blame.” (Genesis 43:8-10)

After their father's funeral, Joseph’s brothers talked among themselves: “What if Joseph is carrying a grudge and decides to pay us back for all the wrong we did him?”

So they sent Joseph a message, “Before his death, your father gave this command: Tell Joseph, ‘Forgive your brothers’ sin—all that wrongdoing. They did treat you very badly.’ Will you do it? Will you forgive the sins of the servants of your father’s God?”

When Joseph received their message, he wept.

Then the brothers went in person to him, threw themselves on the ground before him and said, “We’ll be your slaves.”

Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid. Do I act for God? Don’t you see, you planned evil against me but God used those same plans for my good, as you see all around you right now—life for many people. Easy now, you have nothing to fear; I’ll take care of you and your children.” He reassured them, speaking with them heart-to-heart. (Genesis 50:15-21)

Selections from Jude

The Message
You are loved by God the Father, called and kept safe by Jesus Christ. Relax, everything’s going to be all right; rest, everything’s coming together; open your hearts, love is on the way! (Jude 1-2)

Dear friends, carefully build yourselves up in this most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit, staying right at the center of God’s love, keeping your arms open and outstretched, ready for the compassion of our Master, Jesus Christ. This is the unending life, the real life! (Jude 20-21)

Go easy on those who hesitate in the faith. Go after those who take the wrong way. (Jude 20-22)

Now to him who can keep you on your feet, standing tall in his bright presence, fresh and celebrating—to our one God, our only Savior, through Jesus Christ, our Master, be glory, majesty, strength, and rule before all time, and now, and to the end of all time. Yes. (Jude 24-25)

NLT
I am writing to all who are called to live in the love of God the Father and the care of Jesus Christ. May you receive more and more of God's compassion, peace, and love. (Jude 1-2)

You have fellowship meals celebrating the love of the Lord. (Jude 12)

Continue to pray as you are directed by the Holy Spirit.

Live in such a way that God's love can bless you as you wait for the eternal life that our Lord Jesus Christ in his compassion is going to give you.

Show compassion to those whose trust is wavering.

Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. (Jude 20-23)

God is able to keep you from stumbling,

God will bring you into his glorious presence innocent of sin and with great joy.

He alone is God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Jude 24-25)

CEV
To all who are chosen and loved by God the Father and are kept safe by Jesus Christ. I pray that God will greatly bless you with kindness, peace, and love! (Jude 1-2)

Dear friends, keep building on the foundation of your most pure trust, as the Holy Spirit helps you to pray.

Keep in step with God’s love, as you wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to show how kind he is. (Jude 20-21)

Only God can keep you from falling and make you pure and joyful in his glorious presence. Before time began and now and forevermore, God is worthy of glory, honor, power, and authority. Amen. (Jude 24-25)

Selections from The Message: 1 John

Jesus solved the sin problem for good—not only ours, but the whole world’s. (1 John 2:2)

Wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important has nothing to do with the Father. (1 John 2:16)

What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it—we’re called children of God! That’s who we really are. (1 John 3:1)

The Son of God entered the scene to abolish the Devil’s ways. (1 John 3:8)

God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves. (1 John 3:20)

We’re no longer accusing or condemning ourselves, we’re bold and free before God! (1 John 3:21)

We experience God's deep and abiding presence in us by the Spirit he gave us. (1 John 3:24)

Don’t believe everything you hear. Carefully weigh and examine what people tell you. Not everyone who talks about God comes from God. There are a lot of lying preachers loose in the world. (1 John 4:1)

This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. (1 John 4:9)

This is the kind of love we are talking about--not that we loved God first, but that he loved us first and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins. (1 John 4:10)

God has given us life from his life, from his very own Spirit. (1 John 4:13)

Everyone who confesses that Jesus is God's Son participates continuously in an intimate relationship with God. We know it so well, we've embraced it heart and soul, this love that comes from God. God is love. (1 John 4:15-16)

We're free of worry on Judgment Day--our standing in the world is identical with Christ's. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life--fear of death, fear of judgment--is one not yet fully formed in love. (1 John 4:17-18)

We are going to love--love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first. (1 John 4:19-18)

Loving God includes loving people. You've got to love both. (1 John 4:21)

Jesus—the Divine Christ! He experienced a life-giving birth and a death-killing death. (1 John 5:6)

This is the testimony in essence: God gave us eternal life; the life is in his Son. So, whoever has the Son, has life; whoever rejects the Son, rejects life. (1 John 5:11-12)

The God-begotten are also the God-protected. The Evil One can’t lay a hand on them. We know that we are held firm by God; it’s only the people of the world who continue in the grip of the Evil One. And we know that the Son of God came so we could recognize and understand the truth of God—what a gift!—and we are living in the Truth itself, in God’s Son, Jesus Christ. This Jesus is both True God and Real Life. Be on guard against all clever facsimiles.  (1 John 5:18-21)

Note: I didn't find anything that I wanted to select from The Message's 2-3 John.

New Covenant Forgiveness

For whatever reason, the King James translators wrongly translated the words “forgiveness,” and “remission,” from the Greek word “alphesis,” which means freedom.

Every time the word “forgiveness” is translated in the King James Bible, it means “freedom.” Every time, with the exception of one, “remission” also means “freedom.”

Also, they translated the word “forgive,” from the Greek word “alphiemi.” “Alphiemi” comes from the prefix “apo,” meaning “off, away from,” and from “hiemi” meaning to “to send away, dismiss.”  Thus, forgive in the New Testament means to send away, and remove sin, not “cover sin” as in the Old Covenant.

“Alphesis” (Greek word for forgiveness and remission), also comes from the same prefix “apo.” Thus, alphesis could be more correctly translated “freedom from.” “Apo” also has a spatial nature, thus denotes distance and separation.

And in relation to sin, we are talking about “freedom from sin,” which is the heart of the gospel.

Again, here is the dictionary meaning of forgiveness:
The act of forgiving; the pardon of an offender, by which he is considered and treated as not guilty.

This definition is fine if one is dealing with a wrong that one has been done to him. The Bible teaches that we are to forgive, even to forgive our enemies. However, when dealing with God and our relation to Him as to sin in the New Testament, it is not correct. Jesus did not just pardon our sin and take the guilt of sin away at the cross; HE TOOK SIN AWAY!  The blood of the New Covenant speaks of a “better sacrifice” that takes sin away, that cleanses from all unrighteousness, that destroys the sin nature, and that makes us new creations “in Christ.”  All these “better things” were impossible under the Law and before the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Excerpted from Forgiveness or Freedom

Was Only Part of the Law Fulfilled by Christ? by Phil Drysdale

A lot of people try to break up the law, into either two, ceremonial and moral, or three parts, ceremonial, civil and moral. I often hear people explain that it was the ceremonial law that was nailed to the cross. This is a nice idea we use to try keep a hold of as much of the law as we possibly can, while doing away with some. The problem is the Bible doesn’t break up the law as nice and neat as that, in fact it doesn’t break up the law at all.

Paul explains that the “law” which is no longer relevant in the Christian's life is the law which is “written and engraved on stones” in 2 Corinthians 3:7. Which law does that sound like? The ceremonial law? The civil law? Obviously this is the Ten Commandments Paul is talking about, they were the only laws to be engraved in stone.

Paul isn’t being vague here and wants everyone to know that when he says that the law is no longer applicable in the Christian’s life he means the whole package it came in!

If you feel a need to divide the law up, that’s fine, just so long as you know the whole thing was fulfilled in Christ and the whole thing is for the unbeliever not the believer (1 Timothy 1:9).


Excerpted from What's The Role Of The Law In The New Covenant?