The Gospel in Galatians

Justification by Faith Alone

Lesson #4 for July 22, 2017

Scriptures: Galatians 2:15-21; Ephesians 2:12; Philippians 3:9; Romans 3:8,10-20; Genesis 15:5-6[i].

1.    This lesson covers Galatians 2:15-21ii in which Paul briefly summarized the plan of salvation by faith alone.

2.    After discussing some of his personal experiences, (Galatians 2:1-10iii) Paul recounted the time when he rebuked Peter to his face and in public at Antioch. (Galatians 2:11-14iv) What was the issue? Peter had been exercising his freedom in Christ, setting aside his prejudices as a Jew and eating with Gentiles. But, when some conservative Jewish Christians arrived from Jerusalem, Peter stopped eating with the Gentiles and returned to behavior according to his Jewish prejudices. That led several of the other Jewish Christians in Antioch including Barnabas to follow his example. Paul recognized that a crisis was developing and that it must be met head-on. So, he rebuked Peter to his face and in public. Was that a good idea? What do you think happened at the next meal? What was Paul trying to accomplish? Paul was asserting, once again, that we are saved by a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and that a lot of ceremonial issues make no difference at all. Did Peter respond? The book of Galatians was not written until about 5 years later. What did the Gentiles believers think when Paul called them Gentile sinners? Did Peter act from peer pressure? Or, bigotry?

3.    It is not clear whether Galatians 2:15-21[v] is a summary of what Paul said to Peter and to the others, or whether it was Paul’s conclusion later when writing the book of Galatians. In either case, he was making it clear that Jews and Gentiles were/are saved by faith alone.

4.    In this brief summary, Paul discussed some key concepts in his writings: Justification, righteousness, works of law, belief, faith, and the faith of Jesus. In this lesson, we will attempt to dig into the meaning of these expressions.

5.    Paul started his argument using traditional Jewish thinking. There were two groups with whom he was dealing: Those who were “Jews by birth,” and those who were “Gentile sinners.” It was his hope to grab the attention of the Jewish Christians and carry them with him through his argument. The Jews considered themselves to be the elect of God, that is, God’s chosen people. They had been entrusted with His law. (Romans 3:1-3vi) God had offered them a covenant relationship with Himself. (Exodus 19-24vii) By contrast, Gentiles were considered by Jews to be sinners. Most Gentiles did not even know about God’s law; and even if they did, they did not believe it applied to them. (Ephesians 2:12; Romans 2:14viii) Non-Jews could become “Jews” by following all the Jewish rules.

6.    In Galatians 2:16, Paul went to the next step and clearly stated that the spiritual privileges that had been offered to the Jews did not make them any more acceptable to God because no one could be put right with God by “doing what the law requires.”

7.    There are two very important ideas in Galatians 2:16-17ix. The Greek word dikaioo often translated justified is found four times in these two verses. The Greek word dikaioo was sometimes used as legal language. It can mean to declare someone right. If a judge is doing his job properly, when he declares someone right, they truly are right. This word can also be translated as put right or set right. The most literal translation into English would be rightify-if we had such a word in English. A similar Greek word is petroo which is translated petrified. When we say something is petrified, does it mean that it has been declared stone? Or, that it really has become stone?

8.    So, how did we get from the Greek word dikaioo to the English word justify? When translated into Latin, the Greek word dikaioo becomes iustidia. Since during much of Christian history the language of Christianity had been Latin when English translators were producing an English New Testament, they took the Latin and made it justify. Unfortunately, in modern legal parlance, justice has come to have a very different meaning. So, we need to make an effort to go back and determine what the original biblical concept was. So, the issue is: Does justify mean simply to be declared right? Or, does it mean to be put right or set right? Salvation means to be healed! Is a person actually changed? The Protestant reformers were so concerned about dealing with their past sins that it was the focus of their lives. They had been taught that God punishes sinners! So, they thought that the most important thing that needed to be done was to get God to declare them forgiven so He would not have to punish them in eternal hell fire.

9.    Paul made it very clear that we can never be declared righteous, set right, or put right by observing the law. Why is that? We could be put right with God if we could keep the law. (Leviticus 18:5; Romans 2:13[x]) However, we cannot. The only way our lives will be changed is by “beholding.” That is certainly not by “works of the law.” It is not by any legal maneuvering either. Remember that the word sometimes translated justify literally means to be made righteous. When God declares a sinner justified or put right or set right, is that legal fiction? Or, are those sinners actually set right in some real sense? What happens when one is justified, or set right?

10.    Peter Abelard (1079-April 21, 1142) in his book, Cur Deus Homo? (Why Did God Become Man?), raised the question which evangelical Christians have still not resolved. He wrote:

For what justice is there in giving up the most just [righteous] man of all to death on behalf of the sinner? What man would not be judged worthy of condemnation if he condemned the innocent in order to free the guilty?... For if he could not save sinners except by condemning the just, where is his omnipotence? But if he could, but would not, how are we to defend his wisdom and justice? [Content in brackets and bold type are added.]

11.    What are we saying about God if we suggest that He can only save sinners by condemning Jesus? If God has the ability to save sinners, why does He not just do it? Why did Jesus have to die before God could save us? Does God refuse to save sinners until Someone dies? If so, why? Christ’s death is a demonstration of what will happen to sinners in the end.

12.    A second major question is: What did Paul mean when he said law? Some would like to limit law to the Ten Commandments. Some would only include the ceremonial law. Clearly, that is not what Paul intended. Some would like to include all of the requirements spelled out by Moses under the moral law and the ceremonial law. This also is probably not adequate. We need to remember that to his Jewish audience, the law meant Torah-the usual name for the five books of Moses which we also know as the first five books of the Bible-Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

Although the phrase “the works of the law” does not occur in the Old Testament and is not found in the New Testament outside of Paul, stunning confirmation of its meaning emerged in 1947 with the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, a collection of writings copied by a group of Jews, called Essenes, who lived at the time of Jesus. Although written in Hebrew, one of the scrolls contains this exact phrase. The scroll’s title is Miqsat Ma’as Ha-Torah, which can be translated, “Important Works of the Law.” The scroll describes a number of issues concerning the biblical laws regarding the prevention of desecration of holy things, including several laws that marked the Jews out as separate from the Gentiles. At the end the author writes that if these “works of the law” are followed, “you will be reckoned righteous” before God. Unlike Paul, the author does not offer his reader righteousness on the basis of faith but on the basis of behavior.—Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Monday, July 17.

13.    A third essential component in understanding this section in Galatians is an understanding of the word faith. What is faith? First of all, we need to recognize that the Greek word pistis has been translated variously as faith, belief, trust, or even confidence. Paul told the jailer in Philippi that the only thing required for salvation was faith. (Acts 16:31xi) But, what is that elusive thing called faith? Many turn to Hebrews 11:1xii for a definition of faith.

14.    The best definition of faith that I know was developed gradually and with a lot of study of the subject by A. Graham Maxwell, my personal mentor. Summarizing much of what the Bible and Ellen White have said on the subject, he concluded as he stated many times:

Faith is just a word we use to describe a relationship with God as with a Person well-known. The better we know Him, the better the relationship may be. [We cannot say, “will be” because we remember the story of Lucifer!]

Faith implies an attitude toward God of love, trust, and deepest admiration. It means having enough confidence in God based on the more-than-adequate evidence revealed to be willing to believe what He says as soon as we are sure He is the One saying it, to accept what He offers as soon as we are sure He is the One offering it, and to do what He wishes as soon as we are sure He is the One wishing it, without reservation, for the rest of eternity. Anyone who has such faith would be perfectly safe to save. This is why faith is the only requirement for heaven.

Faith also means that, like Abraham, [Genesis 18:22-33xiii] Job, [Job 42:7-8xiv] and Moses, [Exodus 32:5-14; Numbers 14:11-25xv] God’s friends, we know God well enough to reverently ask Him, “Why?” [Sentence in brackets was also stated parenthetically many times by Dr. Maxwell. Bible texts in brackets are added.]

15.    Being justified or put right or set right in God’s eyes is more than just a way of dealing with our past sins. What would be the purpose of setting someone right or putting him right if he just continued doing the evil things he had been doing? It is by beholding that we become changed. (2 Corinthians 3:18xvi; Great Controversy 555.1) How much faith do we need? (Matthew 17:20xvii)

It is a law both of the intellectual and the spiritual nature that by beholding we become changed. The mind gradually adapts itself to the subjects upon which it is allowed to dwell. It becomes assimilated to that which it is accustomed to love and reverence. Man will never rise higher than his standard of purity or goodness or truth. If self is his loftiest ideal, he will never attain to anything more exalted. Rather, he will constantly sink lower and lower.

The grace of God alone has power to exalt man. Left to himself, his course must inevitably be downward.—Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy* 555.1.

16.    So, how do we actually “behold God”? By reading His Word. (Romans 10:17xviii) It is through His inspired Word that we get to know Him, to appreciate Him, to love Him, and to worship Him. Could we lose our faith? Getting to know God is a lifelong experience.

17.    God’s warning in Genesis 2:17xix that “sin leads to death” was answered by the life and especially the death of Jesus. The truth of that was demonstrated by the death of Jesus. The life and death of Jesus give us a choice. We can choose to become more like Him-and thus, live lives as close as possible to His life—or we will die as He died-the second death-the result of sin or final separation from God. Compare Matthew 27:46xx.

18.    Paul’s Judaizing opponents were trying to convince the Galatians that they would not be saved by faith alone, but rather, by faith plus a certain amount of works. Obviously, Paul was adamantly opposed to that approach. As a former Pharisee of the Pharisees, he certainly should have known!

19.    Faith is not just a legal claim by which we are granted the legal status of Jesus, our Savior. Faith is a relationship with God as with a Person well-known as stated above in Item #14. By beholding the life of Jesus and loving what we see, we become changed-bit-by-bit, step-by-step-into His image. In other words, faith has as its primary goal not the eradication of our previous sinful records-which is impossible anyway-but the living of a new life in relationship to Jesus Christ. (Ecclesiastes 12:14; Revelation 20:12-13xxi) Relationships take time. But, what about the thief on the cross? God saw a real change in him and on that basis found him savable.

20.    Read Romans 3:9-26; Galatians 3:22; Ephesians 3:12; and Philippians 3:9xxii. In these passages we learn that God puts people right with Himself through faith in Jesus Christ. So, how does God deal with our sins? (Romans 8:3; Galatians 1:4xxiii) Through our trust in Him and His righteousness which has been demonstrated so magnificently through His life and His death, we can have our sins “dealt with.” Our lives can be transformed by an ongoing personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Are we learning day by day how to live Christ-like lives? Is that possible? By whose power is it possible?

21.    Just as children become like their parents by their association together, so we can become like our heavenly Parents by a closer association with Them. It is a law of the human mind. (See Great Controversy 555.1 above in Item #15.) The Holy Spirit actually works with us to transform our lives.

22.    One of the great examples of faith in the Bible is Abram/Abraham. Abraham lived about 2000 years before Christ. He is the first character in the Bible whose life is spelled out in detail. There were many ups and downs. But, over his years, Abraham developed a very close, personal relationship with Jesus who was the God of the Old Testament. (See 1 Corinthians 10:1-4; Luke 24:44xxiv.)

Luke 24:44: Then he said to them, “These are the very things I told you about while I was still with you: everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the writings of the prophets, and the Psalms had to come true.”—American Bible Society. (1992). The Holy Bible: The Good News Translation* (2nd ed., Luke 24:44xxv). New York: American Bible Society.

23.    Finally, in a terrible test when Abraham was 120 years old, God asked him to take the promised son, Isaac, on a three-day journey to Mount Moriah and sacrifice him there as an “offering” to God. Why did God ask him to do such a thing? No doubt, the Devil had been making fun of God all over the universe because God had claimed Abraham as His friend. Every time Abraham fell, the Devil mocked. No doubt, he asked: “What do you think of this friend of God?” (Compare the story of Job as recorded in Job 1 and 2xxvi.)

24.    So, when he finally reached Mount Moriah and informed his son of God’s orders, Isaac-demonstrating his trust in God-agreed to be bound by his aged father and placed on the altar. Abraham raised the knife, preparing to kill his son when God stopped him. There were no other human beings present. That was a demonstration primarily to the universe that Abraham could be trusted. And that trust demonstrated his faith or trust in God. (Patriarchs and Prophets 154.3-155.2)

The sacrifice required of Abraham was not alone for his own good, nor solely for the benefit of succeeding generations; but it was also for the instruction of the sinless intelligences of heaven and of other worlds. The field of the controversy between Christ and Satan-the field on which the plan of redemption is wrought out-is the lesson book of the universe. [1 Corinthians 4:9] Because Abraham had [155] shown a lack of faith in God’s promises, Satan had accused him before the angels and before God of having failed to comply with the conditions of the covenant, and as unworthy of its blessings. God desired to prove the loyalty of His servant before all heaven, to demonstrate that nothing less than perfect obedience can be accepted, and to open more fully before them the plan of salvation.

Heavenly beings were witnesses of the scene as the faith of Abraham and the submission of Isaac were tested. The trial was far more severe than that which had been brought upon Adam. Compliance with the prohibition laid upon our first parents involved no suffering, but the command to Abraham demanded the most agonizing sacrifice. All heaven beheld with wonder and admiration Abraham’s unfaltering obedience. All heaven applauded his fidelity. Satan’s accusations were shown to be false. God declared to His servant,

“Now I know that thou fearest God [notwithstanding Satan’s charges], seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from Me.” [Genesis 22:12] God’s covenant, confirmed to Abraham by an oath before the intelligences of other worlds, testified that obedience will be rewarded.

It had been difficult even for the angels to grasp the mystery of redemption-to comprehend that the Commander of heaven, the Son of God, must die for guilty man. When the command was given to Abraham to offer up his son, the interest of all heavenly beings was enlisted. With intense earnestness they watched each step in the fulfillment of this command. When to Isaac’s question, “Where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham made answer,

“God will provide Himself a lamb;” and when the father’s hand was stayed as he was about to slay his son, and the ram which God had provided was offered in the place of Isaac-then light was shed upon the mystery of redemption, and even the angels understood more clearly the wonderful provision that God had made for man’s salvation. 1 Peter 1:12.—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets* 154.3-155.2. [Bold type and texts in brackets are added; other content in brackets is in the original source.] Does James 2:14 suggest that our actions demonstrate our faith?

25.    No wonder Abraham was called a friend of God.

26.    Do we become friends of God by being declared that way? Or, do we become friends of God by being transformed by our faith relationship with Jesus Christ?

27.    Read Genesis 15:5-6; John 3:14-16; 2 Corinthians 5:14-15; and Galatians 5:6xxvii. Abraham demonstrated his trust in God. God says that all who fully trust Him-as Abraham did-will receive eternal life. How does that work? Do we somehow magically benefit from what Christ did? Or, is it that we benefit because we have come to understand why He died and what that means for our salvation? Does understanding Jesus make us want to love Him more? Abraham, Job, and Moses were God’s friends. What did they do to qualify?

28.    Circumcision or lack of circumcision, being a Jew or being a Gentile, being a slave or being free, being a male or being a female are not the issues; these things make no difference. (Galatians 3:28xxviii)

29.    Genuine faith is a response to God. It is not something that we do-not a feeling or an attitude-apart from God’s reaching out to us.

30.    So, what does faith actually do for us? Read John 8:32,36; Acts 10:43; Romans 1:5,8; 6:17; Hebrews 11:6; and James 2:19xxix. Faith sets us free-free to follow the example of Jesus-not following a set of rules no matter how few, or how many, but being transformed by following the example of our best Friend, Jesus Christ. Our sins no longer matter. We are led to believe and obey; thus, we are changed. Our faith is not like the faith of demons which does not change them.

31.    It is essential-if you come to think about it carefully-that we come to have as complete and correct a picture of God, His character, and His government as is possible. If we are going to be changed by our picture of God, we need to have a good picture. No wonder Satan has done everything possible down through the generations to distort the picture of God. He wants us to believe that God is arbitrary, exacting, vengeful, unforgiving, and severe. He calls God a tyrant.

32.    We believe that Christ was sinless throughout His entire life. Does that mean that He kept the law perfectly? If so, does His record of perfect obedience get transferred to our account? How does that work? Why is Christ’s obedience effective for salvation while ours is not? Is it because our obedience is so patchy? Is the “transfer of Christ’s righteousness” more than just a legal exchange?

33.    If we believe that God simply declares us righteous by justifying us-and if this process happens over and over and over again, with little or no change in us-some people would suggest that this is an encouragement for people to sin. (Romans 3:8; 6:1xxx) After all, if God takes care of everything without a person having to make any change in his/her life, then it does not matter how one lives!

34.    Although we may be justified by our faith in Christ, it certainly does not mean we will never sin. But, does that mean that Christ is promoting us in sin? Paul’s response was: “God forbid!” “May it not be.” In the eyes of the law, I may be a sinner subject to death; but, in the eyes of God, by faith in Christ, I can claim a new life in Jesus. As I behold Him in my Bible study, meditation, and prayer, I am gradually transformed to become more like Him; Christ now lives in me.

35.    This is no heavenly make-believe. People who have faith are really changed. It is a radical change. Our old sinful ways are gone. (Romans 6:5-14xxxi) Everything is new. (2 Corinthians 5:17xxxii) Thus, our faith in Christ is not just a death to our old ways. It is a resurrection to living a new life-a radically different life-a life gradually molded more and more like that of Jesus.

36.    Why would anyone ever reject such a free gift? So, why are we so often tempted to sin? Do we ever eat more than we should? Do we ever misrepresent God to our children? When speaking to our bosses, do we ever distort the truth?

37.    Those Christian Jews had become Christians because they recognized a need for something more than what they had gotten from observing the law. In turning to Christ, they were suggesting that He could provide what they needed for salvation. So, if they then turned back to keeping the law as a means to salvation, in effect, they were saying that Christ had not provided the salvation for which they were looking. As 21st century Christians, don’t we know better?

© 2017, Kenneth Hart, MD, MA, MPH. Permission is hereby granted for any noncommercial use of these materials. Free distribution of all or of a portion of this material such as to a Bible study class is encouraged. *Electronic version.    Info@theox.org

i-Gal 2:15-21 NIV "We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles (16) know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified. (17) "But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners, doesn't that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! (18) If I rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a lawbreaker. (19) "For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. (20) I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (21) I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"

Eph 2:12 NIV remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.

Php 3:9 NIV and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.

Rom 3:8 NIV Why not say--as some slanderously claim that we say--"Let us do evil that good may result"? Their condemnation is just!

Rom 3:10-20 NIV As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; (11) there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. (12) All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." (13) "Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit." "The poison of vipers is on their lips." (14) "Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness." (15) "Their feet are swift to shed blood; (16) ruin and misery mark their ways, (17) and the way of peace they do not know." (18) "There is no fear of God before their eyes." (19) Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. (20) Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.

Gen 15:5-6 NIV He took him outside and said, "Look up at the sky and count the stars--if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." (6) Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

ii-Gal 2:15-21 NIV "We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles (16) know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified. (17) "But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners, doesn't that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! (18) If I rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a lawbreaker. (19) "For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. (20) I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (21) I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"

iii-Gal 2:1-10 NIV Then after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also. (2) I went in response to a revelation and, meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race in vain. (3) Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. (4) This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. (5) We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. (6) As for those who were held in high esteem--whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism--they added nothing to my message. (7) On the contrary, they recognized that I had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been to the circumcised. (8) For God, who was at work in Peter as an apostle to the circumcised, was also at work in me as an apostle to the Gentiles. (9) James, Cephas and John, those esteemed as pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised. (10) All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along.

iv-Gal 2:11-14 NIV When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. (12) For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. (13) The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray. (14) When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, "You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?

v-Gal 2:15-21 NIV "We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles (16) know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified. (17) "But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners, doesn't that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! (18) If I rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a lawbreaker. (19) "For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. (20) I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (21) I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"

vi-Rom 3:1-3 NIV What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? (2) Much in every way! First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God. (3) What if some were unfaithful? Will their unfaithfulness nullify God's faithfulness?

vii-Exo 19:1-25 NIV On the first day of the third month after the Israelites left Egypt--on that very day--they came to the Desert of Sinai. (2) After they set out from Rephidim, they entered the Desert of Sinai, and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain. (3) Then Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said, "This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: (4) 'You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. (5) Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, (6) you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites." (7) So Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all the words the LORD had commanded him to speak. (8) The people all responded together, "We will do everything the LORD has said." So Moses brought their answer back to the LORD. (9) The LORD said to Moses, "I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you." Then Moses told the LORD what the people had said. (10) And the LORD said to Moses, "Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes (11) and be ready by the third day, because on that day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. (12) Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, 'Be careful that you do not approach the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain is to be put to death. (13) They are to be stoned or shot with arrows; not a hand is to be laid on them. No person or animal shall be permitted to live.' Only when the ram's horn sounds a long blast may they approach the mountain." (14) After Moses had gone down the mountain to the people, he consecrated them, and they washed their clothes. (15) Then he said to the people, "Prepare yourselves for the third day. Abstain from sexual relations." (16) On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. (17) Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. (18) Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. (19) As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him. (20) The LORD descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses went up (21) and the LORD said to him, "Go down and warn the people so they do not force their way through to see the LORD and many of them perish. (22) Even the priests, who approach the LORD, must consecrate themselves, or the LORD will break out against them." (23) Moses said to the LORD, "The people cannot come up Mount Sinai, because you yourself warned us, 'Put limits around the mountain and set it apart as holy.'" (24) The LORD replied, "Go down and bring Aaron up with you. But the priests and the people must not force their way through to come up to the LORD, or he will break out against them." (25) So Moses went down to the people and told them.

Exo 20:1-26 NIV And God spoke all these words: (2) "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. (3) "You shall have no other gods before me. (4) "You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. (5) You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, (6) but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. (7) "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. (8) "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. (9) Six days you shall labor and do all your work, (10) but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. (11) For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. (12) "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. (13) "You shall not murder. (14) "You shall not commit adultery. (15) "You shall not steal. (16) "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. (17) "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor." (18) When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance (19) and said to Moses, "Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die." (20) Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning." (21) The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was. (22) Then the LORD said to Moses, "Tell the Israelites this: 'You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven: (23) Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold. (24) "'Make an altar of earth for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, your sheep and goats and your cattle. Wherever I cause my name to be honored, I will come to you and bless you. (25) If you make an altar of stones for me, do not build it with dressed stones, for you will defile it if you use a tool on it. (26) And do not go up to my altar on steps, or your private parts may be exposed.'

Exo 21:1-36 NIV "These are the laws you are to set before them: (2) "If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free, without paying anything. (3) If he comes alone, he is to go free alone; but if he has a wife when he comes, she is to go with him. (4) If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the woman and her children shall belong to her master, and only the man shall go free. (5) "But if the servant declares, 'I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,' (6) then his master must take him before the judges. He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life. (7) "If a man sells his daughter as a servant, she is not to go free as male servants do. (8) If she does not please the master who has selected her for himself, he must let her be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to foreigners, because he has broken faith with her. (9) If he selects her for his son, he must grant her the rights of a daughter. (10) If he marries another woman, he must not deprive the first one of her food, clothing and marital rights. (11) If he does not provide her with these three things, she is to go free, without any payment of money. (12) "Anyone who strikes a person with a fatal blow is to be put to death. (13) However, if it is not done intentionally, but God lets it happen, they are to flee to a place I will designate. (14) But if anyone schemes and kills someone deliberately, that person is to be taken from my altar and put to death. (15) "Anyone who attacks their father or mother is to be put to death. (16) "Anyone who kidnaps someone is to be put to death, whether the victim has been sold or is still in the kidnapper's possession. (17) "Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death. (18) "If people quarrel and one person hits another with a stone or with their fist and the victim does not die but is confined to bed, (19) the one who struck the blow will not be held liable if the other can get up and walk around outside with a staff; however, the guilty party must pay the injured person for any loss of time and see that the victim is completely healed. (20) "Anyone who beats their male or female slave with a rod must be punished if the slave dies as a direct result, (21) but they are not to be punished if the slave recovers after a day or two, since the slave is their property. (22) "If people are fighting and hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman's husband demands and the court allows. (23) But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, (24) eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, (25) burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise. (26) "An owner who hits a male or female slave in the eye and destroys it must let the slave go free to compensate for the eye. (27) And an owner who knocks out the tooth of a male or female slave must let the slave go free to compensate for the tooth. (28) "If a bull gores a man or woman to death, the bull is to be stoned to death, and its meat must not be eaten. But the owner of the bull will not be held responsible. (29) If, however, the bull has had the habit of goring and the owner has been warned but has not kept it penned up and it kills a man or woman, the bull is to be stoned and its owner also is to be put to death. (30) However, if payment is demanded, the owner may redeem his life by the payment of whatever is demanded. (31) This law also applies if the bull gores a son or daughter. (32) If the bull gores a male or female slave, the owner must pay thirty shekels of silver to the master of the slave, and the bull is to be stoned to death. (33) "If anyone uncovers a pit or digs one and fails to cover it and an ox or a donkey falls into it, (34) the one who opened the pit must pay the owner for the loss and take the dead animal in exchange. (35) "If anyone's bull injures someone else's bull and it dies, the two parties are to sell the live one and divide both the money and the dead animal equally. (36) However, if it was known that the bull had the habit of goring, yet the owner did not keep it penned up, the owner must pay, animal for animal, and take the dead animal in exchange.

Exo 22:1-31 NIV "Whoever steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it must pay back five head of cattle for the ox and four sheep for the sheep. (2) "If a thief is caught breaking in at night and is struck a fatal blow, the defender is not guilty of bloodshed; (3) but if it happens after sunrise, the defender is guilty of bloodshed. "Anyone who steals must certainly make restitution, but if they have nothing, they must be sold to pay for their theft. (4) If the stolen animal is found alive in their possession--whether ox or donkey or sheep--they must pay back double. (5) "If anyone grazes their livestock in a field or vineyard and lets them stray and they graze in someone else's field, the offender must make restitution from the best of their own field or vineyard. (6) "If a fire breaks out and spreads into thornbushes so that it burns shocks of grain or standing grain or the whole field, the one who started the fire must make restitution. (7) "If anyone gives a neighbor silver or goods for safekeeping and they are stolen from the neighbor's house, the thief, if caught, must pay back double. (8) But if the thief is not found, the owner of the house must appear before the judges, and they must determine whether the owner of the house has laid hands on the other person's property. (9) In all cases of illegal possession of an ox, a donkey, a sheep, a garment, or any other lost property about which somebody says, 'This is mine,' both parties are to bring their cases before the judges. The one whom the judges declare guilty must pay back double to the other. (10) "If anyone gives a donkey, an ox, a sheep or any other animal to their neighbor for safekeeping and it dies or is injured or is taken away while no one is looking, (11) the issue between them will be settled by the taking of an oath before the LORD that the neighbor did not lay hands on the other person's property. The owner is to accept this, and no restitution is required. (12) But if the animal was stolen from the neighbor, restitution must be made to the owner. (13) If it was torn to pieces by a wild animal, the neighbor shall bring in the remains as evidence and shall not be required to pay for the torn animal. (14) "If anyone borrows an animal from their neighbor and it is injured or dies while the owner is not present, they must make restitution. (15) But if the owner is with the animal, the borrower will not have to pay. If the animal was hired, the money paid for the hire covers the loss. (16) "If a man seduces a virgin who is not pledged to be married and sleeps with her, he must pay the bride-price, and she shall be his wife. (17) If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he must still pay the bride-price for virgins. (18) "Do not allow a sorceress to live. (19) "Anyone who has sexual relations with an animal is to be put to death. (20) "Whoever sacrifices to any god other than the LORD must be destroyed. (21) "Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt. (22) "Do not take advantage of the widow or the fatherless. (23) If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. (24) My anger will be aroused, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will become widows and your children fatherless. (25) "If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not treat it like a business deal; charge no interest. (26) If you take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge, return it by sunset, (27) because that cloak is the only covering your neighbor has. What else can they sleep in? When they cry out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate. (28) "Do not blaspheme God or curse the ruler of your people. (29) "Do not hold back offerings from your granaries or your vats. "You must give me the firstborn of your sons. (30) Do the same with your cattle and your sheep. Let them stay with their mothers for seven days, but give them to me on the eighth day. (31) "You are to be my holy people. So do not eat the meat of an animal torn by wild beasts; throw it to the dogs.

Exo 23:1-33 NIV "Do not spread false reports. Do not help a guilty person by being a malicious witness. (2) "Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd, (3) and do not show favoritism to a poor person in a lawsuit. (4) "If you come across your enemy's ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to return it. (5) If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help them with it. (6) "Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits. (7) Have nothing to do with a false charge and do not put an innocent or honest person to death, for I will not acquit the guilty. (8) "Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the innocent. (9) "Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt. (10) "For six years you are to sow your fields and harvest the crops, (11) but during the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused. Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what is left. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove. (12) "Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and so that the slave born in your household and the foreigner living among you may be refreshed. (13) "Be careful to do everything I have said to you. Do not invoke the names of other gods; do not let them be heard on your lips. (14) "Three times a year you are to celebrate a festival to me. (15) "Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread; for seven days eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Aviv, for in that month you came out of Egypt. "No one is to appear before me empty-handed. (16) "Celebrate the Festival of Harvest with the firstfruits of the crops you sow in your field. "Celebrate the Festival of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field. (17) "Three times a year all the men are to appear before the Sovereign LORD. (18) "Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to me along with anything containing yeast. "The fat of my festival offerings must not be kept until morning. (19) "Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God. "Do not cook a young goat in its mother's milk. (20) "See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. (21) Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him. (22) If you listen carefully to what he says and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you. (23) My angel will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out. (24) Do not bow down before their gods or worship them or follow their practices. You must demolish them and break their sacred stones to pieces. (25) Worship the LORD your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, (26) and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span. (27) "I will send my terror ahead of you and throw into confusion every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn their backs and run. (28) I will send the hornet ahead of you to drive the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites out of your way. (29) But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for you. (30) Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land. (31) "I will establish your borders from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, and from the desert to the Euphrates River. I will give into your hands the people who live in the land, and you will drive them out before you. (32) Do not make a covenant with them or with their gods. (33) Do not let them live in your land or they will cause you to sin against me, because the worship of their gods will certainly be a snare to you."

Exo 24:1-18 NIV Then the LORD said to Moses, "Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel. You are to worship at a distance, (2) but Moses alone is to approach the LORD; the others must not come near. And the people may not come up with him." (3) When Moses went and told the people all the LORD's words and laws, they responded with one voice, "Everything the LORD has said we will do." (4) Moses then wrote down everything the LORD had said. He got up early the next morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars representing the twelve tribes of Israel. (5) Then he sent young Israelite men, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as fellowship offerings to the LORD. (6) Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he splashed against the altar. (7) Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, "We will do everything the LORD has said; we will obey." (8) Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, "This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words." (9) Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up (10) and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as bright blue as the sky. (11) But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank. (12) The LORD said to Moses, "Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction." (13) Then Moses set out with Joshua his aide, and Moses went up on the mountain of God. (14) He said to the elders, "Wait here for us until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur are with you, and anyone involved in a dispute can go to them." (15) When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, (16) and the glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the LORD called to Moses from within the cloud. (17) To the Israelites the glory of the LORD looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain. (18) Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

viii-Eph 2:12 NIV remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.

Rom 2:14 NIV (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law.

ix-Gal 2:16-17 NIV know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified. (17) "But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners, doesn't that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not!

x-Lev 18:5 NIV Keep my decrees and laws, for the person who obeys them will live by them. I am the LORD.

Rom 2:13 NIV For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.

xi-Act 16:31 NIV They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household."

xii-Heb 11:1 NIV Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

xiii-Gen 18:22-33 NIV The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD. (23) Then Abraham approached him and said: "Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? (24) What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? (25) Far be it from you to do such a thing--to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (26) The LORD said, "If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake." (27) Then Abraham spoke up again: "Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, (28) what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?" "If I find forty-five there," he said, "I will not destroy it." (29) Once again he spoke to him, "What if only forty are found there?" He said, "For the sake of forty, I will not do it." (30) Then he said, "May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?" He answered, "I will not do it if I find thirty there." (31) Abraham said, "Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?" He said, "For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it." (32) Then he said, "May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?" He answered, "For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it." (33) When the LORD had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home.

xiv-Job 42:7-8 NIV After the LORD had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Jobhas. (8) So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Jobwill pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Jobhas."

xv-Exo 32:5-14 NIV When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, "Tomorrow there will be a festival to the LORD." (6) So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry. (7) Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. (8) They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, 'These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.' (9) "I have seen these people," the LORD said to Moses, "and they are a stiff-necked people. (10) Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation." (11) But Moses sought the favor of the LORD his God. "LORD," he said, "why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? (12) Why should the Egyptians say, 'It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth'? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people. (13) Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: 'I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.'" (14) Then the LORD relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.

Num 14:11-25 NIV The LORD said to Moses, "How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs I have performed among them? (12) I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation greater and stronger than they." (13) Moses said to the LORD, "Then the Egyptians will hear about it! By your power you brought these people up from among them. (14) And they will tell the inhabitants of this land about it. They have already heard that you, LORD, are with these people and that you, LORD, have been seen face to face, that your cloud stays over them, and that you go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. (15) If you put all these people to death, leaving none alive, the nations who have heard this report about you will say, (16) 'The LORD was not able to bring these people into the land he promised them on oath, so he slaughtered them in the wilderness.' (17) "Now may the Lord's strength be displayed, just as you have declared: (18) 'The LORD is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.' (19) In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now." (20) The LORD replied, "I have forgiven them, as you asked. (21) Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the LORD fills the whole earth, (22) not one of those who saw my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times-- (23) not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it. (24) But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it. (25) Since the Amalekites and the Canaanites are living in the valleys, turn back tomorrow and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea."

xvi-2Co 3:18 NIV And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

xvii-Mat 17:20 NIV He replied, "Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

xviii-Rom 10:17 NIV Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.

xix-Gen 2:17 NIV but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die."

xx-Mat 27:46 NIV About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" (which means "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?").

xxi-Ecc 12:14 NIV For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.

Rev 20:12-13 NIV And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. (13) The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done.

xxii-Rom 3:9-26 NIV What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. (10) As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; (11) there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. (12) All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." (13) "Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit." "The poison of vipers is on their lips." (14) "Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness." (15) "Their feet are swift to shed blood; (16) ruin and misery mark their ways, (17) and the way of peace they do not know." (18) "There is no fear of God before their eyes." (19) Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. (20) Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin. (21) But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. (22) This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, (23) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (24) and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (25) God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood--to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished-- (26) he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

Gal 3:22 NIV But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.

Eph 3:12 NIV In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

Php 3:9 NIV and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.

xxiii-Rom 8:3 NIV For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh,

Gal 1:4 NIV who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,

xxiv-Luk 24:44 NIV He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms."

xxv-Luk 24:44 NIV He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms."

xxvi-Job 1:1-22 NIV In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. (2) He had seven sons and three daughters, (3) and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East. (4) His sons used to hold feasts in their homes on their birthdays, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. (5) When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would make arrangements for them to be purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, "Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts." This was Job's regular custom. (6) One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. (7) The LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Satan answered the LORD, "From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it." (8) Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil." (9) "Does Job fear God for nothing?" Satan replied. (10) "Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. (11) But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face." (12) The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger." Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD. (13) One day when Job's sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house, (14) a messenger came to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, (15) and the Sabeans attacked and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!" (16) While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, "The fire of God fell from the heavens and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!" (17) While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, "The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!" (18) While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, "Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house, (19) when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!" (20) At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship (21) and said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." (22) In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

Job 2:1-13 NIV On another day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them to present himself before him. (2) And the LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Satan answered the LORD, "From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it." (3) Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason." (4) "Skin for skin!" Satan replied. "A man will give all he has for his own life. (5) But now stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face." (6) The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life." (7) So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and afflicted Jobwith painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. (8) Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes. (9) His wife said to him, "Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!" (10) He replied, "You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" In all this, Job did not sin in what he said. (11) When Job's three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. (12) When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. (13) Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.

xxvii-Gen 15:5-6 NIV He took him outside and said, "Look up at the sky and count the stars--if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." (6) Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

Joh 3:14-16 NIV Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, (15) that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him." (16) For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Gal 5:6 NIV For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

xxviii-Gal 3:28 NIV There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

xxix-Joh 8:32 NIV Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

Joh 8:36 NIV So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Act 10:43 NIV All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."

Rom 1:5 NIV Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name's sake.

Rom 1:8 NIV First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.

Rom 6:17 NIV But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance.

Heb 11:6 NIV And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Jas 2:19 NIV You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder.

xxx-Rom 3:8 NIV Why not say--as some slanderously claim that we say--"Let us do evil that good may result"? Their condemnation is just!

Rom 6:1 NIV What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?

xxxi-Rom 6:5-14 NIV For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. (6) For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin-- (7) because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. (8) Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. (9) For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. (10) The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. (11) In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. (12) Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. (13) Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. (14) For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

xxxii-2Co 5:17 NIV Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

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