For I could wish that I myself were accursed – cut off from Christ – for the sake of my people, my fellow countrymen,

To them belong the patriarchs, and from them, by human descent, came the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever! Amen.

Think about the circumstances of your call, brothers and sisters. Not many were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were born to a privileged position.

Or do you not know that anyone who is united with a prostitute is one body with her? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.”

now I ask that when I am present I may not have to be bold with the confidence that (I expect) I will dare to use against some who consider us to be behaving according to human standards.

For no one has ever hated his own body but he feeds it and takes care of it, just as Christ also does the church,

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and will be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.

Slaves, obey your human masters with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart as to Christ,

Slaves, obey your earthly masters in every respect, not only when they are watching – like those who are strictly people-pleasers – but with a sincere heart, fearing the Lord.

and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and will be united with his wife, and the two will become one flesh’?

Look at my hands and my feet; it’s me! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones like you see I have.”

Jesus said to them, “I tell you the solemn truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in yourselves.

Therefore when I was planning to do this, I did not do so without thinking about what I was doing, did I? Or do I make my plans according to mere human standards so that I would be saying both “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time?

because the person who sows to his own flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.

‘And in the last days it will be,’ God says, ‘that I will pour out my Spirit on all people, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy, and your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.