Matthew 5:20

5:20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness goes beyond that of the experts in the law ¹  and the Pharisees, ²  you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 18:3

18:3 and said, “I tell you the truth, ³  unless you turn around and become like little children, ⁴  you will never ⁵  enter the kingdom of heaven!

Matthew 28:19

28:19 Therefore go ⁶  and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, ⁷ 

Luke 13:3

13:3 No, I tell you! But unless you repent, ⁸  you will all perish as well! ⁹ 

Luke 13:5

13:5 No, I tell you! But unless you repent ¹⁰  you will all perish as well!” ¹¹ 

Luke 13:24

13:24 “Exert every effort ¹²  to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.

Acts 2:38

2:38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each one of you be baptized ¹³  in the name of Jesus Christ ¹⁴  for ¹⁵  the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ¹⁶ 

Acts 3:19

3:19 Therefore repent and turn back so that your sins may be wiped out,

Romans 14:17

14:17 For the kingdom of God does not consist of food and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Romans 14:2

14:2 One person believes in eating everything, but the weak person eats only vegetables.

Colossians 1:17-18

1:17 He himself is before all things and all things are held together ¹⁷  in him.

1:18 He is the head of the body, the church, as well as the beginning, the firstborn ¹⁸  from among the dead, so that he himself may become first in all things. ¹⁹ 

Galatians 6:15

6:15 For ²⁰  neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for ²¹  anything; the only thing that matters is a new creation! ²² 

Ephesians 2:4-10

2:4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, 2:5 even though we were dead in transgressions, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you are saved! ²³  – 2:6 and he raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 2:7 to demonstrate in the coming ages ²⁴  the surpassing wealth of his grace in kindness toward ²⁵  us in Christ Jesus. 2:8 For by grace you are saved ²⁶  through faith, ²⁷  and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; 2:9 it is not from ²⁸  works, so that no one can boast. ²⁹  2:10 For we are his workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we may do them. ³⁰ 

Ephesians 2:2

2:2 in which ³¹  you formerly lived ³²  according to this world’s present path, ³³  according to the ruler of the kingdom ³⁴  of the air, the ruler of ³⁵  the spirit ³⁶  that is now energizing ³⁷  the sons of disobedience, ³⁸ 

Ephesians 2:13-14

2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who used to be far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. ³⁹  2:14 For he is our peace, the one who made both groups into one ⁴⁰  and who destroyed the middle wall of partition, the hostility,

[5:20]  ¹ tn Or “that of the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.

[5:20]  ² sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.

[18:3]  ³ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[18:3]  ⁴ sn The point of the comparison become like little children has more to do with a child’s trusting spirit, as well as willingness to be dependent and receive from others, than any inherent humility the child might possess.

[18:3]  ⁵ tn The negation in Greek (οὐ μή, ou mh) is very strong here.

[28:19]  ⁶ tn “Go…baptize…teach” are participles modifying the imperative verb “make disciples.” According to ExSyn 645 the first participle (πορευθέντες, poreuqentes, “Go”) fits the typical structural pattern for the attendant circumstance participle (aorist participle preceding aorist main verb, with the mood of the main verb usually imperative or indicative) and thus picks up the mood (imperative in this case) from the main verb (μαθητεύσατε, maqhteusate, “make disciples”). This means that semantically the action of “going” is commanded, just as “making disciples” is. As for the two participles that follow the main verb (βαπτίζοντες, baptizontes, “baptizing”; and διδάσκοντες, didaskontes, “teaching”), these do not fit the normal pattern for attendant circumstance participles, since they are present participles and follow the aorist main verb. However, some interpreters do see them as carrying additional imperative force in context. Others regard them as means, manner, or even result.

[28:19]  ⁷ tc Although some scholars have denied that the trinitarian baptismal formula in the Great Commission was a part of the original text of Matthew, there is no ms support for their contention. F. C. Conybeare, “The Eusebian Form of the Text of Mt. 28:19,” ZNW 2 (1901): 275-88, based his view on a faulty reading of Eusebius’ quotations of this text. The shorter reading has also been accepted, on other grounds, by a few other scholars. For discussion (and refutation of the conjecture that removes this baptismal formula), see B. J. Hubbard, The Matthean Redaction of a Primitive Apostolic Commissioning (SBLDS 19), 163-64, 167-75; and Jane Schaberg, The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (SBLDS 61), 27-29.

[13:3]  ⁸ sn Jesus was stressing that all stand at risk of death, if they do not repent and receive life.

[13:3]  ⁹ tn Or “you will all likewise perish,” but this could be misunderstood to mean that they would perish by the same means as the Galileans. Jesus’ point is that apart from repentance all will perish.

[13:5]  ¹⁰ sn Jesus’ point repeats v. 3. The circumstances make no difference. All must deal with the reality of what death means.

[13:5]  ¹¹ tn Grk “similarly.”

[13:24]  ¹² 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.

[2:38]  ¹³ tn The verb is a third person imperative, but the common translation “let each of you be baptized” obscures the imperative force in English, since it sounds more like a permissive (“each of you may be baptized”) to the average English reader.

[2:38]  ¹⁴ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[2:38]  ¹⁵ tn There is debate over the meaning of εἰς in the prepositional phrase εἰς ἄφεσιν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ὑμῶν (eis afesin twn Jamartiwn Jumwn, “for/because of/with reference to the forgiveness of your sins”). Although a causal sense has been argued, it is difficult to maintain here. ExSyn 369-71 discusses at least four other ways of dealing with the passage: (1) The baptism referred to here is physical only, and εἰς has the meaning of “for” or “unto.” Such a view suggests that salvation is based on works – an idea that runs counter to the theology of Acts, namely: (a) repentance often precedes baptism (cf. Acts 3:19; 26:20), and (b) salvation is entirely a gift of God, not procured via water baptism (Acts 10:43 [cf. v. 47]; 13:38-39, 48; 15:11; 16:30-31; 20:21; 26:18); (2) The baptism referred to here is spiritual only. Although such a view fits well with the theology of Acts, it does not fit well with the obvious meaning of “baptism” in Acts – especially in this text (cf. 2:41); (3) The text should be repunctuated in light of the shift from second person plural to third person singular back to second person plural again. The idea then would be, “Repent for/with reference to your sins, and let each one of you be baptized…” Such a view is an acceptable way of handling εἰς, but its subtlety and awkwardness count against it; (4) Finally, it is possible that to a first-century Jewish audience (as well as to Peter), the idea of baptism might incorporate both the spiritual reality and the physical symbol. That Peter connects both closely in his thinking is clear from other passages such as Acts 10:47 and 11:15-16. If this interpretation is correct, then Acts 2:38 is saying very little about the specific theological relationship between the symbol and the reality, only that historically they were viewed together. One must look in other places for a theological analysis. For further discussion see R. N. Longenecker, “Acts,” EBC 9:283-85; B. Witherington, Acts, 154-55; F. F. Bruce, The Acts of the Apostles: The Greek Text with Introduction and Commentary, 129-30; BDAG 290 s.v. εἰς 4.f.

[2:38]  ¹⁶ tn Here the genitive τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος (tou Jagiou pneumato") is a genitive of apposition; the gift consists of the Holy Spirit.

[1:17]  ¹⁷ tn BDAG 973 s.v. συνίστημι B.3 suggests “continue, endure, exist, hold together” here.

[1:18]  ¹⁸ tn See the note on the term “firstborn” in 1:15. Here the reference to Jesus as the “firstborn from among the dead” seems to be arguing for a chronological priority, i.e., Jesus was the first to rise from the dead.

[1:18]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “in order that he may become in all things, himself, first.”

[6:15]  ²⁰ tc The phrase “in Christ Jesus” is found after “For” in some mss (א A C D F G 0278 1881 Ï lat bo), but lacking in Ì⁴⁶ B Ψ 33 1175 1505 1739* and several fathers. The longer reading probably represents a harmonization to Gal 5:6.

[6:15]  ²¹ tn Grk “is.”

[6:15]  ²² tn Grk “but a new creation”; the words “the only thing that matters” have been supplied to reflect the implied contrast with the previous clause (see also Gal 5:6).

[2:5]  ²³ tn Or “by grace you have been saved.” The perfect tense in Greek connotes both completed action (“you have been saved”) and continuing results (“you are saved”).

[2:7]  ²⁴ tn Or possibly “to the Aeons who are about to come.”

[2:7]  ²⁵ tn Or “upon.”

[2:8]  ²⁶ tn See note on the same expression in v. 5.

[2:8]  ²⁷ tc The feminine article is found before πίστεως (pistews, “faith”) in the Byzantine text as well as in A Ψ 1881 pc. Perhaps for some scribes the article was intended to imply creedal fidelity as a necessary condition of salvation (“you are saved through the faith”), although elsewhere in the corpus Paulinum the phrase διὰ τῆς πίστεως (dia th" pistew") is used for the act of believing rather than the content of faith (cf. Rom 3:30, 31; Gal 3:14; Eph 3:17; Col 2:12). On the other side, strong representatives of the Alexandrian and Western texts (א B D* F G P 0278 6 33 1739 al bo) lack the article. Hence, both text-critically and exegetically, the meaning of the text here is most likely “saved through faith” as opposed to “saved through the faith.” Regarding the textual problem, the lack of the article is the preferred reading.

[2:9]  ²⁸ tn Or “not as a result of.”

[2:9]  ²⁹ tn Grk “lest anyone should boast.”

[2:10]  ³⁰ tn Grk “so that we might walk in them” (or “by them”).

[2:2]  ³¹ sn The relative pronoun which is feminine as is sins, indicating that sins is the antecedent.

[2:2]  ³² tn Grk “walked.”

[2:2]  ³³ tn Or possibly “Aeon.”

[2:2]  ³⁴ tn Grk “domain, [place of] authority.”

[2:2]  ³⁵ tn Grk “of” (but see the note on the word “spirit” later in this verse).

[2:2]  ³⁶ 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]  ³⁷ tn Grk “working in.”

[2:2]  ³⁸ 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.

[2:13]  ³⁹ tn Or “have come near in the blood of Christ.”

[2:14]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “who made the both one.”