1:4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,
1:5 for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;
1:6 being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
1:7 even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.
1:8 For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.
1:9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;
1:10 that ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;
1:11 being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
1:12 But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel;
1:13 so that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places;
1:14 and many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
1:15 Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will:
1:16 the one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds:
1:17 but the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel.
1:18 What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.
1:19 For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
1:20 according to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.
1:21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
1:22 But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.
1:23 For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:
1:24 nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.
1:25 And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith;
1:26 that your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.
1:27 Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;
1:28 and in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God.
1:29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;
1:30 having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.
Your support helps pay our hosting costs, and
- with a little bit extra -
lets us pay transcribers and proofreaders.
If you can help, Click here to become a Patreon:
www.patreon.com/IslamAwakened Thank you!