So if you have ordinary lawsuits, do you appoint as judges those who have no standing in the church? ¹ 

With regard to the question about people who have never married, ¹  I have no command from the Lord, but I give my opinion as one shown mercy by the Lord to be trustworthy.

For I do not want to see you now in passing, since I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord allows.

But the scripture imprisoned ¹  everything and everyone ²  under sin so that the promise could be given – because of the faithfulness ³  of Jesus Christ – to those who believe.

For this reason, ¹  because I ²  have heard ³  of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love ⁴  for all the saints,

and what is the incomparable ¹  greatness of his power toward ²  us who believe, as displayed in ³  the exercise of his immense strength. ⁴ 

For by grace you are saved ¹  through faith, ²  and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God;

For it has been granted to you ¹  not only to believe in Christ but also to suffer for him,

– though mine too are significant. ¹  If someone thinks he has good reasons to put confidence in human credentials, ²  I have more:

nor to occupy themselves with myths and interminable genealogies. ¹  Such things promote useless speculations rather than God’s redemptive plan ²  that operates by faith.

To do this ¹  you must hold firmly to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck in regard to the faith.

You, however, must continue ¹  in the things you have learned and are confident about. You know ²  who taught you ³ 

and how from infancy you have known the holy writings, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

See to it, ¹  brothers and sisters, ²  that none of you has ³  an evil, unbelieving heart that forsakes ⁴  the living God. ⁵ 

so that you may not be sluggish, ¹  but imitators of those who through faith and perseverance inherit the promises.

But my righteous one will live by faith, and if he shrinks back, I ¹  take no pleasure in him. ² 

But we are not among those who shrink back and thus perish, but are among those who have faith and preserve their souls. ¹ 

By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, ¹  so that the one who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them.

By faith Rahab the prostitute escaped the destruction of ¹  the disobedient, because she welcomed the spies in peace.

Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to conduct ourselves rightly in every respect.