Acts 2:40

2:40 With many other words he testified ¹  and exhorted them saying, “Save yourselves from this perverse ²  generation!”

Acts 11:23

11:23 When ³  he came and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and encouraged them all to remain true ⁴  to the Lord with devoted hearts, ⁵ 

Acts 14:22

14:22 They strengthened ⁶  the souls of the disciples and encouraged them to continue ⁷  in the faith, saying, “We must enter the kingdom ⁸  of God through many persecutions.” ⁹ 

Acts 18:23

18:23 After he spent ¹⁰  some time there, Paul left and went through the region of Galatia ¹¹  and Phrygia, ¹²  strengthening all the disciples.

Acts 20:2

20:2 After he had gone through those regions ¹³  and spoken many words of encouragement ¹⁴  to the believers there, ¹⁵  he came to Greece, ¹⁶ 

Romans 12:8

12:8 if it is exhortation, he must exhort; if it is contributing, he must do so with sincerity; if it is leadership, he must do so with diligence; if it is showing mercy, he must do so with cheerfulness.

Romans 12:1

Consecration of the Believer’s Life

12:1 Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, ¹⁷  by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice – alive, holy, and pleasing to God ¹⁸  – which is your reasonable service.

Romans 2:11

2:11 For there is no partiality with God.

Romans 4:1

The Illustration of Justification

4:1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh, ¹⁹  has discovered regarding this matter? ²⁰ 

Romans 5:14

5:14 Yet death reigned from Adam until Moses even over those who did not sin in the same way that Adam (who is a type ²¹  of the coming one) transgressed. ²² 

Romans 5:2

5:2 through whom we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice ²³  in the hope of God’s glory.

Romans 3:12

3:12 All have turned away,

together they have become worthless;

there is no one who shows kindness, not even one.” ²⁴ 

Romans 3:1

3:1 Therefore what advantage does the Jew have, or what is the value of circumcision?

Romans 2:1-2

The Condemnation of the Moralist

2:1 ²⁵ Therefore ²⁶  you are without excuse, ²⁷  whoever you are, ²⁸  when you judge someone else. ²⁹  For on whatever grounds ³⁰  you judge another, you condemn yourself, because you who judge practice the same things. 2:2 Now we know that God’s judgment is in accordance with truth ³¹  against those who practice such things.

Romans 4:2

4:2 For if Abraham was declared righteous ³²  by the works of the law, he has something to boast about – but not before God.

Titus 2:6-15

2:6 Encourage younger men likewise to be self-controlled, ³³  2:7 showing yourself to be an example of good works in every way. In your teaching show integrity, dignity, 2:8 and a sound message that cannot be criticized, so that any opponent will be at a loss, ³⁴  because he has nothing evil to say about us. 2:9 Slaves ³⁵  are to be subject to their own masters in everything, ³⁶  to do what is wanted and not talk back, 2:10 not pilfering, but showing all good faith, ³⁷  in order to bring credit to ³⁸  the teaching of God our Savior in everything.

2:11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people. ³⁹  2:12 It trains us ⁴⁰  to reject godless ways ⁴¹  and worldly desires and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 2:13 as we wait for the happy fulfillment of our hope in the glorious appearing ⁴²  of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. ⁴³  2:14 He ⁴⁴  gave himself for us to set us free from every kind of lawlessness and to purify for himself a people who are truly his, ⁴⁵  who are eager to do good. ⁴⁶  2:15 So communicate these things with the sort of exhortation or rebuke ⁴⁷  that carries full authority. ⁴⁸  Don’t let anyone look down ⁴⁹  on you.

Titus 2:1

Conduct Consistent with Sound Teaching

2:1 But as for you, communicate the behavior that goes with ⁵⁰  sound teaching.

Titus 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ⁵¹  a slave ⁵²  of God and apostle of Jesus Christ, to further the faith ⁵³  of God’s chosen ones and the knowledge of the truth that is in keeping with godliness,

Titus 1:12

1:12 A certain one of them, in fact, one of their own prophets, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” ⁵⁴ 

[2:40]  ¹ tn Or “warned.”

[2:40]  ² tn Or “crooked” (in a moral or ethical sense). See Luke 3:5.

[11:23]  ³ tn Grk “Antioch, who when.” The relative pronoun was omitted and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style, due to the length of the sentence in Greek.

[11:23]  ⁴ tn BDAG 883 s.v. προσμένω 1.a.β has “remain true to the Lord” for προσμένειν (prosmenein) in this verse.

[11:23]  ⁵ tn Grk “with purpose of heart”; BDAG 869 s.v. πρόθεσις 2.a translates this phrase “purpose of heart, i.e. devotion” here.

[14:22]  ⁶ tn Grk “to Antioch, strengthening.” Due to the length of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences, a new sentence was started here. This participle (ἐπιστηρίζοντες, episthrizonte") and the following one (παρακαλοῦντες, parakalounte") have been translated as finite verbs connected by the coordinating conjunction “and.”

[14:22]  ⁷ sn And encouraged them to continue. The exhortations are like those noted in Acts 11:23; 13:43. An example of such a speech is found in Acts 20:18-35. Christianity is now characterized as “the faith.”

[14:22]  ⁸ sn This reference to the kingdom of God clearly refers to its future arrival.

[14:22]  ⁹ tn Or “sufferings.”

[18:23]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “Having spent”; the participle ποιήσας (poihsas) is taken temporally.

[18:23]  ¹¹ sn Galatia refers to either (1) the region of the old kingdom of Galatia in the central part of Asia Minor, or (2) the Roman province of Galatia, whose principal cities in the 1st century were Ancyra and Pisidian Antioch. The exact extent and meaning of this area has been a subject of considerable controversy in modern NT studies.

[18:23]  ¹² sn Phrygia was a district in central Asia Minor west of Pisidia. See Acts 16:6.

[20:2]  ¹³ tn BDAG 633 s.v. μέρος 1.b.γ gives the meanings “the parts (of a geographical area), region, district,” but the use of “district” in this context probably implies too much specificity.

[20:2]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “and encouraging them with many words.” The participle παρακαλέσας (parakalesa", “encouraging”) has been translated by the phrase “spoken…words of encouragement” because the formal equivalent is awkward in contemporary English.

[20:2]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “[to] them”; the referent (the believers there) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:2]  ¹⁶ tn In popular usage the term translated “Greece” here could also refer to the Roman province officially known as Achaia (BDAG 318 s.v. ῾Ελλάς).

[12:1]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.

[12:1]  ¹⁸ tn The participle and two adjectives “alive, holy, and pleasing to God” are taken as predicates in relation to “sacrifice,” making the exhortation more emphatic. See ExSyn 618-19.

[4:1]  ¹⁹ tn Or “according to natural descent” (BDAG 916 s.v. σάρξ 4).

[4:1]  ²⁰ tn Grk “has found?”

[5:14]  ²¹ tn Or “pattern.”

[5:14]  ²² tn Or “disobeyed”; Grk “in the likeness of Adam’s transgression.”

[5:2]  ²³ tn Or “exult, boast.”

[3:12]  ²⁴ sn Verses 10-12 are a quotation from Ps 14:1-3.

[2:1]  ²⁵ sn Rom 2:1-29 presents unusual difficulties for the interpreter. There have been several major approaches to the chapter and the group(s) it refers to: (1) Rom 2:14 refers to Gentile Christians, not Gentiles who obey the Jewish law. (2) Paul in Rom 2 is presenting a hypothetical viewpoint: If anyone could obey the law, that person would be justified, but no one can. (3) The reference to “the ones who do the law” in 2:13 are those who “do” the law in the right way, on the basis of faith, not according to Jewish legalism. (4) Rom 2:13 only speaks about Christians being judged in the future, along with such texts as Rom 14:10 and 2 Cor 5:10. (5) Paul’s material in Rom 2 is drawn heavily from Diaspora Judaism, so that the treatment of the law presented here cannot be harmonized with other things Paul says about the law elsewhere (E. P. Sanders, Paul, the Law, and the Jewish People, 123); another who sees Rom 2 as an example of Paul’s inconsistency in his treatment of the law is H. Räisänen, Paul and the Law [WUNT], 101-9. (6) The list of blessings and curses in Deut 27–30 provide the background for Rom 2; the Gentiles of 2:14 are Gentile Christians, but the condemnation of Jews in 2:17-24 addresses the failure of Jews as a nation to keep the law as a whole (A. Ito, “Romans 2: A Deuteronomistic Reading,” JSNT 59 [1995]: 21-37).

[2:1]  ²⁶ tn Some interpreters (e.g., C. K. Barrett, Romans [HNTC], 43) connect the inferential Διό (dio, “therefore”) with 1:32a, treating 1:32b as a parenthetical comment by Paul.

[2:1]  ²⁷ tn That is, “you have nothing to say in your own defense” (so translated by TCNT).

[2:1]  ²⁸ tn Grk “O man.”

[2:1]  ²⁹ tn Grk “Therefore, you are without excuse, O man, everyone [of you] who judges.”

[2:1]  ³⁰ tn Grk “in/by (that) which.”

[2:2]  ³¹ tn Or “based on truth.”

[4:2]  ³² tn Or “was justified.”

[2:6]  ³³ tn Or “sensible.”

[2:8]  ³⁴ tn Or “put to shame.”

[2:9]  ³⁵ tn See the note on the word “slave” in 1:1.

[2:9]  ³⁶ tn Or “to be subject to their own masters, to do what is wanted in everything.”

[2:10]  ³⁷ 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]  ³⁸ tn Or “adorn,” “show the beauty of.”

[2:11]  ³⁹ tn Grk “all men”; but ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpois) is generic here, referring to both men and women.

[2:12]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “training us” (as a continuation of the previous clause). Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started at the beginning of v. 12 by translating the participle παιδεύουσα (paideuousa) as a finite verb and supplying the pronoun “it” as subject.

[2:12]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “ungodliness.”

[2:13]  ⁴² tn Grk “the blessed hope and glorious appearing.”

[2:13]  ⁴³ tn The terms “God and Savior” both refer to the same person, Jesus Christ. This is one of the clearest statements in the NT concerning the deity of Christ. The construction in Greek is known as the Granville Sharp rule, named after the English philanthropist-linguist who first clearly articulated the rule in 1798. Sharp pointed out that in the construction article-noun-καί-noun (where καί [kai] = “and”), when two nouns are singular, personal, and common (i.e., not proper names), they always had the same referent. Illustrations such as “the friend and brother,” “the God and Father,” etc. abound in the NT to prove Sharp’s point. The only issue is whether terms such as “God” and “Savior” could be considered common nouns as opposed to proper names. Sharp and others who followed (such as T. F. Middleton in his masterful The Doctrine of the Greek Article) demonstrated that a proper name in Greek was one that could not be pluralized. Since both “God” (θεός, qeos) and “savior” (σωτήρ, swthr) were occasionally found in the plural, they did not constitute proper names, and hence, do fit Sharp’s rule. Although there have been 200 years of attempts to dislodge Sharp’s rule, all attempts have been futile. Sharp’s rule stands vindicated after all the dust has settled. For more information on Sharp’s rule see ExSyn 270-78, esp. 276. See also 2 Pet 1:1 and Jude 4.

[2:14]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “who” (as a continuation of the previous clause).

[2:14]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “a people who are his very own.”

[2:14]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “for good works.”

[2:15]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “reproof,” “censure.” The Greek word ἐλέγχω (elencw) implies exposing someone’s sin in order to bring correction.

[2:15]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “speak these things and exhort and rebuke with all authority.”

[2:15]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “let anyone despise you”; or “let anyone disregard you.”

[2:1]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “say what is fitting for sound teaching” (introducing the behavior called for in this chapter.).

[1:1]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:1]  ⁵² tn Traditionally, “servant” or “bondservant.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.

[1:1]  ⁵³ tn Grk “for the faith,” possibly, “in accordance with the faith.”

[1:12]  ⁵⁴ sn A saying attributed to the poet Epimenides of Crete (6th century b.c.).