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The Bottom Line
What everyone needs to know
There is one, true, living God who created and is sovereign over everything. While evidence of His existence may be observed in the design, order and function of the natural universe, God has also specifically and purposely revealed Himself to humanity through His own words.
At certain points in history over a period of about 1,500 years, God supernaturally inspired certain men to articulate His truth through written language, and providentially guided the compilation and preservation of their 66 writings, known collectively today as the Bible. Because God Himself is the author, the Bible is accordingly inerrant, infallible, and authoritative. Beyond its scientific and historical accuracy, fulfilled prophecies, and power to reveal the fullness of its teachings to those who God intends to receive it, the Bible authenticates itself by its own testimony. It is sufficient and can be trusted because it is His word; all of the essential information one needs to know about God and His intentions and requirements for mankind can be found within its pages.
The Bible describes God as completely self-existent, self-sufficient, infinite, eternal, omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, unchanging, good, righteous, faithful, merciful, and holy. It confirms that He is the creator, sustainer and sovereign ruler of the universe, and it defines the identity and purpose of His special creation, man.
The Bible explains that God created man for His own pleasure and glory. Man was originally created upright and in the image of God and he had a direct relationship with his Creator. God's only requirement was to obey Him, yet the first generation of man fell into disobedience; the results of this defiance were mortality, estrangement from God, and the general introduction of sin into the world.
Sin, representing transgression of God’s law and all which falls short of His perfection, became part of man’s nature and continues to be passed down through each generation. It is a universal affliction that negatively impacts the entirety of creation. Being sinless and perfectly holy, God is incompatible with sin and will not look upon it. This keeps man—who has an eternal soul—forever condemned and separated from God's favor. Because of his inherited sin nature and his own unavoidable sinful actions, man cannot be reconciled to his Creator by virtue of his own merits. The wage of sin is death, physically and spiritually.
The Bible teaches that God is one essence manifested in three co-equal, co-eternal persons—the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In an act of divine mercy about 2,000 years ago, God the Son entered human history as the man Jesus of Nazareth to live a sinless life on earth and die the ultimate sacrificial death as the only acceptable solution for man’s sin debt. Jesus’s sacrifice was sufficient to erase that debt for all; His resurrection testified to His divine identity, achieved victory over death once for all time, and guaranteed that believers will likewise live again.
Those who believe that Jesus Christ was indeed God incarnate, “Christians” who trust in His death and resurrection alone to redeem them before God, are “saved” from His judgment and will share in the fullness of His eternal life. These individuals, whose true, saving faith is evidenced by a genuine repentance of their sins and obedience to Jesus as Lord of their lives, were chosen by God as His own before the foundation of the world and will not fail to come to the salvation He intends for them. They understand that their redemption does not come by way of anything they have done or could ever do, but by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, and in Christ alone.
Those without saving faith, having rejected Jesus as Lord and Savior, cannot be redeemed by His atoning death and must be judged on their own merits by a perfectly just God. All have sinned, and sin must be accounted for. Lacking the imputed sinlessness of Jesus that a saved Christian possesses through faith, the faithless are found guilty of their sin and condemned to eternal torment and separation from God's mercy.
The Bible directs Christians to serve Jesus in earnest discipleship. They are to strive to glorify God in their lives, to reject and repudiate sin, and to preach the biblical message of salvation—the gospel—to the world. It is God’s perfect will to use His gospel as the means to call the unsaved to faith until the time that Jesus returns to righteously judge the world and God’s kingdom on earth is fully realized.
Selection of related scripture:
One true God: Deut 6:4, 4:35,39, 32:39; 1 Chr 17:20; 2 Sam 7:22; 1 Ki 8:60; Ps 86:10; Is 37:16, 44:6, 44:8; 45:6, 45:21; 46:9; Zec 14:9; Mk 12:29-34; John 17:3; 1 Cor 8:4-6; Eph 4:6; 1 Tim 1:17, 2:5; Jam 2:19. Evidenced by observing natural universe: Ps 8:3-4, 19:1-6; Job 12:7-10; Is 40:26; Rom 1:19-20. Has revealed Himself: Ps 119; John 1:1-2, 5:39, 6:63, 17:8, 18; 2 Tim 3:16-17; 1 Thes 2:13; Is 55:10-13; Jer 1:9, 36:1-3; Ezek 12:25; Luke 8:11; 1 Pet 1:25; 1 Cor 2:13; 1 John 5:9.
Bible supernaturally inspired: John 14:26, 20:31; 1 Cor 14:37; 2 Tim 3:16; 2 Pet 1:19-21, 3:15-16. Providentially guided and preserved: 2 Ki 22:8-20; Is 40:8; Mt 5:18, 24:35; Mk 13:10, 13:31; Luke 16:17, 21:33; Rom 15:4; 1 Pet 1:24-25. Inerrant, infallible: Ps 12:6, 19:7, 119:142, 119:160; Pro 30:5; Luke 16:17; John 10:35, 17:17; 2 Sam 7:28. Authoritative: Deut 12:32; Josh 1:8, 23:6; Ps 19:7-11, 119:89, 119:140, 119:142, 119:160; Pr 30:5; Is 40:8, 45:23; Jer 23:29; Mt 4:4; 5:17-19; Heb 4:12; 2 Tim 3:16; 2 Pet 1:19-21. Scientific accuracy: Gen 1:9-10, 1:11-12, 1:24, 22:17; Lev 17:11; Ps 8:8, 102:25-26, 135:7, 139:13-16; Job 26:7-8, 28:25, 30:5-6, 36:27-28, 37:11, 38:16, 38:24-30, 40:15-18; Ecc 1:6-7; Is 40:22, 45:12, 55:10; Jer 31:35, 33:22; Jon 2:5-61 1 Cor 15:39-41; 2 Pet 3:6. Historical accuracy: Gen 11:31; Jos 6:5, 6:20; 1 Ki 14:25-26, 2 Ki 3:5, 18:13-15, 19:28; 25:22; 2 Chr 36:23; Ezra 1:1-3; Is 20:1; Jer 25:9, 44:30; Dan 5:1; 11; Mt 24:2; Lk 2:1-2, 3:1-2, 23:1, 24:19-20; John 5:2, 19:16; Acts 13:7, 18:12. Fulfilled prophecies: Gen 3:15, 6:17, 15:13-14; Lev 26:33-38; Deut 18:15, 28:64-67; Jos 21:45; 1 Ki 14:15-16; 2 Ki 17:5-7; Ps 16:10, 19:7, 22, 41:9, 55:12-13, 110:1; Pro 30:5; Is 7:14, 9:6-7, 13:19, 14:23, 44:26-28, 45:1, 46:10, 53; Ezek 25, 26, 29:15, 37; Dan 2, 8, 9:25, 11; Jer 25:11-12, 29:10; 32:36-37; Hab 2:3; Nah 1:10, 3:15; Amos 9:11; Zec 8:7-8, 9:9, 11:12-13; Mic 5:2; Mt 24:1-2. Power to reveal truth: Jam 1:18-21; 1 Pet 1:23-24. Authenticated by its own testimony: Ps 19:7-11; Pro 30:5-6; 1 Thes 2:13; 2 Tim 3:16. Contains all that is essential: Ps 19:7-14; 2 Tim 3:15-17; 2 Pet 1:3.
God is self-existent, self-sufficient: Ex 3:14; Ps 50:9-12, 90:2, 102:25-27; John 1:1-5, 1:4, 5:26, 8:58; Acts 17:23-25; 1 Tim 6:16. Infinite: 1 Ki 8:27; 2 Chr 2:6; Job 26:14; Ps 139:7-10, 145:3; Pro 15:3; Is 66:11; Jer 23:23-24; Acts 7:48-49, 17:24-28; Rom 11:33; Rev 1:8. Eternal: Gen 21:33; Ex 15:18; Deut 32:40, 33:27; 1 Chr 16:34; Neh 9:5; Ps 33:11, 90:1-2, 102:12, 102:25-27; Is 41:4, 48:12; Jer 10:10; Lam 5:19; Dan 6:26; Hab 1:12; John 8:58; 1 Tim 6:16; Heb 13:8; Rev 1:8, 4:8-10. Omniscient: 1 Chr 28:9; Ps 33:13, 139:1-6, 147:5; Is 40:28; Ezek 11:5; Acts 15:18; Rom 2:16, 11:33; Heb 4:13; 1 John 3:20. Omnipotent: Ps 115:3; Is 40:28, 48:12-13; Jer 10:10, 32:17; Mt 19:26; Mk 14:36; Rom 11:36; Eph 1:11, 1:19-21; Col 1:15-17; Heb 1:3. Omnipresent: Jos 1:5; 1 Ki 8:27; Job 11:7-9; Ps 90:1-2, 139:7-12; Pro 15:3; Is 66:1-2; Jer 23:23-24. Unchanging: Num 23:19; Is 40:8; 1 Sam 15:29; Ps 33:11, 102:25-27; Mal 3:6; Rom 11:29; Heb 1:10-12, 6:17, 13:8; Jam 1:17. Good: Ex 33:19, 34:6-7; 1 Chr 16:34; Ps 25:8, 27:13, 31:19-20, 34:8, 86:5, 106:1, 119:68, 135:3, 136:1, 143:10, 145:7; Neh 9:20; Nah 1:7; Mt 19:17; Mk 10:18; Lk 18:19; Rom 2:4; Jam 1:17. Righteous: Gen 18:25; Deut 32:4; 2 Chr 19:7; Ps 7:9, 9:8, 19:7-9, 48:10, 65:5; 71:19, 97:2, 97:6, 111:3, 112:3, 119:137, 119:142, 129:4; 145:17; Ezra 9:15; Is 5:16, 45:21, 46:13, 51:8; Jer 9:24, 12:1; Lam 1:18; Dan 9:14; Rev 15:3. Faithful: Num 23:19; Deut 7:8-9, 32:4; Jos 1:5; 1 Sam 15:29; Neh 9:32; Ps 33:4, 36:5, 89, 91:4, 119:75, 119:89-90; Lam 3:22-23; Rom 4:21; 1 Cor 1:9; 1 Thes 5:24, 2 Thes 3:3; 2 Tim 2:13; Heb 2:17, 6:13-15, 10:23, 11:11, 13:5; 1 John 1:9; 1 Pet 4:19; Rev 19:11. Merciful: Ex 34:6-7; Neh 9:32; Ps 6:4; Lam 3:21-22; Rom 9:16, 9:23-24; Eph 2:4; Ti 3:5; Heb 4:15-16; 1 Pet 1:3. Holy: Lev 11:44-45, 19:2, 22:32; Ex 3:5-6, 15:11; Jos 24:191 Sam 2:2; 1 Chr 16:35; Ps 22:3, 33:21, 71:22, 77:13, 96:9, 97:12, 99:2-3, 99:5; Is 5:16, 6:3, 40:25, 43:15, 57:15; Mk 1:24; Lk 1:49; John 17:11; 1 John 1:5; 1 Pet 1:15-16; Rev 4:8, 15:4. Creator, Sustainer, Ruler: Gen 1:1-25, 14:19; 2 Chr 20:6; Neh 9:6; Job 26:7, 33:4; Is 37:16, 42:5, 44:24, 45:7, 45:18, 66:2; John 1:3; Col 1:16-17; Pr 3:19; Ps 19:1, 33:6, 33:9, 47:2, 83:18, 103:19, 104:2-4, 104:30, 121:2-8; Amos 4:13, 5:8; Mt 6:28-30; Rom 1:20; Heb 1:2-3; Rev 4:11, 19:6. Man, special creation: Gen 1:26-27, 2:7, 2:18; 5:2; Job 10:8-12.
Man created for God’s own pleasure and glory: Pro 3:6, 16:4; Eccl 12:13-14; 43:7, 43:21, 48:9-11; Mic 6:8; John 17:4; Rom 12:1; 1 Cor 10:31; Eph 1:11-12; Phil 2:11; 1 Pet 2:9; Rev 4:11. Created upright, in image of God: Gen 1:26-27, 1:31, 5:1-2, 9:6; Deut 32:4; Ecc 7:29. 1 Cor 11:7; Eph: 4:24; Jam 3:9. Direct relationship with God: Gen 2:15, 2:19, 2:22, 3:8-10. Requirement to obey: Gen 2:16-17; Deut 11:1; Eccl 12:13. Fall in disobedience: Gen 3:1-6; Hos 6:7; Rom 5:18; 1 Tim 2:14. Results of sin: Gen 2:17, 3:17-19, 3:23-24 Ezek 18:20; Ps 38:3, 55:15, 104:35, 145:20; Pro 14:12; Is 59:2; Mal 4:1; Mt 13:40, 25:41, 25:46; Rom 5:12, 5:14, 6:23, 8:22; 1 Cor 15:22; Eph 2:1; Gal 6:7; Phil 3:18-19; 1 Tim 5:6; Ti 1:15; Jam 1:15, 3:6; Jude 1:7.
Sin defined: Deut 9:7; Ps 32:5; 1 John 3:4, 5:17; Rom 3:20, 3:23, 14:23; Jam 1:14-15, 4:17. Part of man’s nature: Ps 51:5. Sin nature passed down: Ps 14:2-3, 51:5, 58:3; Job 14:1-4; Rom 3:10, 5:12, 5:19; 1 Cor 15:22; Eph 2:3. Impacts all creation: Gen 3:17-18; Ps 102:25-26; Is 24:4-6; Rom 8:20-22. God incompatible with sin: Is 59:2; Ps 5:4, 66:18; Hab 1:13; Rom 8:8; 1 Cor 14:33; Jam 1:13; 1 John 1:5, 2:16. Man’s soul is eternal: Ps 22:26, 23:6, 49:7-9; Eccl 12:7; Dan 12:2-3; Mt 25:46; Luke 16:22-25; 1 Cor 15:12-19. Condemned, separated from God: Gen 2:17; Is 58:3, 59:2; Ezek 18:4; Jer 6:8; Mt 23:33, 25:41; Lk 16:19-31; John 3:3; Rom 5:12; Eph 2:12-13; 2 Thes 1:8-9; Rev 20:14-15. Sin is unavoidable: Gen 6:5, 8:21; 2 Chr 6:36; Ps 14:1-3, 51:5, 53:1-3, 58:3, 143:2; Eccl 9:3; Is 1:5-6, 53:6; Jer 13:23, 17:9; Mic 7:2-4; Mk 10:18; Lk 18:19; John 3:6; Rom 3:9-18, 3:23; 5:12, 5:19, 7:18; 1 John 1:8, 1:10. Man is unable to atone: Gen 6:5; Ps 14:3, 49:7; Is 64:6; Jer 2:22, 17:9; Rom 3:10-18, 3:23; Eph 2:8-9; Phil 3:9; Ti 3:5. Penalty of sin: Gen 2:17, 3:19; Ezek 18:4, 18:20; Ps 145:20; Mt 25:46; Rom 5:12, 6:23; 1 Cor 15:22; Eph 2:1, 4:18; Gal 6:7; 1 Tim 5:6; Jam 1:15.
One essence: Gen 1:26, 3:22; 11:7; Deut 6:4; Ex 23:20; Is 6:8; John 10:29-30, 14:9-10; Rom 8:3-4; Eph 4:4-6. Existing in three persons: Is 48:12-16, 63:7-14; Mt 3:16-17; 28:19, Mk 1:10-11; Luke 1:35, 3:21-22; John 14:26, 15:26; 2 Cor 13:14; Eph 2:18, 1 John 4:13-14, 5:7; 1 Pet 1:2; Jude 1:20; Rev 1:4-5. Entered human history: Is 9:6; Mt 1:23, 16:16; John 1:14; 14:9-10; Gal 4:4; Phil 2:6-7; Col 2:9; 1 Tim 3:16; Heb 2:14. Sinless: Is 53:9; Mt 4:1-25; John 8:29, 8:46; 2 Cor 5:21; Heb 4:15, 5:8-9, 7:26, 9:14; 1 Pet 1:18-19, 2:22; 1 John 3:5. Sufficient sacrifice: Is 25:7-9, 53:5, 53:12; Mk 10:45; John 3:16-17, 10:10; Acts 20:28; Rom 3:24-26, 5:8-10, 5:18, 6:4; 1 Cor 1:30, 6:20, 7:23, Eph 1:7, 1:14, 5:1-2; Gal 1:4, 2:20, 3:13, 4:5; Col 1:14, 1:20-22; 1 Tim 2:6; Titus 2:14; Heb 9:12, 9:15, 10:14; 1 Pet 1:18-19, 3:18; 1 John 3:16, Rev 5:9. Only acceptable solution: Is 43:11, 53:5, 53:11-12; John 1:12-13, 3:16-17, 3:36, 10:9; 14:6; Acts 4:12, 13:38-39, 16:30-31; Rom 4:25, 5:1, 5:8, 6:23, 10:9-10; Eph 1:13-14; 2 Cor 5:17, 5:21; Gal 2:15-16; Heb 2:9, 5:9, 9:13-15, 9:26-28, 10:10; 1 Thes 5:9-10; 1 Tim 2:5; Ti 2:13-14; 1 John 5:11-13; 1 Pet 1:18-19; 3:18. Effects of resurrection: 1 Cor 15:12-20, 15:53-57; 1 Thes 4:13-18; 1 Pet 1:3.
Believers saved from judgment, share in eternal life: Ps 16:11, 21:4-6; Dan 12:2; Mt 19:29; Mk 10:30; Lk 18:30, 21:34-36; John 3:15-16, 3:18, 3:36, 4:36, 5:24, 6:40, 6:47, 10:28, 11:25-26, 12:25-26, 17:3, 20:31; Acts 13:48, 16:31; Rom 5:9, 8:1, 10:9-10; 2 Cor 5:1; 1 Thes 1:10, 5:9; 1 John 5:11, 5:13, 5:20; Rev 2:11, 3:5. Repentance, obedience validate faith: John 14:23; Acts 2:38, 5:32; Rom 1:5, 16:26; 2 Cor 7:9-10; Heb 11; 1 John 2:3. Chosen by God: Mk 13:20; John 6:44, 6:65, 15:16; Acts 13:48; Rom 8:29-30, 8:33, 9:11; Eph 1:4-6; Gal 1:15; 2 Thes 2:13; Col 3:12; 2 Tim 1:9, 2:10; Ti 1:1; 1 John 4:19; 1 Pet 1:1, 5:13; Rev 13:8, 17:8, 17:14. Salvation assured: John 5:24, 6:37-40, 10:28; Rom 8:38-39; 2 Cor 5:1; Heb 7:25, 13:5; 1 Pet 1:5. Man’s redemption not of himself: Acts 5:31, 11:16-18; 1 Cor 12:3; Eph 2:1-5, 2:8; Phil 2:12-13; 2 Tim 2:25. By grace alone, faith alone, Christ alone: Rom 3:20-24, 9:16; Eph 1:7, 2:4-5, 2:8; Gal 1:15; 2 Thes 2:16; 2 Tim 1:9; Ti 2:11, 3:4-7; John 6:28-29; Acts 5:31, 11:16-18; 1 Cor 12:3; Eph 2:1-5, 2:8; 2 Tim 2:25; Mt 7:13-14, 11:27; Mk 16:16; John 1:11-12, 3:18, 3:36, 8:24, 10:9, 14:6, Acts 4:12; Rom 8:34; 1 Tim 2:5 1 John 2:23, 5:12, 17:9; Rev 1:18; Zec 12:10; Acts 11:18; Rom 2:4; Eph 2:8; Ti 2:11-13.
Faithless unredeemed, must be judged: Ezek 33:11; Mt 16:27, 25:41-46; John 3:18; Acts 17:30-31; 2 Thes 1:9, 2 Tim 4:1; Rev 11:18, 20:11-15, 21:8, 22:12. Perfect justice of God: Gen 18:25; Deut 32:4; Job 8:3; Ps 7:11, 9:8, 19:9, 35:24, 97:2, 99:4; Is 5:16, 28:17; Jer 11:20; Neh 9:33; Rom 1:32, 2:2, 2:5; 9:14-33; 1 Pet 1:17. All have sinned: Gen 6:12; 1 Ki 8:46; Ps 14:1-3, 53:1-3, 143:2; Eccl 7:20; Is 53:6; Rom 3:10-18, 3:23, 5:12; Eph 2:1-3; Gal 3:22. Sin must be accounted for: Gen 3:14-19, 3:21, 6:5-7; Ps 145:20; Ezek 18:20; Rom 2:6-10, 3:19; 2 Cor 5:10; Gal 6:7. Imputed sinlessless of Jesus: Is 53:11; John 1:29; 2 Cor 5:21; Rom 5:19; Gal 3:13; Heb 9:14; 1 Pet 1:18-19, 3:18; 1 John 2:1-2, 3:5; Rev 1:5-6. Faithless condemned: Dan 12:2, Ps 55:15; Is 66:24; Mt 3:12, 7:23, 10:28, 13:41-42, 13:50, 24:51, 25:41, 25:46; Mk 8:37-38, 9:43-48; Luke 16:22-24; John 3:36; Rom 2:8; 2 Thes 1:9; 1 John 5:12; Jude 1:7, 1:13; Rev 14:11, 21:8.
Christians to serve in discipleship: Mt 4:19, 5:14-16, 8:22, 9:9, 10:38, 11:29, 16:24-27, 28:18-20; Mk 1:16-22, 8:34; Lk 9:23, 9:57-62; John 12:25-26, 13:15, 15:1-17; 1 Cor 11:1; 2 Cor 5:18-20; Eph 4:11-17; 1 Pet 2:9-10, 2:21; 1 John 2:3-6. Glorify God: 1 Chr 16:25-29; Ps 29:1-2, 34:3, 63:3, 86:8-12, 96:4-9, 99:9, 118:28; Is 24:14-15, 25:1, 42:12; Mt 5:16; John 17:4; Rom 4:20, 1 Cor 10:31, 2 Thes 1:11-12, 1 Pet 4:11, Rev 7:12, 14:7, 15:4. Reject, repudiate sin: Lev 19:17; Deut 13:5; 1 Sam 3:13; Ps 97:10; Pro 8:13, 17:15; Ezek 16:2; Amos 5:15; Mt 5:29-30; Lk 17:3; Rom 12:9, 13:14, 16:17; 1 Cor 5:12-13; Eph 5:3, 5:11; Gal 2:11; 1 Thes 5:22; 1 Tim 5:20; Jam 4:7, 5:19-20; 1 John 3:6, 2 John 1:9-11; Rev 2:16. Preach the gospel: Mt 9:37-38, 28:19, Mk 16:15; Luke 10:1-2, 24:47, John 4:35-38, 20:21, Acts 1:8, 2:1-47, 10:42, 22:21, 28:28; Rom 10:15; 2 Tim 2:2. God’s call: Is 45:22, 55:1, 55:11; Mt 11:28-30, 22:9; Mk 2:17; Lk 5:32; John 6:44; Acts 2:39, 17:30; Rom 1:16, 10:17, 11:29; 1 Cor 1:2; Eph 1:4-14; 1 Thes 4:7, 5:24; 2 Thes 1:11, 2:14; Heb 9:15; 1 Pet 1:10-12; 2 Pet 1:10. Return of Jesus: 1 Chr 16:33; Job 19:25; Ps 2:8-9, 50:3-5, 96:13; 102:16, 102:22, 110:5-6; Is 2:4, 9:6-7, 11:4-9, 24:23, 26:21, 66:15-16; Jer 23:5, 33:6-18; Dan 7:13-14; Ezek 39:7-8, 39:21-22, 43:7; Joel 2:1-2, 3:14-17; Mic 4:1-7; Zep 3:14-20; Zec 2:10, 6:12-13, 8:3, 9:10, 14:3, 14:9; Mal 3:1; Mt 16:27, 19:28, 24:27, 24:30-31, 24:37-39, 25:31-32; Mk 8:38, 9:1; Luke 17:28-20; 21:25-28, 21:34-36; John 5:28-29, 16:8; Acts 1:11, 3:19-21, 17:31; 1 Cor 1:7, 4:5, 11:26, 15:23-24; 1 Thes 5:3, 2 Thes 1:6-7, 2:8; 1 Tim 6:14-15; 2 Tim 4:1; Heb 10:37; Jam 5:7-9, 2 Pet 3:10; 1 John 2:28; Jude 1:14-15; Rev 1:7-8, 3:11, 16:15, 19:11-16, 22:12-13; 22:20. God’s kingdom fully realized: Ps 2:6-9, 72:8; Is 1:26-27, 9:3-7, 11:1-10, 32:1, 32:17-18, 35:8, 61:7; Ezek 34:23-24; Jer 31:33; Dan 2:44, 7:14, 7:27; Mic 4:2-4; Hab 2:14; Zec 8:3; Mt 19:28; Lk 1:32-33; Rev 5:6-10, 20:2-7.
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