Romans 16:17-20

¹⁷Listen, my friends. I tell you this really straight. You’ve got to be really careful about people that make you split up and argue with each other. Remember that you heard the true message about Jesus Christ and you learned to follow his road, but there are some people that want you to leave that road and go another way. They tell you a different story. That is the way they make you argue with each other. So don’t listen to them. Keep away from them.

¹⁸They don’t work for our leader, Jesus Christ, but they just work for themselves. They try to trick people. They talk really nice to people and tell them that they are good. They do this to get whatever they want for themselves. They trick the people that don’t wake up to them.

¹⁹But don’t let them trick you. Everyone knows that you do whatever God wants, so I’m happy about you. But I also want to tell you to be careful. I want you to understand the things that are good, and don’t even think about doing the things that are bad.

²⁰God is the one that makes us good and quiet inside ourselves. He will soon beat the boss of the devils, called Satan. You will win, and Satan will have to lie down under your feet. I ask our leader, Jesus, to be really good to you.