Luke 11:49

11:49 For this reason also the wisdom ¹  of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’

John 20:21

20:21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. Just as the Father has sent me, I also send you.”

John 20:1

The Resurrection

20:1 Now very early on the first day of the week, ²  while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene ³  came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been moved away from the entrance. ⁴ 

Colossians 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ⁵  an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

Colossians 1:9

Paul’s Prayer for the Growth of the Church

1:9 For this reason we also, from the day we heard about you, ⁶  have not ceased praying for you and asking God ⁷  to fill ⁸  you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

Galatians 2:8

2:8 (for he who empowered ⁹  Peter for his apostleship ¹⁰  to the circumcised ¹¹  also empowered me for my apostleship to the Gentiles) ¹² 

Ephesians 3:5

3:5 Now this secret ¹³  was not disclosed to people ¹⁴  in former ¹⁵  generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by ¹⁶  the Spirit,

Ephesians 4:11

4:11 It was he ¹⁷  who gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, ¹⁸ 

Ephesians 4:1

Live in Unity

4:1 I, therefore, the prisoner for the Lord, ¹⁹  urge you to live ²⁰  worthily of the calling with which you have been called, ²¹ 

Ephesians 5:1

Live in Love

5:1 Therefore, be ²²  imitators of God as dearly loved children

[11:49]  ¹ sn The expression the wisdom of God is a personification of an attribute of God that refers to his wise will.

[20:1]  ² sn The first day of the week would be early Sunday morning. The Sabbath (and in this year the Passover) would have lasted from 6 p.m. Friday until 6 p.m. Saturday. Sunday would thus mark the first day of the following week.

[20:1]  ³ sn John does not mention that Mary Magdalene was accompanied by any of the other women who had been among Jesus’ followers. The synoptic accounts all mention other women who accompanied her (although Mary Magdalene is always mentioned first). Why John does not mention the other women is not clear, but Mary probably becomes the focus of the author’s attention because it was she who came and found Peter and the beloved disciple and informed them of the empty tomb (20:2). Mary’s use of the plural in v. 2 indicates there were others present, in indirect agreement with the synoptic accounts.

[20:1]  ⁴ tn Grk “from the tomb.”

[1:1]  ⁵ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:9]  ⁶ tn Or “heard about it”; Grk “heard.” There is no direct object stated in the Greek (direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context). A direct object is expected by an English reader, however, so most translations supply one. Here, however, it is not entirely clear what the author “heard”: a number of translations supply “it” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV; NAB “this”), but this could refer back either to (1) “your love in the Spirit” at the end of v. 8, or (2) “your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints” (v. 4). In light of this uncertainty, other translations supply “about you” (TEV, NIV, CEV, NLT). This is preferred by the present translation since, while it does not resolve the ambiguity entirely, it does make it less easy for the English reader to limit the reference only to “your love in the Spirit” at the end of v. 8.

[1:9]  ⁷ tn The term “God” does not appear in the Greek text, but the following reference to “the knowledge of his will” makes it clear that “God” is in view as the object of the “praying and asking,” and should therefore be included in the English translation for clarity.

[1:9]  ⁸ tn The ἵνα (Jina) clause has been translated as substantival, indicating the content of the prayer and asking. The idea of purpose may also be present in this clause.

[2:8]  ⁹ tn Or “worked through”; the same word is also used in relation to Paul later in this verse.

[2:8]  ¹⁰ tn Or “his ministry as an apostle.”

[2:8]  ¹¹ tn Grk “to the circumcision,” i.e., the Jewish people.

[2:8]  ¹² tn Grk “also empowered me to the Gentiles.”

[3:5]  ¹³ tn Grk “which.” Verse 5 is technically a relative clause, subordinate to the thought of v. 4.

[3:5]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “the sons of men” (a Semitic idiom referring to human beings, hence, “people”).

[3:5]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “other.”

[3:5]  ¹⁶ tn Or “in.”

[4:11]  ¹⁷ tn The emphasis on Christ is continued through the use of the intensive pronoun, αὐτός (autos), and is rendered in English as “it was he” as this seems to lay emphasis on the “he.”

[4:11]  ¹⁸ sn Some interpreters have understood the phrase pastors and teachers to refer to one and the same group. This would mean that all pastors are teachers and that all teachers are pastors. This position is often taken because it is recognized that both nouns (i.e., pastors and teachers) are governed by one article in Greek. But because the nouns are plural, it is extremely unlikely that they refer to the same group, but only that the author is linking them closely together. It is better to regard the pastors as a subset of teachers. In other words, all pastors are teachers, but not all teachers are pastors. See ExSyn 284.

[4:1]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “prisoner in the Lord.”

[4:1]  ²⁰ tn Grk “walk.” The verb “walk” in the NT letters refers to the conduct of one’s life, not to physical walking.

[4:1]  ²¹ sn With which you have been called. The calling refers to the Holy Spirit’s prompting that caused them to believe. The author is thus urging his readers to live a life that conforms to their saved status before God.

[5:1]  ²² tn Or “become.”