Paul begins by calling believers to respond to God’s promises with holiness: since God has said He will dwell with His people and be their Father, they must cleanse themselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God (v. 1; cf. 6:16–18). He then urges the Corinthians again to “make room” in their hearts for him, reminding them that he has not wronged, corrupted, or taken advantage of anyone (vv. 2–3). Even in all his troubles and fears, Paul says he has great boldness and overflowing joy because of what God is doing in them (vv. 4–5).
Paul describes how deeply discouraged he was when he came to Macedonia—“fighting without and fear within”—until God comforted him through the arrival of Titus and the good report Titus brought (vv. 5–6). Paul had sent a severe letter that grieved them, and for a while he wondered if he had been too harsh (v. 8). But Titus reported that their sorrow led to real repentance, a change that showed they truly belonged to the Lord and still loved Paul (vv. 7–9). Paul explains the difference between godly grief, which produces repentance that leads to salvation without regret, and worldly grief, which leads to death (v. 10). Their godly grief showed up in eagerness, indignation over sin, fear of God, longing, zeal, and a desire for justice (vv. 11–12). Because of this, Paul is deeply comforted and rejoices; he is glad he boasted to Titus about them, and now he can say with confidence, “I rejoice, because I have complete confidence in you” (vv. 13–16).
🌀 Reflection: Think about how you respond when God confronts your sin—through Scripture, a sermon, or even a hard conversation with a friend. Do you tend to feel embarrassed because you got caught (worldly grief), or broken over how your sin grieves God and harms others (godly grief) (vv. 9–10)? Ask the Lord to use sorrow over sin to draw you nearer to Him, producing eagerness, reverence, and renewed obedience rather than shame and retreat (v. 11).
💬 Mission Challenge: If someone in your life has spoken hard truth to you for your spiritual good, reach out to them this week. Thank them for caring enough to confront you, and encourage them with how God has used that “godly grief” to grow repentance and holiness in your life (vv. 8–9, 13).
Paul pleads with the Corinthians not to receive God’s grace “in vain,” reminding them that now is the favorable time and now is the day of salvation (vv. 1–2). As a minister of reconciliation, he works hard to give no obstacle to the gospel, commending himself not by comfort or success but by patient endurance through afflictions, hardships, beatings, imprisonments, and sleepless nights (vv. 3–5). At the same time, his life is marked by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, sincere love, truthful speech, and the power of God (vv. 6–7). He holds together sorrow and joy, poverty and spiritual riches, being treated as nothing and yet known and loved by God (vv. 8–10). All of this is Paul saying, “You can trust my heart and my message—I am suffering for your good.”
Because of this, Paul tells them that his heart is wide open toward them and urges them to “widen” their hearts in return (vv. 11–13). Then he calls them to holy separation: they must not be unequally yoked with unbelievers in ways that compromise their loyalty to Christ, because righteousness and lawlessness, light and darkness, Christ and Belial, God’s temple and idols simply do not belong together (vv. 14–16). Paul reminds them that they are the temple of the living God, and God Himself has promised to dwell among them, walk with them, receive them, and be a Father to them, making them His sons and daughters (vv. 16–18). The grace that saves also calls God’s people to live distinctly for Him in the middle of a watching world.
🌀 Reflection: Are there places in your life where you might be “receiving the grace of God in vain” (v. 1)—enjoying gospel words but resisting gospel change? Ask the Lord to show you where your heart needs to “widen” toward Him and His people (vv. 11–13), and where you may need to come out from unhealthy, spiritually shaping influences so you can live more clearly as His beloved son or daughter (vv. 16–18).
💬 Mission Challenge: Examine one close relationship, habit, or partnership this week and honestly ask: “Is this helping me follow Jesus, or pulling me away?” If it’s pulling you away, take one concrete step—have a hard conversation, set a boundary, or make a change—so that your life more clearly reflects that you are God’s temple.
It’s Friday, but Sunday’s coming — and that’s reason to rejoice!
As we move deeper into the Advent season, this week joy is our focus. This joy was first announced by the angels on the night of Jesus’s birth as “good news of great joy” (Luke 2:10). From the beginning, Christmas joy has never been about circumstances — it has always been about the Savior.
The book of Hebrews helps us see just how deep that joy runs. We are told in Hebrews 12:2 to fix our eyes on Jesus, “who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Advent joy is rooted in the finished work of Jesus — the King who came, suffered, and now reigns. It’s a joy that is stead and secure because it rests on what Jesus has already accomplished.
Earlier today, our pastor, John Goldwater, shared his excitement about preaching this Sunday and encouraged us to read Hebrews 10:1-18 to prepare our hearts. That passage reminds us that Jesus is the true and final sacrifice — the King whose once-for-all offering truly cleanses us and brings us near to God. So, let’s read it and meditate on it, preparing our hearts to gather and worship JESUS:
1For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. 2For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. 3But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. 5Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire,But a body You have prepared for Me. 6In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. 7Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come—In the volume of the book it is written of Me—To do Your will, O God.’” 8Previously saying, “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the law), 9then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will,O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second. 10By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, 13from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. 14For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. 15But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before, 16“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,” 17then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”18Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.
This sort of preparation gets at the heart of these “Songs for Sunday” posts. We share them to help Christ Community folks prepare — to read the Scriptures ahead of time, to become familiar with the songs we’ll sing, and to come ready to worship together. Lord willing, we’ll gather as a people prepared — full of joy, fixed on Christ, and eager to make much of Jesus the King, the One who has come and who is coming again!
We’d love for you to gather with us this Sunday at Christ Community as we sing, read God’s Word, hear God’s Word opened in preaching, and rejoice together in Jesus.
Won’t you come?
Here are our Scriptures, songs, and Advent readings:
Advent Reading | Joy —
The candle of joy reminds us of the angels’ announcement of “good news of great joy” at Jesus’s birth (Luke 2:10), and we see in Hebrews that the fullness of that joy is found in Jesus. We are told in Hebrews 12:2 to fix our eyes on Jesus “who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame”, and who is now “seated at the right hand of the throne of God”. The joy of Christmas is rooted in the finished work of Jesus, the God who saves. In a world of temporary happiness and shifting circumstances, the joy found in Jesus is steady and secure. His birth, His life, His death, and His resurrection inspire and instill a joy that no situation can take away. As this candle shines, let us turn our eyes from things that fade and fix our eyes on Jesus and find joy in His salvation.
4And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. 8And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”
1Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
This phase will have us reading about Jesus’s life in the gospel of Luke, the formation of the Church in Acts, and walk through the theology found in Paul’s letters that the Church needs to know about and live out the eternal life given by grace through faith in Jesus.
Below, you’ll find brief synopses of each book in this phase to help you understand the scope of the book and most importantly, how it fits into the full Story of the Bible.
When you click on each day’s link, you will find a link to audio, a summary of the chapter, a key verse from the chapter, and opportunities for reflection and outreach.
We’re moving into Paul’s epistles, which we’ll go through chronologically rather than in the order they appear in our Bibles.
2 Corinthians
Paul writes 2 Corinthians after a painful season with the church in Corinth. Some had challenged his integrity and authority, and the church was divided. When Titus brought news that many had repented, Paul responded with this deeply personal letter (2 Corinthians 7:5–16). He defends his ministry not by boasting in strength but by pointing to his suffering and God’s comfort: “the Father of mercies and God of all comfort” meets us in affliction so we can comfort others (2 Corinthians 1:3–7). Paul explains that his trials don’t disprove his calling—they display Christ’s life in a fragile jar of clay (2 Corinthians 4:7–12, 12:9–10).
The letter moves through pastoral appeals and rich teaching. Paul announces the glory of the new covenant, where the Spirit gives life and transforms believers into Christ’s image (2 Corinthians 3:6, 17–18). He proclaims reconciliation: in Christ, God makes us new and entrusts to us the message of reconciliation—“be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:17–21). He urges holiness and wholehearted devotion to the Lord (2 Corinthians 6:14–7:1), calls the church to forgive and restore the repentant (2 Corinthians 2:5–8), and encourages generous giving for the saints in need (2 Corinthians 8–9). In the closing chapters, he confronts false apostles and “boasts” in his weaknesses so that Christ’s power might be seen (2 Corinthians 11:23–30, 12:9).
In the story of salvation, 2 Corinthians shows how God’s strength shines through human weakness. The crucified and risen Christ brings a new creation, writes His law on our hearts by the Spirit, and sends us as ambassadors of His grace (2 Corinthians 3:3, 5:17–20). Until we stand before Christ’s judgment seat, we live by faith—not by sight—seeking to please Him, comfort His people, and spread the aroma of His gospel in the world (2 Corinthians 5:7–10, 2:14–17).
Paul wrote Romans around A.D. 57 while he was in Corinth, near the end of his third missionary journey (Romans 16:1–2, 23; Acts 20:2–3). He addressed the letter to believers in Rome—a church he had not yet visited but deeply desired to see (Romans 1:10–13). The Roman church was made up of both Jews and Gentiles, and tensions had developed over how God’s law, faith, and daily Christian living fit together (Romans 14:1–15:7). Paul wrote to explain the gospel clearly, to unite the church around that gospel, and to prepare them to partner with him in future mission work, especially his planned journey to Spain (Romans 15:22–24).
At the heart of Romans is the gospel—the good news that God’s righteousness is revealed through Jesus Christ (Romans 1:16–17). Paul shows that all people, without exception, are sinners in need of salvation—both Jews under the law and Gentiles without it (Romans 1:18–3:20). No one is made right with God by works; instead, sinners are justified by grace through faith in Christ alone (Romans 3:21–26, 4:16). Using Abraham as an example, Paul explains that God’s promise has always been received by faith, not earned by obedience (Romans 4:1–5, 23–25). Jesus’s death and resurrection stand at the very center of God’s saving plan (Romans 5:6–11).
Romans also explains what the gospel accomplishes in the life of the believer. Those who are united to Christ are no longer slaves to sin but are given new life through the Holy Spirit (Romans 6:4–14, 8:1–11). Believers now live with peace with God, assurance of salvation, and a certain hope of future glory—even in suffering (Romans 5:1–5, 8:18–39). Paul addresses the difficult question of Israel’s place in God’s plan, showing that God is faithful to His promises and sovereign in salvation, working all things according to His mercy and wisdom (Romans 9–11).
In the story of salvation, Romans shows how God’s Old Testament promises are fulfilled in Jesus and how the gospel creates one new people—Jew and Gentile together—united by faith (Genesis 12:3, Romans 15:8–13). This gospel does not merely save; it transforms. Because of God’s mercy, believers are called to live holy lives marked by humility, love, service, and hope (Romans 12:1–2, 13:8–10). Romans helps us understand both what the gospel is and how to live it out, all for the glory of God among the nations (Romans 11:33–36, 15:5–6).
Paul looks honestly at life, death, and eternity. Our bodies are like fragile “tents” that will one day be taken down, but believers have the sure promise of a permanent, resurrection “building from God” that is eternal and secure (vv. 1–4). Because God has given us the Spirit as a guarantee, we can be confident—even as we groan in weakness now—that to be away from the body is to be at home with the Lord (vv. 5–8). This future hope shapes our present purpose: whether we are here or with Him, our aim is to please Christ, knowing that we will all appear before His judgment seat to receive what is due for what we have done, whether good or evil (vv. 9–10).
This leads straight into Paul’s description of the gospel and our mission. The “fear of the Lord” and the love of Christ together drive him to serve and persuade others (vv. 11, 14). Because Christ died and was raised, those who belong to Him no longer live for themselves but for Him (vv. 14–15). In Christ, we are a new creation—the old has passed away and the new has come (v. 17). God has reconciled us to Himself through Christ and entrusted to us the ministry and message of reconciliation, so that we now serve as ambassadors for Christ, pleading with the world: “Be reconciled to God” (vv. 18–20). At the heart of this message is the staggering truth that God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (v. 21).
🌀 Reflection: Where do you feel the “groaning” of life in your earthly tent right now (vv. 2–4)? Bring that place honestly to Jesus, and ask Him to help you live today with two things in view: the aim of pleasing Him (v. 9) and the privilege of representing Him as His reconciled, new-creation ambassador (vv. 17–20).
💬 Mission Challenge: Initiate one gospel-shaped conversation this week—share with someone (briefly and in your own words) what it means that God is reconciling sinners to Himself through Christ, and use 2 Corinthians 5:21 as the verse that anchors what you say.
Paul explains why he does not lose heart in ministry: God has given him the mercy of serving the new covenant, so he refuses to twist or dilute God’s Word to please people, but sets the truth out plainly before God and others (vv. 1–2). If the gospel seems “veiled,” it is because unbelievers are blinded by “the god of this world” and cannot see “the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (vv. 3–4). Paul doesn’t preach himself, but “Jesus Christ as Lord,” and himself as the Corinthians’ servant for Jesus’ sake (v. 5). The same God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in believers’ hearts to give “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (v. 6).
This glorious gospel is a treasure carried in “jars of clay”—weak, ordinary people—so that it is clear the power belongs to God and not to us (v. 7). Paul is “afflicted … but not crushed,” “perplexed, but not driven to despair,” continually carrying in his body the death of Jesus so that Jesus’ life may also be seen in him (vv. 8–11). He believes and therefore speaks, knowing that the God who raised Jesus will also raise him and present him with the Corinthians (vv. 13–14). So he still does not lose heart: even though his “outer self” is wasting away, his “inner self” is being renewed every day (v. 16). Present troubles are “light” and “momentary” compared to the “eternal weight of glory” God is preparing, so believers fix their eyes not on what is seen and temporary, but on what is unseen and eternal (vv. 17–18).
🌀 Reflection: Where do you most feel like a “jar of clay” right now—fragile, tired, or limited (vv. 7–9, 16)? Instead of seeing those weaknesses as proof that God is far away, ask Him to help you see them as places where His resurrection power can shine through, teaching you to look beyond what is seen today to the unseen glory He is preparing (vv. 14, 17–18).
💬 Mission Challenge: Share a brief word of hope with someone who is discouraged—maybe a text, call, or quick conversation—reminding them that present troubles are “momentary” compared to the eternal glory in Christ, and include 2 Corinthians 4:16–18 to point them to what is unseen and lasting.
Paul pushes back against the idea that he needs letters of recommendation by pointing to the Corinthians themselves—their changed lives are his “letter,” written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God on human hearts (vv. 1–3). His confidence in ministry doesn’t come from his own ability but from God, who has made him a minister of the new covenant, “not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (vv. 4–6). The old covenant, written on stone, was a real “ministry of death” and “condemnation” because it showed God’s holy standard without giving the power to obey, yet even it came with glory on Moses’ shining face (vv. 7–9). If that fading glory was real, Paul says, how much greater is the glory of the new covenant, which brings righteousness and is permanent (vv. 9–11).
Because this new covenant is so glorious, Paul speaks with boldness, not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so Israel wouldn’t see that the glory was fading (vv. 12–13). To this day, many in Israel still read Moses with a “veil” over their hearts, unable to see how the law points to Christ—but when one turns to the Lord, that veil is removed (vv. 14–16). Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom—freedom from condemnation, from a hard heart, and from trying to earn righteousness by the law (v. 17). Now all believers, with unveiled faces, behold the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into His image “from one degree of glory to another” by the Spirit (v. 18). The Christian life is not self-improvement; it is the Spirit slowly making us look more like Jesus as we keep looking to Him.
🌀 Reflection: Are you living like someone who still has a veil over your heart—trying to be “good enough” by your own effort—or like someone set free by the Spirit to trust Christ and be changed from the inside out (vv. 6, 14–18)? Bring your failures and self-reliance to the Lord today and ask Him to help you behold His glory in Christ, trusting the Spirit to do the slow, deep work of transformation.
💬 Mission Challenge: Encourage a fellow believer who is discouraged about their growth. Remind them that transformation is a process—“from one degree of glory to another”—and share 2 Corinthians 3:18 with them, pointing them back to Jesus and the Spirit’s ongoing work.
Paul explains why he chose not to make another painful visit to Corinth—he didn’t want to come only to cause them sorrow again, but wanted his next visit to be marked by mutual joy (vv. 1–3). Instead, he wrote a “severe” letter with many tears, not to crush them, but to show how deeply he loved them and to call them to repentance (v. 4, 7:8–9). True love sometimes wounds in order to heal, and Paul wants them to see even his hard words as an expression of Christlike care.
He then turns to the man who had caused grief in the church and likely opposed Paul publicly (vv. 5–6). Discipline from “the majority” had done its work; now it was time to forgive, comfort, and reaffirm love so that the brother would not be swallowed up by excessive sorrow (vv. 7–8). Paul reminds them that refusing to forgive gives Satan an opportunity to divide and devour the church (vv. 10–11). From there, Paul describes how even in his anxiety in Troas over not finding Titus, God still leads him in “triumphal procession” in Christ and uses him to spread “the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere” (vv. 12–14). The gospel is like an aroma—life to those who receive it and death to those who reject it (vv. 15–16). Knowing how weighty this is, Paul insists he is no peddler of God’s word, but speaks with sincerity, “as commissioned by God, in the sight of God in Christ” (v. 17).
🌀 Reflection: Where have you been more ready to punish than to restore? Ask the Lord to show you if there’s someone you’re holding at a distance even though they’ve repented. God comforted you in your sin and sorrow; His grace now calls you to reflect that same forgiving, restoring heart to others (vv. 6–8)
💬 Mission Challenge: Extend concrete grace this week. Reach out to someone who has failed or who feels on the outside—send a text, make a call, or have a face-to-face conversation that communicates forgiveness, comfort, and renewed love in Christ (vv. 7–8, 10–11).
Paul opens this letter by praising “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort” (v. 3). He explains that God meets him in his sufferings so that he can then comfort others with the same comfort he has received (vv. 4–5). Paul’s hardships are not a sign that God has abandoned him; instead, they become a channel of grace for the church. As he suffers for Christ and is comforted by Christ, the Corinthians share both in the sufferings and in the comfort, and their endurance is strengthened (vv. 6–7).
Paul then tells them about a severe trial he faced in Asia, where he was “so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself” (v. 8). God allowed him to feel like he had received a “sentence of death” so that he would not rely on himself but on “God who raises the dead” (v. 9). God delivered him, and Paul is confident He will continue to deliver, especially as the Corinthians help through their prayers (vv. 10–11). From there, Paul begins to defend his integrity: his conscience is clear that he has behaved toward them with holiness and sincerity from God, not with worldly wisdom (vv. 12–14). His change of travel plans was not because he is fickle, but because he wanted to spare them and act in line with God’s faithfulness (vv. 15–18).
To anchor this, Paul reminds them that all of God’s promises are “Yes” in Jesus (vv. 19–20). God is the One who establishes them in Christ, has anointed them, has put His seal on them, and has given His Spirit in their hearts as a guarantee of what is to come (vv. 21–22). That means their future with Him is secure, even when circumstances are hard. Finally, Paul calls God as his witness that he delayed his visit “to spare you,” because he does not want to lord it over their faith but to work with them for their joy, since they stand firm by faith (vv. 23–24). This is the heart of a true pastor: willing to suffer, eager to be misunderstood if needed, so that Christ’s people might be comforted, strengthened, and helped to stand.
🌀 Reflection: Where have you felt “burdened beyond your strength” lately (v. 8)? Bring that specific place of weakness to the Lord and ask Him to use it to loosen your grip on self-reliance and deepen your trust in “God who raises the dead” (v. 9). Then ask Him to show you one way He might use your story of His comfort to encourage someone else who is hurting.
💬 Mission Challenge: Reach out today to someone you know who is walking through a hard season. Let them know you are praying for them, share a verse from this chapter (such as vv. 3–4 or 10), and ask how you can keep praying specifically—be a living channel of the comfort you have received.
As Paul closes his letter, he moves from big doctrines to very practical details. He gives instructions about a collection for believers in Jerusalem who are in need, asking each person to set something aside on “the first day of every week”—the day believers gathered in honor of Jesus’s resurrection (vv. 1–2). Giving is to be regular, intentional, and proportionate, not random or forced (v. 2). Paul also shares his travel plans and explains why he is staying in Ephesus for a while longer: “a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries” (vv. 5–9). Even in opposition, God is at work. He also urges the church to receive Timothy without fear and notes that Apollos will come when he has opportunity (vv. 10–12).
Then Paul gives a series of short but powerful commands: “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love” (vv. 13–14). The church is to live alert and courageous, but always with a heart of love. He commends the household of Stephanas, “the first converts in Achaia,” as faithful servants and urges the church to be subject to such godly leaders and to honor those who labor among them (vv. 15–18). The letter closes with warm greetings from the churches in Asia, including Aquila and Prisca and the church that meets in their house, and with the reminder that believers should greet one another with a “holy kiss”—a sign of genuine family love in Christ (vv. 19–20).
Paul signs the ending with his own hand and gives both a sober warning and a hopeful cry: “If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come!” (vv. 21–22). Love for Jesus is not optional—it marks those who truly belong to Him. Yet even as he warns, Paul ends on grace and love: “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus” (vv. 23–24). Truth, warning, grace, and affection all come together in this closing, showing a pastor’s heart that longs for his people to stand firm in the gospel and live in love until Jesus returns.
🌀 Reflection: Where do you most need these closing commands today—to stay alert, stand firm, be courageous and strong, and do everything in love (vv. 13–14)? Ask the Lord to help you hold onto truth without losing tenderness, and to shape your giving, your serving, and your relationships so that they clearly flow from love for Jesus and His people.
💬 Mission Challenge: Set aside a specific gift or act of generosity this week—financial or otherwise—to bless a believer or ministry in need, and let them know you are doing it “in love” because of Jesus (vv. 2, 14).