Thematic Bible


Thematic Bible




What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather 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? "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness." read more.
Now to him who works, his wages are not reckoned as a gift but as his due. And to one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness. So also David describes the blessedness of the man to whom God reckons righteousness apart from works: "Blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not reckon his sin." Is this blessedness only upon the circumcised, or also upon the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it reckoned to him? Was it after he had been circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness which he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be reckoned to them. And he is also the father of the circumcised who are not only circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith which our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. The promise to Abraham and his descendants, that he would be heir of the world, was not through the law but through the righteousness of faith. For if those who are of the law are to be the heirs, faith has no value and the promise is void, because the law brings wrath, for where there is no law there is no transgression. Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all his descendantsnot only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, for he is the father of us all (as it is written, "I have made you the father of many nations") in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls things that do not exist as though they did. In hope, he believed against hope, so that he became the father of many nations; as he had been told, "So shall your descendants be." And he did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why it was "reckoned to him as righteousness."

Even so Abraham "believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness." Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "In you will all the nations be blessed." read more.
So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the man of faith.

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place which he was to receive as an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise; for he was looking forward to the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was ready to offer up his only son, of whom it was said, "Through Isaac shall your descendants be called." He considered that God was able to raise men even from the dead; from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.

Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and faith was completed by works, and the scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness", and he was called the friend of God. read more.
You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.

Then what advantage has the Jew, or what is the value of circumcision? Much in every way! To begin with, they are entrusted with the oracles of God. What if some did not have faith? Will their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? read more.
Certainly not! Let God be true, though every man a liar. As it is written: "That you may be justified in your words and prevail when you are judged." But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unjust to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.) Certainly not! For then how could God judge the world? But if through my falsehood God's truthfulness abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? Why not say as we are being slanderously reported as saying and as some claim that we say "Let us do evil that good may come"? Their condemnation is just. What then? Are we Jews any better off? Certainly not; for we have already charged that all men, both Jews and Greeks, are under the power of sin. As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks for God. All have turned aside, together they have become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." "Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to practice deceit." "The poison of asps is under their lips." "Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness." "Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their ways are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they do not know." "There is no fear of God before their eyes." Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped and the whole world may be held accountable to God. Therefore no flesh will be justified in his sight by works of the law, for through the law comes knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God has been revealed apart from law, although the law and the prophets bear witness to it, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. For there is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather 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? "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness." read more.
Now to him who works, his wages are not reckoned as a gift but as his due. And to one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness. So also David describes the blessedness of the man to whom God reckons righteousness apart from works: "Blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not reckon his sin." Is this blessedness only upon the circumcised, or also upon the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it reckoned to him? Was it after he had been circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness which he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be reckoned to them. And he is also the father of the circumcised who are not only circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith which our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. The promise to Abraham and his descendants, that he would be heir of the world, was not through the law but through the righteousness of faith. For if those who are of the law are to be the heirs, faith has no value and the promise is void, because the law brings wrath, for where there is no law there is no transgression. Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all his descendantsnot only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, for he is the father of us all

But the words, "it was reckoned to him," were written not for his sake alone, but for us also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered to death for our sins and was raised for our justification.

So also David describes the blessedness of the man to whom God reckons righteousness apart from works: "Blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not reckon his sin." read more.
Is this blessedness only upon the circumcised, or also upon the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham as righteousness.

by abolishing in his flesh the hostility, which is the Law of commandments and ordinances, so that he might create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, Verse ConceptsNew ThingsLaws, AbolishedLaw, And GospelRitual LawRitualSalvation, Nature OfLaw, TemporaryAbolish, Evil ThingsAnnulmentTwo GroupsNew LifeChurch Distinct From IsraelMaking Peace With God


Those who want to make a good showing in the flesh try to compel you to be circumcised, and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. Verse ConceptsExclusivenessOutward AppearanceLiving For The MaterialNecessity Of CircumcisionOutward CompulsionSignificance Of Christ's CrucifixionPersecutionThe Crosstrying

But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up, and said, "It is necessary to circumcise them, and to charge them to keep the Law of Moses." The apostles and the elders came together to consider this matter. After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, "Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe. read more.
And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he also did to us; and he made no distinction between us and them, but cleansed their hearts by faith. Now therefore why do you test God by putting upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they are." All the assembly kept silent; and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. After they finished speaking, James replied, "Brethren, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first showed his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for his name. With this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written, 'After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, so that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name,' says the Lord, who makes these things known from long ago. Therefore it is my judgment that we should not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, but that we should write to them to abstain from the pollutions of idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood. For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath." Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren, and they sent the following letter with them: "The apostles and the brethren who are elders, to the brethren in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia who are from the Gentiles, greetings. Since we have heard that some persons from us have disturbed you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions, it has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials: that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication. If you keep yourselves free from these, you will do well. Farewell."

since there is one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through their faith. Verse ConceptsCircumcision, spiritualMonotheismJustification Under The GospelGod Is OneNecessity Of CircumcisionRighteous By FaithThe Gospel To Jew And Gentile

Is this blessedness only upon the circumcised, or also upon the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it reckoned to him? Was it after he had been circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness which he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be reckoned to them.

Was any man called when he was already circumcised? He is not to become uncircumcised. Has anyone been called in uncircumcision? He is not to be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what counts.

But even Titus, who was with me, was not compelled to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. But it was because of the false brethren secretly brought in, who had slipped in to spy out our freedom which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us into bondage.

Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you. I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law. You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen away from grace. read more.
For through the Spirit, by faith, we wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is of any avail, but faith working through love. You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion did not come from him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough. I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view than mine; and the one who is troubling you will bear his judgment, whoever he is. But if I, brethren, still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? In that case the stumbling block of the cross has been abolished.

Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called "Uncircumcision" by the so-called "Circumcision," which is performed in the flesh by human hands Verse ConceptsCircumcision, physicalBodyLiving For The MaterialNecessity Of Circumcision

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In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; Verse ConceptsBeing Born AgainParticipation, In ChristRitualTypesNew Birth, Described AsForsaking SinGod Stripping PeopleLiving Not For The MaterialTrue CircumcisionRemoving People From Your Lifeefficiency

All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. Verse ConceptsCircumcision, physicalGenerosity, God'sBelieversPrejudiceAstonishmentThe Gentiles ConversionThe Holy Spirit Described As God's Gift

and when they perceived the grace that was given to me, James and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. Verse ConceptsFellowship, In Christian ServiceFellowship, Among BelieversApostles, Function In Early ChurchGrace, And Christian LifePaul, Apostle To GentilesPillarsCompanionshipMissionary WorkMetaphorical PillarsBlessings For The Right HandThe Gospel To Jew And Gentilepartnership

since there is one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through their faith. Verse ConceptsCircumcision, spiritualMonotheismJustification Under The GospelGod Is OneNecessity Of CircumcisionRighteous By FaithThe Gospel To Jew And Gentile

So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him, Verse ConceptsCircumcision, physicalDisputes

Is this blessedness only upon the circumcised, or also upon the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham as righteousness. Verse ConceptsCouncil of JerusalemNecessity Of CircumcisionRighteous By Faith

and also Jesus who is called Justus. These are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have proved to be a comfort to me. Verse ConceptsFellow WorkersSuffering, Encouragements InCircumcision PartyPeople Encouraging OthersKingdom Of God

The promise to Abraham and his descendants, that he would be heir of the world, was not through the law but through the righteousness of faith. Verse ConceptsImputed RighteousnessGod's Promise To AbrahamRighteous By FaithPromisesTrust In Relationships

Is this blessedness only upon the circumcised, or also upon the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham as righteousness. Verse ConceptsCouncil of JerusalemNecessity Of CircumcisionRighteous By Faith

The promise to Abraham and his descendants, that he would be heir of the world, was not through the law but through the righteousness of faith. Verse ConceptsImputed RighteousnessGod's Promise To AbrahamRighteous By FaithPromisesTrust In Relationships


Is this blessedness only upon the circumcised, or also upon the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham as righteousness. Verse ConceptsCouncil of JerusalemNecessity Of CircumcisionRighteous By Faith

And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness which he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be reckoned to them. Verse ConceptsCircumcision, spiritualPraiseSealsAbraham, God's Covenant WithAbraham, New Testament ReferencesReckoningRighteous By FaithRighteousness imputed


For what does the scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness." Verse ConceptsdecisionsAbrahamRighteous By FaithScripture SaysRighteousness imputedAbraham Believed God


That is why it was "reckoned to him as righteousness." Verse ConceptsReckoningRighteousness imputedAbraham Believed God

but for us also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, Verse ConceptsFaith, As Basis Of SalvationReckoningGod Raising ChristBelief In GodRighteousness imputedFaith In Godaccounting

Is this blessedness only upon the circumcised, or also upon the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham as righteousness. Verse ConceptsCouncil of JerusalemNecessity Of CircumcisionRighteous By Faith

That is why it was "reckoned to him as righteousness." Verse ConceptsReckoningRighteousness imputedAbraham Believed God