Bible Passages Bridge: New Testament in a Year

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Romans 4- Easy-To-Read Version (ERV)

August 11
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King James and other versions... [http://bibleabc.net/bible/kjv/rom4-1.htm]
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The Example of Abraham
4 1So what can we say about Abraham,* the father of our people? What did he learn
about faith? 2If Abraham was made right by the things he did, then he had a reason
to boast. But Abraham could not boast before God. 3The Scripture* says, "Abraham
believed God. And God accepted Abraham's faith. That made Abraham right with God."*
4When a person works, his pay is not given to him as a gift. He earns the pay he
gets. 5But a person cannot do any work that will make him right with God. So that
person must trust in God. Then God accepts that person's faith (trust), and that
makes him right with God. God is the One who makes even evil people right. 6David*
said the same thing. David said that a person is truly happy when God does not look
at the things that person has done but accepts him like a good person: 7"People
are truly blessed (happy) when their wrongs are forgiven, and when their sins are
covered! 8And when the Lord accepts a person like he was without sin, that person
is truly blessed!" (Psalm 32:1-2)

9Is this happiness only for those people that are circumcised* (the Jews)? Or is
this happiness also for people that are not circumcised (non-Jews)? We have already
said that God accepted Abraham's faith, and that faith made him right with God.
10So how did this happen? Did God accept Abraham* before or after he was circumcised?
God accepted him before his circumcision.* 11Abraham was circumcised later to show
that God accepted him. His circumcision was proof that he was right with God through
faith before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the father of all people that believe
but are not circumcised. Those people believe and are accepted like people that
are right with God. 12And Abraham is also the father of people that have been circumcised.
But it is not their circumcision that makes Abraham their father. He is their father
only if they live following the faith that our father Abraham had before he was
circumcised.

God's Promise Received Through Faith
13Abraham* and his descendants* received the promise that they would get the whole
world. But Abraham did not receive that promise because he followed the law.* Abraham
received that promise because he was right with God through his faith. 14If people
could get the things that God promised by following the law, then faith is worthless.
And God's promise to Abraham is worthless. 15Why? Because the law can only bring
God's anger [when the law is not obeyed]. But if there is no law, then there is
nothing to disobey. 16So people get God's promise by having faith. This happens
so that the promise can be a free gift. And if the promise is a free gift, then
all of Abraham's* people can have that promise. The promise is not only for those
people that live under the law [of Moses]. The promise is for any person that lives
with faith like Abraham. Abraham is the father of us all. 17Like it is written [in
the Scriptures* ] "I have made you (Abraham) a father of many nations."* This is
true before God. Abraham believed in God--the God who gives life to dead people
and decides that things will happen that have not yet happened. 18There was no
hope [that Abraham* would have children]. But Abraham believed God and continued
hoping. And that is why he became the father of many nations. Like God told him,
"You will have many descendants (children)."* 19Abraham was almost 100 years old,
so his body was much past the age for having children. Also, Sarah could not have
children. Abraham thought about this. But his faith in God did not become weak.
20Abraham never doubted that God would do the thing that God promised. Abraham never
stopped believing. He grew stronger in his faith and gave praise to God. 21Abraham
felt sure that God was able to do the thing that God promised. 22So, "God accepted
Abraham's faith. That made him right with God."* 23Those words ("God accepted Abraham's
faith") were written not only for Abraham. 24Those words were also written for us.
God will also accept us because we believe. We believe in the One (God) that raised
Jesus our Lord from death. 25Jesus was given to die for our sins. And he was raised
from death to make us right with God.

Footnotes: Abraham The most respected ancestor of the Jews. Scripture Holy Writings--the
Old Testament. "Abraham ... God" Quote from Gen. 15:6. David King of Israel about
1000 years before Christ. circumcised, circumcision To have the foreskin cut off.
This was done to every Jewish baby boy as a mark of the agreement God made with
Abraham (Gen. 17:9-14). descendants A person's children and all their future families.
law God's law. It is represented in the law of Moses. "I ... nations" Quote from
Gen. 17:5. "You ... descendants" Quote from Gen. 15:5. "God accepted ... God" Quote
from Gen. 15:6.
"Taken from the HOLY BIBLE: EASY-TO-READ VERSION © 2001 by World Bible Translation
Center, Inc. and used by permission."
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Tuesday, August 10, 2010

New Testament in a Year - August 11

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