Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Chronological New Testament Study Day 70
Romans 8; Romans 9; Romans 10
1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are
in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the
Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For
what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature,
God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin
offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, 4 in order
that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not
live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. 5 Those
who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that
nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds
set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind of sinful man is
death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7 the
sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do
so. 8Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. 9 You,
however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the
Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ,
he does not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, your
body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of
righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus
from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also
give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. 12 Therefore,
brothers, we have an obligation--but it is not to the sinful nature, to live
according to it. 13 For if you live according to the sinful
nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the
body, you will live, 14 because those who are led by the
Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive a
spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of
sonship. And by him we cry, ""Abba," Father." 16 The
Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. 17 Now
if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ,
if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his
glory. 18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth
comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 The
creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. 20 For
the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the
will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation
itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the
glorious freedom of the children of God. 22 We know that the
whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the
present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the
firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption
as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we
were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he
already has? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we
wait for it patiently. 26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us
in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit
himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27 And
he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit
intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. 28 And
we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who
have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God
foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that
he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he
predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified,
he also glorified. 31 What, then, shall we say in response to
this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did
not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along
with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any
charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who
is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to
life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who
shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or
persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As
it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are
considered as sheep to be slaughtered." 37 No, in all
these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For
I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither
the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height
nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from
the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
1 I speak the truth in Christ--I am not lying, my conscience
confirms it in the Holy Spirit-- 2 I have great sorrow and
unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I
myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those
of my own race, 4 the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption
as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the
temple worship and the promises. 5 Theirs are the patriarchs,
and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever
praised! Amen. 6 It is not as though God's word had failed.
For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 7 Nor
because they are his descendants are they all Abraham's children. On the
contrary, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be
reckoned." 8 In other words, it is not the natural
children who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are
regarded as Abraham's offspring. 9 For this was how the
promise was stated: "At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will
have a son." 10 Not only that, but Rebekah's children had
one and the same father, our father Isaac. 11 Yet, before the
twins were born or had done anything good or bad--in order that God's purpose
in election might stand: 12 not by works but by him who
calls--she was told, "The older will serve the younger." 13 Just
as it is written: "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated." 14 What
then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! 15 For he says
to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion
on whom I have compassion." 16 It does not, therefore,
depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy. 17 For
the Scripture says to Pharaoh: "I raised you up for this very purpose,
that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in
all the earth." 18 Therefore God has mercy on whom he
wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. 19 One
of you will say to me: "Then why does God still blame us? For who resists
his will?" 20 But who are you, O man, to talk back to
God? "Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, 'Why did you make me
like this?' " 21 Does not the potter have the right to
make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for
common use? 22 What if God, choosing to show his wrath and
make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his
wrath--prepared for destruction? 23 What if he did this to
make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he
prepared in advance for glory-- 24 even us, whom he also
called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? 25 As
he says in Hosea: "I will call them 'my people' who are not my people; and
I will call her 'my loved one' who is not my loved one," 26 and,
"It will happen that in the very place where it was said to them, 'You are
not my people,' they will be called 'sons of the living God.' " 27 Isaiah
cries out concerning Israel: "Though the number of the Israelites be like
the sand by the sea, only the remnant will be saved. 28 For the
Lord will carry out his sentence on earth with speed and finality." 29 It
is just as Isaiah said previously: "Unless the Lord Almighty had left us
descendants, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been like
Gomorrah." 30 What then shall we say? That the Gentiles,
who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by
faith;31 but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not
attained it. 32 Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith
but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the "stumbling
stone." 33 As it is written: "See, I lay in Zion a
stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one
who trusts in him will never be put to shame."
1 Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the
Israelites is that they may be saved. 2 For I can testify
about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on
knowledge. 3 Since they did not know the righteousness that
comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's
righteousness. 4 Christ is the end of the law so that there
may be righteousness for everyone who believes. 5 Moses
describes in this way the righteousness that is by the law: "The man who
does these things will live by them." 6 But the
righteousness that is by faith says: "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will
ascend into heaven?' " (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 "or
'Who will descend into the deep?' " (that is, to bring Christ up from the
dead). 8 But what does it say? "The word is near you; it
is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are
proclaiming: 9 That if you confess with your mouth,
"Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from
the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that
you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and
are saved. 11 As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts
in him will never be put to shame." 12 For there is no
difference between Jew and Gentile--the same Lord is Lord of all and richly
blesses all who call on him, 13 for, "Everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved." 14 How, then, can
they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the
one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone
preaching to them?15 And how can they preach unless they are sent?
As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good
news!" 16 But not all the Israelites accepted the good
news. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our message?" 17 Consequently,
faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word
of Christ. 18 But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they
did: "Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends
of the world." 19 Again I ask: Did Israel not understand?
First, Moses says, "I will make you envious by those who are not a nation;
I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding." 20 And
Isaiah boldly says, "I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed
myself to those who did not ask for me." 21 But
concerning Israel he says, "All day long I have held out my hands to a
disobedient and obstinate people."
Ecclesiastes 9
Ecclesiastes 9 (New International Version)
Ecclesiastes 9
A Common Destiny for All
1 So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God's hands, but no man knows whether love or hate awaits him. 2 All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, [a] the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good man, so with the sinner; as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them.
3 This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all. The hearts of men, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead. 4 Anyone who is among the living has hope [b] —even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!
5 For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten.
6 Their love, their hate and their jealousy have long since vanished; never again will they have a part in anything that happens under the sun.
7 Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for it is now that God favors what you do. 8 Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil. 9 Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun— all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. 10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, [c] where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.
11 I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all.
12 Moreover, no man knows when his hour will come: As fish are caught in a cruel net, or birds are taken in a snare, so men are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly upon them.
Wisdom Better Than Folly
13 I also saw under the sun this example of wisdom that greatly impressed me: 14 There was once a small city with only a few people in it. And a powerful king came against it, surrounded it and built huge siegeworks against it. 15 Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But nobody remembered that poor man. 16 So I said, "Wisdom is better than strength." But the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are no longer heeded.
17 The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded than the shouts of a ruler of fools.
18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.
Ecclesiastes 9
A Common Destiny for All
1 So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God's hands, but no man knows whether love or hate awaits him. 2 All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, [a] the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good man, so with the sinner; as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them.
3 This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all. The hearts of men, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead. 4 Anyone who is among the living has hope [b] —even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!
5 For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten.
6 Their love, their hate and their jealousy have long since vanished; never again will they have a part in anything that happens under the sun.
7 Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for it is now that God favors what you do. 8 Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil. 9 Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun— all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. 10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, [c] where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.
11 I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all.
12 Moreover, no man knows when his hour will come: As fish are caught in a cruel net, or birds are taken in a snare, so men are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly upon them.
Wisdom Better Than Folly
13 I also saw under the sun this example of wisdom that greatly impressed me: 14 There was once a small city with only a few people in it. And a powerful king came against it, surrounded it and built huge siegeworks against it. 15 Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But nobody remembered that poor man. 16 So I said, "Wisdom is better than strength." But the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are no longer heeded.
17 The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded than the shouts of a ruler of fools.
18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.
Revelation 19
Revelation 19 (New International Version, ©2010)
Revelation 19
Threefold Hallelujah Over Babylon's Fall
1 After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting:
"Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
2 for true and just are his judgments.
He has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries.
He has avenged on her the blood of his servants."
3 And again they shouted: "Hallelujah!
The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever."
4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried: "Amen, Hallelujah!"
5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying: "Praise our God, all you his servants,
you who fear him, both great and small!"
6 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: "Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.
8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God's holy people.)
9 Then the angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!" And he added, "These are the true words of God."
10 At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "Don't do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus."
The Heavenly Warrior Defeats the Beast
11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter."[a] He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, "Come, gather together for the great supper of God, 18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, great and small."
19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army. 20 But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21 The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.
Revelation 19
Threefold Hallelujah Over Babylon's Fall
1 After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting:
"Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
2 for true and just are his judgments.
He has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries.
He has avenged on her the blood of his servants."
3 And again they shouted: "Hallelujah!
The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever."
4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried: "Amen, Hallelujah!"
5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying: "Praise our God, all you his servants,
you who fear him, both great and small!"
6 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: "Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.
8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God's holy people.)
9 Then the angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!" And he added, "These are the true words of God."
10 At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "Don't do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus."
The Heavenly Warrior Defeats the Beast
11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter."[a] He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, "Come, gather together for the great supper of God, 18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, great and small."
19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army. 20 But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21 The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Chronological New Testament Study Day 69
Romans 4; Romans 5; Romans 6; Romans 7
1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather,
discovered in this matter? 2 If, in fact, Abraham was
justified by works, he had something to boast about--but not before God. 3 What
does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him
as righteousness." 4 Now when a man works, his wages are
not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. 5 However,
to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith
is credited as righteousness. 6David says the same thing when he
speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart
from works: 7 "Blessed are they whose transgressions are
forgiven, whose sins are covered. 8 Blessed is the man whose
sin the Lord will never count against him." 9 Is this
blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have
been saying that Abraham's faith was credited to him as righteousness. 10 Under
what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before?
It was not after, but before! 11 And he received the sign of
circumcision, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was
still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not
been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. 12 And
he is also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who
also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he
was circumcised. 13It was not through law that Abraham and his
offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through
the righteousness that comes by faith. 14 For if those who
live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless, 15 because
law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression. 16 Therefore,
the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to
all Abraham's offspring--not only to those who are of the law but also to those
who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. 17 As
it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations." He is our
father in the sight of God, in whom he believed--the God who gives life to the
dead and calls things that are not as though they were. 18 Against
all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations,
just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be." 19 Without
weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as
dead--since he was about a hundred years old--and that Sarah's womb was also
dead. 20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the
promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being
fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 22 This
is why "it was credited to him as righteousness." 23 The
words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, 24 but
also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness--for us who believe in him
who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was delivered
over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we
have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through
whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And
we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but
we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces
perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character,
hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has
poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given
us. 6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still
powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will
anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly
dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in
this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since
we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from
God's wrath through him! 10 For if, when we were God's
enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more,
having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not
only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have now received reconciliation. 12 Therefore,
just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in
this way death came to all men, because all sinned--13 for before
the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when
there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time
of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a
command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come. 15 But
the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the
one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of
the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!16 Again, the gift
of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgment followed one
sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought
justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man,
death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's
abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life
through the one man, Jesus Christ. 18 Consequently, just as
the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of
one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. 19 For
just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so
also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made
righteous. 20 The law was added so that the trespass might
increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21 so
that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through
righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that
grace may increase? 2 By no means! We died to sin; how can we
live in it any longer? 3 Or don't you know that all of us who
were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We
were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just
as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may
live a new life. 5 If we have been united with him like this
in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his
resurrection. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified
with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no
longer be slaves to sin-- 7 because anyone who has died has
been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe
that we will also live with him. 9For we know that since Christ was
raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over
him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but
the life he lives, he lives to God.11 In the same way, count
yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore
do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil
desires. 13 Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as
instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who
have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him
as instruments of righteousness. 14For sin shall not be your
master, because you are not under law, but under grace. 15 What
then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no
means! 16 Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to
someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey--whether
you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to
righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that, though you used
to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which
you were entrusted. 18 You have been set free from sin and
have become slaves to righteousness. 19 I put this in human
terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer
the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing
wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to
holiness. 20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from
the control of righteousness. 21 What benefit did you reap at
that time from the things you are now ashamed of ? Those things result in
death! 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and
have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the
result is eternal life. 23For the wages of sin is death, but the
gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
1 Do you not know, brothers--for I am speaking to men who
know the law--that the law has authority over a man only as long as he
lives? 2 For example, by law a married woman is bound to her
husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from
the law of marriage. 3 So then, if she marries another man
while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her
husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress, even
though she marries another man. 4So, my brothers, you also died to
the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him
who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God. 5 For
when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by
the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death. 6 But
now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that
we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written
code. 7 What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly
not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I
would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, "Do
not covet." 8 But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded
by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart
from law, sin is dead. 9 Once I was alive apart from law; but
when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. 10 I
found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually
brought death. 11 For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by
the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to
death. 12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is
holy, righteous and good. 13 Did that which is good, then,
become death to me? By no means! But in order that sin might be recognized as
sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the
commandment sin might become utterly sinful. 14 We know that
the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I
do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate
I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that
the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do
it, but it is sin living in me. 18 I know that nothing good
lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is
good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For what I do is not the
good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on
doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no
longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. 21 So
I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with
me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23 but
I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law
of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24 What
a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25Thanks
be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a
slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
Ecclesiastes 8
Ecclesiastes 8 (New International Version)
Ecclesiastes 8
1 Who is like the wise man? Who knows the explanation of things? Wisdom brightens a man's face and changes its hard appearance.
Obey the King
2 Obey the king's command, I say, because you took an oath before God. 3 Do not be in a hurry to leave the king's presence. Do not stand up for a bad cause, for he will do whatever he pleases. 4 Since a king's word is supreme, who can say to him, "What are you doing?"
5 Whoever obeys his command will come to no harm, and the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure.
6 For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter, though a man's misery weighs heavily upon him.
7 Since no man knows the future, who can tell him what is to come?
8 No man has power over the wind to contain it [a] ; so no one has power over the day of his death. As no one is discharged in time of war, so wickedness will not release those who practice it.
9 All this I saw, as I applied my mind to everything done under the sun. There is a time when a man lords it over others to his own [b] hurt. 10 Then too, I saw the wicked buried—those who used to come and go from the holy place and receive praise [c] in the city where they did this. This too is meaningless.
11 When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, the hearts of the people are filled with schemes to do wrong. 12 Although a wicked man commits a hundred crimes and still lives a long time, I know that it will go better with God-fearing men, who are reverent before God. 13 Yet because the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them, and their days will not lengthen like a shadow.
14 There is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: righteous men who get what the wicked deserve, and wicked men who get what the righteous deserve. This too, I say, is meaningless. 15 So I commend the enjoyment of life, because nothing is better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany him in his work all the days of the life God has given him under the sun.
16 When I applied my mind to know wisdom and to observe man's labor on earth—his eyes not seeing sleep day or night- 17 then I saw all that God has done. No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all his efforts to search it out, man cannot discover its meaning. Even if a wise man claims he knows, he cannot really comprehend it.
Ecclesiastes 8
1 Who is like the wise man? Who knows the explanation of things? Wisdom brightens a man's face and changes its hard appearance.
Obey the King
2 Obey the king's command, I say, because you took an oath before God. 3 Do not be in a hurry to leave the king's presence. Do not stand up for a bad cause, for he will do whatever he pleases. 4 Since a king's word is supreme, who can say to him, "What are you doing?"
5 Whoever obeys his command will come to no harm, and the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure.
6 For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter, though a man's misery weighs heavily upon him.
7 Since no man knows the future, who can tell him what is to come?
8 No man has power over the wind to contain it [a] ; so no one has power over the day of his death. As no one is discharged in time of war, so wickedness will not release those who practice it.
9 All this I saw, as I applied my mind to everything done under the sun. There is a time when a man lords it over others to his own [b] hurt. 10 Then too, I saw the wicked buried—those who used to come and go from the holy place and receive praise [c] in the city where they did this. This too is meaningless.
11 When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, the hearts of the people are filled with schemes to do wrong. 12 Although a wicked man commits a hundred crimes and still lives a long time, I know that it will go better with God-fearing men, who are reverent before God. 13 Yet because the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them, and their days will not lengthen like a shadow.
14 There is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: righteous men who get what the wicked deserve, and wicked men who get what the righteous deserve. This too, I say, is meaningless. 15 So I commend the enjoyment of life, because nothing is better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany him in his work all the days of the life God has given him under the sun.
16 When I applied my mind to know wisdom and to observe man's labor on earth—his eyes not seeing sleep day or night- 17 then I saw all that God has done. No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all his efforts to search it out, man cannot discover its meaning. Even if a wise man claims he knows, he cannot really comprehend it.
Revelation 18
Revelation 18 (New International Version, ©2010)
Revelation 18
Lament Over Fallen Babylon
1 After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. 2 With a mighty voice he shouted:
"'Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!'[a] She has become a dwelling for demons
and a haunt for every impure spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal.
3 For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries.
The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries."
Warning to Escape Babylon's Judgment
4 Then I heard another voice from heaven say:
"'Come out of her, my people,'[b] so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues;
5 for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes.
6 Give back to her as she has given; pay her back double for what she has done. Pour her a double portion from her own cup.
7 Give her as much torment and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself.
In her heart she boasts, 'I sit enthroned as queen.
I am not a widow;[c] I will never mourn.'
8 Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine.
She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.
Threefold Woe Over Babylon's Fall
9 "When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her. 10 Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry:
"'Woe! Woe to you, great city, you mighty city of Babylon!
In one hour your doom has come!'
11 "The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes anymore— 12 cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; 13 cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and human beings sold as slaves.
14 "They will say, 'The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your luxury and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.' 15 The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn 16 and cry out: "'Woe! Woe to you, great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls!
17 In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!' "Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off. 18 When they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, 'Was there ever a city like this great city?' 19 They will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry out: "'Woe! Woe to you, great city, where all who had ships on the sea became rich through her wealth!
In one hour she has been brought to ruin!'
20 "Rejoice over her, you heavens! Rejoice, you people of God! Rejoice, apostles and prophets!
For God has judged her with the judgment she imposed on you."
The Finality of Babylon's Doom
21 Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said:
"With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again.
22 The music of harpists and musicians, pipers and trumpeters, will never be heard in you again.
No worker of any trade will ever be found in you again.
The sound of a millstone will never be heard in you again.
23 The light of a lamp will never shine in you again.
The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again.
Your merchants were the world's important people. By your magic spell all the nations were led astray.
24 In her was found the blood of prophets and of God's holy people, of all who have been slaughtered on the earth."
Revelation 18
Lament Over Fallen Babylon
1 After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. 2 With a mighty voice he shouted:
"'Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!'[a] She has become a dwelling for demons
and a haunt for every impure spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal.
3 For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries.
The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries."
Warning to Escape Babylon's Judgment
4 Then I heard another voice from heaven say:
"'Come out of her, my people,'[b] so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues;
5 for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes.
6 Give back to her as she has given; pay her back double for what she has done. Pour her a double portion from her own cup.
7 Give her as much torment and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself.
In her heart she boasts, 'I sit enthroned as queen.
I am not a widow;[c] I will never mourn.'
8 Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine.
She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.
Threefold Woe Over Babylon's Fall
9 "When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her. 10 Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry:
"'Woe! Woe to you, great city, you mighty city of Babylon!
In one hour your doom has come!'
11 "The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes anymore— 12 cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; 13 cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and human beings sold as slaves.
14 "They will say, 'The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your luxury and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.' 15 The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn 16 and cry out: "'Woe! Woe to you, great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls!
17 In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!' "Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off. 18 When they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, 'Was there ever a city like this great city?' 19 They will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry out: "'Woe! Woe to you, great city, where all who had ships on the sea became rich through her wealth!
In one hour she has been brought to ruin!'
20 "Rejoice over her, you heavens! Rejoice, you people of God! Rejoice, apostles and prophets!
For God has judged her with the judgment she imposed on you."
The Finality of Babylon's Doom
21 Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said:
"With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again.
22 The music of harpists and musicians, pipers and trumpeters, will never be heard in you again.
No worker of any trade will ever be found in you again.
The sound of a millstone will never be heard in you again.
23 The light of a lamp will never shine in you again.
The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again.
Your merchants were the world's important people. By your magic spell all the nations were led astray.
24 In her was found the blood of prophets and of God's holy people, of all who have been slaughtered on the earth."
Monday, August 10, 2015
Chronological New Testament Study Day 68
Acts 20:1-3; Romans 1; Romans 2; Romans 3
1 When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples
and, after encouraging them, said good-by and set out for Macedonia. 2 He
traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people,
and finally arrived in Greece, 3 where he stayed three months.
Because the Jews made a plot against him just as he was about to sail for
Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia.
1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle
and set apart for the gospel of God-- 2 the gospel he promised
beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3 regarding
his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, 4 and
who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God
by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. 5Through
him and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people
from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith. 6 And
you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. 7 To
all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to
you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. 8 First,
I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being
reported all over the world. 9 God, whom I serve with my whole
heart in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I
remember you10 in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at
last by God's will the way may be opened for me to come to you. 11 I
long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you
strong--12 that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by
each other's faith. 13 I do not want you to be unaware,
brothers, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented
from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just
as I have had among the other Gentiles.14 I am obligated both to
Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 15 That
is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome. 16 I
am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation
of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 17 For
in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by
faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live
by faith." 18 The wrath of God is being revealed from
heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth
by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is
plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For
since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power
and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been
made, so that men are without excuse. 21 For although they
knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their
thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although
they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged
the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds
and animals and reptiles. 24 Therefore God gave them over in
the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of
their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth of
God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the
Creator--who is forever praised. Amen. 26 Because of this, God
gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations
for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned
natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men
committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due
penalty for their perversion. 28 Furthermore, since they did
not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a
depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29 They have
become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They
are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30slanderers,
God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil;
they disobey their parents; 31 they are senseless, faithless,
heartless, ruthless. 32 Although they know God's righteous
decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to
do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
1 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on
someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning
yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2Now we
know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on
truth. 3 So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and
yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? 4 Or
do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience,
not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance? 5 But
because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up
wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment
will be revealed. 6 God "will give to each person
according to what he has done." 7 To those who by
persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give
eternal life. 8 But for those who are self-seeking and who
reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. 9 There
will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the
Jew, then for the Gentile; 10 but glory, honor and peace for
everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 11 For
God does not show favoritism. 12 All who sin apart from the
law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be
judged by the law. 13 For it is not those who hear the law who
are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be
declared righteous. 14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have
the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for
themselves, even though they do not have the law, 15 since
they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their
consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even
defending them.) 16 This will take place on the day when God
will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares. 17 Now
you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and brag about your
relationship to God; 18 if you know his will and approve of
what is superior because you are instructed by the law; 19 if
you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are
in the dark, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of
infants, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and
truth-- 21 you, then, who teach others, do you not teach
yourself ? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You
who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who
abhor idols, do you rob temples?23 You who brag about the law, do
you dishonor God by breaking the law? 24 As it is written:
"God's name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you." 25 Circumcision
has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you have become as
though you had not been circumcised. 26 If those who are not
circumcised keep the law's requirements, will they not be regarded as though
they were circumcised? 27 The one who is not circumcised
physically and yet obeys the law will condemn you who, even though you have the
written code and circumcision, are a lawbreaker. 28 A man is
not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and
physical. 29 No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision
is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a
man's praise is not from men, but from God.
1 What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what
value is there in circumcision? 2 Much in every way! First of
all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God. 3 What
if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God's
faithfulness? 4 Not at all! Let God be true, and every man a
liar. As it is written: "So that you may be proved right when you speak
and prevail when you judge." 5 But if our unrighteousness
brings out God's righteousness more clearly, what shall we say? That God is
unjust in bringing his wrath on us? (I am using a human argument.) 6 Certainly
not! If that were so, how could God judge the world? 7 Someone
might argue, "If my falsehood enhances God's truthfulness and so increases
his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?" 8 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 result"? Their condemnation is
deserved. 9 What shall we conclude then? Are we any better ?
Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are
all under sin. 10 As it is written: "There is no one
righteous, not even one; 11 there is no one who understands,
no one who seeks God. 12 All have turned away, they have
together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even
one." 13 "Their throats are open graves; their
tongues practice deceit." "The poison of vipers is on their
lips." 14 "Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness." 15 "Their
feet are swift to shed blood; 16 ruin and misery mark their
ways, 17 and the way of peace they do not know." 18"There
is no fear of God before their eyes." 19 Now we know that
whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every
mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore
no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather,
through the law we become conscious of sin. 21 But now a
righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law
and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness from God comes
through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for
all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are
justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ
Jesus. 25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement,
through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in
his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished-- 26 he
did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the
one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. 27 Where,
then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the
law? No, but on that of faith. 28 For we maintain that a man
is justified by faith apart from observing the law. 29 Is God
the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles
too, 30 since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised
by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 31 Do
we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.
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