(3)
The
responsibility
Ephesians 2: 4 – 10
But God, who is rich in mercy,
because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us
alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit
together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the
exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by
grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the
gift of God, not of works, lest anyone
should boast. For we are His
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared
beforehand that we should walk in them.
Hebrews 12: 1 – 2
Therefore we also, since we are
surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and
the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race
that is set before us, looking unto
Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set
before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the
right hand of the throne of God.
1 Corinthians 1: 4 – 9
I thank my God always concerning
you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, that you were
enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, even as the
testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so that you come short in no gift,
eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also
confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus
Christ. God is faithful, by whom you
were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Ephesians 1: 3 – 12
Blessed be the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the
heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of
the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having
predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the
good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He
made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him
we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the
riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,
having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure
which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the
times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in
heaven and which are on earth—in Him. In
Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the
purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that
we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.
Hebrews 6: 1 – 8
Therefore, leaving the discussion
of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying
again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of
the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead,
and of eternal judgment. And this we
will do if God permits. For it is
impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly
gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word
of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away,[b] to renew them
again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God,
and put Him to an open shame. For the
earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful
for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; but if it bears
thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be
burned.
Romans 8: 1 – 14
There is therefore now no
condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the
flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the
law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin
and death. For what the law could not do
in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the
likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,
that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not
walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set
their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the
Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to
be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God;
for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot
please God. But you are not in the flesh
but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone
does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead
because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from
the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life
to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
1 Corinthians 9: 24 – 27
Do you not know that those who
run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you
may obtain it. And everyone who competes
for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable
crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty.
Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into
subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become
disqualified.
Galatians 6: 7 – 10
Do not be deceived, God is not
mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh
reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting
life. And let us not grow weary while
doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do
good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.
Matthew 5: 13
“You are the salt of the earth;
but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for
nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
Mark 9: 49 – 50
“For everyone will be seasoned
with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. Salt is good, but if the salt loses its
flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with
one another.”
Luke 14: 34 – 35
“Salt is good; but if the salt
has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?
It is neither fit for the land
nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him
hear!”
Matthew 6: 19 – 21
“Do not lay up for yourselves
treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and
steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor
rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart
will be also.
Luke 16: 13
“No servant can serve two
masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be
loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”
Matthew 12: 30
He who is not with Me is against
Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.
Luke 13: 22 – 28
And He went through the cities
and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who
are saved?” And He said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for
many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the Master of the house has risen up
and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door,
saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not
know you, where you are from,’ then you
will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our
streets.’ But He will say, ‘I tell you I
do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’
There will be weeping and gnashing of
teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the
kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out.
John 15: 4 – 6
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the
branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can
you, unless you abide in Me. “I am the
vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much
fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out
as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire,
and they are burned.
Romans 6: 15 – 23
What then? Shall we sin because
we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! Do you not know that to whom you present
yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of
sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves
of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were
delivered. And having been set free from
sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I speak in human terms because of the weakness
of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness,
and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as
slaves of righteousness for holiness. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free
in regard to righteousness. What fruit
did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of
those things is death. But now having been
set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to
holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of
God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
1 Corinthians 10: 1 – 12
Moreover, brethren, I do not want
you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through
the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the
same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of
that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. But with most of them God was not well
pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Now these things became our examples, to the
intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. And do not become idolaters as were some of
them. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to
play.” Nor let us commit sexual
immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also
tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; nor complain, as some of them also complained,
and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now
all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our
admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take
heed lest he fall.
2 Corinthians 7: 1
Therefore, having these promises,
beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit,
perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
2 Corinthians 13: 4 – 6
For though He was crucified in
weakness, yet He lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, but we
shall live with Him by the power of God toward you. Examine yourselves as to whether you are in
the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in
you?—unless indeed you are disqualified. But I trust that you will know that we are not
disqualified.
Philippians 2: 12 – 16
Therefore, my beloved, as you
have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my
absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who
works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Do all things without complaining and
disputing, that you may become blameless
and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and
perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may
rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.
Philippians 3: 12 – 16
Not that I have already attained,
or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which
Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have
apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and
reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for
the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have
this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to
you. Nevertheless, to the degree that we
have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same
mind.
Colossians 2: 4 – 10
Now this I say lest anyone should
deceive you with persuasive words. For
though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see
your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. As you therefore have received Christ Jesus
the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the
faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. Beware lest anyone cheat you through
philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to
the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the
Godhead bodily; and you are complete in
Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
1 Timothy 6: 17 – 21
Command those who are rich in
this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the
living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good
works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation
for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your
trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is
falsely called knowledge— by professing
it some have strayed concerning the faith.
Hebrews 2: 1 – 4
Therefore we must give the more
earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proved
steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how
shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to
be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also
bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts
of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?
Hebrews 10: 26 – 31
For if we sin willfully after we
have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice
for sins, but a certain fearful
expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the
adversaries. Anyone who has rejected
Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose,
will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted
the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted
the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who
said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,”[e] says the Lord. And again, “The Lord
will judge His people.” It is a fearful
thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Hebrews 12: 25 – 29
See that you do not refuse Him
who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much
more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, whose voice then shook the earth; but now He
has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also
heaven.” Now this, “Yet once more,”
indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that
are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom
which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably
with reverence and godly fear. For our
God is a consuming fire.
Revelation 2: 4- 5
Nevertheless I have this against
you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen;
repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove
your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.
Revelation 2: 10
Do not fear any of those things
which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you
into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be
faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
Revelation 3: 5
He who overcomes shall be clothed
in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but
I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
Revelation 3: 11 – 12
Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold
fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in
the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name
of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes
down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.
