becoming a christian

¹⁷So if anyone is a new creature in Christ, what is old has passed away. Behold, all things have been made new.

¹⁶For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that all who believe in him may not perish, but may have eternal life.

⁸For by grace, you have been saved through faith. And this is not of yourselves, for it is a gift of God. ⁹And this is not of works, so that no one may glory.

⁸But God demonstrates his love for us in that, while we were yet sinners, at the proper time,

³Jesus responded and said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless one has been reborn anew, he is not able to see the kingdom of God.”

¹²Yet whoever did accept him, those who believed in his name, he gave them the power to become the sons of God.

⁹For if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and if you believe in your heart that God has raised him up from the dead, you shall be saved.

³⁶Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. But whoever is unbelieving toward the Son shall not see life; instead the wrath of God remains upon him.”

²³For the wages of sin is death. But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

²³For all have sinned and all are in need of the glory of God.

³⁸Yet truly, Peter said to them: “Do penance; and be baptized, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins. And you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

¹⁸If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before you.

³⁸Yet truly, Peter said to them: “Do penance; and be baptized, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins. And you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹For the Promise is for you and for your sons, and for all who are far away: for whomever the Lord our God will have called.” ⁴⁰And then, with very many other words, he testified and he exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this depraved generation.” ⁴¹Therefore, those who accepted his discourse were baptized. And about three thousand souls were added on that day.

¹“Do not let your heart be troubled. You believe in God. Believe in me also. ²In my Father’s house, there are many dwelling places. If there were not, I would have told you. For I go to prepare a place for you. ³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will return again, and then I will take you to myself, so that where I am, you also may be. ⁴And you know where I am going. And you know the way.” ⁵Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” ⁶Jesus said to him: “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.

²²But the fruit of the Spirit is charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, forbearance, ²³meekness, faith, modesty, abstinence, chastity. There is no law against such things.

¹The vision of Isaiah, the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Joatham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. ²Listen, O heavens, and pay attention, O earth, for the Lord has spoken. I have nurtured and raised children, but they have spurned me. ³An ox knows his owner, and a donkey knows the manger of his lord, but Israel has not known me, and my people have not understood. ⁴Woe to a sinful nation, a people burdened by iniquity, a wicked offspring, accursed children. They have abandoned the Lord. They have blasphemed the Holy One of Israel. They been taken away backwards. ⁵For what reason shall I continue to strike you, as you increase transgressions? The entire head is feeble, and the entire heart is grieving. ⁶From the sole of the foot, even to the top of the head, there is no soundness within. Wounds and bruises and swelling sores: these are not bandaged, nor treated with medicine, nor soothed with oil.

¹“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. ²Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he will take away. And each one that does bear fruit, he will cleanse, so that it may bring forth more fruit. ³You are clean now, because of the word that I have spoken to you. ⁴Abide in me, and I in you. Just as the branch is not able to bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so also are you unable, unless you abide in me. ⁵I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me, and I in him, bears much fruit. For without me, you are able to do nothing. ⁶If anyone does not abide in me, he will be cast away, like a branch, and he will wither, and they will gather him and cast him into the fire, and he burns.