Romans 16:17

16:17 Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, ¹  to watch out for those who create dissensions and obstacles contrary to the teaching that you learned. Avoid them!

Romans 16:1

Personal Greetings

16:1 Now I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant ²  of the church in Cenchrea,

Colossians 1:11-13

1:11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might for the display of ³  all patience and steadfastness, joyfully 1:12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share ⁴  in the saints’ ⁵  inheritance in the light. 1:13 He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son he loves, ⁶ 

Colossians 1:12

1:12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share ⁷  in the saints’ ⁸  inheritance in the light.

Galatians 3:1-3

Justification by Law or by Faith?

3:1 You ⁹  foolish Galatians! Who has cast a spell ¹⁰  on you? Before your eyes Jesus Christ was vividly portrayed ¹¹  as crucified! 3:2 The only thing I want to learn from you is this: Did you receive the Spirit by doing the works of the law ¹²  or by believing what you heard? ¹³  3:3 Are you so foolish? Although you began ¹⁴  with ¹⁵  the Spirit, are you now trying to finish ¹⁶  by human effort? ¹⁷ 

James 3:15-16

3:15 Such ¹⁸  wisdom does not come ¹⁹  from above but is earthly, natural, ²⁰  demonic. 3:16 For where there is jealousy and selfishness, there is disorder and every evil practice.

James 4:4

4:4 Adulterers, do you not know that friendship with the world means hostility toward God? ²¹  So whoever decides to be the world’s friend makes himself God’s enemy.

[16:17]  ¹ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.

[16:1]  ² tn Or “deaconess.” It is debated whether διάκονος (diakonos) here refers to a specific office within the church. One contextual argument used to support this view is that Phoebe is associated with a particular church, Cenchrea, and as such would therefore be a deacon of that church. In the NT some who are called διάκονος are related to a particular church, yet the scholarly consensus is that such individuals are not deacons, but “servants” or “ministers” (other viable translations for διάκονος). For example, Epaphras is associated with the church in Colossians and is called a διάκονος in Col 1:7, but no contemporary translation regards him as a deacon. In 1 Tim 4:6 Paul calls Timothy a διάκονος; Timothy was associated with the church in Ephesus, but he obviously was not a deacon. In addition, the lexical evidence leans away from this view: Within the NT, the διακον- word group rarely functions with a technical nuance. In any case, the evidence is not compelling either way. The view accepted in the translation above is that Phoebe was a servant of the church, not a deaconess, although this conclusion should be regarded as tentative.

[1:11]  ³ tn The expression “for the display of” is an attempt to convey in English the force of the Greek preposition εἰς (eis) in this context.

[1:12]  ⁴ tn BDAG 473 s.v. ἱκανόω states, “τινὰ εἴς τι someone for someth. Col 1:12.” The point of the text is that God has qualified the saints for a “share” or “portion” in the inheritance of the saints.

[1:12]  ⁵ tn Grk “the inheritance of the saints.” The genitive noun τῶν ἁγίων (twn Jagiwn) is a possessive genitive: “the saints’ inheritance.”

[1:13]  ⁶ tn Here αὐτοῦ (autou) has been translated as a subjective genitive (“he loves”).

[1:12]  ⁷ tn BDAG 473 s.v. ἱκανόω states, “τινὰ εἴς τι someone for someth. Col 1:12.” The point of the text is that God has qualified the saints for a “share” or “portion” in the inheritance of the saints.

[1:12]  ⁸ tn Grk “the inheritance of the saints.” The genitive noun τῶν ἁγίων (twn Jagiwn) is a possessive genitive: “the saints’ inheritance.”

[3:1]  ⁹ tn Grk “O” (an interjection used both in address and emotion). In context the following section is highly charged emotionally.

[3:1]  ¹⁰ tn Or “deceived”; the verb βασκαίνω (baskainw) can be understood literally here in the sense of bewitching by black magic, but could also be understood figuratively to refer to an act of deception (see L&N 53.98 and 88.159).

[3:1]  ¹¹ tn Or “publicly placarded,” “set forth in a public proclamation” (BDAG 867 s.v. προγράφω 2).

[3:2]  ¹² tn Grk “by [the] works of [the] law,” a reference to observing the Mosaic law.

[3:2]  ¹³ tn Grk “by [the] hearing of faith.”

[3:3]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “Having begun”; the participle ἐναρξάμενοι (enarxamenoi) has been translated concessively.

[3:3]  ¹⁵ tn Or “by the Spirit.”

[3:3]  ¹⁶ tn The verb ἐπιτελεῖσθε (epiteleisqe) has been translated as a conative present (see ExSyn 534). This is something the Galatians were attempting to do, but could not accomplish successfully.

[3:3]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “in/by [the] flesh.”

[3:15]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “This.”

[3:15]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “come down”; “descend.”

[3:15]  ²⁰ tn Grk “soulish,” which describes life apart from God, characteristic of earthly human life as opposed to what is spiritual. Cf. 1 Cor 2:14; 15:44-46; Jude 19.

[4:4]  ²¹ tn Grk “is hostility toward God.”