The Light of the Gospel 1 UDB God gave us this responsibility to carry out, and he also had mercy on us. So we are not discouraged. BSB BSB: Therefore, since God in His mercy has given us this ministry, we do not lose heart.
2 UDB We are careful not to do anything we would be ashamed of doing, and we have nothing to hide from anyone. We do not promise something that God will not give, and we do not twist God's message to make it say what we want. We proclaim only the truth. In this way, we present ourselves for you to judge us as we stand before God. BSB BSB: Instead, we have renounced secret and shameful ways. We do not practice deceit, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by open proclamation of the truth, we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.
3 UDB If the good news is hidden with a veil, it is hidden from those who are dying apart from God. BSB BSB: And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.
4 UDB For them, the god of this world has made them blind to the truth because they do not trust the good news about the wonderful honor of Christ—for it is Christ who shows us what God is like. BSB BSB: The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
5 UDB We do not proclaim ourselves to you as people who can rescue you from any evil. Instead, we proclaim Christ Jesus as our Master, and we are your servants because we are joined to Jesus. BSB BSB: For we do not proclaim ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.
6 UDB For God is the one who said, "Light will shine out of the darkness." He shined his light into our hearts, so that when we trust in Jesus Christ, we can learn how wonderful God is. BSB BSB: For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Treasure in Jars of Clay (Romans 6:1–14)
7 UDB Now we carry these precious gifts from God in our bodies, which are fragile like clay pots. There can be no mistake about where our strength comes from: It comes only from God. BSB BSB: Now we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this surpassingly great power is from God and not from us.
8 UDB We have suffered many different kinds of trouble, but they have not destroyed us. We may be confused about what we should do, but we never give up. BSB BSB: We are hard pressed on all sides, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;
9 UDB Some people try to harm us, but we are never alone; it is as if some people knocked us down, but we always get up again. BSB BSB: persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.
10 UDB We are often in danger of dying, as Jesus died, but our bodies will live again because Jesus is alive. BSB BSB: We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
11 UDB For those of us who are alive, God is always leading us to face death because we are joined to Jesus, so that when people look at us, they can know that Jesus is alive. BSB BSB: For we who are alive are always consigned to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our mortal body.
12 UDB So you can see that death is doing its work in us, but that life is working in you. BSB BSB: So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.
13 UDB We trust in God, just as the scriptures say: "I trust in God; this is why I speak." We also trust in God, and we also speak about what he has done for us. BSB BSB: And in keeping with what is written, “I believed, therefore I have spoken,” we who have the same spirit of faith also believe and therefore speak,
14 UDB We know that God, who raised up the Lord Jesus from the dead, will also raise us up from the dead with him, and that Jesus will take us along with you and take us to be where God is. BSB BSB: knowing that the One who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in His presence.
15 UDB All that I have suffered is to help you, so that more and more people can know how God loves them freely, and so that they may praise him more and more. BSB BSB: All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is extending to more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow, to the glory of God.
16 UDB We are not discouraged. When our bodies are dying a little each day outwardly, God is making us new every day on the inside. BSB BSB: Therefore we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, yet our inner self is being renewed day by day.
17 UDB For these short, easy times of suffering are getting us ready for the day when God will make us wonderful forever, wonderful in ways that no one can measure or explain. BSB BSB: For our light and momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory that is far beyond comparison.
18 UDB For we are not waiting for things that we can see but for the things we cannot see. The things that we can now see are temporary, but the things we cannot see last forever. BSB BSB: So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.