Galatians
5:1-6 - '1 It is for freedom
that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves
be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. 2
Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised,
Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3
Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that
he is obligated to obey the whole law. 4
You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from
Christ; you have fallen away from grace. 5
But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness
for which we hope. 6 For in
Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value.
The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.'
Romans
7:18-21 - '18 I know that
nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have
the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19
For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not
want to do—this I keep on doing. 20
Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it,
but it is sin living in me that does it. 21
So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right
there with me.'
Galatians
5:16-26 - '16 So I say,
live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful
nature. 17 For the sinful nature
desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary
to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that
you do not do what you want. 18
But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. 19
The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: immorality, impurity and
debauchery; 20 idolatry and
witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition,
dissensions, factions 21 and
envy; drunkenness, , and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that
those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, 23
gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
24 Those who belong to Christ
Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.
25 Since we live by the Spirit,
let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26
Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.'
James
1:23-25 - '23 Anyone who
listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who
looks at his face in a mirror 24
and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what
he looks like. 25 But the man
who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues
to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he
will be blessed in what he does.'
Micah
6:8 - '8 He has showed
you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To
act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.'
Galatians
6:9 - '9 Let us not become
weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest
if we do not give up.'