By Bob Castello

Scripture passages based on The Passion Translation

CHAPTER 1
I’m a devoted believer who has been made holy by being one with Jesus, the Anointed One. God himself, the heavenly Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has released grace over me and imparted total well-being into my life.

3 Every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm has already been lavished upon me as a love gift from my wonderful heavenly Father, the Father of our Lord Jesus—all because he sees me wrapped into Christ. This is why I celebrate him with all my heart!

4 And in love he chose me before he laid the foundation of the universe! Because of his great love, he ordained me, so that I would be seen as holy in his eyes with an unstained innocence.5–6 For it was always in his perfect plan to adopt me as his delightful child through my union with Jesus, the Anointed One, so that his tremendous love that cascades over me would glorify his grace—for the same love he has for the Beloved, Jesus, he has for me. And this unfolding plan brings him great pleasure!

7 Since I am now joined to Christ, I have been given the treasures of redemption by his blood—the total cancellation of my sins—all because of the cascading riches of his grace. 8 This superabundant grace is already powerfully working in me, releasing all forms of wisdom and practical understanding. 9 And through the revelation of the Anointed One, he unveiled his secret desires to me—the hidden mystery of his long-range plan, which he was delighted to implement from the very beginning of time. 10 And because of God’s unfailing purpose, this detailed plan will reign supreme through every period of time until the fulfillment of all the ages finally reaches its climax—when God makes all things new in all of heaven and earth through Jesus Christ.

11 Through my union with Christ I too have been claimed by God as his own inheritance. Before I was even born, he gave me my destiny; that I would fulfill the plan of God who always accomplishes every purpose and plan in his heart. 12 God’s purpose was that the Jews, who were the first to long for the messianic hope, would be the first to believe in the Anointed One and bring great praise and glory to God!13 And because of him, when I who am not a Jew heard the revelation of truth, I believed in the wonderful news of salvation. Now I have been stamped with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit.14 He is given to me like an engagement ring, as the first installment of what’s coming! He is my hope-promise of a future inheritance which seals me until I have all of redemption’s promises and experience complete freedom—all for the supreme glory and honor of God!

15 Because of this, I have a strong faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and my tender love is towards all of his devoted ones, 16 my heart is always full and overflowing with thanks to God for I will constantly remember them in my prayers. 17 I pray that the Father of glory, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, would impart to me the riches of the Spirit of wisdom and the Spirit of revelation to know him through my deepening intimacy with him.

18 I pray that the light of God will illuminate the eyes of my imagination, flooding me with light, until I experience the full revelation of the hope of his calling—that is, the wealth of God’s glorious inheritances that he finds in me, his holy one!19 I pray that I will continually experience the immeasurable greatness of God’s power made available to me through faith. Then my life will be an advertisement of this immense power as it works through me!

This is the mighty power 20 that was released when God raised Christ from the dead and exalted him to the place of highest honor and supreme authority in the heavenly realm! 21 And now he is exalted as first above every ruler, authority, government, and realm of power in existence! He is gloriously enthroned over every name that is ever praised, not only in this age, but in the age that is coming!22 And he alone is the leader and source of everything needed in the church. God has put everything beneath the authority of Jesus Christ and has given him the highest rank above all others. 23 And now I, his church, I am his body on the earth and that which fills him who is being filled by it!

CHAPTER 2
2 And his fullness fills me, even though I was once like a corpse, dead in my sins and offenses. 2 It wasn’t that long ago that I lived in the religion, customs, and values of this world, obeying the dark ruler of the earthly realm who fills the atmosphere with his authority, and works diligently in the hearts of those who are disobedient to the truth of God. 3 The corruption that was in me from birth was expressed through the deeds and desires of my self-life. I lived by whatever natural cravings and thoughts my mind dictated, living as a rebellious child subject to God’s wrath like everyone else.

4 But God still loved me with such great love. He is so rich in compassion and mercy. 5 Even when I was dead and doomed in my many sins, he united me into the very life of Christ and saved me by his wonderful grace! 6 He raised me up with Christ the exalted One, and I ascended with him into the glorious perfection and authority of the heavenly realm, for I am now co-seated as one with Christ!

7 Throughout the coming ages I will be the visible display of the infinite riches of his grace and kindness, which was showered upon me in Jesus Christ. 8 For by grace I have been saved by faith. Nothing I did could ever earn this salvation, for it was the love gift from God that brought me to Christ! 9 So I will never be able to boast, for salvation is never a reward for my good works or human striving.

10 I have become his poetry, a re-created person that will fulfill the destiny he has given me, for I was joined to Jesus, the Anointed One. Even before I was born, God planned in advance my destiny and the good works I would do to fulfill it!

11–12 So I won’t forget that I was not born as a Jew and was uncircumcised (circumcision itself is just a work of man’s hands); I had none of the Jewish covenants and laws; I was a foreigner to Israel’s incredible heritage; I was without the covenants and prophetic promises of the Messiah, the promised hope, and without God.

13 Yet look at me now! Everything is new! Although I was once distant and far away from God, now I have been brought delightfully close to him through the sacred blood of Jesus—I have actually been united to Christ!

14 My reconciling “Peace” is Jesus! He has made Jew and non-Jew one in Christ. By dying as my sacrifice, he has broken down every wall of prejudice that separated us and has now made us equal through our union with Christ. 15 Ethnic hatred has been dissolved by the crucifixion of his precious body on the cross. The legal code that stood condemning every one of us has now been repealed by his command. His triune essence has made peace between us by starting over—forming one new race of humanity, Jews and non-Jews fused together in himself!

16 Two have now become one, and I live restored to God and reconciled in the body of Christ. Through his crucifixion, hatred died. 17 For the Messiah has come to preach this sweet message of peace to me, one who was distant, and to those who are near. 18 And now, because we are united to Christ, we both have equal and direct access in the realm of the Holy Spirit to come before the Father!

19 So, I am not a foreigner or guest, but rather I am a child of the city of the holy ones, with all the rights as a family member of the household of God. 20 I am rising like the perfectly fitted stones of the temple; and my life has been built up together upon the foundation laid by the apostles and prophets, and best of all, I am connected to the Head Cornerstone of the building, the Anointed One, Jesus Christ himself!

21 This entire building is under construction and is continually growing under his supervision until it rises up completed as the holy temple of the Lord himself. 22 This means that God is transforming me into the Holy of Holies, his dwelling place, through the power of the Holy Spirit living in me!

CHAPTER 3
…Because of my love for Jesus Christ, I am now his prisoner for the sake of all, 2 so that they will hear the gospel that God has entrusted to me to share with them. 3 For this wonderful mystery, which I briefly described, was given to me by divine revelation, 4 so that whenever it is read, I will be able to understand my revelation and insight into the secret mystery of the Messiah.

5 There has never been a generation that has been given the detailed understanding of this glorious and divine mystery until now. He kept it a secret until this generation. God is revealing it only now by the Holy Spirit. 6 Here’s the secret: The gospel of grace has made me, a non-Jewish believer, into a coheir of his promise through my union with him. And I have now become a member of his body— I am one with the Anointed One!

7–8 I have been made a messenger of this wonderful news by the gift of grace that works through me. Even though I am the least significant of all his holy believers, this grace-gift was imparted when the manifestation of his power came upon me. Grace alone empowers me so that I can boldly preach this wonderful message to others, sharing with them the unfading, inexhaustible riches of Christ, which are beyond comprehension.

9 My passion is to enlighten every person to this divine mystery. It was hidden for ages past until now, and kept a secret in the heart of God, the Creator of all. 10 The purpose of this was to unveil before every throne and rank of angelic orders in the heavenly realm God’s full and diverse wisdom revealed through the church. 11 This perfectly wise plan was destined from eternal ages and fulfilled completely in our Lord Jesus Christ, so that now 12 I have boldness through him, and free access as a king before the Father because of my complete confidence in Christ’s faithfulness.

13 … I pray that you will remain strong and not be discouraged or ashamed by all that I do on your behalf, for it is for your glory.

14 …I kneel humbly in awe before the Father of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, 15 the perfect Father of every father and child in heaven and on the earth. 16 And I pray that he would unveil within me the unlimited riches of his glory and favor until supernatural strength floods my innermost being with his divine might and explosive power.

17 Then, by constantly using my faith, the life of Christ will be released deep inside me, and the resting place of his love will become the very source and root of my life.

18–19 Then I will be empowered to discover what every holy one experiences—the great magnitude of the astonishing love of Christ in all its dimensions. How deeply intimate and far-reaching is his love! How enduring and inclusive it is! Endless love beyond measurement that transcends my understanding—this extravagant love pouring into me until I am filled to overflowing with the fullness of God!

20 I will Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in me and accomplish all this. He will achieve infinitely more than my greatest request, my most unbelievable dream, and exceed my wildest imagination! He will outdo them all, for his miraculous power constantly energizes me.

21 Now I offer up to God all the glorious praise that rises from every church in every generation through Jesus Christ—and all that will yet be manifest through time and eternity. Amen!

CHAPTER 4
I walk holy in a way that is suitable to my high rank, which is given to me in my divine calling with tender humility and quiet patience, always demonstrating gentleness and generous love toward others, especially toward those who may try my patience. 3 I am faithful to guard the sweet harmony of the Holy Spirit among everyone in the bonds of peace, 4 being one body and one spirit, as I am all called into the same glorious hope of divine destiny.

5 For the Lord God is one, and so am I with others, for I share with them one faith, one baptism, and one Father. 6 And he is the perfect Father who leads me, works through me, and lives in me!

7 And he has generously given me supernatural grace, according to the size of the gift of Christ. 8 This is why he says: “He ascends into the heavenly heights taking his many captured ones with him, and gifts were given to me.”

9 He “ascended” means that he returned to heaven, after he had first descended from the heights of heaven, even to the lower regions, namely, the earth. 10 The same one who descended is also the one who ascended above the heights of heaven, in order to begin the restoration and fulfillment of all things.

11 And he has appointed some with grace to be apostles, and some with grace to be prophets, and some with grace to be evangelists, and some with grace to be pastors, and some with grace to be teachers. 12 And their calling is to nurture and prepare all the holy believers to do their own works of ministry, and as they do this they will enlarge and build up the body of Christ. 13 These grace ministries will function until we all attain oneness into the faith, until we all experience the fullness of what it means to know the Son of God, and finally we become one into a perfect man with the full dimensions of spiritual maturity and fully developed into the abundance of Christ.

14 And then my immaturity will end! And I will not be easily shaken by trouble, nor led astray by novel teachings or by the false doctrines of deceivers who teach clever lies. 15 But instead I will remain strong and always sincere in my love as I express the truth. All my direction and ministries will flow from Christ and lead me deeper into him, the anointed Head of his body, the church.

16 For I have been formed in his image and am closely joined together and constantly connected to them as one. And I have been given divine gifts to contribute to the growth of all; and as these gifts operate effectively throughout the whole body, I am built up and made perfect in love

17 So with the wisdom given to me from the Lord I say: I will not live like the unbelievers around me who walk in their empty delusions. 18 Their corrupted logic has been clouded because their hearts are so far from God—their blinded understanding and deep-seated moral darkness keeps them from the true knowledge of God. 19 Because of spiritual apathy, they surrender their lives to lewdness, impurity, and sexual obsession.

20 This is not the way of life that Christ has unfolded within me. 21 Since I have experienced the Anointed One, and heard his truth, it will be seen in my life; for I know that my ultimate reality is embodied in Jesus!

22 And he has taught me to let go of the lifestyle of my ancient man, my old self-life, which was corrupted by sinful and deceitful desires that spring from delusions. 23 Now it’s time for me to be made new by every revelation that’s been given to me. 24 I am transformed as I embrace the glorious Christ-within me, my new life, and I live in union with him! For God has re-created me all over again in his perfect righteousness, and I now belong to him in the realm of true holiness. 25 So I discard every form of dishonesty and lying so that I will be known as one who always speaks the truth, for I belong to others.

26 I don’t let the passion of my emotions lead me to sin! I don’t let anger control me or be fuel for revenge, not for even a day. 27 I don’t give the slanderous accuser, the Devil, an opportunity to manipulate me! 28 If I have stolen from someone else in the past, I will never do it again. Instead, I am industrious, earning an honest living, and then I’ll have enough to bless those in need.

29 I will never let ugly or hateful words come from my mouth, but instead let my words become beautiful gifts that encourage others; I do this by speaking words of grace to help them.

30 The Holy Spirit of God has sealed me in Jesus Christ until I experience my full salvation. So I will never grieve the Spirit of God or take for granted his holy influence in my life. 31 I lay aside bitter words, temper tantrums, revenge, profanity, and insults. 32 But instead I am kind and affectionate toward others. God has graciously forgiven me, so I will graciously forgive others in the depths of Christ’s love.

CHAPTER 5
I am an imitator of God in everything I do, for then I will represent my Father as his beloved son (daughter). 2 I continue to walk surrendered to the extravagant love of Christ, for he surrendered his life as a sacrifice for me. His great love for me was pleasing to God, like an aroma of adoration—a sweet healing fragrance.

3 I have nothing to do with sexual immorality, lust, or greed—for I am one of his holy ones and let no one be able to accuse me of them in any form. 4 I Guard my speech. I Forsake obscenities and worthless insults for these are nonsensical words that bring disgrace and are unnecessary. Instead, I let worship fill my heart and spill out in my words.

5 For it has been made clear to me already that the kingdom of God cannot be accessed by anyone who is guilty of sexual sin, or who is impure or greedy—for greed is the essence of idolatry. How could I expect to have an inheritance in Christ’s kingdom while doing those things?

6 I won’t be fooled by those who speak their empty words and deceptive teachings telling me otherwise. This is what brings God’s anger upon the rebellious! 7 I don’t listen to them or live like them at all. 8 Once my life was full of sin’s darkness, but now I have the very light of our Lord shining through me because of my union with him. My mission is to live as a child flooded with his revelation-light! 9 And the supernatural fruits of his light will be seen in me— His goodness, righteousness, and truth. 10 Then I will learn to choose what is beautiful to my Lord.

11 I don’t even associate with the servants of darkness because I have no fruit in them; instead, I reveal truth to them. 12 The very things they do in secret are too vile and filthy to even mention. 13 Whatever the revelation-light exposes, it will also correct, and everything that reveals truth is light to the soul.

14 This is why the Scripture says, “Arise, you sleeper! Rise up from your coffin and the Anointed One will shine his light into you!”

15–16 I will be very careful how I live, not being like those with no understanding, but I will live honorably with true wisdom, for I are living in evil times. I take full advantage of every day as I spend my life for his purposes. 17 I don’t live foolishly for then I will have discernment to fully understand God’s will. 18 I don’t get drunk with wine, which is rebellion; instead, I am filled continually with the Holy Spirit. 19 And my heart will overflow with a joyful song to the Lord. I will keep speaking to others the words of Scripture, singing the Psalms with praises and spontaneous songs given by the Spirit! 20 I will Always give thanks to Father God for every person he brings into my life in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

21 Out of my reverence for Christ I am supportive of others in love. 22 As a wife, this means I am devoted to my husband like I am tenderly devoted to our Lord, 23 for my husband provides leadership for the me, just as Christ provides leadership for his church, as the Savior and Reviver of the body. 24 In the same way the church is devoted to Christ, I am devoted to my husband in everything.

25 As a husband, I demonstrate love to my wife with the same tender devotion that Christ demonstrated to me, his bride. For he died for me, sacrificing himself 26 to make me holy and pure, cleansing me through the showering of the pure water of the Word of God. 27 All that he does in me is designed to make me a mature church for his pleasure, until I become a source of praise to him—glorious and radiant, beautiful and holy, without fault or flaw.

28 As a Husband I have the obligation of loving and caring for my wife the same way I love and care for my own body, for to love my wife is to love myself. 29 No one abuses his own body, but pampers it—serving and satisfying its needs. That’s exactly what Christ does for his church! 30 He serves and satisfies me as a member of his body.

31 For this reason a man is to leave his father and his mother and lovingly hold to his wife, since the two have become joined as one flesh. 32 Marriage is the beautiful design of the Almighty, a great mystery of Christ and his church. 33 So every married man should be gracious to his wife just as he is gracious to himself. And every wife should be tenderly devoted to her husband.

CHAPTER 6
As a child, I want to be wise, so I listen to my parents and do what they tell me, and the Lord helps me. 2 For the commandment, “Honor your father and your mother,” was the first of the Ten Commandments with a promise attached: 3 “You will prosper[b] and live a long, full life if you honor your parents.”

4 As a Father, I don’t exasperate my children, but raise them up with loving discipline and counsel that brings the revelation of our Lord.

5 As an employee, I listen to my employers and obey their instructions with great respect and honor. I Serve them with humility in my heart as though I were working for the Master.

6 I always do what is right and not only when others are watching, so that I may please Christ as his servants by doing his will. 7 I serve my employers wholeheartedly and with love, as though I were serving Christ and not men. 8 I am assured that anything I do that is beautiful and excellent will be repaid by our Lord, whether I am an employee or an employer.

9 As a caretaker of the flock I do what is right with my people by forgiving them when they offend me, for I know there is a Master in heaven that shows no favoritism.

10 … I am supernaturally infused with strength through my life-union with the Lord Jesus. I stand victorious with the force of his explosive power flowing in and through me.

11 I put on God’s complete set of armor provided for me, so that I will be protected as I fight against the evil strategies of the accuser! 12 My hand-to-hand combat is not with human beings, but with the highest principalities and authorities operating in rebellion under the heavenly realms. For they are a powerful class of demon-gods and evil spirits that hold this dark world in bondage. 13 Because of this, I must wear all the armor that God provides so I am protected as I confront the slanderer, for I am destined for all things and will rise victorious.

14 I put on truth as a belt to strengthen my stand in triumph. I put on holiness as a protective armor to cover my heart. 15 I stand on your feet alert, so I will always be ready to share the blessings of peace.

16 In every battle, I take faith as my wrap-around shield, for it is able to extinguish the blazing arrows coming at me from the evil one! 17–18 I embrace the power of salvation’s full deliverance like a helmet, to protect my thoughts from lies. And I take the mighty razor-sharp Spirit-sword of the spoken word of God.

I pray passionately in the Spirit, as I constantly intercede with every form of prayer at all times. I pray the blessings of God upon all his believers. 19 And I pray also that God’s revelation would be released through me every time I preach the wonderful mystery of the hope-filled gospel. 20 Yes, I pray that I may preach the wonderful news of God’s kingdom with bold freedom at every opportunity. …I am his ambassador….