Thematic Bible




Thematic Bible



Abram was ninety-nine years old. Jehovah appeared to him and said: I am God Almighty. Walk before me and be blameless. I will establish my covenant between us. I will greatly increase your numbers. Abram fell on his face and God said to him: read more.
This is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. You will no longer be called Abram (Exalted Father). Your name will be Abraham (means Father of Many). I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful. I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant as a long lasting covenant between us. It will be for your descendants after you, for the generations to come. I will be your God and the God of your descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you are now a guest (alien) (foreigner) (stranger), I will give a long lasting possession to you and your descendants after you. I will be their God. Then God said to Abraham: As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You are to undergo circumcision. It will be the sign of the covenant between us. For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised. This includes those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner, those who are not your offspring. Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be a long lasting covenant. Any male not circumcised in the flesh will be cut off from his people. He has broken my covenant. God continued: Do not call your wife Sarai any longer. Her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations. Kings of peoples will come from her. Abraham fell to his face. He laughed and said to himself: Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety? Abraham said to God: If only Ishmael might live under your blessing! God replied: Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son! You will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as a long lasting covenant for his descendants after him. Concerning Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him. I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. But my covenant I will establish with Isaac. Sarah will bear him to you by this time next year. When he finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.

You will give truth to Jacob, and show loving-kindness (unchanging love) to Abraham. For you have sworn this to our fathers from the days of old.

It was the oath he spoke to Abraham our father.

The promise to Abraham or to his seed that he should be heir of the world was not through the law but through righteousness by faith.

Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcised for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers.

When God made a promise to Abraham, he could swear by no one greater then himself, so he swore by himself. He said: I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.

Abraham believed God and Jehovah considered his faith as his righteousness. (Genesis 15:6) You know that those who have faith are sons of Abraham. The Scripture revealed ahead of time, that God justified the people of the nations by faith. He preached the good news beforehand to Abraham. He said: In you will all the nations be blessed. read more.
So then those who have faith are blessed with the faithful Abraham. Those who are of the works of the Law are under a curse. For it is written, Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the Law, by obeying them. The fact that the Law justifies no man before God is evident. The righteous will live by faith. The Law is not based on faith. He that does them will live by them. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. It is written; Cursed is everyone who is hung on a stake. This way the blessing of Abraham might come upon the nations through Christ Jesus and we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Brothers, I speak like a man speaks: Though it is only a man's covenant, yet when it has been confirmed, no one makes it void, or adds to it. The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He did not say to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to your seed, which is Christ. Now this I say: the Law, which came four hundred and thirty years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise. If the inheritance is based on the Law, it is no longer based on a promise. However God granted it to Abraham by means of a promise.


It is written, that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman, and one by the freewoman. How is it that the son by the slave woman is born after the flesh; but the son by the freewoman is born through promise? This contains an allegory (symbolic drama). These women symbolize two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children to bondage, which is Hagar. read more.
Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia. She corresponds to the Jerusalem that now is. She is in bondage with her children. The Jerusalem above is free. She is our mother. It is written, Rejoice, barren woman who does not give birth. Break forth and cry, you who do not labor; for there are more children of the desolate than of the one who has the husband. Brothers, we are children who belong to the promise, the same as Isaac was. Just like then, the son who was conceived in a natural way according to the flesh persecuted the son conceived in a spiritual way. That is exactly what is happening now! What do the scriptures say? Throw out the slave woman and her son. For the son of the slave woman must not share the inheritance with the son of the free woman. (Genesis 21:10) Brothers, we are not children of a slave woman but of the free woman.











For as many of you who were baptized into Christ put on (clothed yourselves with) Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one (united) in Christ Jesus. (John 17:21) (Ephesians 4:4-6) If you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, heirs according to promise.


Now that faith has come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you who were baptized into Christ put on (clothed yourselves with) Christ. read more.
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one (united) in Christ Jesus. (John 17:21) (Ephesians 4:4-6) If you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, heirs according to promise.


For as many of you who were baptized into Christ put on (clothed yourselves with) Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one (united) in Christ Jesus. (John 17:21) (Ephesians 4:4-6) If you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, heirs according to promise.

For there is no difference between Jew and Greek. The same Lord (God) of all is abounding in riches for all who call on him. Everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah will be saved. (Joel 2:32)

But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets. God makes people righteous through their active faith in Jesus Christ. God does this to all who believe in Christ, because there is no difference at all.

The apostles and elders came together to consider this matter. After much discussion Peter got up and said: Men and brothers you know that God made a choice among us, that I would preach the good news to the nations that they may hear and believe. God knows their hearts and showed that he accepted them by giving them Holy Spirit just as he did to us. read more.
He made no distinction between them and us and purified their hearts by faith.

For as the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of that one body, being many and are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body, whether we are Jews or people of the nations, whether we are bond or free; we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

Now you also put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you got rid of the old self with its evil practices. You put on the new self that is being renewed to a true knowledge (full discernment) according to the image of the one who created him. read more.
There is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bondman, freeman; but Christ is all and in all.



All who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of bondage again causing fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Father, Father! (Chaldee: Abba, meaning father). The Spirit itself (Greek:autos ho pneuma) (itself the Spirit) bears witness with our spirit (mind and heart), that we are children of God. read more.
If children, then heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ. If indeed we suffer with him we may also be glorified with him.



Because you are sons, God sent the spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father. So you are no longer slaves but a son. And as a son God has made you an heir.


The promise to Abraham or to his seed that he should be heir of the world was not through the law but through righteousness by faith.











For as many of you who were baptized into Christ put on (clothed yourselves with) Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one (united) in Christ Jesus. (John 17:21) (Ephesians 4:4-6) If you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, heirs according to promise.

The Spirit itself (Greek:autos ho pneuma) (itself the Spirit) bears witness with our spirit (mind and heart), that we are children of God. If children, then heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ. If indeed we suffer with him we may also be glorified with him.

When we were children, we too were held in bondage. We were slaves to the arrangement of this world. When the full time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, that he might redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. read more.
Because you are sons, God sent the spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father. So you are no longer slaves but a son. And as a son God has made you an heir.

It was for an administration at the appointed time. This administration is to gather up all things in Christ, the things in heaven, and the things upon the earth. Yes in him! We were assigned as heirs predetermined according to his purpose. He works all things according to his direction and will.

Since the day we heard about you, we have not ceased to pray and make request for you. We pray for you to be filled with the [intimate accurate] knowledge (discernment) (recognition) of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. (Philippians 1:9) (John 17:3) Walk worthily of God, fully pleasing him. Bear fruit in every good work, and increase in the knowledge (Greek: epignosis: full discernment, recognition) of God. God will strengthen you with all power, according to the might of his glory, to all patience and longsuffering with joy. read more.
Give thanks to the Father, who made us partakers of the inheritance of the holy ones in the light.

For we also once were foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. When the kindness of God our Savior, and his love toward man, appeared, not by works done in righteousness, which we did, but according to his mercy he saved us, through the washing of regeneration (restoration) (spiritual rebirth) and renewing (renovation) of the Holy Spirit. read more.
He poured Spirit out upon us richly, through Jesus Christ our Savior. Being justified by his grace (loving kindness), we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.


For as many of you who were baptized into Christ put on (clothed yourselves with) Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one (united) in Christ Jesus. (John 17:21) (Ephesians 4:4-6) If you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, heirs according to promise.

For there is no difference between Jew and Greek. The same Lord (God) of all is abounding in riches for all who call on him. Everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah will be saved. (Joel 2:32)

But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets. God makes people righteous through their active faith in Jesus Christ. God does this to all who believe in Christ, because there is no difference at all.

The apostles and elders came together to consider this matter. After much discussion Peter got up and said: Men and brothers you know that God made a choice among us, that I would preach the good news to the nations that they may hear and believe. God knows their hearts and showed that he accepted them by giving them Holy Spirit just as he did to us. read more.
He made no distinction between them and us and purified their hearts by faith.

For as the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of that one body, being many and are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body, whether we are Jews or people of the nations, whether we are bond or free; we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

Now you also put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you got rid of the old self with its evil practices. You put on the new self that is being renewed to a true knowledge (full discernment) according to the image of the one who created him. read more.
There is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bondman, freeman; but Christ is all and in all.






The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces. Your hands made me and fashioned me. Give me understanding, that I may learn your commandments. May those who fear you see me and be glad, for I wait for your word. read more.
I know, O Jehovah, that your judgments are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.

What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid! I had not known sin except through the law. For I had not known coveting except the law had said: You should not covet. But sin, finding occasion, worked out in me through the commandment all manner of coveting. Apart from the law sin is dead. I was alive apart from the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. read more.
The commandment, which was to life, this I found to be to death. For sin, finding occasion, through the commandment deceived me, and through it killed me. The law is holy, and the commandment holy, and righteous, and good. Did that which is good become death to me? God forbid! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good. This way sin might be shown to be sin. Through the commandment sin could be recognized. For we know that the law is spiritual. But I am fleshly and sold under sin. I do not understand what I am doing. For what I want to do I do not do. What I hate, I do. But if what I do not want to do, I do, I consent to the law that it is right.

What then is the law? It was added (to cause awareness of sin) because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise has been made. It was ordained through angels by the hand of a mediator. A mediator is not a mediator of one; but God is one. Is the Law then against the promises of God? God forbid! If a law had been given which could impart life, righteousness would have been from the Law. read more.
But the Scriptures shut up (imprisoned) (pictured) all things (mankind) under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. But before faith came the Law held us in custody. We were locked up until faith was revealed. The Law was our schoolmaster (Greek: paedagogue: a combination of schoolmaster, instructor, servant and guardian in charge of us) to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you who were baptized into Christ put on (clothed yourselves with) Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one (united) in Christ Jesus. (John 17:21) (Ephesians 4:4-6) If you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, heirs according to promise.



For as many of you who were baptized into Christ put on (clothed yourselves with) Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one (united) in Christ Jesus. (John 17:21) (Ephesians 4:4-6) If you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, heirs according to promise.



By faith he became an alien in the Promised Land. It was not his land. He lived in tents with Isaac and Jacob. They were heirs with him of the same promise.



The promise to Abraham or to his seed that he should be heir of the world was not through the law but through righteousness by faith.













For as many of you who were baptized into Christ put on (clothed yourselves with) Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one (united) in Christ Jesus. (John 17:21) (Ephesians 4:4-6) If you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, heirs according to promise.

For as the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of that one body, being many and are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body, whether we are Jews or people of the nations, whether we are bond or free; we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

Jesus spoke these things and lifted up his eyes to heaven. He said: Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that the son may glorify you. You have given him authority over all flesh that he may give everlasting life to the ones whom you have given him. This is everlasting life that they should have *deep, intimate knowledge of you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have commissioned. *(Greek: ginosko: know, perceive, be sure, understand) read more.
I glorified you on the earth. I accomplished the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me with you, the glory that I had with you before the world existed. I taught your name to the men whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours and you gave them to me. They have lived by your word. Now they know that all things you gave me are from you. I gave them the words that you gave me. They understood them and knew I came from you. They believed you sent me. I pray for them. I do not pray for the world. I pray only for those you gave me, for they are yours. All things that are mine are yours, and yours are mine and I am glorified in them. I am no more in the world but they are in the world. I come to you Holy Father. Keep them in your name, which you have given to me, that they may be one*, even as we are. *(Greek: heis; united in purpose and love) While I was with them I kept them in your name, which you have given to me. I guarded them, and not one of them perished, except the son of perdition; that the Scripture might be fulfilled. Now I come to you. I spoke these things in the world, that they may have my joy made full in themselves. I gave them your word. The world hated them because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not pray that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth. As you commissioned (sent) me into the world, I commissioned (sent) them into the world. I sanctify myself for them, that they may be sanctified by truth. I pray, not for these alone but for those who will believe in me through their word. May they all be united (in agreement) as one. Just as you, Father, are with me, and I am with you. Help them be united with us! That way the world may believe that you sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me in order that they may be one even as we are one. I with them, and you with me, that they may accomplish complete unity. That way the world may know that you sent me and that you love them just as you love me.


For as many of you who were baptized into Christ put on (clothed yourselves with) Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one (united) in Christ Jesus. (John 17:21) (Ephesians 4:4-6) If you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, heirs according to promise.