The Message to the Church in Sardis

3 “Write this letter to the angel^[a] of the church in Sardis. This is the message from the one who has the sevenfold Spirit^[b] of God and the seven stars:

⁶ But the widow who lives only for pleasure is spiritually dead even while she lives.

²⁶ Just as the body is dead without breath,^[a] so also faith is dead without good works.

John’s Greeting to the Seven Churches

⁴ This letter is from John to the seven churches in the province of Asia.^[a]

Grace and peace to you from the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come; from the sevenfold Spirit^[b] before his throne;

¹³ You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins.

¹² When these people eat with you in your fellowship meals commemorating the Lord’s love, they are like dangerous reefs that can shipwreck you.^[a] They are like shameless shepherds who care only for themselves. They are like clouds blowing over the land without giving any rain. They are like trees in autumn that are doubly dead, for they bear no fruit and have been pulled up by the roots.

²⁴ for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.

¹⁶ He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was like the sun in all its brilliance.

⁵ that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)