Now some of the experts in the law were sitting there, turning these things over in their minds:

Therefore be resolved not to rehearse ahead of time how to make your defense.

that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, so that, because you have been rooted and grounded in love,

When Jesus saw their reaction he said, “Why do you respond with evil in your hearts?

When they heard these things, they became furious and ground their teeth at him.

who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a down payment.

You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone,

Now immediately, when Jesus realized in his spirit that they were contemplating such thoughts, he said to them, “Why are you thinking such things in your hearts?

While the people were filled with anticipation and they all wondered whether perhaps John could be the Christ,

When Jesus perceived their hostile thoughts, he said to them, “Why are you raising objections within yourselves?

Our ancestors were unwilling to obey him, but pushed him aside and turned back to Egypt in their hearts,

“You stubborn people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are always resisting the Holy Spirit, like your ancestors did!

And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

I do not say this to condemn you, for I told you before that you are in our hearts so that we die together and live together with you.

Let the peace of Christ be in control in your heart (for you were in fact called as one body to this peace), and be thankful.

They show that the work of the law is written in their hearts, as their conscience bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or else defend them,

revealing that you are a letter of Christ, delivered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on stone tablets but on tablets of human hearts.

For God, who said “Let light shine out of darkness,” is the one who shined in our hearts to give us the light of the glorious knowledge of God in the face of Christ.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and exhorting one another with all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, all with grace in your hearts to God.

But set Christ apart as Lord in your hearts and always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks about the hope you possess.