They answered, "Our father is Abraham." Jesus said to them, "If you are Abraham's children, then do what Abraham did.

That is why it all turns upon faith; it is to make it a matter of God's favor, so that the promise may hold good for all Abraham's descendants, not only those who are adherents of the Law, but also those who share the faith of Abraham. For he is the father of all of us;

for none of Abraham's posterity was yet begotten at the time of his meeting with Melchizedek.

Does this happiness apply to those who are circumcised, or to those who are uncircumcised as well? What we say is, Abraham's faith was credited to him as uprightness.

and the forefather of those circumcised persons who not only share his circumcision but follow our forefather Abraham's example in the faith he had before he was circumcised.

Do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our forefather,' for I tell you God can produce descendants for Abraham right out of these stones!

Then produce fruit that will be consistent with your professed repentance! And do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our forefather,' for I tell you, God can produce descendants for Abraham right out of these stones!

Faith enabled Abraham, when he was put to the test, to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had accepted God's promises was ready to sacrifice his only son,

and so the Scripture came true that says, "Abraham had faith in God, and it was credited to him as uprightness, and he was called God's friend."

They answered, "We are descended from Abraham, and have never been anyone's slaves. How can you say to us, 'You will be set free'?"

If they are Hebrews, so am I! If they are Israelites, so am I! If they are descended from Abraham, so am I!

For when God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to make oath by, he did so by himself,

For this man Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham as he was on his way back from defeating the kings, and gave him his blessing,

to whom Abraham apportioned one tenth of all the spoil, who is first, as his name shows, king of righteousness and then king of Salem, which means king of peace??3 with no father or mother or ancestry, and with no beginning to his days nor end to his life, but like no one but the Son of God, continues as priest forever.

Now see how great this man must have been to have the patriarch Abraham give him a tenth of the spoil.

Those of the descendants of Levi who are appointed to the priesthood are directed by the Law to collect tithes from the people, that is, from their own brothers, although they are descended from Abraham like themselves.

But this man, whose ancestry is not connected with theirs, collected tithes from Abraham himself, and gave his blessing to the man who had received the promises from God.

In one way of putting it, Levi himself, the collector of the tithes, through Abraham paid him tithes,

Faith enabled Abraham to obey when God summoned him to leave his home for a region which he was to have for his own, and to leave home without knowing where he was going.

For of course it was not angels but the descendants of Abraham that he came to help.

Was not our forefather Abraham made upright for his good deeds, for offering his son Isaac on the altar?

like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham, and called him Master. You are true daughters of hers, if you do right and are unafraid.