For if the eagerness is present, the gift itself is acceptable according to whatever one has, not according to what he does not have.

Does God then give you the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law or by your believing what you heard?

I beg you, brothers and sisters, become like me, because I have become like you. You have done me no wrong!

But just as at that time the one born by natural descent persecuted the one born according to the Spirit, so it is now.

From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear the marks of Jesus on my body.

For he is our peace, the one who made both groups into one and who destroyed the middle wall of partition, the hostility,

I became a servant of this gospel according to the gift of God’s grace that was given to me by the exercise of his power.

not like those who do their work only when someone is watching – as people-pleasers – but as slaves of Christ doing the will of God from the heart.

so that you can decide what is best, and thus be sincere and blameless for the day of Christ,

I feel torn between the two, because I have a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far,

I was circumcised on the eighth day, from the people of Israel and the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews. I lived according to the law as a Pharisee.

May the Lord grant mercy to the family of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my imprisonment.

For Demas deserted me, since he loved the present age, and he went to Thessalonica. Crescens went to Galatia and Titus to Dalmatia.

The Lord will deliver me from every evil deed and will bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever! Amen.

They profess to know God but with their deeds they deny him, since they are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good deed.

I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love – I, Paul, an old man and even now a prisoner for the sake of Christ Jesus –

You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness. So God, your God, has anointed you over your companions with the oil of rejoicing.”

But to which of the angels has he ever said, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”?

Therefore since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession.

The Holy Spirit is making clear that the way into the holy place had not yet appeared as long as the old tabernacle was standing.