Study Desk

All this has given us comfort. More than this, we are happy for the joy Titus has. His spirit has been made stronger by all of you.

We are sending the Christian brother along. He is respected in the churches for his preaching.

We are sending another Christian brother with them. We have tested him many times. His faith has proven to be true. He wants very much to help because he trusts you.

Each man should give as he has decided in his heart. He should not give, wishing he could keep it. Or he should not give if he feels he has to give. God loves a man who gives because he wants to give.

The Holy Writings say, "He has given much to the poor. His right-standing with God lasts forever."

They will pray for you with great love because God has given you His loving-favor.

Thank God for His great Gift.

They say, "His letters are strong and they make us think. When he is here with us, he is weak and he is hard to listen to."

And so it is no surprise if his servants also make themselves look like preachers of the Good News. They and their work will come to the same end.

I know a man who belongs to Christ. Fourteen years ago he was taken up to the highest heaven. (I do not know if his body was taken up or just his spirit. Only God knows.)

I say it again, I know this man was taken up. But I do not know if his body or just his spirit was taken up. Only God knows.

Since you want to know, I will prove to you that Christ speaks through me. Christ is not weak when He works in your hearts. He uses His power in you.

I am surprised you are leaving Christ so soon. You were chosen through His loving-favor. But now you are turning and listening to another kind of good news.

But God chose me before I was born. By His loving-favor He called me to work for Him.

His Son was to be seen in me. He did this so I could preach about Christ to the people who are not Jews. When this happened, I did not talk to men.

Even so, we know we cannot become right with God by obeying the Law. A man is made right with God by putting his trust in Jesus Christ. For that reason, we have put our trust in Jesus Christ also. We have been made right with God because of our faith in Christ and not by obeying the Law. No man can be made right with God by obeying the Law.

It was the same with Abraham. He put his trust in God. This made Abraham right with God.

Christ bought us with His blood and made us free from the Law. In that way, the Law could not punish us. Christ did this by carrying the load and by being punished instead of us. It is written, "Anyone who hangs on a cross is hated and punished."

Now the promise was made to Abraham and to his son. He does not say, "And to sons," speaking of many. But instead, "And to your Son," which means Christ.

Let me say this another way. A young child who will get all the riches of his family is not different from a servant who is owned by the family. And yet the young child owns everything.