Thematic Bible




Thematic Bible




What then shall we say [that] Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh, has found? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the scripture say? "And Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness." read more.
Now to the one who works, his pay is not credited according to grace, but according to his due. But to the one who does not work, but who believes in the one who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited for righteousness, just as David also speaks about the blessing of the person to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: "Blessed [are they] whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, and whose sins are covered over. Blessed [is] the person against whom the Lord will never count sin." Therefore, [is] this blessing for {those who are circumcised}, or also for {those who are uncircumcised}? For we say, "Faith was credited to Abraham for righteousness." How then was it credited? [While he] was {circumcised} or {uncircumcised}? Not {while circumcised} but {while uncircumcised}! And he received the sign of circumcision [as] a seal of the righteousness by faith which [he had] {while uncircumcised}, so that he could be the father of all who believe {although they are uncircumcised}, so that righteousness could be credited to them, and the father {of those who are circumcised} to those who are not only from the circumcision, but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith of our father Abraham {which he had while uncircumcised}. For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants, [that] he would be heir of the world, [was] not through the law, but through the righteousness by faith. For if those of the law [are] heirs, faith is rendered void and the promise is nullified. For the law produces wrath, but where [there] is no law, neither [is there] transgression. Because of this, [it is] by faith, in order that [it may be] according to grace, so that the promise may be secure to all the descendants, not only to those of the law, but also to those of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all (just as it is written, "I have made you the father of many nations") before God, in whom he believed, the one who makes the dead alive and who calls the things that are not as [though] they are, who against hope believed in hope, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was said, "so will your descendants be." And not being weak in faith, he considered his own body as good as dead, [because he] was approximately a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb. And he did not waver in unbelief at the promise of God, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God and being fully convinced that what he had promised, he was also able to do. Therefore it was credited to him for righteousness.

Just as Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness, then understand that the ones {who have faith}, these are sons of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, proclaimed the good news in advance to Abraham: "In you all the nations will be blessed." read more.
So then, the ones [who have] faith are blessed together with Abraham who believed.

By faith Abraham, [when he] was called, obeyed to go out to a place that he was going to receive for an inheritance, and he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived in the land of promise as a stranger, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the fellow heirs of the same promise. For he was expecting the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder [is] God.

By faith Abraham, [when he] was tested, offered Isaac, and the one who received the promises was ready to offer his one and only [son], with reference to whom it was said, "In Isaac your descendants will be named," having reasoned that God [was] able even to raise [him] from the dead, from which he received him back also as a symbol.

Was not Abraham our father justified by works [when he] offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was working together with his works, and by the works the faith was perfected. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "And Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness," and he was called God's friend. read more.
You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.


By faith he lived in the land of promise as a stranger, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the fellow heirs of the same promise.


By faith he lived in the land of promise as a stranger, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the fellow heirs of the same promise.


By faith he lived in the land of promise as a stranger, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the fellow heirs of the same promise.


And it happened [that] after these things, God tested Abraham. And he said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I [am]." And he said, "Take your son, your only child, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains where I will tell you." And Abraham rose up early in the morning and saddled his donkey. And he took two of his servants with him, and Isaac his son. And he chopped wood for a burnt offering. And he got up and went to the place which God had told him. read more.
On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and he saw the place at a distance. And Abraham said to his servants, "You stay here with the donkey, and I and the boy will go up there. We will worship, then we will return to you." And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and placed [it] on Isaac his son. And he took the fire in his hand and the knife, and the two of them went together. And Isaac said to Abraham his father, "My father!" And he said, "Here I [am], my son." And he said, "Here is the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" And Abraham said, "{God will provide} the lamb for a burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went together. And they came to the place that God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood. Then he bound Isaac his son and placed him on the altar atop the wood. And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.

who against hope believed in hope, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was said, "so will your descendants be." And not being weak in faith, he considered his own body as good as dead, [because he] was approximately a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb. And he did not waver in unbelief at the promise of God, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God read more.
and being fully convinced that what he had promised, he was also able to do.

By faith Abraham, [when he] was called, obeyed to go out to a place that he was going to receive for an inheritance, and he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived in the land of promise as a stranger, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the fellow heirs of the same promise. For he was expecting the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder [is] God. read more.
By faith also, {with Sarah}, he received {the ability to procreate} even {past the normal age}, because he regarded the one who had promised [to be] faithful. And therefore these were fathered from one man, and [he] being as good as dead, as the stars of heaven in number and like the innumerable sand by the shore of the sea. These all died in faith without receiving the promises, but seeing them from a distance and welcoming [them], and admitting that they were strangers and temporary residents on the earth. For those who say such [things] make clear that they are seeking a homeland. And if they remember that [land] from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they aspire to a better [land], that is, a heavenly [one]. Therefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. By faith Abraham, [when he] was tested, offered Isaac, and the one who received the promises was ready to offer his one and only [son], with reference to whom it was said, "In Isaac your descendants will be named," having reasoned that God [was] able even to raise [him] from the dead, from which he received him back also as a symbol.


And [while] he was holding fast to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the portico called Solomon's, utterly astonished. And [when he] saw [it], Peter replied to the people, "Men [and] Israelites, why are you astonished at this? Or why are you staring at us, as [if] by our own power or godliness we have made him walk? The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and denied in the presence of Pilate, [after] he had decided to release [him]. read more.
But you denied the Holy and Righteous One and demanded [that] a man--a murderer--be granted to you. And you killed the originator of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses! And on the basis of faith in his name, his name has made this man strong, whom you see and know, and the faith [that is] through him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all.

For we consider a person to be justified by faith apart from the works of the law. Or [is God] the God of the Jews only? [Is he] not also [the God] of the Gentiles? Yes, also of the Gentiles, since God [is] one, who will justify {those who are circumcised} by faith and {those who are uncircumcised} through faith. read more.
Therefore, do we nullify the law through faith? May it never be! But we uphold the law.

What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness--even the righteousness [that is] by faith.

And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, proclaimed the good news in advance to Abraham: "In you all the nations will be blessed." So then, the ones [who have] faith are blessed together with Abraham who believed. For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse, for it is written, "Cursed [is] everyone who does not abide by all [the things] that are written in the book of the law to do them." read more.
Now [it is] clear that no one is justified in the sight of God by the law, because "the one who is righteous will live by faith." But the law is not from faith, but "the one who does these [things] will live by them." Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law [by] becoming a curse for us, because it is written, "Cursed [is] everyone who hangs on a tree," in order that the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

For by grace you are saved through faith, and this [is] not from yourselves, [it is] the gift of God; [it is] not from works, so that no one can boast. For we are his creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, so that we may walk in them.

Now faith is the realization of what is hoped for, the proof of things not seen. For by this the people of old were approved. By faith we understand the worlds were created by the word of God, in order that what is seen did not come into existence from what is visible. read more.
By faith Abel offered to God a greater sacrifice than Cain, by which he was approved that he was righteous, [because] God approved [him] for his gifts, and through it he still speaks, [although he] is dead. By faith Enoch was taken up, so that he did not experience death, and he was not found, because God took him up. For before his removal, he had been approved {as having been pleasing} to God. Now without faith [it is] impossible to please [him], for the one who approaches God must believe that he exists and is a rewarder of those who seek him. By faith Noah, having been warned about things not yet seen, out of reverence constructed an ark for the deliverance of his family, by which he pronounced sentence on the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. By faith Abraham, [when he] was called, obeyed to go out to a place that he was going to receive for an inheritance, and he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived in the land of promise as a stranger, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the fellow heirs of the same promise. For he was expecting the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder [is] God. By faith also, {with Sarah}, he received {the ability to procreate} even {past the normal age}, because he regarded the one who had promised [to be] faithful.


By faith he lived in the land of promise as a stranger, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the fellow heirs of the same promise.


Was not Abraham our father justified by works [when he] offered up his son Isaac on the altar?

And Abraham took Ishmael his son and all who were born of his house, and all [those] acquired by his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskin on the same day that God spoke with him.

And Yahweh said to Abram, "Go out from your land and from your relatives, and from the house of your father, to the land that I will show you. And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great. And you will be a blessing. And I will bless those who bless you, and those who curse you I will curse. And all families of the earth will be blessed in you." read more.
And Abram went [out] as Yahweh had told him, and Lot went with him. Now Abram {was seventy-five years old} when he went out from Haran.

You found his heart faithful before you and made a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite and the Girgashite--to give [it] to his seed. And you have kept your word because you are righteous.

And he said, "Do not stretch out your hand against the boy; do not do anything to him. For now I know that you are {one who fears} God, since you have not withheld your son, your only child, from me."

And Abraham circumcised Isaac his son [when he was] eight days old, as God had commanded him.

and said to him, 'Go out from your land and from your relatives and come to the land that I will show you.' Then he went out from the land of the Chaldeans [and] settled in Haran. And from there, after his father died, he caused him to move to this land in which you now live. And he did not give him an inheritance in it--not even a footstep--and he promised to give [it] to him for his possession, and to his descendants after him, {although he did not have} a child. read more.
But God spoke like this: 'His descendants will be foreigners in a foreign land, and they will enslave them and mistreat [them] four hundred years, and the nation {that} they will serve as slaves, I will judge,' God said, 'and after these [things] they will come out and will worship me in this place.' And he gave him the covenant of circumcision, and so he became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day, and Isaac [did so with] Jacob, and Jacob [did so with] the twelve patriarchs.

By faith Abraham, [when he] was called, obeyed to go out to a place that he was going to receive for an inheritance, and he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived in the land of promise as a stranger, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the fellow heirs of the same promise. For he was expecting the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder [is] God. read more.
By faith also, {with Sarah}, he received {the ability to procreate} even {past the normal age}, because he regarded the one who had promised [to be] faithful. And therefore these were fathered from one man, and [he] being as good as dead, as the stars of heaven in number and like the innumerable sand by the shore of the sea. These all died in faith without receiving the promises, but seeing them from a distance and welcoming [them], and admitting that they were strangers and temporary residents on the earth. For those who say such [things] make clear that they are seeking a homeland. And if they remember that [land] from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they aspire to a better [land], that is, a heavenly [one]. Therefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. By faith Abraham, [when he] was tested, offered Isaac, and the one who received the promises was ready to offer his one and only [son],


By faith he lived in the land of promise as a stranger, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the fellow heirs of the same promise.


By faith he lived in the land of promise as a stranger, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the fellow heirs of the same promise.


By faith Abraham, [when he] was called, obeyed to go out to a place that he was going to receive for an inheritance, and he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived in the land of promise as a stranger, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the fellow heirs of the same promise. For he was expecting the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder [is] God. read more.
By faith also, {with Sarah}, he received {the ability to procreate} even {past the normal age}, because he regarded the one who had promised [to be] faithful. And therefore these were fathered from one man, and [he] being as good as dead, as the stars of heaven in number and like the innumerable sand by the shore of the sea. These all died in faith without receiving the promises, but seeing them from a distance and welcoming [them], and admitting that they were strangers and temporary residents on the earth. For those who say such [things] make clear that they are seeking a homeland. And if they remember that [land] from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they aspire to a better [land], that is, a heavenly [one]. Therefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.


By faith he lived in the land of promise as a stranger, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the fellow heirs of the same promise.



By faith he lived in the land of promise as a stranger, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the fellow heirs of the same promise.



For [the report of] your obedience has reached to all; therefore I am rejoicing over you, and I want you to be wise toward what [is] good, but innocent toward what [is] evil.

For by this the people of old were approved.


who was well spoken of by the brothers in Lystra and Iconium.

By faith Abel offered to God a greater sacrifice than Cain, by which he was approved that he was righteous, [because] God approved [him] for his gifts, and through it he still speaks, [although he] is dead. By faith Enoch was taken up, so that he did not experience death, and he was not found, because God took him up. For before his removal, he had been approved {as having been pleasing} to God. Now without faith [it is] impossible to please [him], for the one who approaches God must believe that he exists and is a rewarder of those who seek him. read more.
By faith Noah, having been warned about things not yet seen, out of reverence constructed an ark for the deliverance of his family, by which he pronounced sentence on the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. By faith Abraham, [when he] was called, obeyed to go out to a place that he was going to receive for an inheritance, and he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived in the land of promise as a stranger, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the fellow heirs of the same promise. For he was expecting the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder [is] God. By faith also, {with Sarah}, he received {the ability to procreate} even {past the normal age}, because he regarded the one who had promised [to be] faithful. And therefore these were fathered from one man, and [he] being as good as dead, as the stars of heaven in number and like the innumerable sand by the shore of the sea. These all died in faith without receiving the promises, but seeing them from a distance and welcoming [them], and admitting that they were strangers and temporary residents on the earth. For those who say such [things] make clear that they are seeking a homeland. And if they remember that [land] from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they aspire to a better [land], that is, a heavenly [one]. Therefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. By faith Abraham, [when he] was tested, offered Isaac, and the one who received the promises was ready to offer his one and only [son], with reference to whom it was said, "In Isaac your descendants will be named," having reasoned that God [was] able even to raise [him] from the dead, from which he received him back also as a symbol. By faith also Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things that were going to happen. By faith Jacob, [as he] was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph and worshiped, [leaning] on the top of his staff. By faith Joseph, [as he] was dying, mentioned about the exodus of the sons of Israel and gave instructions about his bones. By faith Moses, [when he] was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw the child [was] handsome, and they were not afraid of the edict of the king. By faith Moses, [when he] was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing instead to be mistreated with the people of God [rather] than to experience the transitory enjoyment of sin, considering {reproach endured for the sake of Christ} greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the anger of the king, for he persevered as [if he] saw the invisible one. By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, in order that the one who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them. By faith they crossed the Red Sea as if on dry land; the Egyptians, {when they made the attempt}, were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell down [after they] had been marched around for seven days. By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, [because she] welcomed the spies in peace. And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, accomplished justice, obtained what was promised, shut the mouths of lions, extinguished the effectiveness of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong from weakness, became mighty in battle, put to flight enemy battle lines. Women received back their dead by resurrection. But others were tortured, not accepting release, in order that they might gain a better resurrection. And others {experienced mocking and flogging}, and in addition bonds and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they died by murder with a sword, they wandered about in sheepskins, in goatskins, impoverished, afflicted, mistreated, of whom the world was not worthy, wandering about on deserts and mountains and in caves and in holes in the ground. And [although they] all were approved through their faith, they did not receive what was promised,


Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If [you want what is on] the left, then I will go right; if [you want what is on] the right, I will go left."

But I discipline my body and subjugate [it], lest somehow [after] preaching to others, myself should become disqualified.


For there was not even anyone needy among them, because all those who were owners of plots of land or houses were selling [them] [and] bringing the proceeds of the things that were sold


For [although I] am free from all [people], I have enslaved myself to all, in order that I may gain more.

By faith Abraham, [when he] was called, obeyed to go out to a place that he was going to receive for an inheritance, and he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived in the land of promise as a stranger, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the fellow heirs of the same promise.


For [the report of] your obedience has reached to all; therefore I am rejoicing over you, and I want you to be wise toward what [is] good, but innocent toward what [is] evil.

For by this the people of old were approved.


who was well spoken of by the brothers in Lystra and Iconium.

By faith Abel offered to God a greater sacrifice than Cain, by which he was approved that he was righteous, [because] God approved [him] for his gifts, and through it he still speaks, [although he] is dead. By faith Enoch was taken up, so that he did not experience death, and he was not found, because God took him up. For before his removal, he had been approved {as having been pleasing} to God. Now without faith [it is] impossible to please [him], for the one who approaches God must believe that he exists and is a rewarder of those who seek him. read more.
By faith Noah, having been warned about things not yet seen, out of reverence constructed an ark for the deliverance of his family, by which he pronounced sentence on the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. By faith Abraham, [when he] was called, obeyed to go out to a place that he was going to receive for an inheritance, and he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived in the land of promise as a stranger, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the fellow heirs of the same promise. For he was expecting the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder [is] God. By faith also, {with Sarah}, he received {the ability to procreate} even {past the normal age}, because he regarded the one who had promised [to be] faithful. And therefore these were fathered from one man, and [he] being as good as dead, as the stars of heaven in number and like the innumerable sand by the shore of the sea. These all died in faith without receiving the promises, but seeing them from a distance and welcoming [them], and admitting that they were strangers and temporary residents on the earth. For those who say such [things] make clear that they are seeking a homeland. And if they remember that [land] from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they aspire to a better [land], that is, a heavenly [one]. Therefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. By faith Abraham, [when he] was tested, offered Isaac, and the one who received the promises was ready to offer his one and only [son], with reference to whom it was said, "In Isaac your descendants will be named," having reasoned that God [was] able even to raise [him] from the dead, from which he received him back also as a symbol. By faith also Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things that were going to happen. By faith Jacob, [as he] was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph and worshiped, [leaning] on the top of his staff. By faith Joseph, [as he] was dying, mentioned about the exodus of the sons of Israel and gave instructions about his bones. By faith Moses, [when he] was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw the child [was] handsome, and they were not afraid of the edict of the king. By faith Moses, [when he] was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing instead to be mistreated with the people of God [rather] than to experience the transitory enjoyment of sin, considering {reproach endured for the sake of Christ} greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the anger of the king, for he persevered as [if he] saw the invisible one. By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, in order that the one who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them. By faith they crossed the Red Sea as if on dry land; the Egyptians, {when they made the attempt}, were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell down [after they] had been marched around for seven days. By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, [because she] welcomed the spies in peace. And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, accomplished justice, obtained what was promised, shut the mouths of lions, extinguished the effectiveness of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong from weakness, became mighty in battle, put to flight enemy battle lines. Women received back their dead by resurrection. But others were tortured, not accepting release, in order that they might gain a better resurrection. And others {experienced mocking and flogging}, and in addition bonds and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they died by murder with a sword, they wandered about in sheepskins, in goatskins, impoverished, afflicted, mistreated, of whom the world was not worthy, wandering about on deserts and mountains and in caves and in holes in the ground. And [although they] all were approved through their faith, they did not receive what was promised,


By faith he lived in the land of promise as a stranger, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the fellow heirs of the same promise.

And the boys grew up. And Esau [was] a skilled hunter, a man of the field, but Jacob [was] a peaceful man, living [in] tents.

And Lot, who went with Abram, also had herds and tents.


[The] tents of [the] destroyers are at peace, and [there is] security for those who provoke God, [for those] whom God brings into his hand.

By faith he lived in the land of promise as a stranger, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the fellow heirs of the same promise.

How good are your tents, O Jacob, your dwellings, O Israel!