Matthew 28:20

28:20 teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, ¹  I am with you ²  always, to the end of the age.” ³ 

Acts 1:1

Jesus Ascends to Heaven

1:1 I wrote ⁴  the former ⁵  account, ⁶  Theophilus, ⁷  about all that Jesus began to do and teach

Romans 13:8-10

Exhortation to Love Neighbors

13:8 Owe no one anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. 13:9 For the commandments, ⁸  “Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not covet,” ⁹  (and if there is any other commandment) are summed up in this, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁰  13:10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Galatians 5:14-24

5:14 For the whole law can be summed up in a single commandment, ¹¹  namely, “You must love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹²  5:15 However, if you continually bite and devour one another, ¹³  beware that you are not consumed ¹⁴  by one another. 5:16 But I say, live ¹⁵  by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh. ¹⁶  5:17 For the flesh has desires that are opposed to the Spirit, and the Spirit has desires ¹⁷  that are opposed to the flesh, for these are in opposition to ¹⁸  each other, so that you cannot do what you want. 5:18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 5:19 Now the works of the flesh ¹⁹  are obvious: ²⁰  sexual immorality, impurity, depravity, 5:20 idolatry, sorcery, ²¹  hostilities, ²²  strife, ²³  jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish rivalries, dissensions, ²⁴  factions, 5:21 envying, ²⁵  murder, ²⁶  drunkenness, carousing, ²⁷  and similar things. I am warning you, as I had warned you before: Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God!

5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit ²⁸  is love, ²⁹  joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ³⁰  5:23 gentleness, and ³¹  self-control. Against such things there is no law. 5:24 Now those who belong to Christ ³²  have crucified the flesh ³³  with its passions ³⁴  and desires.

Philippians 3:17-18

3:17 Be imitators of me, ³⁵  brothers and sisters, ³⁶  and watch carefully those who are living this way, just as you have us as an example. 3:18 For many live, about whom I have often told you, and now, with tears, I tell you that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ.

Philippians 4:8-9

4:8 Finally, brothers and sisters, ³⁷  whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things. 4:9 And what you learned and received and heard and saw in me, do these things. And the God of peace will be with you.

Philippians 4:1

Christian Practices

4:1 So then, my brothers and sisters, ³⁸  dear friends whom I long to see, my joy and crown, stand in the Lord in this way, my dear friends!

Philippians 2:10-12

2:10 so that at the name of Jesus

every knee will bow

– in heaven and on earth and under the earth –

2:11 and every tongue confess

that Jesus Christ is Lord

to the glory of God the Father.

Lights in the World

2:12 So then, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence but even more in my absence, continue working out your salvation with awe and reverence, ³⁹ 

Philippians 4:1-7

Christian Practices

4:1 So then, my brothers and sisters, ⁴⁰  dear friends whom I long to see, my joy and crown, stand in the Lord in this way, my dear friends!

4:2 I appeal to Euodia and to Syntyche to agree in the Lord. 4:3 Yes, I say also to you, true companion, ⁴¹  help them. They have struggled together in the gospel ministry ⁴²  along with me and Clement and my other coworkers, whose names are in the book of life. 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice! 4:5 Let everyone see your gentleness. ⁴³  The Lord is near! 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. 4:7 And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds ⁴⁴  in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:1

Christian Practices

4:1 So then, my brothers and sisters, ⁴⁵  dear friends whom I long to see, my joy and crown, stand in the Lord in this way, my dear friends!

Philippians 4:11-12

4:11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content in any circumstance. 4:12 I have experienced times of need and times of abundance. In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of contentment, ⁴⁶  whether I go satisfied or hungry, have plenty or nothing.

Philippians 1:11

1:11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.

Titus 2:8-10

2:8 and a sound message that cannot be criticized, so that any opponent will be at a loss, ⁴⁷  because he has nothing evil to say about us. 2:9 Slaves ⁴⁸  are to be subject to their own masters in everything, ⁴⁹  to do what is wanted and not talk back, 2:10 not pilfering, but showing all good faith, ⁵⁰  in order to bring credit to ⁵¹  the teaching of God our Savior in everything.

Titus 3:8

Summary of the Letter

3:8 This saying ⁵²  is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on such truths, ⁵³  so that those who have placed their faith in God may be intent on engaging in good works. These things are good and beneficial for all people.

[28:20]  ¹ tn The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has been translated here as “remember” (BDAG 468 s.v. 1.c).

[28:20]  ² sn I am with you. Matthew’s Gospel begins with the prophecy that the Savior’s name would be “Emmanuel, that is, ‘God with us,’” (1:23, in which the author has linked Isa 7:14 and 8:8, 10 together) and it ends with Jesus’ promise to be with his disciples forever. The Gospel of Matthew thus forms an inclusio about Jesus in his relationship to his people that suggests his deity.

[28:20]  ³ tc Most mss (A^c Θ Ë¹³ Ï it sy) have ἀμήν (amhn, “amen”) at the end of v. 20. Such a conclusion is routinely added by scribes to NT books because a few of these books originally had such an ending (cf. Rom 16:27; Gal 6:18; Jude 25). A majority of Greek witnesses have the concluding ἀμήν in every NT book except Acts, James, and 3 John (and even in these books, ἀμήν is found in some witnesses). It is thus a predictable variant. Further, no good reason exists for the omission of the particle in significant and early witnesses such as א A* B D W ˹ 33 al lat sa.

[1:1]  ⁴ tn Or “produced,” Grk “made.”

[1:1]  ⁵ tn Or “first.” The translation “former” is preferred because “first” could imply to the modern English reader that the author means that his previous account was the first one to be written down. The Greek term πρῶτος (prwtos) does not necessarily mean “first” in an absolute sense, but can refer to the first in a set or series. That is what is intended here – the first account (known as the Gospel of Luke) as compared to the second one (known as Acts).

[1:1]  ⁶ tn The Greek word λόγος (logos) is sometimes translated “book” (NRSV, NIV) or “treatise” (KJV). A formal, systematic treatment of a subject is implied, but the word “book” may be too specific and slightly misleading to the modern reader, so “account” has been used.

[1:1]  ⁷ tn Grk “O Theophilus,” but the usage of the vocative in Acts with ὦ (w) is unemphatic, following more the classical idiom (see ExSyn 69).

[13:9]  ⁸ tn Grk “For the…” (with the word “commandments” supplied for clarity). The Greek article (“the”) is used here as a substantiver to introduce the commands that are quoted from the second half of the Decalogue (ExSyn 238).

[13:9]  ⁹ sn A quotation from Exod 20:13-15, 17; Deut 5:17-19, 21.

[13:9]  ¹⁰ sn A quotation from Lev 19:18.

[5:14]  ¹¹ tn Or “can be fulfilled in one commandment.”

[5:14]  ¹² sn A quotation from Lev 19:18.

[5:15]  ¹³ tn That is, “if you are harming and exploiting one another.” Paul’s metaphors are retained in most modern translations, but it is possible to see the meanings of δάκνω and κατεσθίω (daknw and katesqiw, L&N 20.26 and 88.145) as figurative extensions of the literal meanings of these terms and to translate them accordingly. The present tenses here are translated as customary presents (“continually…”).

[5:15]  ¹⁴ tn Or “destroyed.”

[5:16]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “walk” (a common NT idiom for how one conducts one’s life or how one behaves).

[5:16]  ¹⁶ tn On the term “flesh” (once in this verse and twice in v. 17) see the note on the same word in Gal 5:13.

[5:17]  ¹⁷ tn The words “has desires” do not occur in the Greek text a second time, but are repeated in the translation for clarity.

[5:17]  ¹⁸ tn Or “are hostile toward” (L&N 39.1).

[5:19]  ¹⁹ tn See the note on the word “flesh” in Gal 5:13.

[5:19]  ²⁰ tn Or “clear,” “evident.”

[5:20]  ²¹ tn Or “witchcraft.”

[5:20]  ²² tn Or “enmities,” “[acts of] hatred.”

[5:20]  ²³ tn Or “discord” (L&N 39.22).

[5:20]  ²⁴ tn Or “discord(s)” (L&N 39.13).

[5:21]  ²⁵ tn This term is plural in Greek (as is “murder” and “carousing”), but for clarity these abstract nouns have been translated as singular.

[5:21]  ²⁶ tc ‡ φόνοι (fonoi, “murders”) is absent in such important mss as Ì⁴⁶ א B 33 81 323 945 pc sa, while the majority of mss (A C D F G Ψ 0122 0278 1739 1881 Ï lat) have the word. Although the pedigree of the mss which lack the term is of the highest degree, homoioteleuton may well explain the shorter reading. The preceding word has merely one letter difference, making it quite possible to overlook this term (φθόνοι φόνοι, fqonoi fonoi).

[5:21]  ²⁷ tn Or “revelings,” “orgies” (L&N 88.287).

[5:22]  ²⁸ tn That is, the fruit the Spirit produces.

[5:22]  ²⁹ sn Another way to punctuate this is “love” followed by a colon (love: joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control). It is thus possible to read the eight characteristics following “love” as defining love.

[5:22]  ³⁰ tn Or “reliability”; see BDAG 818 s.v. πίστις 1.a.

[5:23]  ³¹ tn “And” is supplied here as a matter of English style, which normally inserts “and” between the last two elements of a list or series.

[5:24]  ³² tc ‡ Some mss (א A B C P Ψ 0122¹ 0278 33 1175 1739 pc co) read “Christ Jesus” here, while many significant ones (Ì⁴⁶ D F G 0122*^,2 latt sy), as well as the Byzantine text, lack “Jesus.” The Byzantine text is especially not prone to omit the name “Jesus”; that it does so here argues for the authenticity of the shorter reading (for similar instances of probably authentic Byzantine shorter readings, see Matt 24:36 and Phil 1:14; cf. also W.-H. J. Wu, “A Systematic Analysis of the Shorter Readings in the Byzantine Text of the Synoptic Gospels” [Ph.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 2002]). On the strength of the alignment of Ì⁴⁶ with the Western and Byzantine texttypes, the shorter reading is preferred. NA²⁷ includes the word in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.

[5:24]  ³³ tn See the note on the word “flesh” in Gal 5:13.

[5:24]  ³⁴ tn The Greek term παθήμασιν (paqhmasin, translated “passions”) refers to strong physical desires, especially of a sexual nature (L&N 25.30).

[3:17]  ³⁵ tn Or “become fellow imitators with me [of Christ].”

[3:17]  ³⁶ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:12.

[4:8]  ³⁷ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:12.

[4:1]  ³⁸ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:12.

[2:12]  ³⁹ tn Grk “with fear and trembling.” The Greek words φόβος and τρόμος both imply fear in a negative sense (L&N 25.251 and 16.6 respectively) while the former can also refer to respect and awe for deity (L&N 53.59). Paul’s use of the terms in other contexts refers to “awe and reverence in the presence of God” (P. T. O’Brien, Philippians [NIGTC], 284; see discussion on 282-84). The translation “awe and reverence” was chosen to portray the attitude the believer should have toward God as they consider their behavior in light of God working through Jesus Christ (2:6-11) and in the believer’s life (2:13) to accomplish their salvation.

[4:1]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:12.

[4:3]  ⁴¹ tn Or “faithful fellow worker.” This is more likely a descriptive noun, although some scholars interpret the word σύζυγος (suzugos) here as a proper name (“Syzygos”), L&N 42.45.

[4:3]  ⁴² tn Grk “in the gospel,” a metonymy in which the gospel itself is substituted for the ministry of making the gospel known.

[4:5]  ⁴³ tn Grk “let your gentleness be seen by all.” The passive voice construction has been converted to active voice in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[4:7]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “will guard the hearts of you and the minds of you.” To improve the English style, the second occurrence of ὑμῶν (Jumwn, “of you”) has not been translated, since it is somewhat redundant in English.

[4:1]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:12.

[4:12]  ⁴⁶ tn The words “of contentment” are not in the Greek text, but are implied by Paul’s remarks at the end of v. 11.

[2:8]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “put to shame.”

[2:9]  ⁴⁸ tn See the note on the word “slave” in 1:1.

[2:9]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “to be subject to their own masters, to do what is wanted in everything.”

[2:10]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “showing that genuine faith is productive.” At issue between these two translations is the force of ἀγαθήν (agaqhn): Is it attributive (as the text has it) or predicate (as in this note)? A number of considerations point in the direction of a predicate ἀγαθήν (e.g., separation from the noun πίστιν (pistin) by the verb, the possibility that the construction is an object-complement, etc.), though is not usually seen as an option in either translations or commentaries. Cf. ExSyn 188-89, 312-13, for a discussion. Contextually, it makes an intriguing statement, for it suggests a synthetic or synonymous parallel: “‘Slaves should be wholly subject to their masters…demonstrating that all [genuine] faith is productive, with the result [ecbatic ἵνα] that they will completely adorn the doctrine of God.’ The point of the text, then, if this understanding is correct, is an exhortation to slaves to demonstrate that their faith is sincere and results in holy behavior. If taken this way, the text seems to support the idea that saving faith does not fail, but even results in good works” (ExSyn 312-13). The translation of ἀγαθήν as an attributive adjective, however, also makes good sense.

[2:10]  ⁵¹ tn Or “adorn,” “show the beauty of.”

[3:8]  ⁵² sn This saying (Grk “the saying”) refers to the preceding citation (Titus 3:4-7). See 1 Tim 1:15; 3:1; 4:9; 2 Tim 2:11 for other occurrences of this phrase.

[3:8]  ⁵³ tn Grk “concerning these things.”