Philippians 3:13-14

3:13 Brothers and sisters, ¹  I do not consider myself to have attained this. Instead I am single-minded: ²  Forgetting the things that are behind and reaching out for the things that are ahead, 3:14 with this goal in mind, ³  I strive toward the prize of the upward call of God ⁴  in Christ Jesus.

Proverbs 10:16

10:16 The reward ⁵  which the righteous receive ⁶  is life;

the recompense ⁷  which the wicked receive ⁸  is judgment. ⁹ 

Proverbs 13:4

13:4 The appetite ¹⁰  of the sluggard ¹¹  craves ¹²  but gets nothing,

but the desire of the diligent will be abundantly satisfied. ¹³ 

Matthew 11:12

11:12 From ¹⁴  the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and forceful people lay hold of it. ¹⁵ 

Matthew 11:29

11:29 Take my yoke ¹⁶  on you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Luke 13:23-24

13:23 Someone ¹⁷  asked ¹⁸  him, “Lord, will only a few ¹⁹  be saved?” So ²⁰  he said to them, 13:24 “Exert every effort ²¹  to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.

John 6:27-29

6:27 Do not work for the food that disappears, ²²  but for the food that remains to eternal life – the food ²³  which the Son of Man will give to you. For God the Father has put his seal of approval on him.” ²⁴ 

6:28 So then they said to him, “What must we do to accomplish the deeds ²⁵  God requires?” ²⁶  6:29 Jesus replied, ²⁷  “This is the deed ²⁸  God requires ²⁹  – to believe in the one whom he ³⁰  sent.”

Romans 2:7

2:7 eternal life to those who by perseverance in good works seek glory and honor and immortality,

Romans 2:1

The Condemnation of the Moralist

2:1 ³¹ Therefore ³²  you are without excuse, ³³  whoever you are, ³⁴  when you judge someone else. ³⁵  For on whatever grounds ³⁶  you judge another, you condemn yourself, because you who judge practice the same things.

Colossians 1:24-27

1:24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I fill up in my physical body – for the sake of his body, the church – what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ. 1:25 I became a servant of the church according to the stewardship ³⁷  from God – given to me for you – in order to complete ³⁸  the word of God, 1:26 that is, the mystery that has been kept hidden from ages and generations, but has now been revealed to his saints. 1:27 God wanted to make known to them the glorious ³⁹  riches of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Colossians 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ⁴⁰  an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

Galatians 6:7-9

6:7 Do not be deceived. God will not be made a fool. ⁴¹  For a person ⁴²  will reap what he sows, 6:8 because the person who sows to his own flesh ⁴³  will reap corruption ⁴⁴  from the flesh, ⁴⁵  but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit. 6:9 So we must not grow weary ⁴⁶  in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not give up. ⁴⁷ 

Galatians 6:1

Support One Another

6:1 Brothers and sisters, ⁴⁸  if a person ⁴⁹  is discovered in some sin, ⁵⁰  you who are spiritual ⁵¹  restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness. ⁵²  Pay close attention ⁵³  to yourselves, so that you are not tempted too.

Galatians 1:3

1:3 Grace and peace to you ⁵⁴  from God the Father and our ⁵⁵  Lord Jesus Christ,

Hebrews 4:11

4:11 Thus we must make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by following the same pattern of disobedience.

Hebrews 6:10-11

6:10 For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love you have demonstrated for his name, in having served and continuing to serve the saints. 6:11 But we passionately want each of you to demonstrate the same eagerness for the fulfillment of your hope until the end,

Hebrews 12:1-2

The Lord’s Discipline

12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, ⁵⁶  we must get rid of every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and run with endurance the race set out for us, 12:2 keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set out for him he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. ⁵⁷ 

Hebrews 1:5-10

The Son Is Superior to Angels

1:5 For to which of the angels did God ⁵⁸  ever say, “You are my son! Today I have fathered you”? ⁵⁹  And in another place ⁶⁰  he says, ⁶¹  “I will be his father and he will be my son.” ⁶²  1:6 But when he again brings ⁶³  his firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all the angels of God worship him!” ⁶⁴  1:7 And he says ⁶⁵  of the angels, “He makes ⁶⁶  his angels spirits and his ministers a flame of fire,” ⁶⁷  1:8 but of ⁶⁸  the Son he says, ⁶⁹ 

“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, ⁷⁰ 

and a righteous scepter ⁷¹  is the scepter of your kingdom.

1:9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness.

So God, your God, has anointed you over your companions ⁷²  with the oil of rejoicing.” ⁷³ 

1:10 And,

“You founded the earth in the beginning, Lord, ⁷⁴ 

and the heavens are the works of your hands.

Hebrews 3:18

3:18 And to whom did he swear they would never enter into his rest, except those who were disobedient?

[3:13]  ¹ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:12.

[3:13]  ² tn Grk “But this one thing (I do).”

[3:14]  ³ tn Grk “according to the goal.”

[3:14]  ⁴ tn Grk “prize, namely, the heavenly calling of God.”

[10:16]  ⁵ tn Heb “recompense” (so NAB); NASB, NIV “wages.” The noun פְּעֻלַּה (pÿ’ullah) has a two-fold range of meanings: (1) “work; deed” and (2) “reward; recompense” (BDB 821 s.v.). There is a clear correlation between a person’s conduct and its consequences. Rewards are determined by moral choices. What one receives in life depends on the use of gifts and a righteous character.

[10:16]  ⁶ tn Heb “the recompense of the righteous.”

[10:16]  ⁷ tn Heb “harvest.” The term תְּבוּאַת (tÿvu’at, “harvest; yield”) is used figuratively here (hypocatastasis), drawing an implied comparison between the agricultural yield of a farmer’s labors with the consequences of the actions of the wicked. They will “reap” (= judgment) what they “sow” (= sin).

[10:16]  ⁸ tn Heb “the harvest of the wicked.”

[10:16]  ⁹ tn Heb “sin.” The term חַטָּאת (khatta’t, “sin”) functions as a metonymy of cause (= sin) for effect (= punishment). In contrast to the righteous who receive a reward, the wicked receive punishment for their sin (cf. NASB, NIV, NCV). See D. W. Thomas, “The Meaning of חַטָּאת in Proverbs X.16,” JTS 15 (1964): 295-96.

[13:4]  ¹⁰ tn The noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, traditionally “soul”) has a broad range of meanings, and here denotes “appetite” (e.g., Ps 17:9; Prov 23:3; Eccl 2:24; Isa 5:14; Hab 2:5; BDB 660 s.v. 5.c) or (2) “desire” (e.g., Deut 12:20; Prov 19:8; 21:10; BDB 660 s.v. 6.a).

[13:4]  ¹¹ sn The contrast is between the “soul (= appetite) of the sluggard” (נַפְשׁוֹ עָצֵל, nafsho ’atsel) and the “soul (= desire) of the diligent” (נֶפֶשׁ חָרֻצִים, nefesh kharutsim) – what they each long for.

[13:4]  ¹² tn The Hitpael verb means “to lust after; to crave.” A related verb is used in the Decalogue’s prohibition against coveting (Exod 20:17; Deut 5:21).

[13:4]  ¹³ tn Heb “will be made fat” (cf. KJV, NASB); NRSV “is richly supplied.”

[11:12]  ¹⁴ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[11:12]  ¹⁵ tn Or “the kingdom of heaven is forcibly entered and violent people take hold of it.” For a somewhat different interpretation of this passage, see the note on the phrase “urged to enter in” in Luke 16:16.

[11:29]  ¹⁶ sn A yoke is a wooden bar or frame that joins two animals like oxen or horses so that they can pull a wagon, plow, etc. together. Here it is used figuratively of the restrictions that a teacher or rabbi would place on his followers.

[13:23]  ¹⁷ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[13:23]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “said to.”

[13:23]  ¹⁹ sn The warnings earlier in Jesus’ teaching have led to the question whether only a few will be saved.

[13:23]  ²⁰ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate that Jesus’ reply was triggered by the preceding question.

[13:24]  ²¹ 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.

[6:27]  ²² tn Or “perishes” (this might refer to spoiling, but is more focused on the temporary nature of this kind of food).

[6:27]  ²³ tn The referent (the food) has been specified for clarity by repeating the word “food” from the previous clause.

[6:27]  ²⁴ tn Grk “on this one.”

[6:28]  ²⁵ tn Grk “the works.”

[6:28]  ²⁶ tn Grk “What must we do to work the works of God?”

[6:29]  ²⁷ tn Grk “answered and said to them.”

[6:29]  ²⁸ tn Grk “the work.”

[6:29]  ²⁹ tn Grk “This is the work of God.”

[6:29]  ³⁰ tn Grk “that one” (i.e., God).

[2:1]  ³¹ 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]  ³² 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]  ³³ tn That is, “you have nothing to say in your own defense” (so translated by TCNT).

[2:1]  ³⁴ tn Grk “O man.”

[2:1]  ³⁵ tn Grk “Therefore, you are without excuse, O man, everyone [of you] who judges.”

[2:1]  ³⁶ tn Grk “in/by (that) which.”

[1:25]  ³⁷ tn BDAG 697 s.v. οἰκονομία 1.b renders the term here as “divine office.”

[1:25]  ³⁸ tn See BDAG 828 s.v. πληρόω 3. The idea here seems to be that the apostle wants to “complete the word of God” in that he wants to preach it to every person in the known world (cf. Rom 15:19). See P. T. O’Brien, Colossians, Philemon (WBC), 82.

[1:27]  ³⁹ tn The genitive noun τῆς δόξης (ths doxhs) is an attributive genitive and has therefore been translated as “glorious riches.”

[1:1]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[6:7]  ⁴¹ tn Or “is not mocked,” “will not be ridiculed” (L&N 33.409). BDAG 660 s.v. μυκτηρίζω has “of God οὐ μ. he is not to be mocked, treated w. contempt, perh. outwitted Gal 6:7.”

[6:7]  ⁴² tn Here ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used in a generic sense, referring to both men and women.

[6:8]  ⁴³ tn BDAG 915 s.v. σάρξ 2.c.α states: “In Paul’s thought esp., all parts of the body constitute a totality known as σ. or flesh, which is dominated by sin to such a degree that wherever flesh is, all forms of sin are likew. present, and no good thing can live in the σάρξ…Gal 5:13, 24;…Opp. τὸ πνεῦμα…Gal 3:3; 5:16, 17ab; 6:8ab.”

[6:8]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “destruction.”

[6:8]  ⁴⁵ tn See the note on the previous occurrence of the word “flesh” in this verse.

[6:9]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “not become discouraged,” “not lose heart” (L&N 25.288).

[6:9]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “if we do not become extremely weary,” “if we do not give out,” “if we do not faint from exhaustion” (L&N 23.79).

[6:1]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:11.

[6:1]  ⁴⁹ tn Here ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used in a generic sense, referring to both men and women.

[6:1]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “some transgression” (L&N 88.297).

[6:1]  ⁵¹ sn Who are spiritual refers to people who are controlled and directed by God’s Spirit.

[6:1]  ⁵² tn Or “with a gentle spirit” or “gently.”

[6:1]  ⁵³ tn Grk “taking careful notice.”

[1:3]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “Grace to you and peace.”

[1:3]  ⁵⁵ tc ‡ The unusual order καὶ κυρίου ἡμῶν (kai kuriou Jhmwn), which produces the reading “our Lord Jesus Christ” instead of “God our Father,” is read by Ì^46,51vid B D F G H 1739 1881 Ï sy sa, while the more normal ἡμῶν καὶ κυρίου (Jhmwn kai kuriou) is found in א A P Ψ 33 81 326 365 2464 pc. Thus, the reading adopted in the translation is more widespread geographically and is found in the two earliest witnesses, along with several good representatives of the Alexandrian, Western, and Byzantine texttypes. Internally, there would be a strong motivation for scribes to change the order: “from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” is Paul’s normal greeting; here alone is the pronoun attached to “Jesus Christ” (except in the pastorals, though the greeting in these letters is nevertheless unlike the rest of the corpus Paulinum). Intrinsically, the chosen reading is superior as well: Scribes would be prone to emulate Paul’s regular style, while in an early letter such as this one his regular style was yet to be established (for a similar situation, cf. the text-critical discussion at 1 Thess 1:1). Hence, there is a strong probability that the reading in the translation is authentic. Although B. M. Metzger argues that “the apostle’s stereotyped formula was altered by copyists who, apparently in the interest of Christian piety, transferred the possessive pronoun so it would be more closely associated with ‘Lord Jesus Christ’” (TCGNT 520), one might expect to see the same alterations in other Pauline letters. That this is not the case argues for “our Lord Jesus Christ” as the authentic reading here.

[12:1]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “having such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us.”

[12:2]  ⁵⁷ sn An allusion to Ps 110:1.

[1:5]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:5]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “I have begotten you.”

[1:5]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “And again,” quoting another OT passage.

[1:5]  ⁶¹ tn The words “he says” are not in the Greek text but are supplied to make a complete English sentence. In the Greek text this is a continuation of the previous sentence, but English does not normally employ such long and complex sentences.

[1:5]  ⁶² tn Grk “I will be a father to him and he will be a son to me.”

[1:6]  ⁶³ tn Or “And again when he brings.” The translation adopted in the text looks forward to Christ’s second coming to earth. Some take “again” to introduce the quotation (as in 1:5) and understand this as Christ’s first coming, but this view does not fit well with Heb 2:7. Others understand it as his exaltation/ascension to heaven, but this takes the phrase “into the world” in an unlikely way.

[1:6]  ⁶⁴ sn A quotation combining themes from Deut 32:43 and Ps 97:7.

[1:7]  ⁶⁵ sn The Greek correlative conjunctions μέν and δέ (men and de) emphasize the contrastive parallelism of vs. 7 (what God says about the angels) over against vv. 8-9 and vv. 10-12 (what God says about the son).

[1:7]  ⁶⁶ tn Grk “He who makes.”

[1:7]  ⁶⁷ sn A quotation from Ps 104:4.

[1:8]  ⁶⁸ tn Or “to.”

[1:8]  ⁶⁹ tn The verb “he says” (λέγει, legei) is implied from the λέγει of v. 7.

[1:8]  ⁷⁰ tn Or possibly, “Your throne is God forever and ever.” This translation is quite doubtful, however, since (1) in the context the Son is being contrasted to the angels and is presented as far better than they. The imagery of God being the Son’s throne would seem to be of God being his authority. If so, in what sense could this not be said of the angels? In what sense is the Son thus contrasted with the angels? (2) The μέν…δέ (men…de) construction that connects v. 7 with v. 8 clearly lays out this contrast: “On the one hand, he says of the angels…on the other hand, he says of the Son.” Thus, although it is grammatically possible that θεός (qeos) in v. 8 should be taken as a predicate nominative, the context and the correlative conjunctions are decidedly against it. Hebrews 1:8 is thus a strong affirmation of the deity of Christ.

[1:8]  ⁷¹ tn Grk “the righteous scepter,” but used generically.

[1:9]  ⁷² sn God…has anointed you over your companions. God’s anointing gives the son a superior position and authority over his fellows.

[1:9]  ⁷³ sn A quotation from Ps 45:6-7.

[1:10]  ⁷⁴ sn You founded the earth…your years will never run out. In its original setting Ps 102:25-27 refers to the work of God in creation, but here in Hebrews 1:10-12 the writer employs it in reference to Christ, the Lord, making a strong argument for the essential deity of the Son.