Study Desk

Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor heavenly rulers, nor things that are present, nor things to come, nor powers,

I am telling the truth in Christ (I am not lying!), for my conscience assures me in the Holy Spirit—

just as it is written, " Look , I am laying in Zion a stone that will cause people to stumble and a rock that will make them fall, yet the one who believes in him will not be put to shame. "

So I ask, God has not rejected his people, has he? Absolutely not! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin.

"Lord, they have killed your prophets , they have demolished your altars; I alone am left and they are seeking my life! "

Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Seeing that I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry,

I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean in itself; still, it is unclean to the one who considers it unclean.

But I myself am fully convinced about you, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another.

I, Tertius, who am writing this letter, greet you in the Lord.

Personal Greetings Now I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church in Cenchrea, so that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints and provide her with whatever help she may need from you, for she has been a great help to many, including me. Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their own necks for my life. Not only I, but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them. Also greet the church in their house. Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia. Greet Mary, who has worked very hard for you. Greet Andronicus and Junia, my compatriots and my fellow prisoners. They are well known to the apostles, and they were in Christ before me. Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord. Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my good friend Stachys. Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus. Greet Herodion, my compatriot. Greet those in the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord. Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, laborers in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord. Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother who was also a mother to me. Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters with them. Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the believers who are with them. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you. Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who create dissensions and obstacles contrary to the teaching that you learned. Avoid them! For these are the kind who do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By their smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of the naive. Your obedience is known to all and thus I rejoice over you. But I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil. The God of peace will quickly crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you; so do Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my compatriots. I, Tertius, who am writing this letter, greet you in the Lord. Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus the city treasurer and our brother Quartus greet you.

Now I mean this, that each of you is saying, "I am with Paul," or "I am with Apollos," or "I am with Cephas," or "I am with Christ."

For whenever someone says, "I am with Paul," or "I am with Apollos," are you not merely human?

So for me, it is a minor matter that I am judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself.

For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not acquitted because of this. The one who judges me is the Lord.

I am not writing these things to shame you, but to correct you as my dear children.

For even though I am absent physically, I am present in spirit. And I have already judged the one who did this, just as though I were present.

When you gather together in the name of our Lord Jesus, and I am with you in spirit, along with the power of our Lord Jesus,

But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who calls himself a Christian who is sexually immoral, or greedy, or an idolater, or verbally abusive, or a drunkard, or a swindler. Do not even eat with such a person.

I wish that everyone was as I am. But each has his own gift from God, one this way, another that.