A man’s insight gives him patience, and his virtue is to overlook an offense.

Do not pay attention to every word that is spoken, or you may hear your servant cursing you. For you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others.

An offended brother is harder to win than a fortified city, and disputes are like the bars of a castle.

If your brother sins against you, go and confront him privately. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, regard him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

Watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. Even if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times returns to say, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, and with diligence to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every evil practice.

There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that run swiftly to evil, a false witness who gives false testimony, and one who stirs up discord among brothers.

Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against any of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.

When they heaped abuse on Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats, but entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a ringing gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have absolute faith so as to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and exult in the surrender of my body, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no account of wrongs. . . .

My beloved brothers, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger,

“Do not judge, or you will be judged. For with the same judgment you pronounce, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but fail to notice the beam in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while there is still a beam in your own eye? You hypocrite! First take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Brothers, if someone is caught in a trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him with a spirit of gentleness. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

Better an open rebuke than love that is concealed. The wounds of a friend are faithful, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

Woe to the world for the causes of sin. These stumbling blocks must come, but woe to the man through whom they come!

In this hope, I strive always to maintain a clear conscience before God and man.

Be imitators of God, therefore, as beloved children, and walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant sacrificial offering to God. But among you, as is proper among the saints, there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk, or crude joking, which are out of character, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure, or greedy person (that is, an idolater), has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. . . .

Whoever conceals an offense promotes love, but he who brings it up separates friends.

Do not become a stumbling block, whether to Jews or Greeks or the church of God—

For it is not an enemy who insults me; that I could endure. It is not a foe who rises against me; from him I could hide. But it is you, a man like myself, my companion and close friend. We shared sweet fellowship together; we walked with the crowd into the house of God. Let death seize them by surprise; let them go down to Sheol alive, for evil is with them in their homes.

Abundant peace belongs to those who love Your instruction; nothing can make them stumble.

Jesus said to His disciples, “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks will come, but woe to the one through whom they come!

And a servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome, but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, and forbearing. He must gently reprove those who oppose him, in the hope that God may grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth. Then they will come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, who has taken them captive to his will.

and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word—and to this they were appointed.

Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers all transgressions.

“Be angry, yet do not sin.” Do not let the sun set upon your anger,

So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.

It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no account of wrongs.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be encumbered once more by a yoke of slavery. Take notice: I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again I testify to every man who gets himself circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. You who are trying to be justified by the law have been severed from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the hope of righteousness. . . .

Be kind and tenderhearted to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.

At that time many will fall away and will betray and hate one another, and many false prophets will arise and mislead many. Because of the multiplication of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.

A Psalm of David. I call upon You, O LORD; come quickly to me. Hear my voice when I call to You. May my prayer be set before You like incense, my uplifted hands like the evening offering. Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch at the door of my lips. Do not let my heart be drawn to any evil thing or take part in works of wickedness with men who do iniquity; let me not feast on their delicacies. Let the righteous man strike me; let his rebuke be an act of loving devotion. It is oil for my head; let me not refuse it. For my prayer is ever against the deeds of the wicked. . . .

Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Turn away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.

For you, brothers, were called to freedom; but do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. Rather, serve one another in love.

Watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.

But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me. For you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, regard him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

Now, brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished.

And He will be a sanctuary—but to both houses of Israel a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, to the dwellers of Jerusalem a trap and a snare.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

But it is you, a man like myself, my companion and close friend. We shared sweet fellowship together; we walked with the crowd into the house of God. Let death seize them by surprise; let them go down to Sheol alive, for evil is with them in their homes.

Jesus said to His disciples, “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks will come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him to have a millstone hung around his neck and to be thrown into the sea than to cause one of these little ones to stumble.

Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying one another.

Even if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times returns to say, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

As soon as night had fallen, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true.

Bear with one another and forgive any complaint you may have against someone else. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,

Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to stumble.

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not just seven times, but seventy-seven times! Because of this, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlements, a debtor was brought to him owing ten thousand talents. Since the man was unable to pay, the master ordered that he be sold to pay his debt, along with his wife and children and everything he owned. . . .

And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.

with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,

If your brother sins against you, go and confront him privately. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.

Then they will deliver you over to be persecuted and killed, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. At that time many will fall away and will betray and hate one another,

And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God, and that no root of bitterness springs up to cause trouble and defile many.

It is honorable for a man to resolve a dispute, but any fool will quarrel.

Blessed is the one who does not fall away on account of Me.”

Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and knelt down to make a request of Him. “What do you want?” He inquired. She answered, “Declare that in Your kingdom one of these two sons of mine may sit at Your right hand, and the other at Your left.” “You do not know what you are asking,” Jesus replied. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” “We can,” the brothers answered. “You will indeed drink My cup,” Jesus said. “But to sit at My right or left is not Mine to grant. These seats belong to those for whom My Father has prepared them.” When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. . . .

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’

It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything to cause your brother to stumble.

Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that eternal life does not reside in a murderer.

At that time many will fall away and will betray and hate one another,

so that you may be able to test and prove what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,

Be careful, however, that your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. For if someone with a weak conscience sees you who are well informed eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged to eat food sacrificed to idols? So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. By sinning against your brothers in this way and wounding their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to stumble.

Be imitators of God, therefore, as beloved children,

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud, and your sins like a mist. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.

To start a quarrel is to release a flood; so abandon the dispute before it breaks out.

Now the Spirit expressly states that in later times some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons,

We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no one can discredit our ministry.

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to control his whole body.

Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and passes over the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance—who does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in loving devotion?

If I give all I possess to the poor and exult in the surrender of my body, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.

then my lord will have no remorse or guilt of conscience over needless bloodshed and revenge. And when the LORD has dealt well with my lord, may you remember your maidservant.”

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

and with diligence to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

and walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant sacrificial offering to God.

But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be thrown into the sea.

leave your gift there before the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.

The law came in so that the trespass would increase; but where sin increased, grace increased all the more,

Why not? Because their pursuit was not by faith, but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone,

But among you, as is proper among the saints, there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed.

Take notice: I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all.

Again I testify to every man who gets himself circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.

A fool vents all his anger, but a wise man holds it back.

Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Turn away from them.

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.

This is the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants what must soon come to pass. He made it known by sending His angel to His servant John,

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. All that matters is faith, expressed through love.

“But so that we may not offend them, go to the sea, cast a hook, and take the first fish you catch. When you open its mouth, you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for My tax and yours.”

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you used to walk when you conformed to the ways of this world and of the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit who is now at work in the sons of disobedience. All of us also lived among them at one time, fulfilling the cravings of our flesh and indulging its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature children of wrath. But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved! . . .