an introduction family bible journey
TRANSCRIPT
Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
1 Samuel
2 Samuel
1 Kings
2 Kings
1 Chronicles
2 Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
Esther
Job
Psalms
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Song of Songs
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Lamentations
Ezekiel
Daniel
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi
Matthew
Mark
Luke
John
Acts
Romans
1 Corinthians
2 Corinthians
Galatians
Ephesians
Philippians
Colossians
1 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians
1 Timothy
2 Timothy
Titus
Philemon
Hebrews
James
1 Peter
2 Peter
1 John
2 John
3 John
Jude
Revelation
400 years of waiting
Index of interactions
Maps
4
5
6
12
13
14
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
1230
1236
1242
1246
1250
1264
1270
1276
1282
1288
1292
1296
1300
26
76
118
148
186
224
250
276
282
314
344
376
408
440
476
488
506
516
550
642
668
678
686
744
806
816
866
882
892
898
906
910
914
922
928
934
940
944
956
962
1321
1326
966
1006
1034
1076
1106
1144
1162
1180
1192
1200
1208
1214
1220
1226
AN INTRODUCTION
THE OLD TESTAMENT
THE NEW TESTAMENT
THE MIDDLE BIT
THE BACK PAGES
What is the Bible?
How did the Bible get to be the Bible?
Timeline of the Bible story
How do we get started?
Our family
How do we use this Bible?
Introduction pages
Family Bible journey: Hidden heroes
Family Bible journey: Mile markers
Family Bible journey: Weird and wonderful
Family Bible journey: Jesus
Family Bible journey: Map of Jesus' ministry
Family Bible journey: Who does God say we are?
Make your own Bible journey
Relationship with God
5
HOW DID IT ALL COME TOGETHER?
The Old Testament was based on
'
oral history' - spoken accounts, stories and laws passed down from generation to generation. This history was gradually written down because the Jews saw the importance of recording everything that gave them their identity, especially when they were taken into exile, away from their own land. They couldn't have known that these written records of their little nation would make up part of what is now the bestselling book of all time!
The New Testament is a collection of eyewitness experiences of the life of Jesus and letters written to his early followers. These first Christians needed guidance on how to live their lives in the way that Jesus taught. In the century after Jesus' death, more and more books were written about him, which were less reliable and were causing confusion for the Church. In AD367 an Egyptian bishop called Athanasius put together a list of the most trustworthy books. Two councils of important and respected people in Rome and Carthage agreed with the list and this became the New Testament as we know it today.
The Old Testament was originally written mainly in the language of Hebrew (with some parts in Aramaic) and the New Testament in the language of Greek. Over the years, the Bible has been translated from these languages into thousands of other languages so that people all over the world can read and understand it.
What are some of the questions you have about the Bible?
WRITE THEM HERE
HOW DID
GET TO BE THE BIBLE?
A great place to start is on the cover! Take off the dust jacket, open it out and make it your own by colouring and doodling all over the front of it. You should use whiteboard pens or washable felt-tips if you want to wipe off your designs and start again, or use a permanent pen if you want your design to stay there. (You can also draw your own permanent artwork on
the hard cover of the Bible if that rocks your boat!)
Maybe you'd like to put the names of your family on the cover somewhere, or write down some things you know about God. As you colour and doodle, you might like to chat about what each of you thinks about the Bible. What
do you know about it? What are your favourite or least favourite bits?
You'll notice that the inside of the dust jacket is blank. That's so you can use it in any way you like, as you get involved with the interactions
provided inside this Bible. Open the jacket out, gather round it, grab some wipeable pens and doodle, draw or write about the things you discuss,
questions you want to ask, prayers you want to pray, or anything else that helps you make the most of exploring the Bible together. As long as you don't use permanent pens, the jacket can be wiped and reused, over and
over and over and over.
ON PAGES 17-22, YOU'LL FIND A NUMBER OF SUGGESTED JOURNEYS THAT YOU COULD TAKE IN READING THE BIBLE.
But before you delve into one of them, why not have a go at filling in the next page as a family...?
HOW DO WE
12
13
FAMILY PORTRAIT:
OUR FAMILY SUMMED UP IN ONE SENTENCE:
OUR FAVOURITE THINGS TO DO ARE:
TIMELINE OF OUR LIFE TOGETHER AS A FAMILY SO FAR:
IMPORTANT PEOPLE IN OUR LIVES:
.. . . . . . ..
14
Josh
ua
Gen
esis
Exod
us
Levi
ticus
Num
.
Deu
ter.
226
Joshua 1, 2
God Commands Joshua to Conquer Canaan
1 After the death of the Lord's servant Moses, the Lord
spoke to Moses' helper, Joshua son of Nun. 2 He said,
“My servant Moses is dead. Get ready now, you and all
the people of Israel, and cross the River Jordan into the
land that I am giving them. 3 As I told Moses, I have given
you and all my people the entire land that you will be
marching over. 4 Your borders will reach from the desert
in the south to the Lebanon Mountains in the north; from
the great River Euphrates in the east, through the Hittite
country, to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. 5 Joshua,
no one will be able to defeat you as long as you live.
I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will always be
with you; I will never abandon you. 6 Be determined and
confident, for you will be the leader of these people as
they occupy this land which I promised their ancestors.
7Just be determined, be confident; and make sure that
you obey the whole Law that my servant Moses gave
you. Do not neglect any part of it and you will succeed
wherever you go. 8 Be sure that the book of the Law is
always read in your worship. Study it day and night, and
make sure that you obey everything written in it. Then
you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Remember that
I have commanded you to be determined and confident!
Don't be afraid or discouraged, for I, the Lord your God,
am with you wherever you go.”
Joshua Gives Orders to the People
10 Then Joshua ordered the leaders to 11 go through
the camp and say to the people, “Get some food ready,
because in three days you are going to cross the River
Jordan to occupy the land that the Lord your God is giving
you.”12 Joshua said to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and to
half the tribe of Manasseh, 13 “Remember how Moses, the
Lord's servant, told you that the Lord your God would
give you this land on the east side of the Jordan as your
home. 14 Your wives, your children, and your livestock will
stay here, but your soldiers, armed for battle, will cross
over ahead of their fellow-Israelites in order to help them
15 until they have occupied the land west of the Jordan
that the Lord your God has given them. When he has
given safety to all the tribes of Israel, then you may come
back and settle here in your own land east of the Jordan,
which Moses, the Lord's servant, gave to you.”
16 They answered Joshua, “We will do everything you
have told us and will go wherever you send us. 17We will
obey you, just as we always obeyed Moses, and may
the Lord your God be with you as he was with Moses!
18 Whoever questions your authority or disobeys any
of your orders will be put to death. Be determined and
confident!”
Joshua Sends Spies into Jericho
2 Then Joshua sent two spies from the camp at Acacia
with orders to go and secretly explore the land of
Canaan, especially the city of Jericho. When they came
to the city, they went to spend the night in the house of
a prostitute named Rahab. 2 The king of Jericho heard
that some Israelites had come that night to spy out the
country, 3 so he sent word to Rahab: “The men in your
house have come to spy out the whole country! Bring
them out!”4-6 “Some men did come to my house,” she answered,
“but I don't know where they were from. They left at
sunset before the city gate was closed. I didn't find out
where they were going, but if you start after them quickly,
you can catch them.” (Now Rahab had taken the two
spies up on the roof and hidden them under some stalks
of flax that she had put there.) 7The king's men left the
city, and then the gate was shut. They went looking for
the Israelite spies as far as the place where the road
crosses the Jordan.8 Before the spies settled down for the night, Rahab
went up on the roof 9 and said to them, “I know that the
Lord has given you this land. Everyone in the country is
terrified of you. 10 We have heard how the Lord dried up
the Red Sea in front of you when you were leaving Egypt.
Joshua 1.9
God is always with us, just as
he promised Joshua on the
edge of the promised land.
What does it mean to you to know
that God is with you absolutely
everywhere that you go?
Every family is different, in all sorts of weird and wonderful ways! This means that the way your family interacts with the Bible will be very different from another family's way. There is no
'
right way' to read the Bible.
This Bible is designed for people of all ages to gather around and read together. That's why the pages aren't the usual way round! One person can be reading while someone on the other side is colouring the opposite page.
You'll find throughout the Bible that there are lots of ways to interact with what you are reading. Because everyone is different, we've created five different types of interactions:
For a complete list of all of the interactions in each of these categories, head to the indexes at the back. This is a quick way to navigate to your favourite type of interaction.
As you make your way through the Bible as a family, you could choose one reader, or perhaps take turns to read a couple of verses each. Maybe someone in your family might like to draw or doodle as questions are explored, or you might all like to dance around the room as you pray.
You could pick names out of a hat to decide who reads the interactions out. It might be fun to use your favourite toys or craft materials to retell a Bible story.
How about answering some of these questions as you read:
. What does this passage tell us about God?
. What does it ask us to change in our lives?
. Which words really stand out?
Whatever you do and however you do it, the important thing is that you open the Bible up and get exploring - together.
THINK: ways to reflect quietly on what you've read
CREATE:things to colour, draw or make
CHAT:ideas and questions to talk through together
WATCH:links to videos to view together
DO:suggestions for activities and active responses
HOW DO WE USE
17
FAMILY BIBLE JOURNEY:
There's a whole load of amazing people in the Bible who did incredible things in the name of God. Some of these people are really well known, like Moses, Noah or Jesus' mother, Mary. Others, however, are a little less well known but still lived in extraordinary and awe-inspiring ways.
Go on a journey of discovery together to uncover a few of these hidden heroes and heroines of the Bible... Why not tick or colour the circles to track what you've read?
KING AT THE AGE OF 8 (2 Chronicles 34.1-3
and 29-33)
LOYAL FRIEND (Ruth 1.16-17)
FIRST TO SEE THE RESURRECTED JESUS
(John 20.14-18)
GIFTED BY GOD AS A CRAFTSMAN
(Exodus 31.1-5 and 37.1-9)
SPOKE UP FOR PEOPLE WHO NEEDED SUPPORT
(Acts 9.26-28 and 15.36-39)
HELPED ESTHER TO SAVE THE JEWS FROM DEATH
(Esther 4)
THE MOTHER OF MOSES (Exodus 2.1-10 and Numbers 26.59)
DEDICATED HER SON, SAMUEL, TO SERVE THE LORD (1 Samuel 1.22-28)
'
WE CAN DO IT' (Numbers 13.25-30)
(ALSO CALLED DORCAS): ALWAYS DID GOOD AND
HELPED THE POOR (Acts 9.36-42)
18
FAMILY BIBLE JOURNEY:
There are some hugely important, life-changing moments in the story that spans the Bible, and discovering these moments can help us understand what the whole story is all about. So we've highlighted
'
mile markers' on the introduction pages to make these special moments easier to follow. Use this guide to go through some of these markers as a family.
SOLOMON BUILDS THE TEMPLE: 1 Kings 6.1-14
GOD'S PEOPLE ARE DEFEATED AND EXILED:
2 Kings 25.1-21
PAUL WRITES TO CHURCHES AND MENTORS YOUNG LEADERS:
Philippians 1.1-11; 1 Timothy 4.6-16
REVELATION BRINGS THE BIBLE TO AN EXCITING CLOSE: Revelation 22.1-17
THE ISRAELITES ESCAPE FROM EGYPT:
Exodus 14.5-31
A NEW LEADER FOR ISRAEL:
Deuteronomy 31.1-8
JOSHUA TAKES HIS PEOPLE INTO THE UNKNOWN:
Joshua 1.1-9; Joshua 21.43-45
WE MEET DAVID: 1 Samuel 17.12-54
THE TEMPLE IS REBUILT AFTER THE PEOPLE
COME HOME FROM EXILE: Ezra 6.14-22
SAUL (WHO LATER BECAME PAUL) GOES
THROUGH A COMPLETE TRANSFORMATION: Acts 9.1-19
GOD RAISES UP MORE LEADERS: Judges 2.6-23
THE ISRAELITES WRITE POEMS ABOUT GOD AND TO GOD: Psalm 23; Psalm 84
GOD CHOOSES ISAIAH TO BE A PROPHET: Isaiah 6.1-8
RUTH CHOOSES TO BECOME PART OF GOD'S FAMILY:
Ruth 1.1-16
THE WALLS OF JERUSALEM ARE REBUILT: Nehemiah 6.1-16
THE GOSPELS TELL US ABOUT THE LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS:
John 3.1-21
INTRODUCING GOD & ABRAHAM: Genesis 1.1-2.4; Genesis 12.1-5
1144
PAUL C
ONVERTED
AD30
PAUL UNDER A
RREST IN ROME
AD62
AD53-57
PAUL W
RITES ROMANS
THE LETTER TO THE
WRITTEN: AROUND AD55-58
Romans is an amazing letter that gives some really detailed explanations of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Chapter 8 is an exciting part, about how the Spirit of God changes us to live like Jesus - and Paul uses the idea of family to explain what he means. He says that if we are
'
led by God's Spirit' and
'
live in union with Christ Jesus', we are God's children, with all the rights and privileges of his sons and daughters. We are able to call out to God as our Father, and we can also know Jesus as our eldest brother. Because we are in God's own family, we can never be separated from his love. Every day, we can celebrate the fact that we are his children!
DRAW SOMETHING ...
Paul wrote to lots of churches, including the one in Rome.
1145
CHECK IT OUT:Rome was the centre of the Roman world and home to Emperor Nero, the most powerful leader of the time. Rome was rich and multicultural, but Christians were not popular there, so it was a dangerous place for the church to be. Paul wrote this letter to the Christians in Rome just before he visited them.
KEY VERSE:There is nothing in all creation that will ever be able to separate us from the love of God which is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8.39
BIG QUESTION:What difference does it make to us, knowing that we are God's children, with God as our father and Jesus as our big brother?
FAMILY BLESSING:Father God, help us to live in the knowledge that we are your children, completely and utterly loved. May we treat others in our family with the respect they deserve as your children too. Amen
Romans
Matt.MarkLukeJohnActs
1146
Romans 1
1 From Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus and an apostle
chosen and called by God to preach his G
ood New
s.2
The Good N
ews w
as promised long ago by G
od through his prophets, as w
ritten in the Holy Scriptures. 3
It is about his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ: as to his hum
anity, he was
born a descendant of David; 4
as to his divine holiness, he w
as shown w
ith great power to be the Son of G
od by being raised from
death. 5 Through him
God gave m
e the privilege of being an apostle for the sake of Christ, in order to lead people of all nations to believe and obey. 6
This also includes you who are in Rom
e, whom
God has
called to belong to Jesus Christ.7
And so I w
rite to all of you in Rome w
hom G
od loves and has called to be his ow
n people:M
ay God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you
grace and peace.
Prayer of Thanksgiving8
First, I thank my G
od through Jesus Christ for all of you, because the w
hole world is hearing about your faith. 9
God
is my w
itness that what I say is true —
the God w
hom
I serve with all m
y heart by preaching the Good N
ews
about his Son. God know
s that I remem
ber you 10 every
time I pray. I ask that G
od in his good will m
ay at last make
it possible for me to visit you now
. 11 For I w
ant very much
to see you, in order to share a spiritual blessing with you to
make you strong. 12
What I m
ean is that both you and I will
be helped at the same tim
e, you by my faith and I by yours.
13 You m
ust remem
ber, my brothers and sisters, that m
any tim
es I have planned to visit you, but something has alw
ays kept m
e from doing so. I w
ant to win converts am
ong you also, as I have am
ong other Gentiles. 14
For I have an obli-gation to all peoples, to the civilized and to the savage, to the educated and to the ignorant. 15
So then, I am eager to
preach the Good N
ews to you also w
ho live in Rome.
The Power of the G
ospel16
I have complete confidence in the gospel; it is G
od's pow
er to save all who believe, first the Jew
s and also the
Gentiles. 17
For the gospel reveals how G
od puts people right w
ith himself: it is through faith from
beginning to end. A
s the scripture says, “The person who is put right
with G
od through faith shall live.”
The Guilt of the H
uman Race
18 G
od's anger is revealed from heaven against all the
sin and evil of the people whose evil w
ays prevent the truth from
being known. 19
God punishes them
, because w
hat can be known about G
od is plain to them, for G
od him
self made it plain. 20
Ever since God created the w
orld, his invisible qualities, both his eternal pow
er and his divine nature, have been clearly seen; they are perceived in the things that G
od has made. So those people have no
excuse at all! 21 They know
God, but they do not give him
the honour that belongs to him
, nor do they thank him.
Instead, their thoughts have become com
plete nonsense, and their em
pty minds are filled w
ith darkness. 22 They say
they are wise, but they are fools; 23
instead of worshipping
the imm
ortal God, they w
orship images m
ade to look like m
ortal human beings or birds or anim
als or reptiles.24
And so G
od has given those people over to do the filthy things their hearts desire, and they do sham
eful things w
ith each other. 25 They exchange the truth about
God for a lie; they w
orship and serve what G
od has cre-ated instead of the Creator him
self, who is to be praised
for ever! Am
en.26
Because they do this, God has given them
over to sham
eful passions. Even the wom
en pervert the natural use of their sex by unnatural acts. 27
In the same w
ay the m
en give up natural sexual relations with w
omen and
burn with passion for each other. M
en do shameful things
with each other, and as a result they bring upon them
-selves the punishm
ent they deserve for their wrongdoing.
28 Because those people refuse to keep in m
ind the true know
ledge about God, he has given them
over to corrupted m
inds, so that they do the things that they should not do. 29
They are filled with all kinds of w
icked-ness, evil, greed, and vice; they are full of jealousy, m
urder,
Romans 1.20-21
TALK TOGETHER ABOUT ALL THE
AMAZING THINGS
THAT GOD HAS MADE
IN HIS CREATION.How
can these visible things show
us what the invisible G
od is like? Share your ideas w
ith each other.
Romans
1 Corin.2 Corin.Galat.Ephes.Philipp.
1147
fight
ing,
dec
eit,
and
mal
ice.
The
y go
ssip
30 an
d sp
eak
evil
of o
ne a
noth
er; t
hey
are
hate
ful t
o G
od, i
nsol
ent,
prou
d,
and
boas
tful
; the
y th
ink
of m
ore
way
s to
do
evil;
the
y di
sobe
y th
eir p
aren
ts; 31
they
hav
e no
con
scie
nce;
they
do
not
kee
p th
eir p
rom
ises
, and
they
sho
w n
o ki
ndne
ss
or p
ity fo
r oth
ers.
32 Th
ey k
now
that
God
's la
w s
ays
that
pe
ople
who
live
in th
is w
ay d
eser
ve d
eath
. Yet
, not
onl
y do
they
con
tinue
to d
o th
ese
very
thin
gs, b
ut th
ey e
ven
appr
ove
of o
ther
s w
ho d
o th
em.
God
's J
udge
men
t
2 D
o yo
u, m
y fr
iend
, pas
s ju
dgem
ent o
n ot
hers
? Yo
u ha
ve n
o ex
cuse
at a
ll, w
hoev
er y
ou a
re. F
or w
hen
you
judg
e ot
hers
and
then
do
the
sam
e th
ings
whi
ch th
ey d
o,
you
cond
emn
your
self.
2 We
know
that
God
is ri
ght w
hen
he ju
dges
the
peop
le w
ho d
o su
ch th
ings
as
thes
e. 3 Bu
t yo
u, m
y fr
iend
, do
thos
e ve
ry th
ings
for w
hich
you
pas
s ju
dgem
ent o
n ot
hers
! Do
you
thin
k yo
u w
ill e
scap
e G
od's
ju
dgem
ent?
4 Or p
erha
ps y
ou d
espi
se h
is gr
eat k
indn
ess,
tole
ranc
e, a
nd p
atie
nce.
Sur
ely
you
know
that
God
is k
ind,
be
caus
e he
is tr
ying
to le
ad y
ou to
repe
nt. 5 Bu
t you
hav
e a
hard
and
stu
bbor
n he
art,
and
so y
ou a
re m
akin
g yo
ur
own
puni
shm
ent e
ven
grea
ter o
n th
e D
ay w
hen
God
's
ange
r and
righ
teou
s ju
dgem
ents
will
be
reve
aled
. 6 For
God
will
rew
ard
ever
y pe
rson
acc
ordi
ng to
wha
t eac
h ha
s do
ne. 7 So
me
peop
le k
eep
on d
oing
goo
d, a
nd se
ek g
lory
, ho
nour
, and
imm
orta
l life
; to
them
God
will
giv
e et
erna
l lif
e. 8 O
ther
peo
ple
are
selfi
sh a
nd re
ject
wha
t is
right
, in
orde
r to
follo
w w
hat i
s wro
ng; o
n th
em G
od w
ill p
our o
ut
his
ange
r and
fury
. 9 Ther
e w
ill b
e su
ffer
ing
and
pain
for
all t
hose
who
do
wha
t is e
vil, f
or th
e Je
ws fi
rst a
nd a
lso fo
r th
e G
entil
es. 10
But G
od w
ill g
ive
glor
y, h
onou
r, an
d pe
ace
to a
ll who
do
wha
t is g
ood,
to th
e Je
ws fi
rst a
nd a
lso to
the
Gen
tiles
. 11 Fo
r God
judg
es e
very
one
by th
e sa
me
stan
dard
.12
The
Gen
tile
s do
not
hav
e th
e La
w o
f M
oses
; the
y si
n an
d ar
e lo
st a
part
from
the
Law
. The
Jew
s ha
ve th
e La
w; t
hey
sin
and
are
judg
ed b
y th
e La
w. 13
For i
t is
not
by h
earin
g th
e La
w th
at p
eopl
e ar
e pu
t rig
ht w
ith G
od,
but b
y do
ing
wha
t the
Law
com
man
ds. 14
The
Gen
tiles
Rom
ans
1, 2
do n
ot h
ave
the
Law
; but
whe
neve
r the
y do
by
inst
inct
w
hat t
he L
aw c
omm
ands
, the
y ar
e th
eir o
wn
law
, eve
n th
ough
they
do
not h
ave
the
Law
. 15 Th
eir c
ondu
ct sh
ows
that
wha
t the
Law
com
man
ds is
writ
ten
in th
eir h
eart
s. Th
eir c
onsc
ienc
es a
lso
show
that
this
is tr
ue, s
ince
thei
r th
ough
ts so
met
imes
acc
use
them
and
som
etim
es d
efen
d th
em. 16
And
so,
acc
ordi
ng to
the
Goo
d N
ews
I pr
each
, th
is is
how
it w
ill b
e on
that
Day
whe
n G
od th
roug
h Je
sus
Chris
t will
judg
e th
e se
cret
thou
ghts
of a
ll.
The
Jew
s an
d th
e La
w17
Wha
t abo
ut y
ou?
You
call
your
self
a Je
w; y
ou d
epen
d on
the
Law
and
boa
st a
bout
God
; 18 yo
u kn
ow w
hat G
od
wan
ts y
ou to
do,
and
you
hav
e le
arnt
from
the
Law
to
choo
se w
hat i
s rig
ht; 19
you
are
sure
that
you
are
a g
uide
fo
r the
blin
d, a
ligh
t for
thos
e w
ho a
re in
dar
knes
s, 20
an
inst
ruct
or fo
r the
fool
ish, a
nd a
teac
her f
or th
e ig
nora
nt.
You
are
cert
ain
that
in th
e La
w y
ou h
ave
the
full
cont
ent
of k
now
ledg
e an
d of
tru
th. 21
You
teac
h ot
hers
— w
hy
don'
t you
teac
h yo
urse
lf? Y
ou p
reac
h, “D
o no
t ste
al” —
bu
t do
you
you
rsel
f st
eal?
22 Yo
u sa
y, “
Do
not
com
mit
adul
tery
” —
but
do
you
com
mit
adul
tery
? Yo
u de
test
id
ols —
but
do
you
rob
tem
ples
? 23 Yo
u bo
ast a
bout
hav
ing
God
's la
w —
but
do
you
brin
g sh
ame
on G
od b
y br
eaki
ng
his
law
? 24
The
scrip
ture
say
s, “B
ecau
se o
f you
Jew
s, th
e G
entil
es s
peak
evi
l of G
od.”
25 If
you
obe
y th
e La
w, y
our c
ircum
cisi
on is
of
valu
e;
but i
f you
diso
bey
the
Law
, you
mig
ht a
s wel
l nev
er h
ave
been
circ
umci
sed.
26 If
the
Gen
tile,
who
is n
ot c
ircum
cise
d,
obey
s th
e co
mm
ands
of
the
Law
, will
God
not
rega
rd
him
as
thou
gh h
e w
ere
circ
umci
sed?
27 A
nd s
o yo
u Je
ws
will
be
cond
emne
d by
the
Gen
tiles
bec
ause
you
bre
ak
the
Law
, eve
n th
ough
you
hav
e it
writ
ten
dow
n an
d ar
e ci
rcum
cise
d; b
ut th
ey o
bey
the
Law
, eve
n th
ough
they
are
no
t phy
sica
lly c
ircum
cise
d. 28
Aft
er a
ll, w
ho is
a re
al J
ew,
trul
y ci
rcum
cise
d? It
is n
ot th
e m
an w
ho is
a J
ew o
n th
e ou
tsid
e, w
hose
circ
umci
sion
is a
phys
ical
thin
g. 29
Rath
er,
the
real
Jew
is th
e pe
rson
who
is a
Jew
on
the
insid
e, th
at
is, w
hose
hea
rt h
as b
een
circ
umci
sed,
and
this
is th
e w
ork
Romans
Matt.MarkLukeJohnActs
1148
of God's Spirit, not of the w
ritten Law. Such a person
receives praise from G
od, not from hum
an beings.
3 Have the Jew
s then any advantage over the Gentiles?
Or is there any value in being circum
cised? 2 M
uch, indeed, in every w
ay! In the first place, God trusted his
message to the Jew
s. 3 But w
hat if some of them
were not
faithful? Does this m
ean that God w
ill not be faithful? 4
Certainly not! God m
ust be true, even though every hum
an being is a liar. As the scripture says,
“You must be show
n to be right when you speak;
you must w
in your case when you are being tried.”
5 But w
hat if our doing wrong serves to show
up more
clearly God's doing right? C
an we say that G
od does w
rong when he punishes us? (This w
ould be the natural question to ask.) 6
By no means! If G
od is not just, how
can he judge the world?
7 But w
hat if my untruth serves G
od's glory by making
his truth stand out more clearly? W
hy should I still be condem
ned as a sinner? 8 W
hy not say, then, “Let us do evil so that good m
ay come”? Som
e people, indeed, have insulted m
e by accusing me of saying this very thing!
They will be condem
ned, as they should be.
No one is Righteous9
Well then, are w
e Jews in any better condition than
the Gentiles? N
ot at all! I have already shown that Jew
s and G
entiles alike are all under the power of sin. 10
As the
Scriptures say:“There is no one w
ho is righteous,
11 no one w
ho is wise
or who w
orships God.
12 A
ll have turned away from
God;
they have all gone wrong;
no one does what is right, not even one.
13 Their w
ords are full of deadly deceit;w
icked lies roll off their tongues,and dangerous threats, like snake's poison, from
their lips;
14
their speech is filled with bitter curses.
15 They are quick to hurt and kill;
16
they leave ruin and destruction wherever they go.
17 They have not know
n the path of peace,
18 nor have they learnt reverence for G
od.”19
Now
we know
that everything in the Law applies to
those who live under the Law
, in order to stop all human
excuses and bring the whole w
orld under God's judge-
ment. 20
For no one is put right in God's sight by doing
what the Law
requires; what the Law
does is to make
people know that they have sinned.
How
We are Put Right w
ith God
21 But now
God's w
ay of putting people right with him
self has been revealed. It has nothing to do w
ith law, even
though the Law of M
oses and the prophets gave their wit-
ness to it. 22 G
od puts people right through their faith in Jesus Christ. G
od does this to all who believe in Christ, because
there is no difference at all: 23 everyone has sinned and is far
away from
God's saving presence. 24
But by the free gift of G
od's grace all are put right with him
through Christ Jesus, w
ho sets them free. 25-26
God offered him
, so that by his blood he should becom
e the means by w
hich people's sins are forgiven through their faith in him
. God did this in order
to demonstrate that he is righteous. In the past he w
as patient and overlooked people's sins; but in the present tim
e he deals w
ith their sins, in order to demonstrate his right-
eousness. In this way G
od shows that he him
self is righteous and that he puts right everyone w
ho believes in Jesus.27
What, then, can w
e boast about? Nothing! And w
hat is the reason for this? Is it that w
e obey the Law? N
o, but that w
e believe. 28 For w
e conclude that a person is put right w
ith God only through faith, and not by doing w
hat the Law
comm
ands. 29 O
r is God the G
od of the Jews only?
Is he not the God of the G
entiles also? Of course he is.
30 G
od is one, and he will put the Jew
s right with him
self on the basis of their faith, and w
ill put the Gentiles right
through their faith. 31 D
oes this mean that by this faith
we do aw
ay with the Law
? No, not at all; instead, w
e uphold the Law
.
Romans 2, 3
Romans 3.22-24
Make a
pass-the-parcel present.
First wrap up som
ething you can share together that you
will all enjoy. Then put a forfeit inside each of the next layers. As you are m
aking the parcel, chat about the things you find
yourselves doing to try to impress
God. Read verse 24 to rem
ind each other that no one can be saved by anything they can do,
only by God's free gift of G
RACE.
Use your wrapped-up present to
play a game of pass-the-parcel
and enjoy the treat in the middle.
Romans
1 Corin.2 Corin.Galat.Ephes.Philipp.
1149
The
Exam
ple
of A
brah
am
4 W
hat
shal
l we
say,
the
n, o
f A
brah
am, t
he f
athe
r of
our
race
? W
hat
was
his
exp
erie
nce?
2 If
he
was
pu
t rig
ht w
ith G
od b
y th
e th
ings
he
did,
he
wou
ld h
ave
som
ethi
ng to
boa
st a
bout
— b
ut n
ot in
God
's si
ght.
3 The
scrip
ture
say
s, “A
brah
am b
elie
ved
God
, and
bec
ause
of
his
faith
God
acc
epte
d hi
m a
s rig
hteo
us.”
4 Tho
se w
ho
wor
k ar
e pa
id w
ages
, but
they
are
not
rega
rded
as a
gift
; th
ey a
re s
omet
hing
tha
t ha
s be
en e
arne
d. 5 B
ut t
hose
w
ho d
epen
d on
faith
, not
on
deed
s, an
d w
ho b
elie
ve in
th
e G
od w
ho d
ecla
res t
he g
uilty
to b
e in
noce
nt, i
t is t
his
faith
that
God
take
s in
to a
ccou
nt in
ord
er to
put
them
rig
ht w
ith h
imse
lf. 6 T
his
is w
hat D
avid
mea
nt w
hen
he
spok
e of
the
happ
ines
s of t
he p
erso
n w
hom
God
acc
epts
as
righ
teou
s, ap
art f
rom
any
thin
g th
at p
erso
n do
es:
7 “
Hap
py a
re th
ose
who
se w
rong
s ar
e fo
rgiv
en,
who
se s
ins
are
pard
oned
!
8 Hap
py is
the
pers
on w
hose
sin
s th
e Lo
rd w
ill n
ot
keep
acc
ount
of!
”9 D
oes
this
hap
pine
ss th
at D
avid
spo
ke o
f bel
ong
only
to
thos
e w
ho a
re c
ircum
cise
d? N
o in
deed
! It b
elon
gs a
lso
to th
ose
who
are
not
circ
umci
sed.
For
we
have
quo
ted
the
scrip
ture
, “Ab
raha
m b
elie
ved
God
, and
bec
ause
of h
is fa
ith G
od a
ccep
ted
him
as r
ight
eous
.” 10
Whe
n di
d th
is ta
ke
plac
e? W
as it
bef
ore
or a
fter
Abr
aham
was
circ
umci
sed?
It
was
bef
ore,
not
aft
er. 11
He
was
circ
umci
sed
late
r, an
d hi
s ci
rcum
cisio
n w
as a
sign
to sh
ow th
at b
ecau
se o
f his
faith
G
od h
ad a
ccep
ted
him
as r
ight
eous
bef
ore
he h
ad b
een
cir-
cum
cise
d. A
nd so
Abr
aham
is th
e sp
iritu
al fa
ther
of a
ll who
be
lieve
in G
od a
nd a
re a
ccep
ted
as ri
ghte
ous b
y hi
m, e
ven
thou
gh th
ey a
re n
ot c
ircum
cise
d. 12
He
is al
so th
e fa
ther
of
thos
e w
ho a
re c
ircum
cise
d, th
at is
, of t
hose
who
, in
addi
-tio
n to
bei
ng c
ircum
cise
d, a
lso li
ve th
e sa
me
life
of fa
ith
that
our
fath
er A
brah
am li
ved
befo
re h
e w
as c
ircum
cise
d.
God
's P
rom
ise
is R
ecei
ved
thro
ugh
Faith
13 W
hen
God
pro
mis
ed A
brah
am a
nd h
is d
esce
ndan
ts
that
the
wor
ld w
ould
bel
ong
to h
im, h
e di
d so
, not
bec
ause
A
brah
am o
beye
d th
e La
w, b
ut b
ecau
se h
e be
lieve
d an
d
was
acc
epte
d as
righ
teou
s by
God
. 14 Fo
r if
wha
t G
od
prom
ises
is to
be
give
n to
thos
e w
ho o
bey
the
Law
, the
n fa
ith
mea
ns n
othi
ng a
nd G
od's
pro
mis
e is
wor
thle
ss.
15 Th
e La
w b
rings
dow
n G
od's
ang
er; b
ut w
here
ther
e is
no
law
, the
re is
no
diso
beyi
ng o
f the
law
.16
And
so th
e pr
omis
e w
as b
ased
on
faith
, in
orde
r tha
t th
e pr
omis
e sh
ould
be
guar
ante
ed a
s G
od's
free
gift
to
all o
f Abr
aham
's d
esce
ndan
ts —
not
just
to th
ose
who
ob
ey th
e La
w, b
ut a
lso to
thos
e w
ho b
elie
ve a
s Abr
aham
di
d. F
or A
brah
am is
the
spiri
tual
fath
er o
f us a
ll; 17
as th
e sc
riptu
re sa
ys, “
I hav
e m
ade
you
fath
er o
f man
y na
tions
.” So
the
pro
mis
e is
goo
d in
the
sig
ht o
f G
od, i
n w
hom
Ab
raha
m b
elie
ved
— th
e G
od w
ho b
rings
the
dead
to li
fe
and
who
se co
mm
and
brin
gs in
to b
eing
wha
t did
not
exi
st.
18 A
brah
am b
elie
ved
and
hope
d, e
ven
whe
n th
ere
was
no
reas
on fo
r hop
ing,
and
so
beca
me
“the
fath
er o
f man
y na
tions
.” Ju
st a
s th
e sc
riptu
re s
ays,
“Yo
ur d
esce
ndan
ts
will
be
as m
any
as th
e st
ars.”
19 H
e w
as th
en a
lmos
t 100
ye
ars o
ld; b
ut h
is fa
ith d
id n
ot w
eake
n w
hen
he th
ough
t of
his
body
, whi
ch w
as a
lread
y pr
actic
ally
dea
d, o
r of t
he
fact
that
Sar
ah c
ould
not
hav
e ch
ildre
n. 20
His
faith
did
not
le
ave
him
, and
he
did
not d
oubt
God
's p
rom
ise;
his
faith
fil
led
him
with
pow
er, a
nd h
e ga
ve p
rais
e to
God
. 21 H
e w
as a
bsol
utel
y su
re th
at G
od w
ould
be
able
to d
o w
hat
he h
ad p
rom
ised
. 22 Th
at is
why
Abr
aham
, thr
ough
faith
, “w
as a
ccep
ted
as ri
ghte
ous b
y G
od”.
23 Th
e w
ords
“he
was
ac
cept
ed a
s rig
hteo
us”
wer
e no
t writ
ten
for h
im a
lone
. 24
They
wer
e w
ritte
n al
so fo
r us
who
are
to b
e ac
cept
ed
as ri
ghte
ous,
who
bel
ieve
in h
im w
ho ra
ised
Jes
us o
ur
Lord
from
dea
th. 25
Bec
ause
of o
ur s
ins
he w
as h
ande
d ov
er to
die
, and
he
was
rais
ed to
life
in o
rder
to p
ut u
s rig
ht w
ith G
od.
Righ
t with
God
5 N
ow th
at w
e ha
ve b
een
put r
ight
with
God
thro
ugh
faith
, we
have
pea
ce w
ith G
od th
roug
h ou
r Lor
d Je
sus
Chris
t. 2 H
e ha
s br
ough
t us
by fa
ith in
to th
is e
xper
ienc
e of
God
's g
race
, in
whi
ch w
e no
w li
ve. A
nd so
we
boas
t of
the
hope
we
have
of s
harin
g G
od's
glo
ry! 3 W
e al
so b
oast
Rom
ans
4, 5
Romans
Matt.MarkLukeJohnActs
1150
of our troubles, because we know
that trouble produces endurance, 4
endurance brings God's approval, and his
approval creates hope. 5 This hope does not disappoint
us, for God has poured out his love into our hearts by
means of the H
oly Spirit, who is G
od's gift to us.6
For when w
e were still helpless, C
hrist died for the w
icked at the time that G
od chose. 7 It is a difficult thing
for someone to die for a righteous person. It m
ay even be that som
eone might dare to die for a good person.
8 But G
od has shown us how
much he loves us —
it was
while w
e were still sinners that Christ died for us! 9
By his blood w
e are now put right w
ith God; how
much m
ore, then, w
ill we be saved by him
from G
od's anger! 10 W
e w
ere God's enem
ies, but he made us his friends through
the death of his Son. Now
that we are G
od's friends, how
much m
ore will w
e be saved by Christ's life! 11 But that is
not all; we rejoice because of w
hat God has done through
our Lord Jesus Christ, who has now
made us G
od's friends.
Adam
and Christ12
Sin came into the w
orld through one man, and his
sin brought death with it. A
s a result, death has spread to the w
hole human race because everyone has sinned.
13 There w
as sin in the world before the Law
was given;
but where there is no law
, no account is kept of sins. 14 But
from the tim
e of Adam to the tim
e of Moses death ruled
over the whole hum
an race, even over those who did not
sin in the same w
ay that Adam did w
hen he disobeyed G
od's comm
and.Adam
was a figure of the one w
ho was to com
e. 15 But
the two are not the sam
e, because God's free gift is not
like Adam's sin. It is true that m
any people died because of the sin of that one m
an. But God's grace is m
uch greater, and so is his free gift to so m
any people through the grace of the one m
an, Jesus Christ. 16 A
nd there is a difference betw
een God's gift and the sin of one m
an. A
fter the one sin, came the judgem
ent of “Guilty”; but
after so many sins, com
es the undeserved gift of “Not
guilty!” 17 It is true that through the sin of one m
an death
began to rule because of that one man. But how
much
greater is the result of what w
as done by the one man,
Jesus Christ! All w
ho receive God's abundant grace and
are freely put right with him
will rule in life through Christ.
18 So then, as the one sin condem
ned all people, in the sam
e way the one righteous act sets all people free and
gives them life. 19
And just as the m
ass of people were
made sinners as the result of the disobedience of one m
an, in the sam
e way the m
ass of people will all be put right
with G
od as the result of the obedience of the one man.
20 Law
was introduced in order to increase w
rongdoing; but w
here sin increased, God's grace increased m
uch m
ore. 21 So then, just as sin ruled by m
eans of death, so also G
od's grace rules by means of righteousness, leading
us to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Dead to Sin but A
live in Union w
ith Christ
6 What shall w
e say, then? Should we continue to live
in sin so that God's grace w
ill increase? 2 Certainly
not! We have died to sin —
how then can w
e go on living in it? 3
For surely you know that w
hen we w
ere baptized into union w
ith Christ Jesus, we w
ere baptized into union w
ith his death. 4 By our baptism
, then, we w
ere buried with
him and shared his death, in order that, just as Christ w
as raised from
death by the glorious power of the Father,
so also we m
ight live a new life.
5 For since w
e have become one w
ith him in dying as he
did, in the same w
ay we shall be one w
ith him by being
raised to life as he was. 6
And we know
that our old being has been put to death w
ith Christ on his cross, in order that the pow
er of the sinful self might be destroyed, so
that we should no longer be the slaves of sin. 7
For when
people die, they are set free from the pow
er of sin. 8 Since
we have died w
ith Christ, we believe that w
e will also live
with him
. 9 For w
e know that Christ has been raised from
death and w
ill never die again — death w
ill no longer rule over him
. 10 And so, because he died, sin has no pow
er over him
; and now he lives his life in fellow
ship with G
od. 11 In
the same w
ay you are to think of yourselves as dead, so
Romans 5, 6
Romans 5.12-21
Here Paul is explaining the link betw
een Adam
and Jesus.
'Adam was a figure of the one who was to come. But the two
are not the same.'
In the two outlines on the next
page, write w
ords from this passage
that relate to each one - Adam
and Jesus - so you can see the m
ajor differences.
Romans
1 Corin.2 Corin.Galat.Ephes.Philipp.
1151
far a
s si
n is
con
cern
ed, b
ut li
ving
in fe
llow
ship
with
God
th
roug
h Ch
rist J
esus
.12
Sin
mus
t no
long
er ru
le in
you
r mor
tal b
odie
s, so
that
yo
u ob
ey t
he d
esire
s of
you
r nat
ural
sel
f. 13
Nor
mus
t yo
u su
rren
der a
ny p
art o
f you
rsel
ves
to s
in to
be
used
fo
r wic
ked
purp
oses
. Ins
tead
, giv
e yo
urse
lves
to G
od, a
s th
ose
who
hav
e be
en b
roug
ht fr
om d
eath
to li
fe, a
nd
surre
nder
you
r who
le b
eing
to h
im to
be
used
for r
ight
eous
pu
rpos
es. 14
Sin
mus
t not
be
your
mas
ter;
for y
ou d
o no
t liv
e un
der l
aw b
ut u
nder
God
's g
race
.
Slav
es o
f Rig
hteo
usne
ss15
Wha
t, th
en?
Shal
l we
sin,
bec
ause
we
are
not u
nder
la
w b
ut u
nder
God
's g
race
? By
no
mea
ns! 16
Sure
ly y
ou
know
tha
t whe
n yo
u su
rren
der y
ours
elve
s as
sla
ves
to
obey
som
eone
, you
are
in fa
ct th
e sla
ves
of th
e m
aste
r yo
u ob
ey —
eith
er o
f si
n, w
hich
resu
lts in
dea
th, o
r of
obed
ienc
e, w
hich
resu
lts in
bei
ng p
ut ri
ght w
ith G
od. 17
But
than
ks b
e to
God
! For
thou
gh a
t one
tim
e yo
u w
ere
slave
s to
sin
, you
hav
e ob
eyed
with
all
your
hea
rt t
he t
ruth
s fo
und
in th
e te
achi
ng y
ou re
ceiv
ed. 18
You
wer
e se
t fre
e fr
om si
n an
d be
cam
e th
e sla
ves o
f rig
hteo
usne
ss. 19
(I u
se
ever
yday
lang
uage
bec
ause
of
the
wea
knes
s of
you
r na
tura
l sel
ves.)
At o
ne ti
me
you
surr
ende
red
your
selv
es
entir
ely
as sl
aves
to im
purit
y an
d w
icke
dnes
s for
wic
ked
purp
oses
. In
the
sam
e w
ay y
ou m
ust n
ow su
rrend
er y
our-
selv
es e
ntire
ly a
s sla
ves o
f rig
hteo
usne
ss fo
r hol
y pu
rpos
es.
20 W
hen
you
wer
e th
e sla
ves o
f sin
, you
wer
e fr
ee fr
om
right
eous
ness
. 21 W
hat d
id y
ou g
ain
from
doi
ng th
e th
ings
th
at y
ou a
re n
ow a
sham
ed o
f? T
he re
sult
of th
ose
thin
gs
is d
eath
! 22 B
ut n
ow y
ou h
ave
been
set
free
from
sin
and
are
the
slav
es o
f God
. You
r gai
n is
a li
fe fu
lly d
edic
ated
to
him
, and
the
resu
lt is
ete
rnal
life
. 23 Fo
r sin
pay
s it
s w
age
— d
eath
; but
God
's fr
ee g
ift is
ete
rnal
life
in u
nion
w
ith C
hris
t Jes
us o
ur L
ord.
An
Illus
trat
ion
from
Mar
riage
7 Ce
rtai
nly
you
will
und
erst
and
wha
t I a
m a
bout
to
say,
my
brot
hers
and
sist
ers,
beca
use
all o
f you
kno
w
abou
t law
. The
law
rule
s ove
r peo
ple
only
as l
ong
as th
ey
live.
2 A m
arrie
d w
oman
, for
exa
mpl
e, is
bou
nd b
y th
e la
w
to h
er h
usba
nd a
s lo
ng a
s he
live
s; b
ut if
he
dies
, the
n sh
e is
free
from
the
law
that
bou
nd h
er to
him
. 3 So th
en,
if sh
e liv
es w
ith a
noth
er m
an w
hile
her
hus
band
is a
live,
sh
e w
ill b
e ca
lled
an a
dulte
ress
; but
if h
er h
usba
nd d
ies,
she
is le
gally
a fr
ee w
oman
and
doe
s not
com
mit
adul
tery
if
she
mar
ries
anot
her m
an. 4 Th
at is
how
it is
with
you
, m
y si
ster
s an
d br
othe
rs. A
s fa
r as
the
Law
is c
once
rned
, yo
u al
so h
ave
died
bec
ause
you
are
par
t of t
he b
ody
of
Chris
t; an
d no
w y
ou b
elon
g to
him
who
was
rais
ed fr
om
deat
h in
ord
er th
at w
e m
ight
be
usef
ul in
the
serv
ice
of
God
. 5 For w
hen
we
lived
acc
ordi
ng to
our
hum
an n
atur
e,
the
sinf
ul d
esire
s st
irred
up
by th
e La
w w
ere
at w
ork
in
our b
odie
s, an
d al
l we
did
ende
d in
dea
th. 6 N
ow, h
owev
er,
we
are
free
from
the
Law
, bec
ause
we
died
to th
at w
hich
on
ce h
eld
us p
rison
ers.
No
long
er d
o w
e se
rve
in th
e ol
d w
ay o
f a w
ritte
n la
w, b
ut in
the
new
way
of t
he S
pirit
.
Law
and
Sin
7 Shal
l we
say,
the
n, t
hat
the
Law
itse
lf is
sin
ful?
Of
cour
se n
ot! B
ut it
was
the
Law
that
mad
e m
e kn
ow w
hat
sin is
. If t
he L
aw h
ad n
ot sa
id, “
Do
not d
esire
wha
t bel
ongs
to
som
eone
else
,” I w
ould
not
hav
e kn
own
such
a d
esire
. 8 Bu
t by
mea
ns o
f tha
t com
man
dmen
t sin
foun
d its
chan
ce
to st
ir up
all
kind
s of s
elfis
h de
sires
in m
e. A
part
from
law
, si
n is
a d
ead
thin
g. 9 I
mys
elf w
as o
nce
aliv
e ap
art f
rom
la
w; b
ut w
hen
the
com
man
dmen
t cam
e, si
n sp
rang
to li
fe,
10 an
d I d
ied.
And
the
com
man
dmen
t whi
ch w
as m
eant
to
brin
g lif
e, in
my
case
bro
ught
dea
th. 11
Sin
foun
d it
s ch
ance
, and
by
mea
ns o
f the
com
man
dmen
t it d
ecei
ved
me
and
kille
d m
e.12
So th
en, t
he L
aw it
self
is ho
ly, a
nd th
e co
mm
andm
ent
is h
oly,
righ
t, an
d go
od. 13
But
doe
s th
is m
ean
that
wha
t is
goo
d ca
used
my
deat
h? B
y no
mea
ns! I
t was
sin
that
di
d it;
by
usin
g w
hat i
s goo
d, si
n br
ough
t dea
th to
me,
in
orde
r tha
t its
true
nat
ure
as s
in m
ight
be
reve
aled
. And
so
, by
mea
ns o
f the
com
man
dmen
t sin
is s
how
n to
be
even
mor
e te
rrib
ly s
infu
l.
Rom
ans
6, 7
Romans
Matt.MarkLukeJohnActs
1152
The Conflict within U
s14
We know
that the Law is spiritual; but I am
unspiri-tual, sold as a slave to sin. 15
I do not understand what
I do; for I don't do what I w
ould like to do, but instead I do w
hat I hate. 16 Since w
hat I do is what I don't w
ant to do, this show
s that I agree that the Law is right. 17
So I am
not really the one who does this thing; rather it is
the sin that lives in me. 18
I know that good does not live
in me —
that is, in my hum
an nature. For even though the desire to do good is in m
e, I am not able to do it.
19 I don't do the good I w
ant to do; instead, I do the evil that I do not w
ant to do. 20 If I do w
hat I don't want to
do, this means that I am
no longer the one who does it;
instead, it is the sin that lives in me.
21 So I find that this law
is at work: w
hen I want to
do what is good, w
hat is evil is the only choice I have. 22
My inner being delights in the law
of God. 23
But I see a different law
at work in m
y body — a law
that fights against the law
which m
y mind approves of. It m
akes me
a prisoner to the law of sin w
hich is at work in m
y body. 24
What an unhappy m
an I am! W
ho will rescue m
e from
this body that is taking me to death? 25
Thanks be to God,
who does this through our Lord Jesus Christ!This, then, is m
y condition: on my ow
n I can serve God's
law only w
ith my m
ind, while m
y human nature serves
the law of sin.
Life in the Spirit
8 There is no condemnation now
for those who live
in union with Christ Jesus. 2
For the law of the Spirit,
which brings us life in union w
ith Christ Jesus, has set m
e free from the law
of sin and death. 3 W
hat the Law
could not do, because human nature w
as weak, G
od did. H
e condemned sin in hum
an nature by sending his own
Son, who cam
e with a nature like sinful hum
an nature, to do aw
ay with sin. 4
God did this so that the righteous
demands of the Law
might be fully satisfied in us w
ho live according to the Spirit, and not according to hum
an nature. 5
Those who live as their hum
an nature tells them
to, have their minds controlled by w
hat human nature
wants. Those w
ho live as the Spirit tells them to, have
their minds controlled by w
hat the Spirit wants. 6
To be controlled by hum
an nature results in death; to be con-trolled by the Spirit results in life and peace. 7
And so
people become enem
ies of God w
hen they are controlled by their hum
an nature; for they do not obey God's law
, and in fact they cannot obey it. 8
Those who obey their
human nature cannot please G
od.9
But you do not live as your human nature tells you to;
instead, you live as the Spirit tells you to — if, in fact, G
od's Spirit lives in you. W
hoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him
. 10 But if Christ lives in you, the Spirit
is life for you because you have been put right with G
od, even though your bodies are going to die because of sin. 11
If the Spirit of God, w
ho raised Jesus from death, lives in
you, then he who raised Christ from
death will also give life
to your mortal bodies by the presence of his Spirit in you.
12 So then, m
y brothers and sisters, we have an obliga-
tion, but it is not to live as our human nature w
ants us to. 13
For if you live according to your human nature, you
are going to die; but if by the Spirit you put to death your sinful actions, you w
ill live. 14 Those w
ho are led by God's
Spirit are God's children. 15
For the Spirit that God has
given you does not make you slaves and cause you to be
afraid; instead, the Spirit makes you G
od's children, and by the Spirit's pow
er we cry out to G
od, “Father! my Father!”
16 G
od's Spirit joins himself to our spirits to declare that
we are G
od's children. 17 Since w
e are his children, we w
ill possess the blessings he keeps for his people, and w
e will
also possess with Christ w
hat God has kept for him
; for if w
e share Christ's suffering, we w
ill also share his glory.
The Future Glory
18 I consider that w
hat we suffer at this present tim
e cannot be com
pared at all with the glory that is going
to be revealed to us. 19 A
ll of creation waits w
ith eager longing for G
od to reveal his children. 20 For creation w
as condem
ned to lose its purpose, not of its own w
ill, but
Romans 7, 8
Romans 7.14-25
THIS IS A REALLY TRICKY BIT OF THE BIBLE TO UNDERSTAND.
Read it slowly a couple of tim
es. Discuss together: w
hat are some
of the things you do, which you
don't want to do? W
hat are som
e of the good things you want to do, but don't do? W
hy do you think w
e have this fight going on inside us? W
hat can help us to do good things and
avoid the things we hate?
Romans
1 Corin.2 Corin.Galat.Ephes.Philipp.
1153
beca
use
God
will
ed it
to b
e so
. Yet
ther
e w
as th
e ho
pe
21 th
at c
reat
ion
itsel
f wou
ld o
ne d
ay b
e se
t fre
e fr
om it
s sla
very
to d
ecay
and
wou
ld s
hare
the
glor
ious
free
dom
of
the
chi
ldre
n of
God
. 22 Fo
r we
know
tha
t up
to
the
pres
ent
time
all o
f cr
eatio
n gr
oans
wit
h pa
in, l
ike
the
pain
of c
hild
birt
h. 23
But i
t is n
ot ju
st c
reat
ion
alon
e w
hich
gr
oans
; we
who
hav
e th
e Sp
irit a
s the
firs
t of G
od's
gift
s al
so g
roan
with
in o
urse
lves
, as w
e w
ait f
or G
od to
mak
e us
his
chi
ldre
n an
d se
t our
who
le b
eing
free
. 24 Fo
r it w
as
by h
ope
that
we
wer
e sa
ved;
but
if w
e se
e w
hat w
e ho
pe
for,
then
it is
not
real
ly h
ope.
For
whi
ch o
f us
hope
s fo
r so
met
hing
we
see?
25 B
ut if
we
hope
for w
hat w
e do
not
se
e, w
e w
ait f
or it
with
pat
ienc
e.26
In t
he s
ame
way
the
Spi
rit a
lso
com
es t
o he
lp u
s,
wea
k as
we
are.
For
we
do n
ot k
now
how
we
ough
t to
pr
ay; t
he S
pirit
him
self
plea
ds w
ith G
od fo
r us i
n gr
oans
th
at w
ords
can
not e
xpre
ss. 27
And
God
, who
sees
into
our
he
arts
, kno
ws w
hat t
he th
ough
t of t
he S
pirit
is; b
ecau
se
the
Spiri
t ple
ads
with
God
on
beha
lf of
his
peo
ple
and
in a
ccor
danc
e w
ith h
is w
ill.
28 W
e kn
ow th
at in
all
thin
gs G
od w
orks
for g
ood
with
th
ose
who
love
him
, tho
se w
hom
he
has c
alle
d ac
cord
ing
to h
is pu
rpos
e. 29
Thos
e w
hom
God
had
alre
ady
chos
en h
e al
so se
t apa
rt to
bec
ome
like
his S
on, s
o th
at th
e So
n w
ould
be
the
elde
st b
roth
er in
a la
rge
fam
ily. 30
And
so
thos
e w
hom
God
set
apa
rt, h
e ca
lled;
and
thos
e he
cal
led,
he
put r
ight
with
him
self,
and
he
shar
ed h
is gl
ory
with
them
.
God
's L
ove
in C
hris
t Jes
us31
In v
iew
of a
ll th
is, w
hat c
an w
e sa
y? If
God
is fo
r us,
who
can
be
agai
nst
us?
32 C
erta
inly
not
God
, who
did
no
t eve
n ke
ep b
ack
his
own
Son,
but
off
ered
him
for u
s al
l! H
e ga
ve u
s hi
s So
n —
will
he
not a
lso
free
ly g
ive
us
all t
hing
s? 33
Who
will
acc
use
God
's c
hose
n pe
ople
? G
od
him
self
decl
ares
them
not
gui
lty! 34
Who
, the
n, w
ill c
on-
dem
n th
em?
Not
Chr
ist J
esus
, who
die
d, o
r rat
her,
who
w
as ra
ised
to li
fe a
nd is
at t
he ri
ght-h
and
side
of G
od,
plea
ding
with
him
for u
s! 35
Who
, the
n, c
an s
epar
ate
us
from
the
love
of C
hris
t? C
an tr
oubl
e do
it, o
r har
dshi
p or
pers
ecut
ion
or h
unge
r or p
over
ty o
r dan
ger o
r dea
th?
36 A
s th
e sc
riptu
re s
ays,
“For
you
r sak
e w
e ar
e in
dan
ger o
f dea
th a
t all
times
;w
e ar
e tr
eate
d lik
e sh
eep
that
are
goi
ng to
be
slaug
hter
ed.”
37 N
o, in
all
thes
e th
ings
we
have
com
plet
e vi
ctor
y th
roug
h hi
m w
ho lo
ved
us! 38
For I
am
cer
tain
that
not
hing
can
se
para
te u
s fro
m h
is lo
ve: n
eith
er d
eath
nor
life
, nei
ther
an
gels
nor o
ther
hea
venl
y ru
lers
or p
ower
s, ne
ither
the
pres
ent n
or th
e fu
ture
, 39 ne
ither
the
wor
ld a
bove
nor
the
wor
ld b
elow
— th
ere
is n
othi
ng in
all
crea
tion
that
will
ev
er b
e ab
le to
sep
arat
e us
from
the
love
of G
od w
hich
is
our
s th
roug
h Ch
rist J
esus
our
Lor
d.
God
and
his
Peo
ple
9 I a
m sp
eaki
ng th
e tr
uth;
I be
long
to C
hris
t and
I do
no
t lie
. My
cons
cien
ce, r
uled
by
the
Hol
y Sp
irit,
also
as
sure
s m
e th
at I
am
not
lyin
g 2 w
hen
I sa
y ho
w g
reat
is
my
sorr
ow, h
ow e
ndle
ss th
e pa
in in
my
hear
t 3 for m
y pe
ople
, my
own
flesh
and
blo
od! F
or th
eir s
ake
I co
uld
wish
that
I m
ysel
f wer
e un
der G
od's
cur
se a
nd se
para
ted
from
Chr
ist.
4 They
are
God
's p
eopl
e; h
e m
ade
them
his
ch
ildre
n an
d re
veal
ed h
is gl
ory
to th
em; h
e m
ade
his c
ov-
enan
ts w
ith th
em a
nd g
ave
them
the
Law
; the
y ha
ve th
e tr
ue w
orsh
ip; t
hey
have
rece
ived
God
's p
rom
ises
; 5 they
ar
e de
scen
ded
from
the
fam
ous H
ebre
w a
nces
tors
; and
Ch
rist,
as a
hum
an b
eing
, bel
ongs
to th
eir r
ace.
May
God
, w
ho ru
les
over
all,
be
prai
sed
for e
ver!
Am
en.
6 I am
not
sayi
ng th
at th
e pr
omise
of G
od h
as fa
iled;
for
not a
ll th
e pe
ople
of I
srae
l are
the
peop
le o
f God
. 7 Nor
ar
e al
l Abr
aham
's d
esce
ndan
ts th
e ch
ildre
n of
God
. God
sa
id to
Abr
aham
, “It
is th
roug
h Is
aac
that
you
will
hav
e th
e de
scen
dant
s I p
rom
ised
you
.” 8 Th
is m
eans
that
the
child
ren
born
in th
e us
ual w
ay a
re n
ot th
e ch
ildre
n of
God
; in
stea
d, th
e ch
ildre
n bo
rn a
s a
resu
lt of
God
's p
rom
ise
are
rega
rded
as t
he tr
ue d
esce
ndan
ts. 9 Fo
r God
's p
rom
ise
was
mad
e in
thes
e w
ords
: “At
the
right
tim
e I w
ill c
ome
back
, and
Sar
ah w
ill h
ave
a so
n.”
Rom
ans
8, 9
Roman
s 8.38
-39
' NOT
HIN
G
CA
N S
EPA
RA
TE
US
FR
OM H
IS
LOV
E'
Romans
Matt.MarkLukeJohnActs
1154
10 A
nd this is not all. For Rebecca's two sons had the
same father, our ancestor Isaac. 11-12
But in order that the choice of one son m
ight be completely the result
of God's ow
n purpose, God said to her, “The elder w
ill serve the younger.” H
e said this before they were born,
before they had done anything either good or bad; so G
od's choice was based on his call, and not on anything
they had done. 13 A
s the scripture says, “I loved Jacob, but I hated Esau.”
14 Shall w
e say, then, that God is unjust? N
ot at all. 15 For
he said to Moses, “I w
ill have mercy on anyone I w
ish; I w
ill take pity on anyone I wish.” 16
So then, everything depends, not on w
hat human beings w
ant or do, but only on G
od's mercy. 17
For the scripture says to the king of Egypt, “I m
ade you king in order to use you to show
my pow
er and to spread my fam
e over the whole w
orld.” 18
So then, God has m
ercy on anyone he wishes, and he
makes stubborn anyone he w
ishes.
God's A
nger and Mercy
19 But one of you w
ill say to me, “If this is so, how
can G
od find fault with anyone? W
ho can resist God's
will?” 20
But who are you, m
y friend, to answer G
od back? A
clay pot does not ask the man w
ho made it,
“Why did you m
ake me like this?” 21
After all, the m
an w
ho makes the pots has the right to use the clay as
he wishes, and to m
ake two pots from
the same lum
p of clay, one for special occasions and the other for ordinary use.
22 A
nd the same is true of w
hat God has done. H
e w
anted to show his anger and to m
ake his power know
n. But he w
as very patient in enduring those who w
ere the objects of his anger, w
ho were doom
ed to destruction. 23
And he also wanted to reveal his abundant glory, w
hich w
as poured out on us who are the objects of his m
ercy, those of us w
hom he has prepared to receive his glory.
24 For w
e are the people he called, not only from am
ong the Jew
s but also from am
ong the Gentiles. 25
This is what
he says in the book of Hosea:
“The people who w
ere not mine
I will call ‘M
y People’.The nation that I did not love
I will call ‘M
y Beloved’.
26 And in the very place w
here they were told, ‘You
are not my people,’
there they will be called the children of the living
God.”
27 A
nd Isaiah exclaims about Israel: “Even if the people
of Israel are as many as the grains of sand by the sea,
yet only a few of them
will be saved; 28
for the Lord will
quickly settle his full account with the w
orld.” 29 It is as
Isaiah had said before, “If the Lord Alm
ighty had not left us som
e descendants, we w
ould have become like
Sodom, w
e would have been like G
omorrah.”
Paul's Prayer for Israel30
So we say that the G
entiles, who w
ere not trying to put them
selves right with G
od, were put right w
ith him
through faith; 31 w
hile God's people, w
ho were seeking
a law that w
ould put them right w
ith God, did not find
it. 32 And w
hy not? Because they did not depend on faith but on w
hat they did. And so they stum
bled over the “stum
bling stone” 33 that the scripture speaks of:
“Look, I place in Zion a stonethat w
ill make people stum
ble,a rock that w
ill make them
fall.But w
hoever believes in him w
ill not be disappointed.”
10 My brothers and sisters, how
I wish w
ith all my
heart that my ow
n people might be saved! H
ow
I pray to God for them
! 2 I can assure you that they are
deeply devoted to God; but their devotion is not based
on true knowledge. 3
They have not known the w
ay in w
hich God puts people right w
ith himself, and instead,
they have tried to set up their own w
ay; and so they did not subm
it themselves to G
od's way of putting people
right. 4 For Christ has brought the Law
to an end, so that everyone w
ho believes is put right with G
od.
Romans 9, 10
Romans
1 Corin.2 Corin.Galat.Ephes.Philipp.
1155
Salv
atio
n is
for A
ll5 M
oses
wro
te th
is a
bout
bei
ng p
ut ri
ght w
ith G
od b
y ob
eyin
g th
e La
w: “
Who
ever
obe
ys th
e co
mm
ands
of t
he
Law
will
live
.” 6 Bu
t wha
t the
scrip
ture
says
abo
ut b
eing
put
rig
ht w
ith G
od th
roug
h fa
ith is
this
: “Yo
u ar
e no
t to
ask
your
self,
Who
will
go
up in
to h
eave
n?” (
that
is, t
o br
ing
Chris
t dow
n). 7 “N
or a
re y
ou to
ask
, Who
will
go
dow
n in
to
the
wor
ld b
elow
?” (t
hat i
s, to
brin
g Ch
rist u
p fr
om d
eath
). 8 W
hat i
t say
s is t
his:
“God
's m
essa
ge is
nea
r you
, on
your
lip
s an
d in
you
r hea
rt”
— th
at is
, the
mes
sage
of f
aith
th
at w
e pr
each
. 9 If y
ou c
onfe
ss t
hat J
esus
is L
ord
and
belie
ve th
at G
od ra
ised
him
from
dea
th, y
ou w
ill b
e sa
ved.
10
For i
t is
by o
ur fa
ith th
at w
e ar
e pu
t rig
ht w
ith G
od; i
t is
by
our c
onfe
ssio
n th
at w
e ar
e sa
ved.
11 T
he s
crip
ture
sa
ys, “
Who
ever
bel
ieve
s in
him
will
not
be
disa
ppoi
nted
.” 12
This
incl
udes
eve
ryon
e, b
ecau
se th
ere
is n
o di
ffer
ence
be
twee
n Je
ws a
nd G
entil
es; G
od is
the
sam
e Lo
rd o
f all a
nd
richl
y bl
esse
s al
l who
cal
l to
him
. 13 A
s th
e sc
riptu
re s
ays,
“Eve
ryon
e w
ho c
alls
out t
o th
e Lo
rd fo
r hel
p w
ill b
e sa
ved.
”14
But h
ow c
an th
ey c
all t
o hi
m fo
r hel
p if
they
hav
e no
t be
lieve
d? A
nd h
ow ca
n th
ey b
elie
ve if
they
hav
e no
t hea
rd
the
mes
sage
? And
how
can
they
hea
r if t
he m
essa
ge is
not
pr
ocla
imed
? 15
And
how
can
the
mes
sage
be
proc
laim
ed
if th
e m
esse
nger
s are
not
sent
out
? A
s the
scrip
ture
says
, “H
ow w
onde
rful
is th
e co
min
g of
mes
seng
ers
who
brin
g go
od n
ews!
” 16 Bu
t not
all
have
acc
epte
d th
e G
ood
New
s. Is
aiah
him
self
said
, “Lo
rd, w
ho b
elie
ved
our m
essa
ge?”
17
So th
en, f
aith
com
es fr
om h
earin
g th
e m
essa
ge, a
nd th
e m
essa
ge c
omes
thro
ugh
prea
chin
g Ch
rist.
18 Bu
t I a
sk: i
s it t
rue
that
they
did
not
hea
r the
mes
sage
? O
f cou
rse
they
did
— fo
r as
the
scrip
ture
say
s:“T
he s
ound
of t
heir
voic
e w
ent o
ut to
all
the
wor
ld;
thei
r wor
ds re
ache
d th
e en
ds o
f the
ear
th.”
19 A
gain
I a
sk: d
id th
e pe
ople
of I
srae
l not
und
erst
and?
M
oses
him
self
is th
e fir
st o
ne to
ans
wer
:“I
will
use
a s
o-ca
lled
natio
nto
mak
e m
y pe
ople
jeal
ous;
and
by m
eans
of a
nat
ion
of fo
ols
I will
mak
e m
y pe
ople
ang
ry.”
20 A
nd Is
aiah
is e
ven
bold
er w
hen
he s
ays,
“I w
as fo
und
by th
ose
who
wer
e no
t loo
king
for m
e;I a
ppea
red
to th
ose
who
wer
e no
t ask
ing
for m
e.”
21 Bu
t con
cern
ing
Isra
el h
e sa
ys, “
All d
ay lo
ng I
held
out
my
hand
s to
wel
com
e a
diso
bedi
ent a
nd re
belli
ous p
eopl
e.”
God
's M
ercy
on
Isra
el
11 I a
sk, t
hen:
did
God
reje
ct h
is ow
n pe
ople
? Cer
tain
ly
not!
I m
ysel
f am
an
Isra
elite
, a d
esce
ndan
t of
A
brah
am, a
mem
ber o
f the
trib
e of
Ben
jam
in. 2 G
od h
as
not r
ejec
ted
his p
eopl
e, w
hom
he
chos
e fr
om th
e be
gin-
ning
. You
kno
w w
hat t
he s
crip
ture
say
s in
the
pass
age
whe
re E
lijah
ple
ads w
ith G
od a
gain
st Is
rael
: 3 “Lor
d, th
ey
have
kill
ed y
our p
roph
ets a
nd to
rn d
own
your
alta
rs; I
am
th
e on
ly o
ne le
ft, a
nd th
ey a
re tr
ying
to k
ill m
e.” 4 W
hat
answ
er d
id G
od g
ive
him
? “I
hav
e ke
pt fo
r mys
elf 7
,000
m
en w
ho h
ave
not w
orsh
ippe
d th
e fa
lse g
od B
aal.”
5 It is
th
e sa
me
way
now
: the
re is
a sm
all n
umbe
r lef
t of t
hose
w
hom
God
has
cho
sen
beca
use
of h
is g
race
. 6 His
cho
ice
is b
ased
on
his
grac
e, n
ot o
n w
hat t
hey
have
don
e. F
or
if G
od's
cho
ice
wer
e ba
sed
on w
hat p
eopl
e do
, the
n hi
s gr
ace
wou
ld n
ot b
e re
al g
race
.7 W
hat t
hen?
The
peo
ple
of Is
rael
did
not
find
wha
t the
y w
ere
look
ing
for.
It w
as o
nly
the
smal
l gro
up th
at G
od
chos
e w
ho fo
und
it; th
e re
st g
rew
dea
f to
God
's c
all.
8 As
the
scrip
ture
says
, “G
od m
ade
thei
r min
ds a
nd h
eart
s dul
l; to
this
very
day
they
can
not s
ee o
r hea
r.” 9 A
nd D
avid
says
:“M
ay th
ey b
e ca
ught
and
trap
ped
at th
eir f
east
s;m
ay th
ey fa
ll, m
ay th
ey b
e pu
nish
ed!
10
May
thei
r eye
s be
blin
ded
so th
at th
ey c
anno
t see
;an
d m
ake
them
ben
d un
der t
heir
trou
bles
at a
ll tim
es.”
11 I
ask,
then
: whe
n th
e Je
ws
stum
bled
, did
they
fall
to
thei
r rui
n? B
y no
mea
ns! B
ecau
se th
ey si
nned
, sal
vatio
n ha
s co
me
to th
e G
entil
es, t
o m
ake
the
Jew
s je
alou
s of
th
em. 12
The
sin o
f the
Jew
s bro
ught
rich
ble
ssin
gs to
the
wor
ld, a
nd th
eir s
pirit
ual p
over
ty b
roug
ht ri
ch b
less
ings
to
the
Gen
tiles
. The
n, h
ow m
uch
grea
ter t
he b
less
ings
w
ill b
e w
hen
the
com
plet
e nu
mbe
r of J
ews
is in
clud
ed!
Rom
ans
10, 1
1
Roman
s 10.13
-17
' Ever
yone
who
calls
out
to t
he
Lord
for
help
will
be s
aved
.'
For pe
ople t
o he
ar t
he s
aving
mes
sage
of Je
sus,
this
good
ne
ws
need
s to
be
PROCLA
IMED
. Yo
u might
hea
r th
is ca
lled
EVANG
ELISM.
Wat
ch t
his v
ideo
to
explor
e way
s we
can
shar
e th
e go
od
news
with
oth
er p
eople.