Book of Common Prayer

4 So what shall we say about Abraham? He is the father of our family on earth.

² If Abraham was put right with God, because of what he did, he has something to be proud of. But he has nothing to be proud of when he stands before God.

³ What do the holy writings say? It says, `Abraham believed God. And God said that he was a good man.'

⁴ When a person works, his pay is not a gift to him. His pay belongs to him.

⁵ But no person can work to put himself right with God. It is God alone who makes a bad person right. The one who believes in him - even a bad person is put right.

⁶ David also says that God blesses a man. God calls him a good man but not because he has kept the law.

⁷ David said, `God blesses people who have been forgiven the wrong things they have done. God covers over the wrong things they have done.

⁸ The Lord blesses people when he forgets the wrong things they have done.'

⁹ Does God bless only people who have been circumcised? Or does he also bless those who are not? We say, because Abraham believed God, God called him a good man. His faith made him right with God.

¹⁰ When did God say that? Was it when Abraham was circumcised? Or was it before? It was not when he was circumcised: it was before.

¹¹ Abraham was circumcised as a sign. It was a sign that he was a good man, because he believed when he was not yet circumcised. That makes him the father of all people who believe, even those who are not circumcised. God says they are good people.

¹² That makes him also the father of those who are circumcised. I mean people who are circumcised and do as our father Abraham did. Even when he was not circumcised, he believed.

²³ Then Jesus said to his disciples, `I tell you the truth. It is very hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.

²⁴ And I tell you this also. It is easier for a big animal like a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.'

²⁵ When the disciples heard this, they were very much surprised. They said, `Then who can be saved?'

²⁶ Jesus looked at them and said, `Men cannot do it, but God can do anything.'

²⁷ Then Peter said, `See, we have left all things and have come with you. So what will we have?'

²⁸ Jesus said to them, `I tell you the truth. In the new world, the Son of Man will be great. He will sit on his throne of glory [big chair of a king] to rule. Then you who have come with me will also sit on twelve thrones. You will judge the twelve tribes of Israel.

²⁹ If anyone has left his house, his brothers, his sisters, his father, his mother, his children, or his farms for my sake, he will receive a hundred times as much as he has left. And he will live for ever.

³⁰ But many people who are first will be last, and those who are last will be first.'