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16 May God’s peace and mercy be upon all who live by this principle; they are the new people of God.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. 6:16 Greek this principle, and upon the Israel of God.

16 Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule—to[a] the Israel of God.

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Footnotes

  1. Galatians 6:16 Or rule and to

29 And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children[a] of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.

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Footnotes

  1. 3:29 Greek seed.

29 If you belong to Christ,(A) then you are Abraham’s seed,(B) and heirs(C) according to the promise.(D)

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For we who worship by the Spirit of God[a] are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort,

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Footnotes

  1. 3:3 Some manuscripts read worship God in spirit; one early manuscript reads worship in spirit.

For it is we who are the circumcision,(A) we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus,(B) and who put no confidence in the flesh—

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Well then, has God failed to fulfill his promise to Israel? No, for not all who are born into the nation of Israel are truly members of God’s people! Being descendants of Abraham doesn’t make them truly Abraham’s children. For the Scriptures say, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted,”[a] though Abraham had other children, too. This means that Abraham’s physical descendants are not necessarily children of God. Only the children of the promise are considered to be Abraham’s children.

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Footnotes

  1. 9:7 Gen 21:12.

God’s Sovereign Choice

It is not as though God’s word(A) had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.(B) Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”[a](C) In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children,(D) but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.(E)

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Footnotes

  1. Romans 9:7 Gen. 21:12

And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests.[a] Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. As the Scriptures say,

“I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem,[b]
    chosen for great honor,
and anyone who trusts in him
    will never be disgraced.”[c]

Yes, you who trust him recognize the honor God has given him.[d] But for those who reject him,

“The stone that the builders rejected
    has now become the cornerstone.”[e]

And,

“He is the stone that makes people stumble,
    the rock that makes them fall.”[f]

They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them.

But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests,[g] a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

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Footnotes

  1. 2:5 Greek holy priesthood.
  2. 2:6a Greek in Zion.
  3. 2:6b Isa 28:16 (Greek version).
  4. 2:7a Or Yes, for you who believe, there is honor.
  5. 2:7b Ps 118:22.
  6. 2:8 Isa 8:14.
  7. 2:9 Greek a royal priesthood.

you also, like living stones, are being built(A) into a spiritual house[a](B) to be a holy priesthood,(C) offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.(D) For in Scripture it says:

“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
    a chosen and precious cornerstone,(E)
and the one who trusts in him
    will never be put to shame.”[b](F)

Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,(G)

“The stone the builders rejected(H)
    has become the cornerstone,”[c](I)

and,

“A stone that causes people to stumble
    and a rock that makes them fall.”[d](J)

They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.(K)

But you are a chosen people,(L) a royal priesthood,(M) a holy nation,(N) God’s special possession,(O) that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.(P)

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Peter 2:5 Or into a temple of the Spirit
  2. 1 Peter 2:6 Isaiah 28:16
  3. 1 Peter 2:7 Psalm 118:22
  4. 1 Peter 2:8 Isaiah 8:14

The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God.

What’s more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would make the Gentiles right in his sight because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, “All nations will be blessed through you.”[a] So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith.

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Footnotes

  1. 3:8 Gen 12:3; 18:18; 22:18.

Understand, then, that those who have faith(A) are children of Abraham.(B) 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.”[a](C) So those who rely on faith(D) are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.(E)

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Footnotes

  1. Galatians 3:8 Gen. 12:3; 18:18; 22:18

12 And Abraham is also the spiritual father of those who have been circumcised, but only if they have the same kind of faith Abraham had before he was circumcised.

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12 And he is then also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

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10 [a]“Yet the time will come when Israel’s people will be like the sands of the seashore—too many to count! Then, at the place where they were told, ‘You are not my people,’ it will be said, ‘You are children of the living God.’

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Footnotes

  1. 1:10 Verses 1:10-11 are numbered 2:1-2 in Hebrew text.

10 “Yet the Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore, which cannot be measured or counted.(A) In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called ‘children of the living God.’(B)

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28 For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision. 29 No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by the Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise[a] from God, not from people.

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Footnotes

  1. 2:29 Or receives praise.

28 A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly,(A) nor is circumcision merely outward and physical.(B) 29 No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart,(C) by the Spirit,(D) not by the written code.(E) Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.(F)

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47 As they approached, Jesus said, “Now here is a genuine son of Israel—a man of complete integrity.”

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47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite(A) in whom there is no deceit.”(B)

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25 In the Lord all the generations of Israel will be justified,
    and in him they will boast.

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25 But all the descendants(A) of Israel
    will find deliverance(B) in the Lord
    and will make their boast in him.(C)

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Book three (Psalms 73–89)

Psalm 73

A psalm of Asaph.

Truly God is good to Israel,
    to those whose hearts are pure.

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BOOK III

Psalms 73–89

Psalm 73

A psalm of Asaph.

Surely God is good to Israel,
    to those who are pure in heart.(A)

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23 “Tell Aaron and his sons to bless the people of Israel with this special blessing:

24 ‘May the Lord bless you
    and protect you.
25 May the Lord smile on you
    and be gracious to you.
26 May the Lord show you his favor
    and give you his peace.’

27 Whenever Aaron and his sons bless the people of Israel in my name, I myself will bless them.”

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23 “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless(A) the Israelites. Say to them:

24 “‘“The Lord bless you(B)
    and keep you;(C)
25 the Lord make his face shine on you(D)
    and be gracious to you;(E)
26 the Lord turn his face(F) toward you
    and give you peace.(G)”’

27 “So they will put my name(H) on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”

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