Matthew 20:16

20:16 So the last will be first, and the first last.”

Matthew 22:14

22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Matthew 25:1-12

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

25:1 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 25:2 Five ¹  of the virgins ²  were foolish, and five were wise. 25:3 When ³  the foolish ones took their lamps, they did not take extra ⁴  olive oil ⁵  with them. 25:4 But the wise ones took flasks of olive oil with their lamps. 25:5 When ⁶  the bridegroom was delayed a long time, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. 25:6 But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom is here! Come out to meet him.’ ⁷  25:7 Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 25:8 The ⁸  foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’ 25:9 ‘No,’ they replied. ⁹  ‘There won’t be enough for you and for us. Go instead to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ 25:10 But while they had gone to buy it, the bridegroom arrived, and those who were ready went inside with him to the wedding banquet. Then ¹⁰  the door was shut. 25:11 Later, ¹¹  the other virgins came too, saying, ‘Lord, lord! Let us in!’ ¹²  25:12 But he replied, ¹³  ‘I tell you the truth, ¹⁴  I do not know you!’

Luke 12:32

12:32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is well pleased ¹⁵  to give you the kingdom.

Luke 13:23-30

13:23 Someone ¹⁶  asked ¹⁷  him, “Lord, will only a few ¹⁸  be saved?” So ¹⁹  he said to them, 13:24 “Exert every effort ²⁰  to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 13:25 Once ²¹  the head of the house ²²  gets up ²³  and shuts the door, then you will stand outside and start to knock on the door and beg him, ‘Lord, ²⁴  let us in!’ ²⁵  But he will answer you, ²⁶  ‘I don’t know where you come from.’ ²⁷  13:26 Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ ²⁸  13:27 But ²⁹  he will reply, ³⁰  ‘I don’t know where you come from! ³¹  Go away from me, all you evildoers!’ ³²  13:28 There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth ³³  when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, ³⁴  and all the prophets in the kingdom of God ³⁵  but you yourselves thrown out. ³⁶  13:29 Then ³⁷  people ³⁸  will come from east and west, and from north and south, and take their places at the banquet table ³⁹  in the kingdom of God. ⁴⁰  13:30 But ⁴¹  indeed, ⁴²  some are last ⁴³  who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”

Romans 9:27-29

9:27 And Isaiah cries out on behalf of Israel, “Though the number of the children ⁴⁴  of Israel are as the sand of the sea, only the remnant will be saved, 9:28 for the Lord will execute his sentence on the earth completely and quickly.” ⁴⁵  9:29 Just ⁴⁶  as Isaiah predicted,

“If the Lord of armies ⁴⁷  had not left us descendants,

we would have become like Sodom,

and we would have resembled Gomorrah.” ⁴⁸ 

Romans 9:32

9:32 Why not? Because they pursued ⁴⁹  it not by faith but (as if it were possible) by works. ⁵⁰  They stumbled over the stumbling stone, ⁵¹ 

Romans 11:5-6

11:5 So in the same way at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. 11:6 And if it is by grace, it is no longer by works, otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

Romans 12:2

12:2 Do not be conformed ⁵²  to this present world, ⁵³  but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve ⁵⁴  what is the will of God – what is good and well-pleasing and perfect.

Ephesians 2:2-3

2:2 in which ⁵⁵  you formerly lived ⁵⁶  according to this world’s present path, ⁵⁷  according to the ruler of the kingdom ⁵⁸  of the air, the ruler of ⁵⁹  the spirit ⁶⁰  that is now energizing ⁶¹  the sons of disobedience, ⁶²  2:3 among whom ⁶³  all of us ⁶⁴  also ⁶⁵  formerly lived out our lives in the cravings of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath ⁶⁶  even as the rest… ⁶⁷ 

Ephesians 2:1

New Life Individually

2:1 And although you were ⁶⁸  dead ⁶⁹  in your transgressions and sins,

Ephesians 3:20-21

3:20 Now to him who by the power that is working within us ⁷⁰  is able to do far beyond ⁷¹  all that we ask or think, 3:21 to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

[25:2]  ¹ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[25:2]  ² tn Grk “Five of them.”

[25:3]  ³ tn Grk “For when.” Here γάρ (gar) has not been translated.

[25:3]  ⁴ tn The word “extra” is not in the Greek text but is implied. The point is that the five foolish virgins had only the oil in their lamps, but took along no extra supply from which to replenish them. This is clear from v. 8, where the lamps of the foolish virgins are going out because they are running out of oil.

[25:3]  ⁵ tn On the use of olive oil in lamps, see L&N 6.202.

[25:5]  ⁶ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[25:6]  ⁷ tc ‡ Most witnesses have αὐτοῦ (autou, “[with] him”) after ἀπάντησιν (apanthsin, “meeting”), a reading which makes explicit what is already implied in the shorter text (as found in א B 700). The translation likewise adds “him” for clarity’s sake even though the word is not considered part of the original text. NA²⁷ has αὐτοῦ in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.

[25:8]  ⁸ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[25:9]  ⁹ tn Grk “The wise answered, saying, ‘No.’”

[25:10]  ¹⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[25:11]  ¹¹ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[25:11]  ¹² tn Grk “Open to us.”

[25:12]  ¹³ tn Grk “But answering, he said.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.

[25:12]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[12:32]  ¹⁵ tn Or perhaps, “your Father chooses.”

[13:23]  ¹⁶ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[13:23]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “said to.”

[13:23]  ¹⁸ sn The warnings earlier in Jesus’ teaching have led to the question whether only a few will be saved.

[13:23]  ¹⁹ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate that Jesus’ reply was triggered by the preceding question.

[13:24]  ²⁰ tn Or “Make every effort” (L&N 68.74; cf. NIV); “Do your best” (TEV); “Work hard” (NLT); Grk “Struggle.” The idea is to exert one’s maximum effort (cf. BDAG 17 s.v. ἀγωνίζομαι 2.b, “strain every nerve to enter”) because of the supreme importance of attaining entry into the kingdom of God.

[13:25]  ²¹ tn The syntactical relationship between vv. 24-25 is disputed. The question turns on whether v. 25 is connected to v. 24 or not. A lack of a clear connective makes an independent idea more likely. However, one must then determine what the beginning of the sentence connects to. Though it makes for slightly awkward English, the translation has opted to connect it to “he will answer” so that this functions, in effect, as an apodosis. One could end the sentence after “us” and begin a new sentence with “He will answer” to make simpler sentences, although the connection between the two sentences is thereby less clear. The point of the passage, however, is clear. Once the door is shut, because one failed to come in through the narrow way, it is closed permanently. The moral: Do not be too late in deciding to respond.

[13:25]  ²² tn Or “the master of the household.”

[13:25]  ²³ tn Or “rises,” or “stands up.”

[13:25]  ²⁴ tn Or “Sir.”

[13:25]  ²⁵ tn Grk “Open to us.”

[13:25]  ²⁶ tn Grk “and answering, he will say to you.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “he will answer you.”

[13:25]  ²⁷ sn For the imagery behind the statement “I do not know where you come from,” see Ps 138:6; Isa 63:16; Jer 1:5; Hos 5:3.

[13:26]  ²⁸ sn This term refers to wide streets, and thus suggests the major streets of a city.

[13:27]  ²⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[13:27]  ³⁰ tc Most mss (Ì^75* A D L W Θ Ψ 070 Ë^1,13 Ï) have ἐρεῖ λέγω ὑμῖν (erei legw Jumin; “he will say, ‘I say to you’”) here, while some have only ἐρεῖ ὑμῖν (“he will say to you” in א 579 pc lat sa) or simply ἐρεῖ (“he will say” in 1195 pc). The variety of readings seems to have arisen from the somewhat unusual wording of the original, ἐρεῖ λέγων ὑμῖν (erei legwn Jumin; “he will say, saying to you” found in Ì^75c B 892 pc). Given the indicative λέγω, it is difficult to explain how the other readings would have arisen. But if the participle λέγων were original, the other readings can more easily be explained as arising from it. Although the external evidence is significantly stronger in support of the indicative reading, the internal evidence is on the side of the participle.

[13:27]  ³¹ sn The issue is not familiarity (with Jesus’ teaching) or even shared activity (eating and drinking with him), but knowing Jesus. Those who do not know him, he will not know where they come from (i.e., will not acknowledge) at the judgment.

[13:27]  ³² tn Grk “all you workers of iniquity.” The phrase resembles Ps 6:8.

[13:28]  ³³ sn Weeping and gnashing of teeth is a figure for remorse and trauma, which occurs here because of exclusion from God’s promise.

[13:28]  ³⁴ tn Grk “and Isaac and Jacob,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[13:28]  ³⁵ sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.

[13:28]  ³⁶ tn Or “being thrown out.” The present accusative participle, ἐκβαλλομένους (ekballomenous), related to the object ὑμᾶς (Jumas), seems to suggest that these evildoers will witness their own expulsion from the kingdom.

[13:29]  ³⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events in the discourse.

[13:29]  ³⁸ tn Grk “they”; the referent (people who will come to participate in the kingdom) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:29]  ³⁹ tn Grk “and recline at table,” as 1st century middle eastern meals were not eaten while sitting at a table, but while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away. The word “banquet” has been supplied to clarify for the modern reader the festive nature of the imagery The banquet imagery is a way to describe the fellowship and celebration of accompanying those who are included as the people of God at the end.

[13:29]  ⁴⁰ sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.

[13:30]  ⁴¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[13:30]  ⁴² tn Grk “behold.”

[13:30]  ⁴³ sn Some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last. Jesus’ answer is that some who are expected to be there (many from Israel) will not be there, while others not expected to be present (from other nations) will be present. The question is not, “Will the saved be few?” (see v. 23), but “Will it be you?”

[9:27]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “sons.”

[9:28]  ⁴⁵ tc In light of the interpretive difficulty of this verse, a longer reading seems to have been added to clarify the meaning. The addition, in the middle of the sentence, makes the whole verse read as follows: “For he will execute his sentence completely and quickly in righteousness, because the Lord will do it quickly on the earth.” The shorter reading is found largely in Alexandrian mss (Ì⁴⁶ א* A B 6 1506 1739 1881 pc co), while the longer reading is found principally in Western and Byzantine mss (א² D F G Ψ 33 Ï lat). The longer reading follows Isa 10:22-23 (LXX) verbatim, while Paul in the previous verse quoted the LXX loosely. This suggests the addition was made by a copyist trying to make sense out of a difficult passage rather than by the author himself.

[9:29]  ⁴⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[9:29]  ⁴⁷ tn Traditionally, “Lord of hosts”; Grk “Lord Sabaoth,” which means “Lord of the [heavenly] armies,” sometimes translated more generally as “Lord Almighty.”

[9:29]  ⁴⁸ sn A quotation from Isa 1:9.

[9:32]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “Why? Because not by faith but as though by works.” The verb (“they pursued [it]”) is to be supplied from the preceding verse for the sake of English style; yet a certain literary power is seen in Paul’s laconic style.

[9:32]  ⁵⁰ tc Most mss, especially the later ones (א² D Ψ 33 Ï sy), read νόμου (nomou, “of the law”) here, echoing Paul’s usage in Rom 3:20, 28 and elsewhere. The qualifying phrase is lacking in א* A B F G 6 629 630 1739 1881 pc lat co. The longer reading thus is weaker externally and internally, being motivated apparently by a need to clarify.

[9:32]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “the stone of stumbling.”

[12:2]  ⁵² tn Although συσχηματίζεσθε (suschmatizesqe) could be either a passive or middle, the passive is more likely since it would otherwise have to be a direct middle (“conform yourselves”) and, as such, would be quite rare for NT Greek. It is very telling that being “conformed” to the present world is viewed as a passive notion, for it may suggest that it happens, in part, subconsciously. At the same time, the passive could well be a “permissive passive,” suggesting that there may be some consciousness of the conformity taking place. Most likely, it is a combination of both.

[12:2]  ⁵³ tn Grk “to this age.”

[12:2]  ⁵⁴ sn The verb translated test and approve (δοκιμάζω, dokimazw) carries the sense of “test with a positive outcome,” “test so as to approve.”

[2:2]  ⁵⁵ sn The relative pronoun which is feminine as is sins, indicating that sins is the antecedent.

[2:2]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “walked.”

[2:2]  ⁵⁷ tn Or possibly “Aeon.”

[2:2]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “domain, [place of] authority.”

[2:2]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “of” (but see the note on the word “spirit” later in this verse).

[2:2]  ⁶⁰ sn The ruler of the kingdom of the air is also the ruler of the spirit that is now energizing the sons of disobedience. Although several translations regard the ruler to be the same as the spirit, this is unlikely since the cases in Greek are different (ruler is accusative and spirit is genitive). To get around this, some have suggested that the genitive for spirit is a genitive of apposition. However, the semantics of the genitive of apposition are against such an interpretation (cf. ExSyn 100).

[2:2]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “working in.”

[2:2]  ⁶² sn Sons of disobedience is a Semitic idiom that means “people characterized by disobedience.” However, it also contains a subtle allusion to vv. 4-10: Some of those sons of disobedience have become sons of God.

[2:3]  ⁶³ sn Among whom. The relative pronoun phrase that begins v. 3 is identical, except for gender, to the one that begins v. 2 (ἐν αἵς [en Jais], ἐν οἵς [en Jois]). By the structure, the author is building an argument for our hopeless condition: We lived in sin and we lived among sinful people. Our doom looked to be sealed as well in v. 2: Both the external environment (kingdom of the air) and our internal motivation and attitude (the spirit that is now energizing) were under the devil’s thumb (cf. 2 Cor 4:4).

[2:3]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “we all.”

[2:3]  ⁶⁵ tn Or “even.”

[2:3]  ⁶⁶ sn Children of wrath is a Semitic idiom which may mean either “people characterized by wrath” or “people destined for wrath.”

[2:3]  ⁶⁷ sn Eph 2:1-3. The translation of vv. 1-3 is very literal, even to the point of retaining the awkward syntax of the original. See note on the word dead in 2:1.

[2:1]  ⁶⁸ tn The adverbial participle “being” (ὄντας, ontas) is taken concessively.

[2:1]  ⁶⁹ sn Chapter 2 starts off with a participle, although you were dead, that is left dangling. The syntax in Greek for vv. 1-3 constitutes one incomplete sentence, though it seems to have been done intentionally. The dangling participle leaves the readers in suspense while they wait for the solution (in v. 4) to their spiritual dilemma.

[3:20]  ⁷⁰ sn On the power that is working within us see 1:19-20.

[3:20]  ⁷¹ tn Or “infinitely beyond,” “far more abundantly than.”