Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

The Abrahamic Covenant

15 Some time later, a message came from the Lord to Abram in a vision. “Stop being afraid, Abram.” he said. “I myself—your shield—am your very great reward.”

² But Abram replied, “Lord God, what can you give me since I continue to be childless, and the heir of my household is Eliezer from Damascus? ³ Look!” Abram said, “You haven’t given me any offspring, so a servant born in^[a] my house is going to be my heir.”

⁴ A message came from the Lord to him again: “This one will not be your heir. Instead, the child who will be born to you^[b] will be your heir.” ⁵ Then the Lord^[c] took him outside. “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if you can!” he said. “Your descendants will be that numerous.”^{[d] 6} Abram believed the Lord, and it was credited to him as righteousness.

¹² As the sun began to set, Abram was overcome with deep sleep, and suddenly a frightening and terrifying darkness descended on him.

¹³ Then the Lord told Abram, “You can be certain about this: Your descendants will be foreigners in a land that isn’t theirs. They will be slaves there and will be oppressed for 400 years. ¹⁴ However, I will judge the nation that they serve, and later they will leave there with many possessions. ¹⁵ Now as for you, you’ll die peacefully, join your ancestors, and be buried at a good old age. ¹⁶ Your descendants^[a] will return here in the fourth generation, since the iniquity of the Amorites has not yet run its course.”

¹⁷ When the sun had fully set and it was dark, a smoking fire pot and a fiery torch passed between the animal pieces.^{[b] 18} That very day the Lord made this covenant with Abram: “I’m giving^[c] this land to your descendants, from the river of Egypt to the great Euphrates River—

God Gives Us Righteousness through Faith

²¹ But now, apart from the Law, God’s righteousness is revealed and is attested by the Law and the Prophets— ²² God’s righteousness through the faithfulness of Jesus^[a] the Messiah^[b]— for all who believe. For there is no distinction among people,^{[c] 23} since all have sinned and continue to fall short of God’s glory. ²⁴ By his grace they are justified freely through the redemption that is in the Messiah^[d] Jesus, ²⁵ whom God offered as a place where atonement by the Messiah’s^[e] blood would occur through faith. He did this^[f] to demonstrate his righteousness, because he had waited patiently to deal with sins committed in the past. ²⁶ He wanted^[g] to demonstrate at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies anyone who has the faithfulness of Jesus.^[h]

²⁷ What, then, is there to boast about? That has been eliminated. On what principle? On that of actions? No, but on the principle of faith. ²⁸ For^[i] we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the actions prescribed by the Law. ²⁹ Is God the God of the Jews only? Is he not the God of the gentiles, too? Yes, of the gentiles, too, ³⁰ since there is only one God who will justify the circumcised on the basis of faith and the uncircumcised by that same faith. ³¹ Do we, then, abolish the Law by this faith? Of course not! Instead, we uphold the Law.