“The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new promise to Israel and Judah. It will not be like the promise that I made to their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of Egypt. They rejected that promise, although I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD. “But this is the promise that I will make to Israel after those days,” declares the LORD: “I will put my teachings inside them, and I will write those teachings on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will each person teach his neighbors or his relatives by saying, ‘Know the LORD.’ All of them, from the least important to the most important, will know me,” declares the LORD, “because I will forgive their wickedness and I will no longer hold their sins against them.” (Jeremiah 31. 31-34, GWT)
“[John's] father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, “Praise the Lord God of Israel! He has come to take care of his people and to set them free. He has raised up a mighty Savior for us in the family of his servant David. He made this promise through his holy prophets long ago. He promised to save us from our enemies and from the power of all who hate us. He has shown his mercy to our ancestors and remembered his holy promise, the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham. He promised to rescue us from our enemies’ power so that we could serve him without fear by being holy and honorable as long as we live. “You, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High. You will go ahead of the Lord to prepare his way. You will make his people know that they can be saved through the forgiveness of their sins. A new day will dawn on us from above because our God is loving and merciful. He will give light to those who live in the dark and in death’s shadow. He will guide us into the way of peace.” (Luke 1.67-79, GWT)
“So then from now on we acknowledge no one from an outward human point of view. Even though we have known Christ from such a human point of view, now we do not know him in that way any longer. So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away – look, what is new has come! And all these things are from God who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and who has given us the ministry of reconciliation. In other words, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting people’s trespasses against them, and he has given us the message of reconciliation. Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His plea through us. We plead with you on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God!” God made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we would become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5.17-18, GWT)
“God has made us what we are. He has created us in Christ Jesus to live lives filled with good works that he has prepared for us to do.” (Ephesians 2.10, GWT)
“You have certainly heard his message and have been taught his ways. The truth is in Jesus. You were taught to change the way you were living. The person you used to be will ruin you through desires that deceive you. However, you were taught to have a new attitude. You were also taught to become a new person created to be like God, truly righteous and holy.” (Ephesians 4.21-24, GWT)
