Beginning
What About Abraham?
4 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according-to[a] the flesh, has found? 2 For if Abraham was declared-righteous by works, he has a boast— but not before God.
His Righteousness Came By Faith
3 For what does the Scripture say?— “And Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness” [Gen 15:6]. 4 Now to the one working, the wages are not credited to him based-on grace, but based on debt. 5 But to the one not working but putting-faith upon the One declaring the ungodly righteous— his faith is credited for righteousness. 6 Just as David also says [in Ps 32:1-2] as to the blessedness of the person to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: 7 “Blessed are the ones whose lawless-deeds were forgiven and whose sins were covered. 8 Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count”.
This Occurred Prior To Circumcision
9 So is this blessedness upon the circumcised, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say “Faith was credited to Abraham for righteousness”. 10 How then was it credited— to one being in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision! 11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of [b] faith while in uncircumcision, so that he might be[c] the father of all the ones believing through uncircumcision— so that righteousness might be credited also to them— 12 and the father of the circumcised to the ones not of circumcision only, but indeed the ones walking-in-line in the footsteps of the faith of our father Abraham while he was in uncircumcision.
The Promise Was Not Through The Law But Faith, Making It Firm To All
13 For the promise to Abraham or to his seed[d] that he should be the inheritor of the world was not through the Law[e], but through the righteousness of faith! 14 For if the ones of the Law are inheritors, faith has been made-empty[f] and the promise has been nullified[g]. 15 For the Law brings-about wrath. But where there is no Law, neither is there transgression[h]. 16 For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be based on grace, so that the promise might be firm[i] to all the seed— not to the seed of the Law only[j], but also to the seed of the faith of Abraham,
Abraham Is The Father of All Who Believe
... who is the father of us all— 17 just as it has been written [in Gen 17:5] that “I have made you a father of many nations”— before God[k] Whom he believed, the One giving-life-to the dead and calling the things not being as[l] being,
He Believed God’s Promise, Contrary To All His Human Circumstances
18 ... who believed contrary-to[m] hope, upon hope, so that he might become[n] the father of many nations in accordance with the thing having been spoken [in Gen 15:5]: “So shall your seed be”. 19 And not having weakened in faith, he considered[o] his own body already having become impotent[p], being about a hundred years old, and the deadness of the womb of Sarah. 20 But he did not waver in unbelief with reference to the promise of God, but became-strong in faith— having given glory to God, 21 and having been fully-convinced that what He had promised He was able also to do.
His Faith Was Credited To Him As Righteousness, And So Is Ours
22 Therefore indeed it was credited to him for righteousness. 23 And it was not written for his sake only that it was credited to him, 24 but also for our sake to whom it is going-to be credited— the ones putting-faith upon the One having raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25 Who was handed-over for[q] our trespasses and was raised for[r] our justification.
This Means We Have Peace With God And Access To His Grace Through Jesus Christ
5 Therefore, having been declared-righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through Whom also we have the access by faith into this grace in which we stand.
And In Spite of Our Afflictions, Our Hope Will Not Disappoint Us, For God Loves Us
And we are boasting over the hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only this, but we also are boasting in the afflictions— knowing that the affliction is producing endurance, 4 and the endurance is producing approvedness, and the approvedness is producing hope, 5 and the hope does not put-to-shame[s] because the love of God has been poured-out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit having been given to us.
For God Shows His Love For Us In That Christ Died To Reconcile And Save Us
6 For while we were still being weak, yet at the right-time, Christ died for ungodly ones. 7 For one will rarely[t] die for a righteous person; for[u] perhaps someone may even dare to die for the good person. 8 But God demonstrates[v] His own love for us because while we were still being sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Therefore by much more, having now been declared-righteous by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath through Him. 10 For if while being enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, by much more having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
Our Boast Is In God Through Jesus Christ
11 And not only this, but we are also boasting in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through Whom we now received the reconciliation.
This Means That Death And Life Each Originated In The Act of One Man
12 Because of this[w], just as[x] through one man sin entered into the world, and death through the sin, and so death went-through[y] to all people because all sinned— 13 for until the Law, sin was in the world, but sin is not charged-to-the-account, there being no law. 14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over the ones not having sinned in the likeness[z] of the transgression of Adam, who is a pattern[aa] of the One coming.
One Sin Brought Death To Adam’s Many. God’s Gift Abounded To Christ’s Many
15 But not as is the trespass, so also[ab] is the grace-gift. For if by the trespass of the one man the many[ac] died, by much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man Jesus Christ abounded for the many.
Death Reigned From One Sin. The Gift Brings a Reign In Life To Those Receiving It
16 And not as[ad] what resulted through one man having sinned is the given-gift. For the judgment is from one trespass[ae], resulting-in a verdict-of-condemnation; but the grace-gift[af] is from many trespasses, resulting in a verdict-of-righteous[ag]. 17 For if by the trespass of the one man death reigned through the one, by much more the ones receiving the abundance of the grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign[ah] in life through the One, Jesus Christ.
Just As One Act Resulted In Condemnation, So One Act Resulted In Justification
18 So then[ai], as it was through one[aj] trespass resulting-in a verdict-of-condemnation for all people, so also it was through one righteous-act resulting-in a declaring-righteous[ak] issuing in[al] life for all people. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made[am] sinners, so also through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous ones.
The Law Increased Sin, But Grace Abounded So As To Reign Through Righteousness
20 And the Law[an] came-in-beside[ao] that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace super-abounded, 21 in order that just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness, resulting-in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
This Does Not Mean That We Should Keep Sinning Because Salvation Is By Grace
6 Therefore, what shall we say? Should we[ap] be continuing in sin in order that grace might increase? 2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?
Don’t You Know That We Died With Christ In Order To Live a New Life With Him?
3 Or do you not know that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried-with Him through baptism into death in order that just as Christ arose from the dead through the glory of the Father, so also we might walk in newness of life.
For We Share In His Death To Sin And His Life With God
5 For if we have become united-with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this: that our old person was crucified-with Him in order that the body of sin might be done-away-with[aq], so that we no longer[ar] are-slaves[as] to sin. 7 For the one having died has been declared-righteous from sin. 8 And if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live-with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having arisen from the dead, dies no more. Death lords-over Him no longer. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once-for-all. But the life that He is living, He is living to God. 11 So also you, be counting yourselves to be dead to sin but living to God in Christ Jesus.
So Don’t Let Sin Reign In You, But Present Yourselves To God As Alive From The Dead
12 Therefore do not let sin be reigning in your mortal body so that you are obeying its desires, 13 nor be presenting your body-parts to sin as instruments[at] of unrighteousness. But present yourselves to God as-if [au] being alive from the dead, and your body-parts to God as instruments of righteousness. 14 For sin shall not lord-over you— for you are not under the Law[av], but under grace.
This Does Not Mean We Should Sin Because We Are Not Under Law, But Under Grace
15 Therefore, what? Should we sin[aw] because we are not under the Law but under grace? May it never be!
You Were Freed From Slavery To Sin. So Present Yourselves As Slaves of Righteousness
16 Do you not know that to whom you are presenting yourselves as slaves for obedience, you are slaves to whom you are obeying— whether slaves of sin leading-to[ax] death, or slaves of obedience leading-to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that you were slaves of sin, but you obeyed from the heart the form[ay] of teaching to which you were delivered. 18 And having been set-free from sin, you were enslaved[az] to righteousness 19 (I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh). For just as you presented your body-parts as slaves to impurity and lawlessness leading-to lawlessness, so now present your body-parts as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness.
The Fruit of Sin Is Shame And Death; Righteousness Leads To Holiness And Life
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free to[ba] righteousness. 21 So what fruit were you having at that time? Things[bb] over which you are now ashamed! For the outcome of those things is death. 22 But now having been set-free from sin and enslaved to God, you are having your fruit leading-to holiness. And the outcome is eternal life! 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
But We Are Indeed Not Under The Law, For It Only Has Jurisdiction Over The Living
7 Or[bc] do you not know, brothers (for I am speaking to ones knowing the Law[bd]), that the Law lords-over[be] the person for as much time as he lives? 2 For the married woman has been bound by the Law to the living husband; but if the husband dies, she has been released from the law of [bf] the husband. 3 So then, while the husband is living, she will be called an adulteress if she comes[bg] to a different husband. But if the husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress, having come to a different husband.
We Have Died To The Law In Christ
4 So-then[bh], my brothers, you also were put-to-death with reference to the Law[bi] through the body of Christ so that you might come[bj] to a different One— to the One having arisen from the dead— in order that we might bear-fruit for God.
Having Died, We Are Released From The Law Through Which Sin Produced Death
5 For when we were in the flesh[bk], the passions of [bl] sins which[bm] were through[bn] the Law were at-work in our body-parts so as to bear-fruit for death. 6 But now we were released[bo] from the Law, having died to that by which we were being held, so that we are serving in newness of the Spirit[bp] and not in oldness of the letter[bq].
Not That The Law Is At Fault For My Sin
7 Therefore, what shall we say? Is the Law sin[br]? May it never be! On-the-contrary, I would not have known[bs] sin except through the Law.
Sin Used The Law To Produce Sin In Me
For indeed I would not have known[bt] coveting[bu] if the Law were not saying [in Ex 20:17], “You shall not covet”. 8 But sin, having taken[bv] an opportunity[bw] through the commandment, produced[bx] every[by] [kind of ] coveting in me. For apart-from[bz] the Law, sin is dead[ca].
And Sin Used The Law To Kill Me
9 And I was once[cb] alive apart from the Law. But the commandment having come, sin became-alive[cc] 10 and I died. And the commandment for[cd] life— this was found in me to be for[ce] death. 11 For sin, having taken an opportunity through the commandment, deceived[cf] me, and through it, killed me.
So The Law Is Good
12 So-then the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.
Not That The Law Killed Me. Sin Is To Blame For My Death
13 Therefore did the good thing become death[cg] for me? May it never be! On the contrary, it was sin, in order that it might become-visible as sin while producing death in me through the good thing, in order that sin might become extremely[ch] sinful through the commandment.
I Agree The Law Is Good, But The Sin In Me Produces Behavior I Hate
14 For[ci] we know that the Law is spiritual. But I am made-of-flesh[cj], having been sold under sin. 15 For I do not understand[ck] what[cl] I am producing. For I am not practicing this which I am wanting, but I am doing this which I am hating. 16 But if I am doing this which I am not wanting, I am agreeing-with[cm] the Law— that it is good. 17 And now I am no longer producing it, but the sin[cn] dwelling in me is.
I Know I Am Not Good, For I Cannot Do The Good I Want To Do
18 For I know that good does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh. For the wanting is present in me, but the producing the good is not. 19 For I am not doing the good which I am wanting, but I am practicing this evil which I am not wanting. 20 But if I am doing this which I am not wanting, I am no longer producing it, but the sin[co] dwelling in me is.
So The Evil Inside Me Enslaves Me To The Law of Sin And Death In Me
21 I find then the law[cp] in me, the one wanting to do the good, that the evil is present in me. 22 For I am rejoicing-with[cq] the Law of God according-to[cr] the inner person. 23 But I am seeing a different law in my body-parts waging-war-against[cs] the law of my mind, and taking me captive[ct] under the law of sin existing in my body-parts. 24 I am a wretched[cu] person! Who will deliver me from this[cv] body of [cw] death? 25 But thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself am serving the Law of God with the mind, but the law of sin with the flesh.
Disciples' Literal New Testament: Serving Modern Disciples by More Fully Reflecting the Writing Style of the Ancient Disciples, Copyright © 2011 Michael J. Magill. All Rights Reserved. Published by Reyma Publishing