Book of Common Prayer

⁶ So it was with Abraham. The holy writings say `He believed God, and that was why God called him a good man.'

⁷ You see then, the people who believe God are children of Abraham.

⁸ The holy writings say that he will put people right with himself if they believe him, even those who are not Jews. It was written down before God did it. The holy writings told the good news to Abraham ahead of time. It said, `God will make you a blessing to all nations and people.'

⁹ Abraham believed God and was blessed. And so those who believe God are blessed too, along with him.

¹⁰ A curse is on all people who are trying to become good by obeying the law. The holy writings say, `Everyone is cursed who does not always obey everything that is written in the book of the law and do it.'

¹¹ Now, you can see this. No man is called a good man by God because he obeys the law. The holy writings say, `Those who are right with God shall live by faith.'

¹² The law does not ask people to believe. It says, `He who obeys the laws will live because of them.'

¹³ Christ has saved us from the curse which the law put on us. He took the curse on himself. It should have been on us. The holy writings say, `A curse be on everyone who hangs on a tree!'

¹⁴ Christ Jesus did this so that those who are not Jews will have the blessing which Abraham had. He did this so that when we believe, we will receive the Spirit who was promised to us.

³⁰ `I have no right to do anything myself. I judge the way I am told to judge. The way I judge people is right. I do not do what I myself want to do, but I do what my Father wants me to do. He sent me.

³¹ `If I talk about myself, then what I say is not true.

³² But someone else also speaks about me. I know what he says about me is true.

³³ You sent someone to John and he has told you the truth about me.

³⁴ I do not need to listen to what a person says about me. But I tell you this so that you may be saved.

³⁵ John was a light burning and shining. For a while you were happy to be in his light.

³⁶ But I have something greater than John to talk for me. It is the works that I do. My Father has given me works to finish. The works that I do tell that he sent me.

³⁷ And my Father who sent me has himself talked about me. You have never heard him speak and you do not know what he is like.

³⁸ The word he talks is not in your hearts, because you do not believe the one he sent to you.

³⁹ `You read holy writings carefully. You think that there you will find out how to live for ever. In the same writings you will read about me.

⁴⁰ And yet you will not come to me for that life.

⁴¹ I do not want people to call me great.

⁴² But I know that you do not love God in your hearts.

⁴³ I have come in my Father's name, but you will not receive me. If another person comes in his own name, then you will receive him.

⁴⁴ How can you believe? You are always calling each other great, but you do not want the only God to make you great.

⁴⁵ Do not think that I will carry a complaint against you to my Father. Moses has already carried the complaint against you. He is the very one you trust.

⁴⁶ If you really believed Moses, you would believe me too, because he wrote about me.

⁴⁷ But if you do not believe what he wrote, how will you believe what I say?'