<p class="bodytext">Therefore, get your minds ready for action<n id="1" /> by being fully sober, and set your hope<n id="2" /> completely on the grace that will be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed.<n id="3" />

you yourselves, as living stones, are built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood and to offer<n id="1" /> spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

And this prefigured baptism, which now saves you<n id="1" /> &#8211; not the washing off of physical dirt<n id="2" /> but the pledge<n id="3" /> of a good conscience to God &#8211; through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

For if<n id="1" /> these things are really yours<n id="2" /> and are continually increasing,<n id="3" /> they will keep you from becoming<n id="4" /> ineffective and unproductive in your pursuit of<n id="5" /> knowing our Lord Jesus Christ more intimately.<n id="6" />

since I know that my tabernacle will soon be removed,<n id="1" /> because<n id="2" /> our Lord Jesus Christ revealed this to me.<n id="3" />

<p class="bodytext">For we did not follow cleverly concocted fables when we made known to you the power and return<n id="1" /> of our Lord Jesus Christ;<n id="2" /> no,<n id="3" /> we were<n id="4" /> eyewitnesses of his<n id="5" /> grandeur.<n id="6" />

But grow in the grace and knowledge<n id="1" /> of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the honor both now and on<n id="2" /> that eternal day.<n id="3" />p>

(My little children,<n id="1" /> I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.<n id="2" />) But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate<n id="3" /> with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous One,<n id="4" />

By this<n id="1" /> you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses<n id="2" /> Jesus as the Christ<n id="3" /> who has come in the flesh is from God,

<p class="bodytext">If anyone<n id="1" /> confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God resides<n id="2" /> in him and he in God.

Now who is the person who has conquered the world except the one who believes that<n id="1" /> Jesus is the Son of God?

Grace, mercy, and<n id="1" /> peace will be with us from God the Father and from<n id="2" /> Jesus Christ the Son of the Father, in truth and love.p>

For<n id="1" /> many deceivers have gone out into the world, people who do not confess Jesus as<n id="2" /> Christ<n id="3" /> coming in the flesh.<n id="4" /> This person is the deceiver and the antichrist!<n id="5" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">After this, Joseph of Arimathea, a disciple of Jesus (but secretly, because he feared the Jewish leaders<n id="1" />),<n id="2" /> asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus. Pilate<n id="3" /> gave him permission, so he went and took the body away.<n id="4" />

yet we know<n id="1" /> that no one<n id="2" /> is justified by the works of the law<n id="3" /> but by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ.<n id="4" /> And<n id="5" /> we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by the faithfulness of Christ<n id="6" /> and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one<n id="7" /> will be justified.

So<n id="1" /> I threw myself down<n id="2" /> at his feet to worship him, but<n id="3" /> he said, &#8220;Do not do this!<n id="4" /> I am only<n id="5" /> a fellow servant<n id="6" /> with you and your brothers<n id="7" /> who hold to the testimony about<n id="8" /> Jesus. Worship God, for the testimony about Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.&#8221;p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">Now the birth of Jesus Christ happened this way. While his mother Mary was engaged to Joseph, but before they came together,<n id="1" /> she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.

After<n id="1" /> Jesus was baptized, just as he was coming up out of the water, the<n id="2" /> heavens<n id="3" /> opened<n id="4" /> and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove<n id="5" /> and coming on him.

Then Jesus said to him, &#8220;See that you do not speak to anyone,<n id="1" /> but go, show yourself to a priest, and bring the offering<n id="2" /> that Moses commanded,<n id="3" /> as a testimony to them.&#8221;<n id="4" />p>

Jesus said to him, &#8220;Foxes have dens, and the birds in the sky<n id="1" /> have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.&#8221;<n id="2" />