Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Alef [a]
Living in the Law of God
119 How blessed are those whose life[b] is blameless,
who walk in the Law of the Lord!
2 How blessed are those who observe his decrees,
who seek him with all of their heart,
3 who practice no evil
while they walk in his ways.
4 You have commanded concerning your precepts,
that they be guarded with diligence.
5 Oh, that my ways were steadfast,
so I may keep your statutes.
6 Then I will not be ashamed,
since my eyes will be fixed on all of your commands.
7 I will praise you with an upright heart,
as I learn your righteous decrees.
8 I will keep your statutes;
do not ever abandon me.
32 “Rise in the presence of the aged[a] and honor the elderly face-to-face.
“Fear your God. I am the Lord.
33 “If a resident alien lives with you in your land, you are not to mistreat him. 34 You are to treat the resident alien the same way you treat the native born among you—love him like yourself, since you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.
35 “You are not to act unjustly in deciding a case[b] or when measuring weight and quantity. 36 You are to maintain just balances and reliable standards for weights, dry volumes, and liquid volumes.[c] I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. 37 Observe all my statutes and all my ordinances in order to practice them. I am the Lord.”
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.
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