Maadamu Kristo aliteseka kimwili, nanyi pia mnapaswa kujiimarisha kwa nia hiyo yake; maana mtu akisha teseka kimwili hahusiki tena na dhambi. Tangu sasa, basi, maisha yaliowabakia kuishi hapa duniani yanapaswa kuongozwa na matakwa ya Mungu, si na tamaa za kibinadamu. Wakati uliopita mlikuwa na muda mrefu wa kufanya mambo wanayofanya watu wasiomjua Mungu. Mliishi maisha ya anasa, ubinafsi, ulevi, ugomvi, kunywa mno na ya ibada haramu za sanamu. Sasa, watu hao wasiomjua Mungu wanashangaa wanapoona kwamba hamwandamani nao tena katika hali ya kuishi vibaya, na hivyo wanawatukaneni. Lakini watapaswa kutoa hoja juu ya jambo hilo mbele yake Mungu aliye tayari kuwahukumu wazima na wafu! Kwa sababu hiyo, hao waliokufa ambao walikuwa wamehukumiwa katika maisha yao ya kimwili kama anavyohukumiwa kila mmoja, walihubiriwa Habari Njema kusudi katika maisha yao ya kiroho waishi kama aishivyo Mungu. Mwisho wa vitu vyote umekaribia. Kwa hiyo mnapaswa kuwa na utaratibu na nidhamu, ili mweze kusali. Zaidi ya yote pendaneni kwa moyo wote, maana upendo hufunika dhambi nyingi. Muwe na ukarimu ninyi kwa ninyi bila kunung'unika. Kila mmoja anapaswa kutumia kipaji alichojaliwa na Mungu kwa faida ya wengine, kama vile uwakili mwema wa zawadi mbalimbali za Mungu. Anayesema kitu, maneno yake na yawe kama maneno ya Mungu; anayetumika anapaswa kutumikia kwa nguvu anayojaliwa na Mungu, ili katika mambo yote, Mungu atukuzwe kwa njia ya Yesu Kristo, ambaye utukufu na nguvu ni vyake milele na milele! Amina. Wapenzi wangu, msishangae kuhusu majaribio makali mnayopata kana kwamba mnapatwa na kitu kisicho cha kawaida. Ila furahini kwamba mnashiriki mateso ya Kristo ili mweze kuwa na furaha tele wakati utukufu wake utakapofunuliwa. Heri yenu ikiwa mnatukanwa kwa sababu ya jina la Kristo; jambo hilo lamaanisha kwamba Roho mtukufu, yaani Roho wa Mungu, anakaa juu yetu. Asiwepo mtu yeyote miongoni mwenu ambaye anapaswa kuteseka kwa sababu ni muuaji, mwizi, mhalifu au mwovu. Lakini kama mtu akiteseka kwa sababu ni Mkristo, basi asione aibu, bali amtukuze Mungu, kwa sababu mtu huyo anaitwa kwa jina la Kristo. Wakati wa hukumu umefika, na hukumu hiyo inaanza na watu wake Mungu mwenyewe. Ikiwa hukumu hiyo inaanzia kwetu sisi, basi mwisho wake utakuwa namna gani kwa wale wasioamini Habari Njema ya Mungu? Kama yasemavyo Maandiko Matakatifu: “Ni vigumu kwa watu waadilifu kuokolewa; itakuwaje basi kwa wasiomcha Mungu na wenye dhambi?” Kwa hiyo, wale wanaoteseka kufuatana na matakwa ya Mungu, wanapaswa, kwa matendo yao mema, kujiweka chini ya Muumba wao ambaye ni wa kuaminika kabisa.
FIND YOUR PASSAGE
Search the Scriptures

A LIBRARY TO EXPLORE
A moment.
A passage.
A new perspective.
Read the Bible, discover the Apocrypha, and explore early Christian writings.
About this collection
This library includes complete Bibles, portions, historical variants, Apocrypha, and separately labeled early writings. Different traditions recognize different canons. Manuscript gaps and editorial reconstructions retain their source labels.
Source records assess public-domain status in the United States. Rights can differ by territory, including King James Version conditions in the United Kingdom. Read the source and rights record for each edition.
YOUR READING LIFE
Saved passages
Saved on this browser. Export a copy to keep your notes when changing devices or clearing browser data.
MAKE ROOM TO READ
Your reading space
Appearance
Reading
Listen
Offline reading
Keep an edition on this device for reading and searching while disconnected. Installed voices can read it aloud. Browser background playback varies by device.
Your privacy
Reading preferences, progress, bookmarks, highlights and notes stay in this browser using functional storage. Online reading and search send the requested edition, passage or query to the server. Prepared narration requests identify the edition, book and chapter. Ordinary hosting access and security logs can include IP addresses, requested URLs, times and basic client information. The website is free, account-free and analytics-free.