Wednesday, July 16, 2031

^7:12But to the rest I—not the Lord—say, if any brother has an unbelieving wife, and she is content to live with him, let him not leave her. ¹³The woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he is content to live with her, let her not leave her husband. ¹⁴For the unbelieving husband is sanctified in the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified in the husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy. ¹⁵Yet if the unbeliever departs, let there be separation. The brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God has called us in peace.

¹⁶For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife? ¹⁷Only, as the Lord has distributed to each man, as God has called each, so let him walk. So I command in all the assemblies. ¹⁸Was anyone called having been circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Has anyone been called in uncircumcision? Let him not be circumcised. ¹⁹Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but what matters is keeping God’s commandments. ²⁰Let each man stay in that calling in which he was called.

²¹Were you called being a bondservant? Don’t let that bother you, but if you get an opportunity to become free, use it. ²²For he who was called in the Lord being a bondservant is the Lord’s free man. Likewise he who was called being free is Christ’s bondservant. ²³You were bought with a price. Don’t become bondservants of men. ²⁴Brothers, let each man, in whatever condition he was called, stay in that condition with God.

^14:35When the people of that place recognized him, they sent into all that surrounding region and brought to him all who were sick; ³⁶and they begged him that they might just touch the fringe of his garment. As many as touched it were made whole. ^15:1Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem, saying, ²“Why do your disciples disobey the tradition of the elders? For they don’t wash their hands when they eat bread.” ³He answered them, “Why do you also disobey the commandment of God because of your tradition?

⁴For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death.’ ⁵But you say, ‘Whoever may tell his father or his mother, “Whatever help you might otherwise have gotten from me is a gift devoted to God,” ⁶he shall not honor his father or mother.’ You have made the commandment of God void because of your tradition. ⁷You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, ⁸‘These people draw near to me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

⁹And they worship me in vain, teaching as doctrine rules made by men.’” ¹⁰He summoned the multitude, and said to them, “Hear, and understand. ¹¹That which enters into the mouth doesn’t defile the man; but that which proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.”