Sin, Confession and Redemption

59 Surely the arm(A) of the Lord is not too short(B) to save,
    nor his ear too dull to hear.(C)
But your iniquities have separated(D)
    you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you,
    so that he will not hear.(E)
For your hands are stained with blood,(F)
    your fingers with guilt.(G)
Your lips have spoken falsely,(H)
    and your tongue mutters wicked things.
No one calls for justice;(I)
    no one pleads a case with integrity.
They rely(J) on empty arguments, they utter lies;(K)
    they conceive trouble and give birth to evil.(L)
They hatch the eggs of vipers(M)
    and spin a spider’s web.(N)
Whoever eats their eggs will die,
    and when one is broken, an adder is hatched.
Their cobwebs are useless for clothing;
    they cannot cover themselves with what they make.(O)
Their deeds are evil deeds,
    and acts of violence(P) are in their hands.
Their feet rush into sin;
    they are swift to shed innocent blood.(Q)
They pursue evil schemes;(R)
    acts of violence mark their ways.(S)
The way of peace they do not know;(T)
    there is no justice in their paths.
They have turned them into crooked roads;(U)
    no one who walks along them will know peace.(V)

So justice is far from us,
    and righteousness does not reach us.
We look for light, but all is darkness;(W)
    for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows.

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10 As it is written:

“There is no one righteous, not even one;
11     there is no one who understands;
    there is no one who seeks God.
12 All have turned away,
    they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
    not even one.”[a](A)
13 “Their throats are open graves;
    their tongues practice deceit.”[b](B)
“The poison of vipers is on their lips.”[c](C)
14     “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”[d](D)
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16     ruin and misery mark their ways,
17 and the way of peace they do not know.”[e](E)
18     “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”[f](F)

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Footnotes

  1. Romans 3:12 Psalms 14:1-3; 53:1-3; Eccles. 7:20
  2. Romans 3:13 Psalm 5:9
  3. Romans 3:13 Psalm 140:3
  4. Romans 3:14 Psalm 10:7 (see Septuagint)
  5. Romans 3:17 Isaiah 59:7,8
  6. Romans 3:18 Psalm 36:1

34 No longer will they teach(A) their neighbor,
    or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know(B) me,
    from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the Lord.
“For I will forgive(C) their wickedness
    and will remember their sins(D) no more.”

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28 This is my blood of the[a] covenant,(A) which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.(B)

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 26:28 Some manuscripts the new

In him we have redemption(A) through his blood,(B) the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches(C) of God’s grace

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Light and Darkness, Sin and Forgiveness

This is the message we have heard(A) from him and declare to you: God is light;(B) in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness,(C) we lie and do not live out the truth.(D) But if we walk in the light,(E) as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all[a] sin.(F)

If we claim to be without sin,(G) we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.(H) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins(I) and purify us from all unrighteousness.(J) 10 If we claim we have not sinned,(K) we make him out to be a liar(L) and his word is not in us.(M)

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Footnotes

  1. 1 John 1:7 Or every

So do not be ashamed(A) of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner.(B) Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel,(C) by the power of God. He has saved(D) us and called(E) us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done(F) but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10 but it has now been revealed(G) through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus,(H) who has destroyed death(I) and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

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For there is one God(A) and one mediator(B) between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus,(C)

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My dear children,(A) I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate(B) with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.

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The Parable of the Lost Son

11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons.(A) 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’(B) So he divided his property(C) between them.

13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth(D) in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs.(E) 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned(F) against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.(G)

21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.(H) I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe(I) and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger(J) and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again;(K) he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.(L)

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19 I will give you the keys(A) of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be[a] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[b] loosed in heaven.”(B)

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 16:19 Or will have been
  2. Matthew 16:19 Or will have been

18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be[a] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[b] loosed in heaven.(A)

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 18:18 Or will have been
  2. Matthew 18:18 Or will have been

23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”(A)

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The Prayer of Faith

13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray.(A) Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.(B) 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders(C) of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil(D) in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith(E) will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins(F) to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.(G) The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.(H)

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