Thematic Bible




Thematic Bible



for as many of you as have been baptized into christianity, have been invested as christians. there is now no distinction of Jew or Greek, of bond or free, of male or female: for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Then said John to Jesus, master, we saw one casting out demons in your name, and we oppos'd it, because he does not follow you with us. but Jesus said to him, don't oppose it: for he that is not against us, is for us.

Upon this occasion John address'd himself to Jesus, saying, master, we saw a man casting out demons in your name, tho' he did not belong to us, for which reason we opposed him. but Jesus said, do not oppose him: for no man can speak evil of me, at the same time he works a miracle by virtue of my name. such a one is not against us, but for us. read more.
and whoever he be that shall give you a cup of water, as being the disciples of Christ, I assure you, he shall not lose his reward.

if therefore God has bestow'd the same favour upon them, as on us, after we had believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, how could I make any opposition to the divine will? Having heard this, they were appeas'd, and glorified God, saying, God has then granted salvation likewise to the gentiles, on the terms of their repentance.

However some that arrived from Judea, told the Gentile converts, unless you are circumcised agreeably to the law of Moses, you cannot be saved. upon which Paul and Barnabas having warmly contested the point with them, it was resolved, that Paul and Barnabas and some others should go to Jerusalem to consult the apostles upon this question. so they set out, accompanied part of the way by the church, and pass'd thro' Phenicia and Samaria, relating the conversion of the Gentiles, which gave great joy to all the brethren. read more.
and being arrived at Jerusalem, they were receiv'd by the church, by the apostles, and presbyters, to whom they related all that God had done by them. but some of the sect of the Pharisees who had embraced the faith, started up, pretending that the Gentiles ought to be circumcised, and observe the law of Moses. The apostles therefore, and the presbyters assembled to deliberate upon this affair. and after the question had been much canvass'd, Peter rose up, and said, my brethren, you know that a considerable time since God chose me from among you to preach the gospel to the Gentiles, and bring them to the faith. God who knows their hearts has granted them a testimonial, by giving them the holy spirit, even as he did to us: making no difference between us and them, having purified their hearts by the faith. why therefore do you tempt God to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither we nor our forefathers were able to bear? but we believe that it is by the favour of the Lord Jesus Christ, that we are to be sav'd, as well as they. The whole assembly were very silent, whilst Barnabas and Paul related what miracles and prodigies God had wrought among the Gentiles by their ministry. After they had done speaking, James assum'd the discourse, and said, my brethren, give me your attention. Simon has related how God began to visit the Gentiles, to chuse from among them a people consecrated to his name. and this is agreeable to the oracles of the prophets: as it is written, "after this I will return and build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down: I will repair its ruins, and raise it up: that the rest of mankind, even all the nations, that profess my name, may seek the Lord. he that does all these things, is the Lord himself that has said it." for the works of God are all known to him from the beginning of the world. wherefore my opinion is not to disquiet the Gentile converts: but only to write to them, that they abstain from the pollutions of idols, from fornication, from animals that are strangled, and from their blood. for as to the law of Moses, that has been published in every city a considerable time, being read in the synagogues every sabbath-day. Then the apostles, the presbyters, and the whole church thought it proper to select some out of their own body to accompany Paul and Barnabas to Antioch: such as Judas surnam'd Barsabas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren, whom they charg'd with this letter. The apostles, the presbyters, and the brethren, to the Gentile brethren at Antioch, in Syria, and Cilicia, send greeting. Whereas we have been appriz'd, that some who went from us, have embarass'd you with their discourse, and unsettled your minds, maintaining, that you ought to be circumcised, and to observe the law, though we gave them no such injunction: after having been assembled, we unanimously judg'd it proper to send particular deputies to you, with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men that have exposed their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. we therefore send Judas and Silas to inform you in person of this affair. for by the holy spirit it seemed good to us, to lay no greater burthen upon you, than these necessary injunctions; that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the flesh of strangled animals, and from fornication: you will do well to preserve your selves from these practices. farewel. Being thus dispatch'd, they went to Antioch; where having assembled all the faithful, they deliver'd the letter: from the reading of which, they were affected with joy at the comfortable contents, as for Judas and Silas,

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, chosen to declare the gospel dispensation, which God had promised by his prophets in the holy scriptures, with relation to his son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was of the lineage of David as to his body, read more.
but as to his holy spirit miraculously declared to be the son of God, by his resurrection from the dead: by whose favour I have received the office of an apostle to bring the Gentiles every where to the obedience of faith preached in his name: among whom Jesus Christ has also called you: to all the beloved of God, the saints by this vocation, who are in Rome, grace to you, and peace from God our father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

I owe what service I can do to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians, to the learned, and to the illiterate. so, that as far as it depends upon me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you also, who are at Rome. for I am not ashamed of the gospel, since it is divinely effectual to salvation, to everyone that believes, to the Jew first, and then to the Gentile.

for by the observation of the law no one shall be justified in his sight, since it is the law that takes cognizance of sin. but the divine justification certified by the law and the prophets, is now clearly proposed independently of the law: that divine justification, which by faith in Jesus Christ is extended to all, that believe; for there is no distinction: read more.
for all having sinned, all have forfeited eternal glory: being justified by his unmerited favour through the redemption that is by Jesus Christ: whom God had ordained, thro' faith, to be the propitiatory victim by his blood, for the manifestation of his goodness, by patiently passing over their past transgressions: to manifest, I say, his goodness at this time: that he might appear to be just, and the justifier of him who believes in Jesus. what reason then is there for boasting? it is excluded. what, by the ceremonial law? no: but by the law of faith. for we conclude, that a man is justified by faith, without observing the legal rites. is God the God of the Jews only, and not of the Gentiles? surely he is of the Gentiles too; since it is one God, who will justify both the Jews and the Gentiles, through faith. do we then make the law useless by our doctrine of faith? by no means; on the contrary, it is we that observe the law.

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, who has given us access by faith to that degree of favour, we are in, by which we triumph in the hopes of divine glory.

for he is our peace-maker, who hath united both Jew and Gentile, and hath by his flesh broken down the middle wall of partition (which kept us at variance) by abolishing the dogmatical injunctions of the law, that having made the peace, he might incorporate the two into one new body under himself; that he might reconcile both in one body unto God by the cross, wherefore he destroyed the enmity that was between them: read more.
and being come, he preached the glad tidings of peace to YOU who were afar off, and to US that were nigh.

by which there is now neither Greek, or Jew; circumcised, or uncircumcised; Barbarian, or Scythian; slave, or freeman; but Christ is all, and in all. be you therefore adorn'd with a compassionate temper, with benevolence, humility, meekness, patience as becometh saints and chosen favourites of God: bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, when one has any cause of complaint against another: as the Lord forgave you, do you likewise forgive. read more.
to all this add love, which is the band of perfect union: may the peace of Christ, to which you are called to be but one body, influence your hearts, to be benevolent.




and while I was speaking to them, the holy spirit descended upon them, as it did on us, at the beginning. then I remember'd that expression of the Lord, "John baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the holy spirit." if therefore God has bestow'd the same favour upon them, as on us, after we had believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, how could I make any opposition to the divine will?


Peter was yet speaking, when the holy spirit descended on all that heard him.

God who knows their hearts has granted them a testimonial, by giving them the holy spirit, even as he did to us:

if therefore God has bestow'd the same favour upon them, as on us, after we had believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, how could I make any opposition to the divine will?







if therefore God has bestow'd the same favour upon them, as on us, after we had believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, how could I make any opposition to the divine will?


In the mean time, the apostles, and the brethren, who were in Judea, heard that the Gentiles had likewise receiv'd the word of God. and when Peter was return'd to Jerusalem, the Jewish converts objected to his conduct, and ask'd him, why did you go to eat with the uncircumcised? read more.
but Peter represented the whole affair to them, saying, as I was at prayers in Joppa, I saw something like a great sheet, tied at the four corners, which descended from heaven, and came just to me. as I was considering it very attentively, I saw several quadrupeds, wild beasts, reptiles and birds. then I heard a voice, which said, rise, Peter; kill and eat. but I said, Lord, by no means: for I never did eat any thing impure, and defiled. but the voice from heaven address'd it self to me again, and said, don't call that impure, which God has purified. this was done three times, and then the whole scene was mounted to heaven. at that very instant three men, dispatch'd from Cesarea to me, were just arrived at the house, where I was. and the spirit bid me make no difficulty of going with them. these six brethren accompany'd me, and we went together to the man's house. he told us how he had seen an angel, who had presented himself to him, and had said, send to Joppa, to fetch Simon, surnam'd Peter: who will give you such instructions, as will be the means of saving both you and all your family. and while I was speaking to them, the holy spirit descended upon them, as it did on us, at the beginning. then I remember'd that expression of the Lord, "John baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the holy spirit." if therefore God has bestow'd the same favour upon them, as on us, after we had believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, how could I make any opposition to the divine will? Having heard this, they were appeas'd, and glorified God, saying, God has then granted salvation likewise to the gentiles, on the terms of their repentance.

and after the question had been much canvass'd, Peter rose up, and said, my brethren, you know that a considerable time since God chose me from among you to preach the gospel to the Gentiles, and bring them to the faith. God who knows their hearts has granted them a testimonial, by giving them the holy spirit, even as he did to us: making no difference between us and them, having purified their hearts by the faith. read more.
why therefore do you tempt God to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither we nor our forefathers were able to bear? but we believe that it is by the favour of the Lord Jesus Christ, that we are to be sav'd, as well as they.