I Never Knew You

^21 (A)“Not everyone who ^(B)says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will ^(C)enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who ^(D)does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

^9 (A)As the Father has loved me, ^(B)so have I loved you. Abide in my love. ^10 (C)If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as ^(D)I have kept ^(E)my Father's commandments and abide in his love. ¹¹ These things I have spoken to you, ^(F)that my joy may be in you, and that ^(G)your joy may be full.

Faith Without Works Is Dead

¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith ^(A)but does not have works? Can that faith save him? ^15 (B)If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, ^16 (C)and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good^[a] is that? ¹⁷ So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith ^(D)apart from your works, and I will show you my faith ^(E)by my works. ^19 (F)You believe that God is one; you do well. Even ^(G)the demons believe—and shudder! ²⁰ Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? ^21 (H)Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? ²² You see that ^(I)faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed ^(J)by his works; ²³ and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, ^(K)“Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a ^(L)friend of God. ²⁴ You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.

Overcoming the World

5 ^(A)Everyone who believes that ^(B)Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and ^(C)everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. ^2 (D)By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. ³ For ^(E)this is the love of God, that we ^(F)keep his commandments. And ^(G)his commandments are not burdensome. ⁴ For ^(H)everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—^(I)our faith. ⁵ Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes ^(J)that Jesus is the Son of God?