Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

¹⁶ I am not ashamed of the good news of Jesus Christ. The good news is the power God uses to save every one who believes. The good news was for the Jews first, but also for those who are not Jews.

¹⁷ The good news shows how God puts a person right. God puts a person right when that person believes in his Son and keeps on believing. The holy writings say, `A person who is put right because he believes, will live for ever.'

²² God puts people right with himself when they believe in Jesus Christ. He does this for all who believe. They are all alike.

²³ All have done wrong and all are far from being as good as God.

²⁴ But God is kind and makes them right with himself. It is a gift. He does it because Christ Jesus paid the price to set them free.

²⁵ God gave him as a sacrifice. When people believe in him, his blood pays for the wrong things they have done. This shows that God is good and right. He was right when he forgave the wrong things that people did long ago.

²⁶ God also shows that he is right now. He does this when he makes right any person who believes in Jesus.

²⁷ Then what have we to be proud of? Nothing at all. Why not? Does God put us right with himself because of anything we have done? No. He does it because we believe.

²⁸ We know that if a person believes in Christ, God makes him right again. It is not because that person has obeyed the law.

²⁹ Is God the God of the Jews only? Is he not the God of other people also? Yes, he is. There is only one God of all peoples.

³⁰ He will put right people who have been circumcised [the Jews] because they believe. And he will also put right people who are not circumcised when they believe.

³¹ When we believe, does that make the law no good to us? No. That is not so. When we believe, we show that the law is right.

²¹ `Some people say to me, "Lord, Lord". But not all who say that will go into the kingdom of heaven. Only those who do what my Father in heaven wants, will go in.

²² Many people will say to me on that day, "Lord, Lord, did we not speak in your name? Did we not drive bad spirits out of people in your name? Did we not do big works in your name?"

²³ Then I will say to them, "I never knew you. Go away from me! What you do is very wrong!" '

²⁴ `Everyone who hears what I say and obeys me will be like a man who has good sense. He built his house on a rock.

²⁵ It rained hard. The water in the rivers came up high. The winds were strong and beat on the house. But it did not fall down. It was built on a rock.

²⁶ But everyone who hears what I say and does not obey me, will be like a man who has no sense. He built his house on the sand.

²⁷ It rained hard. The water in the rivers came up high. The winds were strong and beat on the house. It fell down with a loud noise!'

²⁸ Jesus finished saying all these things. The people were surprised at his teaching.

²⁹ He taught them as if he had the right to teach them. He did not teach like their scribes.