Salvation by Faith Alone: The Book of Romans

The Controversy

Lesson #2 for October 14, 2017

Scriptures: [Leviticus 23; Matthew 19:17; Acts 15:1-29; Galatians 1:1-12; Hebrews 8:6; Revelation 12:17][1].

1.    This lesson focuses on one of the basic issues in early Christianity and in the book of Romans: Should Gentiles be required to follow all the Jewish traditions and customs, including circumcision, before they are accepted as Christians? A number of former-Pharisees who had since become Christians (Acts 15:5[2]) were very concerned that if Gentiles were allowed to become Christians too easily, the number of Gentiles in the Christian church would soon outweigh the number of Jewish Christians. They wanted Christianity to be a subset of Judaism.

2.    Who were the Christians who had been Pharisees? Of course, we do not have a list of names. Who was the most important Pharisee who had become a Christian? Paul! But, we should remember that Simon who gave that feast in Jesus’s honor on Friday night before the crucifixion was a Pharisee. It is quite likely that Mary, Martha, and Lazarus had also been Pharisees. They were related to Simon. (See ST, May 9, 1900, par. 15.) Joseph of Arimathea was a Pharisee. Nicodemus was a Pharisee. So, in Acts 15 we have one or more of the Pharisees arguing against another group of Pharisees.

3.    Scan through sections of the book of Leviticus such as Leviticus 12, 16, and 23[3]. In these chapters and in much of the rest of the book of Leviticus, one can discover multitudes of rules and laws on a variety of topics some of which seem very rational to us and some of which seem completely irrational. Many of those rules deal with specific worship practices connected with the sanctuary or tabernacle in the wilderness and later with the sanctuary in Jerusalem. For example, should Gentiles be required to travel to Jerusalem and practice certain ceremonial requirements? And most contentious of all was the question of circumcision. Some former-Pharisees who had become Christians believed that requiring adult male Gentiles to go through the rite of circumcision would prove whether those Gentiles were serious about their Christianity!

4.    Read Acts 15[4]. What was the purpose of those new rules that they agreed upon? The issue noted above raised so many arguments in the church at Antioch that Paul, Barnabas, and others decided it was necessary to take the matter to the church leaders in Jerusalem. Remember the story of Peter and Cornelius. (See Acts 10; compare Amos 9:10-12[5] where it was prophesied that “Gentiles will be coming to me.”)

5.    In the very early days of Christianity, virtually all of the converts were former-Jews. These new converts felt quite comfortable practicing the traditions and rules from the Old Testament which they had grown up with-including many rules that had been added through tradition and were not in the Old Testament. They did not see a conflict between practicing those Jewish rituals and being Christian. But, the new Gentile converts had not grown up with those customs and practices, and Paul had been teaching the Gentiles that it was not necessary for them to adopt those practices in order to become Christians. Fortunately, after a very detailed debate which took some time, (See Acts 15[6].) the church leaders in Jerusalem agreed that Gentiles could become Christians without being circumcised or following most of the other ceremonial requirements of the Old Testament.

6.    Remember that the Jews who lived in Palestine were expected to travel to Jerusalem three times a year for the annual festivals, often staying there for two or more weeks at a time. They were expected to take sacrifices and offerings of various kinds. Each year in the fall, they were expected to live in shelters or booths in the vicinity of Jerusalem for up to two weeks. A Gentile coming from Asia Minor (Turkey) or Greece or even Rome would have found it very difficult to participate in those ceremonies. So, how often would he be expected to go to Jerusalem and participate in some way in all those Jewish ceremonies? He would not have been allowed into the inner portions of the courtyard of the sanctuary itself and would have been regarded by the non-Christian Jews as unwelcome.

7.    But, this raised another question: Were any of the rules or laws which were given in the Old Testament still obligatory for Christians? Even today? Are we required to keep the Ten Commandments in order to be saved? This set of issues was burning in the mind of Paul as he wrote the book of Romans and as he tried to keep peace in the new Christian churches.

8.    Read Hebrews 8:6. This verse talks about a better priest, a better covenant or agreement, and better promises. In the times of the New Testament, instead of looking back at the requirements set forth in the Old Testament, the Christian church looked instead to the life, teachings, and death of Jesus as their model. Thus, the first question to be resolved in the minds of potential Christians was this one: Do you accept Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah, the Son of the living God? (Acts 16:31[7]) If you do accept Him, then you must come to the second question: How does or how should that impact your life? Paul seemed to be suggesting that keeping the commandments was to be the result of our relationship with Jesus Christ and not a source of salvation or a requirement for salvation. Why do you think it was that Paul-who was so highly educated about all those rules and ceremonies-was the one arguing against their keeping of the rules while many others with less education-like some of the disciples-were against setting aside those rules?

9.    The real stickler for modern Christians and especially Seventh-day Adventists in this argument is the seventh-day Sabbath. While the Sabbath commandment is certainly part of the Ten Commandments given from Mount Sinai, to our Christian friends, it seems much more like one of the ceremonial requirements. While they can see logical reasons for observing the other nine commandments, they do not see a logical reason for observing the Sabbath. Thus, they regard strict Sabbath observers as legalists. So, we see that the basic issues troubling the early church are still present in our church today.

10.    There are many verses in the New Testament suggesting that we should keep the commandments. (Matthew 5:17-18; 22:34-40; John 13:34-35; Revelation 12:17; 14:12)[8] Do these verses refer specifically to the keeping of all of the Ten Commandments-or, to the entire writings of Moses, the Torah-thus, including the observance of the seventh-day Sabbath? Or, not?

God requires perfection of His children. His law is a transcript of His own character, and it is the standard of all character. This infinite standard is presented to all that there may be no mistake in regard to the kind of people whom God will have to compose His kingdom. The life of Christ on earth was a perfect expression of God’s law, and when those who claim to be children of God become Christlike in character, they will be obedient to God’s commandments. Then the Lord can trust them to be of the number who shall compose the family of heaven. Clothed in the glorious apparel of Christ’s righteousness, they have a place at the King’s feast. They have a right to join the blood-washed throng.—Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons* 315.1.

11.    Perhaps one way to put the issues in stark contrast is to read Acts 15 where the conclusion was: “The Holy Spirit and we have agreed not to put any other burden on you besides these necessary rules....” (Acts 15:28, GNB) By contrast, Acts 16:31 says that Paul told the Philippian jailer and his family that one only needs to believe or have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and he will be saved.

Acts 16:31: They answered, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your family.”—American Bible Society. (1992). The Holy Bible: The Good News Translation* (2nd ed., Acts 16:31). New York: American Bible Society.

12.    Adventists of the 21st century have tried to walk a fine line between those contrasting views suggesting that the moral law has never been changed and is required of all peoples while the ceremonial restrictions pointing forward to the death of Christ are no longer required. Adventists assert that those who keep the Ten Commandments-including the Sabbath-are not legalists but are practicing righteousness by faith.

13.    But, before we go too far down that pathway, we should consider the following words from Paul and from Ellen White:

Galatians 3:19-24: 19 What, then, was the purpose of the Law? It was added in order to show what wrongdoing is, and it was meant to last until the coming of Abraham’s descendant, to whom the promise was made.... 23But before the time for faith came, the Law kept us all locked up as prisoners until this coming faith should be revealed. 24And so the Law was in charge of us until Christ came, in order that we might then be put right with God through faith.—American Bible Society. (1992). The Holy Bible: The Good News Translation* (2nd ed., Galatians 3:19-24). New York: American Bible Society.

The Law protects us until we learn to do what is right. Consider the following.

He [God] did not even then trust His precepts to the memory of a people who were prone to forget His requirements, but wrote them upon tables of stone.

He would remove from Israel all possibility of mingling heathen traditions with His holy precepts, or of confounding His requirements with human ordinances or customs. But He did not stop with giving them the precepts of the Decalogue. The people had shown themselves so easily led astray that He would leave no door of temptation unguarded. Moses was commanded to write, as God should bid him, judgments and laws giving minute instruction as to what was required. These directions relating to the duty of the people to God, to one another, and to the stranger were only the principles of the Ten Commandments amplified and given in a specific manner, that none need err. They were designed to guard the sacredness of the ten precepts engraved on the tables of stone.

If man had kept the law of God, as given to Adam after his fall, preserved by Noah, and observed by Abraham, there would have been no necessity for the ordinance of circumcision. And if the descendants of Abraham had kept the covenant, of which circumcision was a sign, they would never have been seduced into idolatry, nor would it have been necessary for them to suffer a life of bondage in Egypt; they would have kept God’s law in mind, and there would have been no necessity for it to be proclaimed from Sinai or engraved upon the tables of stone. And had the people practiced the principles of the Ten Commandments, there would have been no need of the additional directions given to Moses.—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets* 364.1-2.

I am asked concerning the law in Galatians. What law is the schoolmaster to bring us to Christ? I answer: Both the ceremonial and the moral code of ten commandments.—Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, Book 1,*233.1.

“The law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:24). In this scripture, the Holy Spirit through the apostle is speaking especially of the moral law [the Ten Commandments].—Ibid. 234.5. [Content in brackets added.]

14.    These passages suggest that all law including the moral law was added because we needed it. All law was an emergency measure. This was one of the major crisis issues at the 1888 session of the General Conference. It is so easy for church members and organizations to focus on what people do rather than on who they are. Think of what is discussed at General Conference sessions of our church.

15.    Those who have carefully studied the five books of Moses have divided the rules and laws mentioned there into five categories: 1) Moral law, 2) Ceremonial law, 3) Civil law, 4) Statutes and judgments, and 5) Health laws. If one looks through these laws and considers them carefully, it will be obvious that there is considerable overlap. It should also be obvious that in order for one to comply with many of these regulations: 1) He had to be able to go to the sanctuary in Jerusalem, 2) He had to live under a theocracy, and 3) He must be prepared to kill animals as a part of his religious worship. Would you be prepared to do that?

16.    Christians of that time believed-and we believe-that the Messiah had come, lived, and died. In the strictest sense of the word, the theocracy disappeared when the Hebrews chose Saul as their first king, and certainly, when the last temple to exist was destroyed in A.D. 70 along with the rest of Jerusalem. That made the strict keeping of all the rules given long ago by Moses impossible. So, what are we supposed to do?

17.    When asked about the law and which was the most important part of the law, Jesus replied: “Love for God” and “Love for your neighbor.” (Matthew 22:34-40; Deuteronomy 6:4; Leviticus 19:18)[9] A pundit by the name of Ambrose Bierce defined a Christian as “One who believes that the New Testament is a divinely-inspired book admirably suited to the spiritual needs of his neighbor.” So, where does that leave us?

18.    If Christians are saved by faith, should they act differently from worldlings? Should those differences in behavior be obvious?

19.    Returning to the background for the writing of the book of Romans, it is easy to get hung up on the horns of a dilemma. Since the days of Martin Luther, many Christians have believed that we are saved by faith “alone.” But, like the former-Pharisees turned Christians in Paul’s day, modern Christians including Seventh-day Adventists have a long list of “dos and don’ts.” Is it possible that God once instructed His people to carry out all those rules, and then later, for some reason God changed His mind? “Israel’s majestic God does not lie or change his mind. He is not a human being—he does not change his mind.” (1 Samuel 15:29, GNB) The Pharisees-even the former-Pharisees who had become Christians-believed that keeping all those rules set them apart and made them superior to others. Many of those Pharisees-turned-Christians prided themselves on being different. Do we do the same?

20.    Paul was at that meeting in Jerusalem which is described in Acts 15. He, along with the others, recognized that those requirements-avoiding sexual immorality, avoiding meat offered to idols, avoiding eating meat from animals that had been strangled, and avoiding the eating of blood-would help to keep peace in the Christian congregations to which he ministered. Those rules really had nothing to do with salvation itself but simply were how former-Gentiles and former-Jews were to sit next to each other and get along at church!

21.    A few years later when he was back in the field working among Gentiles, Paul made it very clear that eating food offered to idols was a matter of personal opinion and that those idols could not affect the food in any way! It was not a matter of salvation in any way! See Romans 14; 1 Corinthians 8 & 10, especially 1 Corinthians 10:25.[10]

22.    Paul had carefully worked with church leadership during the conference in Jerusalem. However, when it came to the actual practice of those rules, Paul demonstrated that he believed that the logic of what is right trumped even the decisions of church leadership!

23.    Paul had met these issues head on in the church of Galatia, (See especially Galatians 3[11].) and Paul wanted to make certain that this problem did not arise in the church in Rome. Paul even went so far as to suggest that the converted Gentiles who had previously done the terrible things described in Romans 1 were less sinful than the former-Jews described in Romans 2[12]! Those former-Jews who had become Christians were more than ready to judge their fellow believers who had been Gentiles!

24.    Read [Deuteronomy 10:16; 30:6; and Jeremiah 4:4][13]. These verses suggest that the real circumcision has something to do, not with the foreskin of an external organ, but with the mind and “heart” where we do our most involved thinking. What does it mean to be circumcised of heart?

25.    Consider two possible scenarios: 1) A new Christian sees all the things that his church seems to require of him. He comes to understand that those things are required for salvation. He believes that he must pay tithe, keep the Sabbath, practice health reform, avoid alcohol and tobacco, and live a morally upright life, etc. in order to be saved. His Christianity consists of a long series of battles with the natural tendencies of the heart in order to try to do those things. He might even become exhausted and depressed!

2) After carefully studying his New Testament, a second Christian falls in love with Jesus because of what Jesus has done for him. His earnest desire is to understand God more fully and correctly and to follow Christ’s example as far as possible. He does this not because he believes he is required to do so but because he wants to be like his Lord. He may do all the same things that his friend in scenario #1 does; but, he does them for very different reasons. Does that matter? Which of these two do you believe more clearly understands the gospel? Could you tell by their external behavior the difference between the two?

26.    Read Galatians 1:1-12[14]. It should be clear, especially from Galatians 1:6-9, that Paul did not consider the issue of the gospel an inconsequential matter!

Galatians 1:6-9-- I am surprised at you! In no time at all you are deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ, and are accepting another gospel. 7Actually, there is no “other gospel”, but I say this because there are some people who are upsetting you and trying to change the gospel of Christ. 8But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel that is different from the one we preached to you, may he be condemned to hell!

9We have said it before, and now I say it again: if anyone preaches to you a gospel that is different from the one you accepted, may he be condemned to hell!—American Bible Society. (1992). The Holy Bible: The Good News Translation* (2nd ed., Galatians 1:6-9). New York: American Bible Society.

27.    But, if one continues reading in the book of Galatians through chapter 3, one will discover that Paul clearly believed that the law had a continuing function for Christians. The law is to protect us, guide us, and to bring us to Christ. All of this leaves many people confused. There was a great deal of confusion over this question at the Seventh-day Adventist General Conference session of 1888.

28.    In Paul’s day, to a considerable extent, the issue was a matter of pride for Jewish Christians. They were very concerned that the Christian church would soon become a predominately Gentile church, and thus, it would lose its Jewish distinctiveness-and they were right!

29.    Be honest now. Why is it so easy for many people to slip into legalism? How do we convince new converts to the Seventh-day Adventist Church of the importance of Sabbathkeeping, tithe paying, health reforming, etc. without appearing somewhat legalistic? Do we understand the truth of the gospel so clearly that we can spell those issues out without confusion when talking to new believers or even to those who have not yet become Christians? Or, do we lay unnecessary burdens on people when they become Christians?

30.    To those who accept and seek to follow the larger-view, great-controversy, trust-healing model of the plan of salvation, these issues are core to our beliefs. We wish very much that Seventh-day Adventists around the world would understand the correct reasons for doing what they do and what the church recommends and do those things because they want to and not because they think they are required to. What is your motive for being a Christian and a Seventh-day Adventist?

All true obedience comes from the heart. It was heart work with Christ. And if we consent, He will so identify Himself with our thoughts and aims, so blend our hearts and minds into conformity to His will, that when obeying Him we shall be but carrying out our own impulses. The will, refined and sanctified, will find its highest delight in doing His service. When we know God as it is our privilege to know Him, our life will be a life of continual obedience. Through an appreciation of the character of Christ, through communion with God, sin will become hateful to us.—Ellen G. White, Desire of Ages* 668.3.

© 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

1-Lev 23:1-44 NIV The LORD said to Moses, (2) "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'These are my appointed festivals, the appointed festivals of the LORD, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies. (3) "'There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a sabbath to the LORD. (4) "'These are the LORD's appointed festivals, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times: (5) The LORD's Passover begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month. (6) On the fifteenth day of that month the LORD's Festival of Unleavened Bread begins; for seven days you must eat bread made without yeast. (7) On the first day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. (8) For seven days present a food offering to the LORD. And on the seventh day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.'" (9) The LORD said to Moses, (10) "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest. (11) He is to wave the sheaf before the LORD so it will be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath. (12) On the day you wave the sheaf, you must sacrifice as a burnt offering to the LORD a lamb a year old without defect, (13) together with its grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with olive oil--a food offering presented to the LORD, a pleasing aroma--and its drink offering of a quarter of a hin of wine. (14) You must not eat any bread, or roasted or new grain, until the very day you bring this offering to your God. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live. (15) "'From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. (16) Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the LORD. (17) From wherever you live, bring two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour, baked with yeast, as a wave offering of firstfruits to the LORD. (18) Present with this bread seven male lambs, each a year old and without defect, one young bull and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the LORD, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings--a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the LORD. (19) Then sacrifice one male goat for a sin offering and two lambs, each a year old, for a fellowship offering. (20) The priest is to wave the two lambs before the LORD as a wave offering, together with the bread of the firstfruits. They are a sacred offering to the LORD for the priest. (21) On that same day you are to proclaim a sacred assembly and do no regular work. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live. (22) "'When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you. I am the LORD your God.'" (23) The LORD said to Moses, (24) "Say to the Israelites: 'On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of sabbath rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. (25) Do no regular work, but present a food offering to the LORD.'" (26) The LORD said to Moses, (27) "The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves, and present a food offering to the LORD. (28) Do not do any work on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the LORD your God. (29) Those who do not deny themselves on that day must be cut off from their people. (30) I will destroy from among their people anyone who does any work on that day. (31) You shall do no work at all. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live. (32) It is a day of sabbath rest for you, and you must deny yourselves. From the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening you are to observe your sabbath." (33) The LORD said to Moses, (34) "Say to the Israelites: 'On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the LORD's Festival of Tabernacles begins, and it lasts for seven days. (35) The first day is a sacred assembly; do no regular work. (36) For seven days present food offerings to the LORD, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly and present a food offering to the LORD. It is the closing special assembly; do no regular work. (37) ("'These are the LORD's appointed festivals, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies for bringing food offerings to the LORD--the burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings required for each day. (38) These offerings are in addition to those for the LORD's Sabbaths and in addition to your gifts and whatever you have vowed and all the freewill offerings you give to the LORD.) (39) "'So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival to the LORD for seven days; the first day is a day of sabbath rest, and the eighth day also is a day of sabbath rest. (40) On the first day you are to take branches from luxuriant trees--from palms, willows and other leafy trees--and rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days. (41) Celebrate this as a festival to the LORD for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month. (42) Live in temporary shelters for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in such shelters (43) so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in temporary shelters when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.'" (44) So Moses announced to the Israelites the appointed festivals of the LORD.

Mat 19:17 NIV "Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments."

Act 15:1-29 NIV Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: "Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved." (2) This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. (3) The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad. (4) When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them. (5) Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, "The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses." (6) The apostles and elders met to consider this question. (7) After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: "Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. (8) God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. (9) He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. (10) Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? (11) No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are." (12) The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. (13) When they finished, James spoke up. "Brothers," he said, "listen to me. (14) Simon has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles. (15) The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written: (16) "'After this I will return and rebuild David's fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, (17) that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things'-- (18) things known from long ago. (19) "It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. (20) Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. (21) For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath." (22) Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, men who were leaders among the believers. (23) With them they sent the following letter: The apostles and elders, your brothers, To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: Greetings. (24) We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. (25) So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul-- (26) men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (27) Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. (28) It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: (29) You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.

Gal 1:1-12 NIV Paul, an apostle--sent not from men nor by a man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead-- (2) and all the brothers and sisters with me, To the churches in Galatia: (3) Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, (4) who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, (5) to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (6) I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel-- (7) which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. (8) But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God's curse! (9) As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God's curse! (10) Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. (11) I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. (12) I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.

Heb 8:6 NIV But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises.

Rev 12:17 NIV Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring--those who keep God's commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.

2-Act 15:5 NIV Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, "The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses."

3-Lev 12:1-8 NIV The LORD said to Moses, (2) "Say to the Israelites: 'A woman who becomes pregnant and gives birth to a son will be ceremonially unclean for seven days, just as she is unclean during her monthly period. (3) On the eighth day the boy is to be circumcised. (4) Then the woman must wait thirty-three days to be purified from her bleeding. She must not touch anything sacred or go to the sanctuary until the days of her purification are over. (5) If she gives birth to a daughter, for two weeks the woman will be unclean, as during her period. Then she must wait sixty-six days to be purified from her bleeding. (6) "'When the days of her purification for a son or daughter are over, she is to bring to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting a year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a dove for a sin offering. (7) He shall offer them before the LORD to make atonement for her, and then she will be ceremonially clean from her flow of blood. "'These are the regulations for the woman who gives birth to a boy or a girl. (8) But if she cannot afford a lamb, she is to bring two doves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for her, and she will be clean.'"

Lev 16:1-34 NIV The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron who died when they approached the LORD. (2) The LORD said to Moses: "Tell your brother Aaron that he is not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die. For I will appear in the cloud over the atonement cover. (3) "This is how Aaron is to enter the Most Holy Place: He must first bring a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. (4) He is to put on the sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments next to his body; he is to tie the linen sash around him and put on the linen turban. These are sacred garments; so he must bathe himself with water before he puts them on. (5) From the Israelite community he is to take two male goats for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. (6) "Aaron is to offer the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household. (7) Then he is to take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the entrance to the tent of meeting. (8) He is to cast lots for the two goats--one lot for the LORD and the other for the scapegoat. (9) Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the LORD and sacrifice it for a sin offering. (10) But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD to be used for making atonement by sending it into the wilderness as a scapegoat. (11) "Aaron shall bring the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household, and he is to slaughter the bull for his own sin offering. (12) He is to take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before the LORD and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense and take them behind the curtain. (13) He is to put the incense on the fire before the LORD, and the smoke of the incense will conceal the atonement cover above the tablets of the covenant law, so that he will not die. (14) He is to take some of the bull's blood and with his finger sprinkle it on the front of the atonement cover; then he shall sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times before the atonement cover. (15) "He shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people and take its blood behind the curtain and do with it as he did with the bull's blood: He shall sprinkle it on the atonement cover and in front of it. (16) In this way he will make atonement for the Most Holy Place because of the uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites, whatever their sins have been. He is to do the same for the tent of meeting, which is among them in the midst of their uncleanness. (17) No one is to be in the tent of meeting from the time Aaron goes in to make atonement in the Most Holy Place until he comes out, having made atonement for himself, his household and the whole community of Israel. (18) "Then he shall come out to the altar that is before the LORD and make atonement for it. He shall take some of the bull's blood and some of the goat's blood and put it on all the horns of the altar. (19) He shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times to cleanse it and to consecrate it from the uncleanness of the Israelites. (20) "When Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall bring forward the live goat. (21) He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites--all their sins--and put them on the goat's head. He shall send the goat away into the wilderness in the care of someone appointed for the task. (22) The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a remote place; and the man shall release it in the wilderness. (23) "Then Aaron is to go into the tent of meeting and take off the linen garments he put on before he entered the Most Holy Place, and he is to leave them there. (24) He shall bathe himself with water in the sanctuary area and put on his regular garments. Then he shall come out and sacrifice the burnt offering for himself and the burnt offering for the people, to make atonement for himself and for the people. (25) He shall also burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar. (26) "The man who releases the goat as a scapegoat must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward he may come into the camp. (27) The bull and the goat for the sin offerings, whose blood was brought into the Most Holy Place to make atonement, must be taken outside the camp; their hides, flesh and intestines are to be burned up. (28) The man who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward he may come into the camp. (29) "This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month you must deny yourselves and not do any work--whether native-born or a foreigner residing among you-- (30) because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the LORD, you will be clean from all your sins. (31) It is a day of sabbath rest, and you must deny yourselves; it is a lasting ordinance. (32) The priest who is anointed and ordained to succeed his father as high priest is to make atonement. He is to put on the sacred linen garments (33) and make atonement for the Most Holy Place, for the tent of meeting and the altar, and for the priests and all the members of the community. (34) "This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: Atonement is to be made once a year for all the sins of the Israelites." And it was done, as the LORD commanded Moses.

Lev 23:1-44 NIV The LORD said to Moses, (2) "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'These are my appointed festivals, the appointed festivals of the LORD, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies. (3) "'There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a sabbath to the LORD. (4) "'These are the LORD's appointed festivals, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times: (5) The LORD's Passover begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month. (6) On the fifteenth day of that month the LORD's Festival of Unleavened Bread begins; for seven days you must eat bread made without yeast. (7) On the first day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. (8) For seven days present a food offering to the LORD. And on the seventh day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.'" (9) The LORD said to Moses, (10) "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest. (11) He is to wave the sheaf before the LORD so it will be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath. (12) On the day you wave the sheaf, you must sacrifice as a burnt offering to the LORD a lamb a year old without defect, (13) together with its grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with olive oil--a food offering presented to the LORD, a pleasing aroma--and its drink offering of a quarter of a hin of wine. (14) You must not eat any bread, or roasted or new grain, until the very day you bring this offering to your God. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live. (15) "'From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. (16) Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the LORD. (17) From wherever you live, bring two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour, baked with yeast, as a wave offering of firstfruits to the LORD. (18) Present with this bread seven male lambs, each a year old and without defect, one young bull and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the LORD, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings--a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the LORD. (19) Then sacrifice one male goat for a sin offering and two lambs, each a year old, for a fellowship offering. (20) The priest is to wave the two lambs before the LORD as a wave offering, together with the bread of the firstfruits. They are a sacred offering to the LORD for the priest. (21) On that same day you are to proclaim a sacred assembly and do no regular work. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live. (22) "'When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you. I am the LORD your God.'" (23) The LORD said to Moses, (24) "Say to the Israelites: 'On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of sabbath rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. (25) Do no regular work, but present a food offering to the LORD.'" (26) The LORD said to Moses, (27) "The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves, and present a food offering to the LORD. (28) Do not do any work on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the LORD your God. (29) Those who do not deny themselves on that day must be cut off from their people. (30) I will destroy from among their people anyone who does any work on that day. (31) You shall do no work at all. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live. (32) It is a day of sabbath rest for you, and you must deny yourselves. From the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening you are to observe your sabbath." (33) The LORD said to Moses, (34) "Say to the Israelites: 'On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the LORD's Festival of Tabernacles begins, and it lasts for seven days. (35) The first day is a sacred assembly; do no regular work. (36) For seven days present food offerings to the LORD, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly and present a food offering to the LORD. It is the closing special assembly; do no regular work. (37) ("'These are the LORD's appointed festivals, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies for bringing food offerings to the LORD--the burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings required for each day. (38) These offerings are in addition to those for the LORD's Sabbaths and in addition to your gifts and whatever you have vowed and all the freewill offerings you give to the LORD.) (39) "'So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival to the LORD for seven days; the first day is a day of sabbath rest, and the eighth day also is a day of sabbath rest. (40) On the first day you are to take branches from luxuriant trees--from palms, willows and other leafy trees--and rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days. (41) Celebrate this as a festival to the LORD for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month. (42) Live in temporary shelters for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in such shelters (43) so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in temporary shelters when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.'" (44) So Moses

4-Act 15:1-41 NIV Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: "Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved." (2) This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. (3) The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad. (4) When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them. (5) Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, "The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses." (6) The apostles and elders met to consider this question. (7) After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: "Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. (8) God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. (9) He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. (10) Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? (11) No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are." (12) The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. (13) When they finished, James spoke up. "Brothers," he said, "listen to me. (14) Simon has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles. (15) The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written: (16) "'After this I will return and rebuild David's fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, (17) that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things'-- (18) things known from long ago. (19) "It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. (20) Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. (21) For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath." (22) Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, men who were leaders among the believers. (23) With them they sent the following letter: The apostles and elders, your brothers, To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: Greetings. (24) We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. (25) So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul-- (26) men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (27) Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. (28) It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: (29) You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell. (30) So the men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter. (31) The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message. (32) Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the believers. (33) After spending some time there, they were sent off by the believers with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them. (35) But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord. (36) Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing." (37) Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, (38) but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. (39) They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, (40) but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. (41) He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

5-Act 10:1-48 NIV At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. (2) He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. (3) One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, "Cornelius!" (4) Cornelius stared at him in fear. "What is it, Lord?" he asked. The angel answered, "Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. (5) Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. (6) He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea." (7) When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants. (8) He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa. (9) About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. (10) He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. (11) He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. (12) It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. (13) Then a voice told him, "Get up, Peter. Kill and eat." (14) "Surely not, Lord!" Peter replied. "I have never eaten anything impure or unclean." (15) The voice spoke to him a second time, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean." (16) This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven. (17) While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon's house was and stopped at the gate. (18) They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there. (19) While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Simon, three men are looking for you. (20) So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them." (21) Peter went down and said to the men, "I'm the one you're looking for. Why have you come?" (22) The men replied, "We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to ask you to come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say." (23) Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests. The next day Peter started out with them, and some of the believers from Joppa went along. (24) The following day he arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. (25) As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. (26) But Peter made him get up. "Stand up," he said, "I am only a man myself." (27) While talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. (28) He said to them: "You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean. (29) So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?" (30) Cornelius answered: "Three days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me (31) and said, 'Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor. (32) Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, who lives by the sea.' (33) So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us." (34) Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism (35) but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. (36) You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. (37) You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached-- (38) how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. (39) "We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, (40) but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. (41) He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen--by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. (42) He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. (43) All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name." (44) While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. (45) The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. (46) For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said, (47) "Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have." (48) So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.

Amo 9:10-12 NIV All the sinners among my people will die by the sword, all those who say, 'Disaster will not overtake or meet us.' (11) "In that day "I will restore David's fallen shelter-- I will repair its broken walls and restore its ruins-- and will rebuild it as it used to be, (12) so that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations that bear my name," declares the LORD, who will do these things.

6-Act 15:1-41 NIV Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: "Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved." (2) This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. (3) The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad. (4) When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them. (5) Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, "The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses." (6) The apostles and elders met to consider this question. (7) After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: "Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. (8) God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. (9) He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. (10) Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? (11) No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are." (12) The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. (13) When they finished, James spoke up. "Brothers," he said, "listen to me. (14) Simon has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles. (15) The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written: (16) "'After this I will return and rebuild David's fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, (17) that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things'-- (18) things known from long ago. (19) "It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. (20) Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. (21) For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath." (22) Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, men who were leaders among the believers. (23) With them they sent the following letter: The apostles and elders, your brothers, To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: Greetings. (24) We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. (25) So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul-- (26) men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (27) Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. (28) It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: (29) You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell. (30) So the men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter. (31) The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message. (32) Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the believers. (33) After spending some time there, they were sent off by the believers with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them. (35) But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord. (36) Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing." (37) Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, (38) but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. (39) They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, (40) but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. (41) He went through Syria Act 15:1-41 NIV Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: "Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved." (2) This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. (3) The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad. (4) When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them. (5) Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, "The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses." (6) The apostles and elders met to consider this question. (7) After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: "Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. (8) God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. (9) He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. (10) Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? (11) No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are." (12) The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. (13) When they finished, James spoke up. "Brothers," he said, "listen to me. (14) Simon has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles. (15) The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written: (16) "'After this I will return and rebuild David's fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, (17) that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things'-- (18) things known from long ago. (19) "It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. (20) Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. (21) For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath." (22) Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, men who were leaders among the believers. (23) With them they sent the following letter: The apostles and elders, your brothers, To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: Greetings. (24) We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. (25) So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul-- (26) men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (27) Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. (28) It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: (29) You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell. (30) So the men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter. (31) The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message. (32) Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the believers. (33) After spending some time there, they were sent off by the believers with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them. (35) But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord. (36) Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing." (37) Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, (38) but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. (39) They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, (40) but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. (41) He went through Syria

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

8-Mat 5:17-18 NIV "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. (18) For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

Mat 22:34-40 NIV Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. (35) One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: (36) "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" (37) Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' (38) This is the first and greatest commandment. (39) And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' (40) All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Joh 13:34-35 NIV "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. (35) By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

Rev 12:17 NIV Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring--those who keep God's commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.

Rev 14:12 NIV This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus.

9-Mat 22:34-40 NIV Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. (35) One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: (36) "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" (37) Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' (38) This is the first and greatest commandment. (39) And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' (40) All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Deu 6:4 NIV Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.

Lev 19:18 NIV "'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.

10-Rom 14:1-23 NIV Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. (2) One person's faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. (3) The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. (4) Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand. (5) One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. (6) Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. (7) For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. (8) If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. (9) For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. (10) You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. (11) It is written: "'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.'" (12) So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God. (13) Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. (14) I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. (15) If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. (16) Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. (17) For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, (18) because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval. (19) Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. (20) Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. (21) It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall. (22) So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. (23) But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

1Co 8:1-13 NIV Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that "We all possess knowledge." But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. (2) Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. (3) But whoever loves God is known by God. (4) So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that "An idol is nothing at all in the world" and that "There is no God but one." (5) For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"), (6) yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live. (7) But not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. (8) But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do. (9) Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. (10) For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol's temple, won't that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols? (11) So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. (12) When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. (13) Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.

1Co 10:1-33 NIV For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. (2) They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. (3) They all ate the same spiritual food (4) and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. (5) Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. (6) Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. (7) Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: "The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry." (8) We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did--and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. (9) We should not test Christ, as some of them did--and were killed by snakes. (10) And do not grumble, as some of them did--and were killed by the destroying angel. (11) These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. (12) So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! (13) No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. (14) Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. (15) I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. (16) Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? (17) Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf. (18) Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar? (19) Do I mean then that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? (20) No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. (21) You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons. (22) Are we trying to arouse the Lord's jealousy? Are we stronger than he? (23) "I have the right to do anything," you say--but not everything is beneficial. "I have the right to do anything"--but not everything is constructive. (24) No one should seek their own good, but the good of others. (25) Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, (26) for, "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it." (27) If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience. (28) But if someone says to you, "This has been offered in sacrifice," then do not eat it, both for the sake of the one who told you and for the sake of conscience. (29) I am referring to the other person's conscience, not yours. For why is my freedom being judged by another's conscience? (30) If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for? (31) So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. (32) Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God-- (33) even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.

1Co 10:25 NIV Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience,

11-Gal 3:1-29 NIV You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. (2) I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? (3) Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? (4) Have you experienced so much in vain--if it really was in vain? (5) So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard? (6) So also Abraham "believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." (7) Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. (8) Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you." (9) So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. (10) For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law." (11) Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because "the righteous will live by faith." (12) The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, "The person who does these things will live by them." (13) Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole." (14) He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit. (15) Brothers and sisters, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. (16) The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ. (17) What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. (18) For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on the promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise. (19) Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator. (20) A mediator, however, implies more than one party; but God is one. (21) Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. (22) 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. (23) Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. (24) So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. (25) Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian. (26) So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, (27) for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. (28) There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (29) If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's

12-Rom 2:1-29 NIV You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. (2) Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. (3) So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? (4) Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness is intended to lead you to repentance? (5) But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. (6) God "will repay each person according to what they have done." (7) To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. (8) But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. (9) There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; (10) but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. (11) For God does not show favoritism. (12) All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. (13) 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. (14) (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. (15) They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.) (16) This will take place on the day when God judges people's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares. (17) Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God; (18) if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; (19) if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, (20) an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth-- (21) you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? (22) You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? (23) You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? (24) As it is written: "God's name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you." (25) Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you have become as though you had not been circumcised. (26) So then, if those who are not circumcised keep the law's requirements, will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised? (27) The one who is not circumcised physically and yet obeys the law will condemn you who, even though you have the written code and circumcision, are a lawbreaker. (28) A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. (29) No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a

13-Deu 10:16 NIV Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer.

Deu 30:6 NIV The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.

Jer 4:4 NIV Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, circumcise your hearts, you people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, or my wrath will flare up and burn like fire because of the evil you have done-- burn with no one to quench it.

14-Gal 1:1-12 NIV Paul, an apostle--sent not from men nor by a man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead-- (2) and all the brothers and sisters with me, To the churches in Galatia: (3) Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, (4) who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, (5) to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (6) I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel-- (7) which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. (8) But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God's curse! (9) As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God's curse! (10) Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. (11) I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. (12) I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.

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