Conflict Resolution: Whose Responsibility? (Part 2 of 2)

The Biblical Pattern

STEP 1: It always begins with me. If I am guilty of sin, the Lord expects me to follow his directions and seek redemption.¹ If my brother has something against me, the Lord expects me to take the initiative and seek resolution.² If my brother sins against me, the Lord expects me to approach the offending brother first and seek reconciliation.³ If my brother sins, whether it directly affects me or not, the Lord expects me to be my brother’s keeper and seek restoration.⁴

It goes without saying that the directive to “go and tell him his fault between you and him alone” (Matt. 18:15)⁵ is not without implicit exceptions. It presupposes an established relationship, not a “cold turkey” approach. Differences in gender, age, relationship, trust, and maturity would call for wisdom and discretion to avoid the appearance of impropriety, intimidation, or a compromising situation. A mutually respected mediator would then be appropriate (cf. Acts 9:26-28; Phil. 4:2-3).

STEP 2: If implementing the first step does not result in having “gained your brother,” i.e., if he refuses to listen and repent, “take with you one or two more” (Matt. 18:16), preferably, if not presumably, reputable and spiritually mature brethren (cf. Gal. 6:1). Jesus gives scriptural confirmation, quoting Deuteronomy 19:15, a long-established conventional means of corroboration.⁶  Multiple witnesses serve the threefold purpose of (a) confirming the charge, (b) protecting the accused against impulsive, petty, or malicious allegations, and (c) providing additional support and counsel.

STEP 3: If the accused refuses to heed the mutual appeal of concerned brethren, “tell it to the church” (Matt. 18:17a). The body of Christ is not one member but many (1 Cor. 12:14-26), and when one member goes astray, the entire church is affected (1 Cor. 5:6; Gal. 5:7-9). A unified plea, and any other disciplinary action, is the corporate responsibility of the congregation as a whole (1 Cor. 5:4-5; 6:1-5; 2 Thess. 3:6, 14; 1 Tim. 5:20).

STEP 4: “But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector” (Matt. 18:17b). When a wayward brother defies the collective admonition of his church family and stubbornly persists in misconduct, he himself has severed his spiritual bond with the Lord and the Lord’s people. The rest of the congregation are simply to follow through with his own foolish choices. Likening him to “a heathen and a tax collector” (discussed in more detail below) should be understood from Christ’s perspective and in light of how the early church carried it out.

This latter stage of the disciplinary process is purposeful disassociation: “taken away from among you,” “deliver such a one to Satan,” “purge out,” “do not keep company with,” “put away from yourselves,” “withdraw from” (1 Cor. 5:2-13; 2 Thess. 3:6, 14).⁷ If the impenitent sinner is determined to live for Satan, he is to be turned back over to Satan’s realm; let him experience the world of Satan so he will want to return to the Lord and the Lord’s family. The primary objective is not necessarily punishment or retaliation but to rescue a lost soul, while also maintaining the moral integrity of the church (1 Cor. 5:4-8; 2 Cor. 2:5-11; 2 Thess. 3:14; 1 Tim. 5:20; Jas. 5:19-20).

STEP 5: The disassociation is not the final step, nor is it a complete severance of all interaction: “note that person and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother” (2 Thess. 3:14-15). This cannot be done unless regular contact is maintained. Disciplinary action, although firm and uncompromising, is not intended to be hateful, malicious, or cruel. The withdrawing does not mean giving up on this brother, and further attempts are to be made to bring him back to faithfulness. The admonishing continues until repentance is forthcoming (cf. 2 Cor. 2:5-11; 7:9-10).

Like a Heathen and a Tax Collector?

Why is the impenitent brother likened to the “heathen” [ὁ ἐθνικὸς] and “tax collector” [ὁ τελώνης], and how would this comparison be viewed from the Lord’s perspective?

In first-century Palestine, the provincial tax collector (or revenue officer) was a local hireling of a wealthy contractor, typically a foreign publicanus, the one retaining the Roman tax-gathering contract. Regular interaction and collaboration with pagan Gentiles rendered the Jewish tax collector ceremonially defiled and a social outcast in the orthodox Jewish community. Characteristically greedy and corrupt, he was despised by the local populace and lumped together with “prostitutes” (Matt. 21:31-32) and “sinners” (Matt. 9:10-11; 11:19).⁸

In Matthew 18:17 the hypothetical tax collector is grouped with ὁ ἐθνικός, variously rendered “heathen” (N/KJV), “pagan” (NIV), “unbeliever” (CEV, ISV), but mostly “Gentile” (CSB, ESV, NASB, NET, N/RSV). The adjectival ἐθνικός appears three times in Matthew’s Gospel, all in the teachings of Jesus (Matt. 5:46-47; 6:7; 18:17), and only once in the rest of the NT (3 John 7). It specifically refers to a foreigner with particular focus on moral or religious defects, comparable to “unbelieving, worldly, polytheistic” (BDAG 276). From a Jewish perspective it would apply to a non-Israelite (Matt. 5:47; 6:7), and from a Christian perspective, to a non-Christian (2 John 7).⁹

How did Jesus respond to and treat the tax collectors of his day and others considered morally and religiously deficient? Although he recognized their disreputable standing in the community (Matt. 5:46-47), he reached out to them, spent time with them, and was considered their “friend” (Matt. 11:19; Luke 7:34). He certainly did not condone, justify, tolerate, or participate in their sins, yet with compassion he sought to guide, influence, and teach them to turn from their sinful ways (Matt. 9:10-13; Mark 2:14-17; Luke 5:27-32; 15:1-32). In general they proved to be receptive to the Lord, more so than the self-righteous religious elites (Matt. 21:31-32; Mark 2:14; Luke 3:12-14; 7:29-30; 15:1-2; 18:9-14).

When Jesus instructed his disciples to view an erring brother like the “heathen” and the “tax collector,” they would know from the Lord’s own example what this meant: no hatred or malice or disdain but loving concern for a lost soul.¹⁰ Neither condoning nor overlooking the sin, discipline is administered by withdrawing cordial association, “Yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother” (2 Thess. 3:14-15).

Ironically, it is only in Matthew’s Gospel that the apostle Matthew is labelled “the tax collector” (Matt. 10:3). He knew firsthand what it was like to be detested and disparaged as an outcast in his own community yet loved by the Lord anyway. What Jesus spoke, Matthew the tax collector recorded.

Conclusion

In dealing with a sinning brother (or sister), it never involves vile castigation or complete avoidance. With Christlike compassionate love we do what is needed, according to Christ’s example and teachings, to win our errant sibling back, seeking recognition of sin, shame, and godly sorrow leading to repentance and restoration: “that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord” (1 Cor. 5:5b).

--Kevin L. Moore

Endnotes:

     ¹ The verb μετανοέω (“repent”) occurs sixteen times in the Synoptic Gospels (Matt. 3:2; 4:17; 11:20, 21; 12:41; Mark 1:15; 6:12; Luke 10:13; 11:32; 13:3, 5; 15:7, 10; 16:30; 17:3, 4) and eighteen times in the rest of the NT (Acts 2:38; 3:19; 8:22; 17:30; 26:20; 2 Cor. 12:21; Rev. 2:5[x2], 16, 21[x2], 22; 3:3, 19; 9:20, 21; 16:9, 11). The noun μετάνοια (“repentance”) occurs eight times in the Synoptic Gospels (Matt. 3:8, 11; Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3, 8; 5:32; 15:7; 24:47) and fourteen times in the rest of the NT (Acts 5:31; 11:18; 13:24; 19:4; 20:21; 26:20; Rom. 2:4; 2 Cor. 7:9, 10; 2 Tim. 2:25; Heb. 6:1, 6; 12:17; 2 Pet. 3:9). See K. L. Moore, “What Must I Do To Be Saved?” Moore Perspective (30 Jan. 2015), <Link>.

     ² Matt. 5:23-24; 7:3-5; 1 Cor. 10:24; Phil. 2:3-4.

     ³ Matt. 18:15 (ASV, CSB, ESV, N/KJV, RSV); Luke 17:3 (NIV, N/KJV, WEB); cf. Luke 17:4.

     ⁴ Matt. 18:15 (NASB, NET, NIV); Luke 17:3 (ASV, CSB, ESV, ISV, NASB, NET, N/RSV); Gal. 2:11-14; 6:1-2; Jas. 5:19-20.

     ⁵ Unless otherwise noted, scripture quotations are from the New King James Version (1996).

     ⁶ See also Deut. 17:6; John 8:17; 2 Cor. 13:1b; 1 Tim. 5:19; Heb. 10:28. Among the ancients, from Herodotus (420 BC) to Marcellinus (AD 395), eyewitness testimony was regarded as the most reliable source of information. See David E. Aune, The New Testament in Its Literary Environment, LEC (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1987): 81.

     ⁷ Cf. also Rom. 16:17; Tit. 3:10-11. “The abuse of discipline has often led to a harsh and intolerant spirit, but neglect of it has proved a danger almost as great” (Donald Guthrie, The Pastoral Epistles, TNTC [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991]: 106).

     ⁸ See BDAG 999; cf. also Mark 2:15-16; Luke 5:30; 7:34; 15:1. The term τελώνης appears in the NT only in the Synoptic Gospels and is better rendered “tax collector” or “tax gatherer” rather than “publican” (ASV, Douay-Rheims, JUB, KJV), a transliteration of the Latin publicanus.

     ⁹ In Matthew 5:47, in the broader discussion about enemies, hateful persecutors, the evil and the unjust, instead of οἱ ἐθνικοί, a textual variant reads οἱ τελῶναι (“tax collectors”) (MSB, N/KJV, WEB, YLT). The standard Greek text accepts the οἱ ἐθνικοί reading, variously rendered “Gentiles” (ASV, H/CSB, ESV, NASB, NET, N/RSV), “pagans” (NIV), “unbelievers” (CEV, ISV). In Matthew 6:7, variously rendered “Gentiles” (ASV, CSB, ESV, NASB, NET, N/RSV, WEB), “heathen” (N/KJV), “pagans” (NIV), “unbelievers” (ISV), “idolaters” (HCSB)—cp. 1 Kings 18:26; Acts 19:34. In 3 John 7, variously rendered “Gentiles” (ASV, ESV, ISV, NASB, N/KJV), “heathen” (RSV), “pagans” (CSB, NET, NIV), “nonbelievers” (NRSV). On the noun ἔθνος, see BDAG 276-77; also K. L. Moore, “Until the Times of the Gentiles are Fulfilled,” Moore Perspective (2026), <Link>.

     ¹⁰ If the noun ἔθνη (“nations”) is also considered, the point is even more impactful (Matt 12:18, 21; 21:43; 24:14; 28:19).

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Conflict Resolution: Whose Responsibility? (Part 1 of 2)

Laying the Groundwork

As Jesus went about “preaching the gospel of the kingdom” (Matt. 4:23),¹ in many respects his earthly ministry was preparatory and an early transitional period between old-covenant Judaism and the establishment of his universal church. It was not the time to set aside the Mosaic Law, nor was it the time to teach exclusively Christian doctrine. It was, however, necessary to prepare the way for God’s approaching kingdom.²  

Chapter 5 of Matthew’s Gospel is part of a three-chapter discourse, wherein the Lord’s celebrated “Sermon on the Mount” is recorded. Jesus’s immediate listening audience was Jewish, inclusive of but not limited to his disciples. Matthew’s targeted reading audience was a Jewish-Christian community not far removed from Jesus’s original listening audience in time, geographical location, political environment, and sociocultural circumstances.³ 

In chapter 18 of Matthew’s Gospel, the Lord’s recorded words are directed to “the disciples,” who would later be commissioned to spread Christ’s message to all nations.

When My Brother Has Something Against Me

“Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23-24).

The directive here, set in the context of early-first-century Jewish worship, is subsequent to proscriptions against being angry, unforgiving, prideful, spiteful, malicious, and hateful (vv. 21-22)—the opposite of the blessed attitudes and behaviors highlighted at the beginning of the sermon. The “gift” [δῶρον] brought to the altar, generically representing any offering presented at the temple, is an offering of worship.⁴

One cannot worship God acceptably without faithful adherence, both inwardly and outwardly, to his revealed will. Instead of mindless ritualism, genuine worship, “in spirit and truth” (John 4:23-24), involves intent, purpose, and the right frame of mind. Worship that is acceptable and pleasing to God begins in the heart and should be prioritized as “first” [πρῶτον], of utmost importance (Matt. 5:24b). Otherwise, any so-called worshipful act is vain, empty, meaningless (Matt. 7:21-27; 15:5-9; 21:13).

The realization that “your brother has something against you” is a matter of interpersonal relations and brotherhood. Considering the requisite of self-examination and fidelity of spirit,⁵ even if you think the disharmony or negative feelings are not entirely your fault, the responsibility is on “you” to take the initiative and seek reconciliation. “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” (Psa. 133:1). “Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being” (1 Cor. 10:24).

When I Have Something Against My Brother

Jesus, having taught an object lesson about childlike innocence and humility, stressed the absolute importance of saving a single soul (Matt. 18:1-14). He then addressed a disciple’s duty toward a sinning brother.

“Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector” (Matthew 18:15-17).

One of the challenges of this passage is whether or not the prepositional phrase “against you” [εἰς σὲ] is original to the text. While most Greek manuscripts include these words, some important textual witnesses do not. Text critics, translators, and exegetes must therefore determine if v. 15a should read broadly, “if your brother sins” (NASB, NET, NIV), or more specifically, “if your brother sins against you” (ASV, CSB, ESV, N/KJV, RSV).

o   In favor of the shorter reading is the exclusion of the phrase from early Greek texts (incl. Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, Origen). Its presence in later copies is explained as textual gap-filling, perhaps an inference from v. 21.⁶

o   In support of inclusion is the adjoining phrase, “between you and him alone” (v. 15b), followed by “let him be to you [singular] ...” (v. 17b), as well as Peter’s follow-up question, “how often shall my brother sin against me [εἰς ἐμὲ], and I forgive him?” (v. 21). The majority of witnesses, representing all text families, contain the words in question. Inadvertent omission from a few copies is understandable if copyists transcribed the audible reading of the text, where the words ἁμαρτήσῃ εἰς σὲ (“sins against you”) combine expressions with vowel sounds (ῃ, ει, ε) that are similar when read aloud in Greek: ἁμαρτήσῃ (pronounced ha-mar-tay-say) and εἰς σὲ (pronounced ays-seh).⁷

o   Because of the “balance of possibilities,” the Nestle-Aland and UBS Greek texts include the words in [square brackets].⁸

At the end of the day, the immediate context, the overall context of scripture, and the “brother’s keeper” principle require application of both readings.⁹

The procedural guidelines that follow would surely apply if my brother sins against me. The verb “sins” [ἁμαρτήσῃ] is not descriptive of someone’s mere inconsideration or petty offense that might hurt my feelings, although heeding the Lord’s counsel would still be helpful in such cases. The Bible makes a clear distinction between persistent transgressions that jeopardize one’s soul, calling for disciplinary action in the church, and trivial matters or civil disputes that do not (1 Cor. 5:1–6:18).

To be like Christ and to follow his direction, we are called to be selfless, and if necessary, willing to suffer personal wrong (perceived or otherwise) rather than seeking retaliation or damaging the unity and reputation of his church (1 Cor. 6:7-8).¹⁰ Whether I am personally offended or not, the issue the Lord addresses is a trespass or wrongdoing that violates the holiness of God and his revealed will. His standard of judgment overrides my own (Rom. 2:1-8; 14:4).

But what if my brother sins (in general) without directly affecting me? Can I legitimately say, “Well, the sin is not against me personally, therefore these procedural guidelines do not apply”? Notwithstanding the textual variant involving wider applicability (noted above), Jesus goes on to make particular application within “the church” [ἡ ἐκκλησία] (Matt. 18:17).

Alluding to the congregated followers of Christ and community of the saved, the term ἐκκλησία occurs only three times in the Gospel accounts, all in Matthew, all in the teachings of Christ. Having promised to build his “church” (Matt. 16:18), Jesus then provided instruction for how sin is to be dealt with in his church (Matt. 18:15-17). Whether or not the recognized sin is of a personal nature, its adverse effects have broader implications if left unaddressed, and if ineffectually handled, it necessarily becomes a congregational matter.

“Sin is like quicksand: Your own efforts only make you sink deeper. Only an outside hand can pull you out” (author unknown). It was never the Lord’s intention for his followers to be segregated or isolated or independent in their Christian walk. The word “church” always applies to a collectivity of believers, never individually, and Jesus’s emphasis on “one another” proliferates in the writings of his inspired emissaries.¹¹

Further Commentary

“Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:1-2).

“Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins” (Jas. 5:19-20).

--Kevin L. Moore

Endnotes:

     ¹ Unless otherwise noted, scripture quotations are from the New King James Version (1996).

     ² See K. L. Moore, “Luke’s Unique Perspective on Jerusalem’s Fall and the Kingdom of God (Part 4),” Moore Perspective (2026), <Link>.

     ³ See K. L. Moore, “Layers of Context (Part 3),” Moore Perspective (6 May 2020), <Link>.

     ⁴ Cf. Matt. 8:4; 15:5; 23:18-19; Mark 7:11; Luke 21:1-4.

     ⁵ Cf. Matt. 6:21; 7:3-5; 9:13a; 15:8, 18; note also 1 Cor. 11:28; 14:15; Gal. 6:4; Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16.

     ⁶ Philip Wesley Comfort, A Commentary on Textual Additions to the NT (Grand Rapids: Kregel Academic, 2017): 29.

     ⁷ Robert H. Gundry, Matthew: A Commentary on His Handbook for a Mixed Church under Persecution. 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1994): 367; Daniel M. Doriani, “Matthew,” in Vol. VIII of ESV Expository Commentary: Matthew–Luke (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2021): 274. Pronunciation of NT Greek terms usually depends on the subjective preference of one’s Greek teacher!

     ⁸ Bruce M. Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek NT. 2nd ed. (Stuttgart: German Bible Society, 1994): 36.

     ⁹ The same textual issue occurs in Luke 17:3: “If your brother sins” (ASV, CSB, ERV, ESV, ISV, NASB, NET, N/RSV), or “If your brother sins against you” (NIV, N/KJV, WEB), although in the very next verse, the “against you” [εἰς σὲ] inclusion is undisputed among textual witnesses. The “brother’s keeper” principle is based on Genesis 4:9.

     ¹⁰ Matt. 5:9-14, 38-48; Rom. 12:17-21; 1 Thess. 5:15.

     ¹¹ Mark 9:50; John 13:34-35; 15:12, 17; Rom. 1:12; 12:5, 10, 16; 13:8; 14:13, 19; 15:5, 7, 14; 16:16; 1 Cor. 11:33; 12:25; 16:20; 2 Cor. 13:12; Gal. 5:13; Gal. 6:2; Eph. 4:2, 25, 32; Eph. 5:21; Phil. 2:3; Col. 3:9, 13; 1 Thess. 3:12; 4:9, 18; 5:11, 15; 2 Thess. 1:3; Heb. 10:24; Jas. 4:11; 5:9, 16; 1 Pet. 1:22; 4:9; 5:5, 14; 1 John 1:7; 3:11, 23; 4:7, 11, 12; 2 John 5.

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Until the Times of the Gentiles are Fulfilled?

In the Olivet Discourse Jesus informed his disciples about the approaching destruction of Jerusalem. He warned that the city would be surrounded by armies, that fleeing to the Judean mountains would be urgent and difficult, and “there will be great distress upon the land and wrath to this people; and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive unto the nations ...” (Luke 21:20-24a). He then observed, “and all Jerusalem will be trampled under the nations until the times of the nations may be fulfilled” (v. 24b).¹ To what does this last statement refer?

A Helpful Commentary

Almost identical wording is used by Paul in Romans 11:25, providing a helpful commentary: “for I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of this mystery, that you might not be wise in yourselves, that a hardening in part to Israel has occurred until [ἄχρι] that [οὗ] the fulness [τὸ πλήρωμα] of the nations [τῶν ἐθνῶν] should come in.”

Parallel wording includes ἄχρι (“until”), a “marker of continuous extent of time up to a point” (BDAG 160), the genitive relative pronoun οὗ (“that”), and τὸ πλήρωμα, “that which fills (up) .... makes someth. full/complete .... brought to fulness or completion .... fulfillment” (BDAG 829-30).² The term ἔθνη has various shades of meaning with reference to “peoples,” “nations,” “foreigners,” “Gentiles,” “unbelievers,” “non-Israelites,” or even “non-Christians” (see BDAG 276-77). In Romans 11:25 almost all English versions render it “Gentiles,” and in Luke 21:24 it is variously rendered “nations” (NRSV), “heathen” (GNT), “unbelievers” (ISV), but mostly “Gentiles” (ESV, NASB, NET, NIV, NKJV, RSV, WEB).

Paul’s Message to the Roman Saints

Contextually, the partial “hardening,” applicable to “some” among “Israel” (Rom. 11:17) who “were unfaithful” (Rom. 3:3), alludes back to Rom. 9:17-18 and pertains to God’s word that softens compliant hearts but hardens the stubborn and resistant. This state of affairs lasts “until that the fullness of the nations should come in.” Opportunity is afforded to unbelievers of all “nations” [ἔθνη] (inclusive of Gentiles) until the “fullness” or “fulfillment” [πλήρωμα] of God’s salvation plan, i.e., the consummation of all things in the final judgment (see Rom. 16:25-26). The verbal εἰσέρχομαι (“come in”) is repeatedly used in the NT for entering the divine kingdom, life, or glory.³

The Broader Context of Scripture

Disciples are to be made of “all the nations” [πάντα τὰ ἔθνη] until the end of the age (Matt. 28:18-20); “making known to us the mystery [μυστήριον] of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness [πλήρωμα] of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth” (Eph. 1:9-10). “God our Savior … desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:3-4). “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9).

The Context of Luke’s Gospel

In Luke 21:24, with respect to Jerusalem’s prophetic destruction by the Romans, Jewish survivors would be led captive “unto all the nations” [εἰς τὰ ἔθνη πάντα] (scattered far away from their sacred land), the city would be destroyed “by [the] Gentiles/ nations” [ὑπὸ ἐθνῶν] (the multi-national Roman legions), “until the times of the nations may be fulfilled,” i.e., disciples will be made of all nations until the end of the age, so Jerusalem will never again regain its former glory as the center of nationalistic Judaism, nor its temple stand as a symbol of divine favor. Jesus goes on to issue the great commission, for “repentance and forgiveness of sins to be proclaimed in his name unto all the nations [εἰς πάντα τὰ ἔθνη], having begun from Jerusalem” (Luke 24:47).

--Kevin L. Moore

Endnotes:

     ¹ Unless noted otherwise, scripture quotations are the author’s own translation.

     ² The verbal form πληρόω is employed in Luke’s account: “to make full .... to complete a period of time, fill (up), complete .... finish .... fulfill” (BDAG 827-29).

     ³ Matt. 5:20; 7:13, 21; 18:3, 8-9; 19:16-17, 23-24; 23:13; 25:10, 21, 23; Mark 9:43, 45, 47; 10:15, 23-25; Luke 13:24; 14:23; 18:17, 25; 24:26; John 3:5; 10:9; Acts 14:22; Heb. 3:11–4:11; 6:19-20; 9:12; Rev. 22:14.

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