following the will of god

⁶For he will render to each one according to his works: ⁷To those who, in accord with patient good works, seek glory and honor and incorruption, certainly, he will render eternal life. ⁸But to those who are contentious and who do not acquiesce to the truth, but instead trust in iniquity, he will render wrath and indignation.

¹⁹Then, when it was late on the same day, on the first of the Sabbaths, and the doors were closed where the disciples were gathered, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst, and he said to them: “Peace to you.” ²⁰And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and side. And the disciples were gladdened when they saw the Lord. ²¹Therefore, he said to them again: “Peace to you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” ²²When he had said this, he breathed on them. And he said to them: “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³Those whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them, and those whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.”

²⁰So then, are you willing to understand, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? ²¹Was not our father Abraham justified by means of works, by offering his son Isaac upon the altar? ²²Do you see that faith was cooperating with his works, and that by means of works faith was brought to fulfillment? ²³And so the Scripture was fulfilled which says: “Abraham believed God, and it was reputed to him unto justice.” And so he was called the friend of God. ²⁴Do you see that a man is justified by means of works, and not by faith alone?

¹⁵For what is your life? It is a mist that appears for a brief time, and afterwards will vanish away. So what you ought to say is: “If the Lord wills,” or, “If we live,” we will do this or that.

²⁴And let us be considerate of one another, so as to prompt ourselves to charity and to good works, ²⁵not deserting our assembly, as some are accustomed to do, but consoling one another, and even more so as you see that the day is approaching. ²⁶For if we sin willingly, after receiving knowledge of the truth, there is no sacrifice remaining for sins, ²⁷but instead, a certain terrible expectation of judgment, and the rage of a fire that shall consume its adversaries.

³For this is the love of God: that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not heavy.

¹⁷And the world is passing away, with its desire. But whoever does the will of God abides unto eternity.

⁶But, so that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” he then said to the paralytic, “Rise up, take up your bed, and go into your house.” ⁷And he arose and went into his house. ⁸Then the crowd, seeing this, was frightened, and they glorified God, who gave such power to men.

³And we can be sure that we have known him by this: if we observe his commandments. ⁴Whoever claims that he knows him, and yet does not keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

³²So may I come to you with joy, through the will of God, and so may I be refreshed with you.

⁹Therefore, you shall pray in this way: Our Father, who is in heaven: May your name be kept holy. ¹⁰May your kingdom come. May your will be done, as in heaven, so also on earth. ¹¹Give us this day our life-sustaining bread. ¹²And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. ¹³And lead us not into temptation. But free us from evil. Amen.

¹⁹Therefore, you would say: The branches were broken off, so that I might be grafted on. ²⁰Well enough. They were broken off because of unbelief. But you stand on faith. So do not choose to savor what is exalted, but instead be afraid. ²¹For if God has not spared the natural branches, perhaps also he might not spare you. ²²So then, notice the goodness and the severity of God. Certainly, toward those who have fallen, there is severity; but toward you, there is the goodness of God, if you remain in goodness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off.

²¹Not all who say to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does the will of my Father, who is in heaven, the same shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.

¹²Blessed is the man who suffers temptation. For when he has been proven, he shall receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who love him. ¹³No one should say, when he is tempted, that he was tempted by God. For God does not entice toward evils, and he himself tempts no one.

¹⁸For Christ also died once for our sins, the Just One on behalf of the unjust, so that he might offer us to God, having died, certainly, in the flesh, but having been enlivened by the Spirit. ¹⁹And in the Spirit, he preached to those who were in prison, going to those souls ²⁰who had been unbelieving in past times, while they waited for the patience of God, as in the days of Noah, when the ark was being built. In that ark, a few, that is, eight souls, were saved by water. ²¹And now you also are saved, in a similar manner, by baptism, not by the testimony of sordid flesh, but by the examination of a good conscience in God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. ²²He is at the right hand of God, devouring death, so that we may be made heirs to eternal life. And since he has journeyed to heaven, the Angels and powers and virtues are subject to him.

⁵⁰This is the bread which descends from heaven, so that if anyone will eat from it, he may not die. ⁵¹I am the living bread, who descended from heaven. ⁵²If anyone eats from this bread, he shall live in eternity. And the bread that I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world.” ⁵³Therefore, the Jews debated among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” ⁵⁴And so, Jesus said to them: “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you will not have life in you. ⁵⁵Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the directors of this world of darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in high places.

¹⁵Jesus said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ¹⁶Simon Peter responded by saying, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷And in response, Jesus said to him: “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father, who is in heaven. ¹⁸And I say to you, that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. ¹⁹And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound, even in heaven. And whatever you shall release on earth shall be released, even in heaven.”