Thursday, November 26, 2015
Chronological New Testament Study Day 53
James 1; James 2;
James 3; James 4; James 5
1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To
the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings. 2 Consider
it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because
you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance
must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking
anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who
gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to
him. 6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt,
because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the
wind. 7 That man should not think he will receive anything
from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he
does. 9 The brother in humble circumstances ought to take
pride in his high position. 10 But the one who is rich should
take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild
flower. 11 For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers
the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the
rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business. 12 Blessed
is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he
will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love
him. 13 When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting
me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but
each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and
enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth
to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. 16 Don't
be deceived, my dear brothers. 17 Every good and perfect gift
is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not
change like shifting shadows. 18He chose to give us birth through
the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he
created. 19 My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone
should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 for
man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. 21Therefore,
get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept
the word planted in you, which can save you. 22 Do not merely
listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone
who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at
his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes
away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But the
man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues
to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed
in what he does. 26 If anyone considers himself religious and
yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his
religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts
as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their
distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
1 My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus
Christ, don't show favoritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your
meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes
also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man
wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say
to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my
feet," 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and
become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my dear brothers:
Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in
faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6 But
you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they
not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7 Are they not
the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong? 8 If
you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as
yourself," you are doing right. 9 But if you show
favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10 For
whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of
breaking all of it. 11 For he who said, "Do not commit
adultery," also said, "Do not murder." If you do not commit
adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker. 12Speak
and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives
freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to
anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment! 14 What
good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can
such faith save him? 15 Suppose a brother or sister is without
clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to him,
"Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about
his physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith
by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 18 But
someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith
without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. 19 You
believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and
shudder. 20 You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith
without deeds is useless ? 21 Was not our ancestor Abraham
considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the
altar?22 You see that his faith and his actions were working
together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And
the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was
credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. 24 You
see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. 25 In
the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what
she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different
direction? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith
without deeds is dead.
1 Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my
brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more
strictly. 2 We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at
fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in
check. 3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make
them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as
an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are
steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise
the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider
what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The
tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts
the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set
on fire by hell. 7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and
creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, 8 but
no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With
the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have
been made in God's likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come
praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11 Can
both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My
brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a
salt spring produce fresh water. 13Who is wise and understanding
among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that
comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and
selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such
"wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual,
of the devil. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition,
there you find disorder and every evil practice. 17 But the
wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving,
considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and
sincere. 18Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of
righteousness.
1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come
from your desires that battle within you? 2 You want something
but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You
quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3 When
you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may
spend what you get on your pleasures. 4You adulterous people, don't
you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who
chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or
do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in
us envies intensely? 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why
Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the
humble." 7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the
devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he
will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts,
you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your
laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble
yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. 11 Brothers,
do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him
speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not
keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. 12 There is only
one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you--who
are you to judge your neighbor? 13 Now listen, you who say,
"Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there,
carry on business and make money." 14 Why, you do not
even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that
appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you
ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." 16 As
it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. 17 Anyone,
then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.
1 Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the
misery that is coming upon you. 2 Your wealth has rotted, and
moths have eaten your clothes. 3 Your gold and silver are
corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like
fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.4 Look! The wages
you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you.
The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. 5 You
have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves
in the day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered
innocent men, who were not opposing you. 7 Be patient, then,
brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to
yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring
rains. 8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the
Lord's coming is near. 9 Don't grumble against each other,
brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! 10 Brothers,
as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke
in the name of the Lord. 11 As you know, we consider blessed
those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen
what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and
mercy. 12 Above all, my brothers, do not swear--not by heaven
or by earth or by anything else. Let your "Yes" be yes, and your
"No," no, or you will be condemned. 13 Is any one of
you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of
praise. 14 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders
of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.15 And
the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise
him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore
confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be
healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. 17 Elijah
was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did
not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he
prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. 19 My
brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring
him back, 20remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of
his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.
Romans 11
Romans 11 (New International Version, ©2010)
Romans 11
The Remnant of Israel
1 I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don't you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel: 3 "Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me"[a]? 4 And what was God's answer to him? "I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal."[b] 5 So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. 6 And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.
7 What then? What the people of Israel sought so earnestly they did not obtain. The elect among them did, but the others were hardened, 8 as it is written: "God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see and ears that could not hear,
to this very day."[c]
9 And David says: "May their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them.
10 May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever."[d]
Ingrafted Branches
11 Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. 12 But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring!
13 I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I take pride in my ministry 14 in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. 15 For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 16 If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.
17 If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, 18 do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19 You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in." 20 Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.
22 Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. 23 And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!
All Israel Will Be Saved
25 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, 26 and in this way[e] all Israel will be saved. As it is written:
"The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
27 And this is[f] my covenant with them when I take away their sins."[g]
28 As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, 29 for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable. 30 Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now[h] receive mercy as a result of God's mercy to you. 32 For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.
Doxology
33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and[i] knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!
34 "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?"[j]
35 "Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?"[k]
36 For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.
Romans 11
The Remnant of Israel
1 I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don't you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel: 3 "Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me"[a]? 4 And what was God's answer to him? "I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal."[b] 5 So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. 6 And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.
7 What then? What the people of Israel sought so earnestly they did not obtain. The elect among them did, but the others were hardened, 8 as it is written: "God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see and ears that could not hear,
to this very day."[c]
9 And David says: "May their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them.
10 May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever."[d]
Ingrafted Branches
11 Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. 12 But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring!
13 I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I take pride in my ministry 14 in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. 15 For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 16 If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.
17 If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, 18 do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19 You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in." 20 Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.
22 Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. 23 And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!
All Israel Will Be Saved
25 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, 26 and in this way[e] all Israel will be saved. As it is written:
"The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
27 And this is[f] my covenant with them when I take away their sins."[g]
28 As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, 29 for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable. 30 Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now[h] receive mercy as a result of God's mercy to you. 32 For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.
Doxology
33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and[i] knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!
34 "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?"[j]
35 "Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?"[k]
36 For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.
Revelation 13
Revelation 13 (New International Version, ©2010)
Revelation 13
The Beast out of the Sea
1 The dragon[a] stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. 2 The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. 3 One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast. 4 People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, "Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?"
5 The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. 6 It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. 7 It was given power to wage war against God's holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. 8 All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb's book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.[b]
9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.
10 "If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity they will go.
If anyone is to be killed[c] with the sword, with the sword they will be killed."[d] This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God's people.
The Beast out of the Earth
11 Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. 12 It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. 13 And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people. 14 Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth. It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. 16 It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17 so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.
18 This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man.[e] That number is 666.
Revelation 13
The Beast out of the Sea
1 The dragon[a] stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. 2 The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. 3 One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast. 4 People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, "Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?"
5 The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. 6 It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. 7 It was given power to wage war against God's holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. 8 All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb's book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.[b]
9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.
10 "If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity they will go.
If anyone is to be killed[c] with the sword, with the sword they will be killed."[d] This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God's people.
The Beast out of the Earth
11 Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. 12 It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. 13 And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people. 14 Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth. It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. 16 It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17 so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.
18 This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man.[e] That number is 666.
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