Thematic Bible
Thematic Bible
Athletics » The Christian life compared to a foot-race » Hindrances to the runner
You were running beautifully! Who was it that cut into your way and kept you from obeying the truth?
Verse Concepts
to hold up the message of life. That will give me ground for boasting on the day of Christ, because neither my career nor my labor has been a failure.
Verse Concepts
Backsliders » Instances of » Galatians
I am astonished that you are beginning so soon to turn away from Him who called you by the favor of Christ, to a different good news,
Verse Concepts
O senseless Galatians! Who has bewitched you, before whose very eyes Jesus Christ was pictured as the crucified One?
Verse Concepts
but now, since you have come to know God, or rather have come to be known by Him, how can you turn back to your own crude notions, so weak and worthless, and wish to become slaves to them again? You are observing days, months, seasons, years. I am beginning to fear that I have bestowed my labors on you for nothing.
For in union with Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor lack of it counts for anything; but only faith that is spurred on to action by love. You were running beautifully! Who was it that cut into your way and kept you from obeying the truth?
Backsliding » Is departing from the simplicity of the gospel
You were running beautifully! Who was it that cut into your way and kept you from obeying the truth?
Verse Concepts
But I am apprehensive that, somehow or other, as the serpent by his cunning deceived Eve, your thoughts may be turned aside from single-hearted devotion to Christ.
Verse Concepts
O senseless Galatians! Who has bewitched you, before whose very eyes Jesus Christ was pictured as the crucified One? I want to ask you only this one thing: Did you receive the Spirit by doing what the law commands, or by believing the message you heard? Are you so senseless? Did you begin by the Spirit, but are now approaching perfection by fleshly means?
You people, whoever you are among you, who try to get into right standing with God, through law have cut yourselves off from Christ, you have missed the way of God's favor.
Verse Concepts
Christian race » The Christian life compared to a foot-race » Hindrances to the runner
You were running beautifully! Who was it that cut into your way and kept you from obeying the truth?
Verse Concepts
to hold up the message of life. That will give me ground for boasting on the day of Christ, because neither my career nor my labor has been a failure.
Verse Concepts
Circumcision » Abrogated
through His human nature He has put a stop to the hostility between us, namely, the law with its commands and decrees, in order to create one new humanity out of the two parties and so make peace through union with Himself, and in one body
Verse Concepts
In this new relation there is no Greek and Jew, no circumcised and uncircumcised, no barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is everything and in us all.
Verse Concepts
These men who are trying to force you to let yourselves be circumcised simply want to make a fine outward show, only to keep you from being persecuted for the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Verse Concepts
But some members of the Pharisaic party, who had become believers, arose and said that such converts must be circumcised and told to keep the law of Moses. Now the apostles and elders met to consider this matter. After a lengthy discussion Peter got up and said to them, "Brothers, you know that in the early days God chose among you that through me the heathen should hear the message of the good news and believe it. read more.
And God who knows men's hearts testifies for them by giving them the Holy Spirit, as He did us, and in this way He put no difference between us and them, because He cleansed their hearts by faith. Then why do you now try to test God by putting on these disciples' necks a yoke which neither our forefathers nor we could bear? In fact, we believe that it is through the favor of the Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are." By this he quieted the whole congregation, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul tell of the signs and wonders which God had done through them among the heathen. When they finished, James responded as follows: "Brothers, listen to me. Symeon has told how God at first graciously visited the heathen to take from among them a people to bear His name. The words of the prophets are in accord with this, as it is written: 'After this I will return and rebuild David's fallen dwelling; I will rebuild its ruins and set it up again, So that the rest of mankind may earnestly seek the Lord, Yes, all the heathen who are called by my name, says the Lord, who has been making this known from ages past.' So I give it as my opinion, we ought not to put difficulties in the way of the heathen who turn to God, but we should write them to abstain from everything that is contaminated by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals, and from tasting blood. For Moses from the ancient generations has had his preachers in every town, and on every sabbath has been read aloud in the synagogues." Then the apostles and elders in cooperation with the whole church passed a resolution to select and send some men of their number with Paul and Barnabas to Antioch. These were Judas, who was called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers. They sent this letter by them: "The apostles and elders as brothers send greeting to the brothers from among the heathen in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia. As we have heard that some of our number have disturbed you by their teaching, by continuing to unsettle your minds, we have passed a unanimous resolution to select and send messengers to you with our beloved brothers Barnabas and Paul, who have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. So we send Judas and Silas to you, to bring you the same message by word of mouth. For the Holy Spirit and we have decided not to lay upon you any burden but these essential requirements, that you abstain from everything that is offered to idols, from tasting blood, from the meat of animals that have been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves free from these things, you will prosper. Good-by."
And God who knows men's hearts testifies for them by giving them the Holy Spirit, as He did us, and in this way He put no difference between us and them, because He cleansed their hearts by faith. Then why do you now try to test God by putting on these disciples' necks a yoke which neither our forefathers nor we could bear? In fact, we believe that it is through the favor of the Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are." By this he quieted the whole congregation, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul tell of the signs and wonders which God had done through them among the heathen. When they finished, James responded as follows: "Brothers, listen to me. Symeon has told how God at first graciously visited the heathen to take from among them a people to bear His name. The words of the prophets are in accord with this, as it is written: 'After this I will return and rebuild David's fallen dwelling; I will rebuild its ruins and set it up again, So that the rest of mankind may earnestly seek the Lord, Yes, all the heathen who are called by my name, says the Lord, who has been making this known from ages past.' So I give it as my opinion, we ought not to put difficulties in the way of the heathen who turn to God, but we should write them to abstain from everything that is contaminated by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals, and from tasting blood. For Moses from the ancient generations has had his preachers in every town, and on every sabbath has been read aloud in the synagogues." Then the apostles and elders in cooperation with the whole church passed a resolution to select and send some men of their number with Paul and Barnabas to Antioch. These were Judas, who was called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers. They sent this letter by them: "The apostles and elders as brothers send greeting to the brothers from among the heathen in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia. As we have heard that some of our number have disturbed you by their teaching, by continuing to unsettle your minds, we have passed a unanimous resolution to select and send messengers to you with our beloved brothers Barnabas and Paul, who have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. So we send Judas and Silas to you, to bring you the same message by word of mouth. For the Holy Spirit and we have decided not to lay upon you any burden but these essential requirements, that you abstain from everything that is offered to idols, from tasting blood, from the meat of animals that have been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves free from these things, you will prosper. Good-by."
since there is but one God, who will consider the Jews in right standing with Himself, only on condition of their faith, and the heathen peoples on the same condition.
Verse Concepts
Now does this happiness come to the Jews alone, or to the heathen peoples too? For we say, "Abraham's faith was credited to him as right standing." Under what circumstances was it credited to him as right standing? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? Not after but before he was circumcised. Afterward he received the mark of circumcision as God's seal of his right standing with Him on condition of faith which he had before he was circumcised, that he might be the forefather of all who have faith while still uncircumcised, that they might have their faith credited to them as right standing with God;
Has a man been called after he was circumcised? He must not try to change it. Has a man been called without being circumcised? He must not be circumcised. Being circumcised or not being circumcised has no value, but keeping God's commands is important.
But they did not even try to compel my companion, Titus, although he was a Greek, to be circumcised -- they did not try it even for the sake of the false brothers who had been smuggled in, who stole in to spy out the freedom we enjoy in Christ Jesus, so as to make us slaves again.
Here is what I am saying to you: If you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ can do you no good. I again insist that if any man lets himself be circumcised, he is under obligation to obey the whole law. You people, whoever you are among you, who try to get into right standing with God, through law have cut yourselves off from Christ, you have missed the way of God's favor. read more.
For we, by the Spirit, are awaiting the hoped-for blessing which our right standing with God will bring us. For in union with Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor lack of it counts for anything; but only faith that is spurred on to action by love. You were running beautifully! Who was it that cut into your way and kept you from obeying the truth? Such persuasion never came from Him who called you. A little yeast will transform the whole dough. By our union with the Lord I have confidence in you that you will take no other view of the matter. The man who is unsettling you will certainly pay the penalty for it, no matter who it turns out to be. As for me, myself, brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In such a case the hindrance done by the cross has presumably ceased!
For we, by the Spirit, are awaiting the hoped-for blessing which our right standing with God will bring us. For in union with Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor lack of it counts for anything; but only faith that is spurred on to action by love. You were running beautifully! Who was it that cut into your way and kept you from obeying the truth? Such persuasion never came from Him who called you. A little yeast will transform the whole dough. By our union with the Lord I have confidence in you that you will take no other view of the matter. The man who is unsettling you will certainly pay the penalty for it, no matter who it turns out to be. As for me, myself, brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In such a case the hindrance done by the cross has presumably ceased!
So remember that you were once heathen in a physical sense, called the uncircumcised by those who call themselves the circumcised -- though only in a physical sense, by human hands.
Verse Concepts
Show 1 more verse
And through your union with Him you once received, not a hand-performed circumcision but one performed by Christ, in stripping you of your lower nature,
Verse Concepts
Games » Figurative » Of the Christian life
Do you not know that in a race the runners all run, but only one can get the prize? You must run in such a way that you can get the prize.
Verse Concepts
You were running beautifully! Who was it that cut into your way and kept you from obeying the truth?
Verse Concepts
to hold up the message of life. That will give me ground for boasting on the day of Christ, because neither my career nor my labor has been a failure.
Verse Concepts
I am pressing onward toward the goal, to win the prize to which God through Jesus Christ is calling us upward.
Verse Concepts
Therefore, as we have so vast a crowd of spectators in the grandstands, let us throw off every impediment and the sin that easily entangles our feet, and run with endurance the race for which we are entered,
Verse Concepts
So that is the way I run, with no uncertainty as to winning. That is the way I box, not like one that punches the air.
Verse Concepts
Legalism » Liberty being threatened by legalism
This is the freedom with which Christ has made us free. So keep on standing in it, and stop letting your necks be fastened in the yoke of slavery again. Here is what I am saying to you: If you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ can do you no good. I again insist that if any man lets himself be circumcised, he is under obligation to obey the whole law. read more.
You people, whoever you are among you, who try to get into right standing with God, through law have cut yourselves off from Christ, you have missed the way of God's favor. For we, by the Spirit, are awaiting the hoped-for blessing which our right standing with God will bring us. For in union with Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor lack of it counts for anything; but only faith that is spurred on to action by love. You were running beautifully! Who was it that cut into your way and kept you from obeying the truth? Such persuasion never came from Him who called you. A little yeast will transform the whole dough. By our union with the Lord I have confidence in you that you will take no other view of the matter. The man who is unsettling you will certainly pay the penalty for it, no matter who it turns out to be. As for me, myself, brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In such a case the hindrance done by the cross has presumably ceased! I almost wish that these men who are upsetting you would go all the way, and have themselves mutilated. For you, brothers, were called to freedom; only you must not let your freedom be an excuse for the gratification of your lower nature, but in love be slaves to one another.
You people, whoever you are among you, who try to get into right standing with God, through law have cut yourselves off from Christ, you have missed the way of God's favor. For we, by the Spirit, are awaiting the hoped-for blessing which our right standing with God will bring us. For in union with Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor lack of it counts for anything; but only faith that is spurred on to action by love. You were running beautifully! Who was it that cut into your way and kept you from obeying the truth? Such persuasion never came from Him who called you. A little yeast will transform the whole dough. By our union with the Lord I have confidence in you that you will take no other view of the matter. The man who is unsettling you will certainly pay the penalty for it, no matter who it turns out to be. As for me, myself, brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In such a case the hindrance done by the cross has presumably ceased! I almost wish that these men who are upsetting you would go all the way, and have themselves mutilated. For you, brothers, were called to freedom; only you must not let your freedom be an excuse for the gratification of your lower nature, but in love be slaves to one another.
Race » Foot race » Figurative
Do you not know that in a race the runners all run, but only one can get the prize? You must run in such a way that you can get the prize.
Verse Concepts
You were running beautifully! Who was it that cut into your way and kept you from obeying the truth?
Verse Concepts
to hold up the message of life. That will give me ground for boasting on the day of Christ, because neither my career nor my labor has been a failure.
Verse Concepts
Therefore, as we have so vast a crowd of spectators in the grandstands, let us throw off every impediment and the sin that easily entangles our feet, and run with endurance the race for which we are entered, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the perfect leader and example of faith, who, instead of the joy which lay before Him, endured the cross with no regard for its shame, and since has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of God.