Day 16
Matthew 16
16:1 The Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing him, asked him to show them a sign from heaven.
16:2 But he answered them, "When it is evening, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.'
16:3 In the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Hypocrites! You know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but you can't discern the signs of the times!
16:4 An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and there will be no sign given to it, except the sign of the prophet Jonah." He left them, and departed.
16:5 The disciples came to the other side and had forgotten to take bread.
16:6 Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."
16:7 They reasoned among themselves, saying, "We brought no bread."
16:8 Jesus, perceiving it, said, "Why do you reason among yourselves, you of little faith, 'because you have brought no bread?'
16:9 Don't you yet perceive, neither remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you took up?
16:10 Nor the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you took up?
16:11 How is it that you don't perceive that I didn't speak to you concerning bread? But beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."
16:12 Then they understood that he didn't tell them to beware of the yeast of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
16:13 Now when Jesus came into the parts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"
16:14 They said, "Some say John the Baptizer, some, Elijah, and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets."
16:15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
16:16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
16:17 Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
16:18 I also tell you that you are Peter,{Peter's name, Petros in Greek, is the word for a specific rock or stone.} and on this rock{Greek, petra, a rock mass or bedrock.} I will build my assembly, and the gates of Hades{or, Hell} will not prevail against it.
16:19 I will give to you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven; and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven."
16:20 Then he commanded the disciples that they should tell no one that he is Jesus the Christ.
16:21 From that time, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be raised up.
16:22 Peter took him aside, and began to rebuke him, saying, "Far be it from you, Lord! This will never be done to you."
16:23 But he turned, and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of men."
16:24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
16:25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever will lose his life for my sake will find it.
16:26 For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life?
16:27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will render to everyone according to his deeds.
16:28 Most certainly I tell you, there are some standing here who will in no way taste of death, until they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom."
Romans 3
3:1 Then what advantage does the Jew have? Or what is the profit of circumcision?
3:2 Much in every way! Because first of all, they were entrusted with the oracles of God.
3:3 For what if some were without faith? Will their lack of faith nullify the faithfulness of God?
3:4 May it never be! Yes, let God be found true, but every man a liar. As it is written, "That you might be justified in your words, and might prevail when you come into judgment."{Psalm 51:4}
3:5 But if our unrighteousness commends the righteousness of God, what will we say? Is God unrighteous who inflicts wrath? I speak like men do.
3:6 May it never be! For then how will God judge the world?
3:7 For if the truth of God through my lie abounded to his glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner?
3:8 Why not (as we are slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say), "Let us do evil, that good may come?" Those who say so are justly condemned.
3:9 What then? Are we better than they? No, in no way. For we previously warned both Jews and Greeks, that they are all under sin.
3:10 As it is written, "There is no one righteous; no, not one.
3:11 There is no one who understands. There is no one who seeks after God.
3:12 They have all turned aside. They have together become unprofitable. There is no one who does good, no, not, so much as one."{Psalms 14:1-3; 53:1-3; Ecclesiastes 7:20}
3:13 "Their throat is an open tomb. With their tongues they have used deceit."{Psalm 5:9} "The poison of vipers is under their lips;"{Psalm 140:3}
3:14 "Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness."{Psalm 10:7}
3:15 "Their feet are swift to shed blood.
3:16 Destruction and misery are in their ways.
3:17 The way of peace, they haven't known."{Isaiah 59:7-8}
3:18 "There is no fear of God before their eyes."{Psalm 36:1}
3:19 Now we know that whatever things the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be closed, and all the world may be brought under the judgment of God.
3:20 Because by the works of the law, no flesh will be justified in his sight. For through the law comes the knowledge of sin.
3:21 But now apart from the law, a righteousness of God has been revealed, being testified by the law and the prophets;
3:22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all those who believe. For there is no distinction,
3:23 for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;
3:24 being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus;
3:25 whom God set forth to be an atoning sacrifice{or, a propitiation}, through faith in his blood, for a demonstration of his righteousness through the passing over of prior sins, in God's forbearance;
3:26 to demonstrate his righteousness at this present time; that he might himself be just, and the justifier of him who has faith in Jesus.
3:27 Where then is the boasting? It is excluded. By what manner of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith.
3:28 We maintain therefore that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.
3:29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Isn't he the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also,
3:30 since indeed there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith, and the uncircumcised through faith.
3:31 Do we then nullify the law through faith? May it never be! No, we establish the law.
Romans 4
4:1 What then will we say that Abraham, our forefather, has found according to the flesh?
4:2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not toward God.
4:3 For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness."{Genesis 15:6}
4:4 Now to him who works, the reward is not counted as grace, but as debt.
4:5 But to him who doesn't work, but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.
4:6 Even as David also pronounces blessing on the man to whom God counts righteousness apart from works,
4:7 "Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
4:8 Blessed is the man whom the Lord will by no means charge with sin."{Psalm 32:1-2}
4:9 Is this blessing then pronounced on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness.
4:10 How then was it counted? When he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.
4:11 He received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while he was in uncircumcision, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they be in uncircumcision, that righteousness might also be accounted to them.
4:12 The father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had in uncircumcision.
4:13 For the promise to Abraham and to his seed that he should be heir of the world wasn't through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
4:14 For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void, and the promise is made of no effect.
4:15 For the law works wrath, for where there is no law, neither is there disobedience.
4:16 For this cause it is of faith, that it may be according to grace, to the end that the promise may be sure to all the seed, not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.
4:17 As it is written, "I have made you a father of many nations."{Genesis 17:5} This is in the presence of him whom he believed: God, who gives life to the dead, and calls the things that are not, as though they were.
4:18 Who in hope believed against hope, to the end that he might become a father of many nations, according to that which had been spoken, "So will your seed be."{Genesis 15:5}
4:19 Without being weakened in faith, he didn't consider his own body, already having been worn out, (he being about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb.
4:20 Yet, looking to the promise of God, he didn't waver through unbelief, but grew strong through faith, giving glory to God,
4:21 and being fully assured that what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
4:22 Therefore it also was "reckoned to him for righteousness."{Genesis 15:6}
4:23 Now it was not written that it was accounted to him for his sake alone,
4:24 but for our sake also, to whom it will be accounted, who believe in him who raised Jesus, our Lord, from the dead,
4:25 who was delivered up for our trespasses, and was raised for our justification.
