Read the New Testament in 24 Weeks
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.
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