I. Ordering Paul's Epistles 1 - Hope of the Glory

14 When I saw that they were not acting in line 15 The words of the prophets are in agreement
with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in with this, as it is written:
front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live 16 “‘After this I will return and rebuild David’s
like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will
then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish restore it,
customs?
17 that the remnant of men may seek the Lord,
15 “We who are Jews by birth and not ‘Gentile and all the Gentiles who bear my name, says
sinners’
the Lord, who does these things’
16 know that a man is not justified by observing 18 that have been known for ages.
the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, 19 “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should
too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are
may be justified by faith in Christ and not by turning to God.
observing the law, because by observing the 20 Instead we should write to them, telling
law no-one will be justified.
them to abstain from food polluted by idols,
17 “If, while we seek to be justified in Christ, it from sexual immorality, from the meat of
becomes evident that we ourselves are strangled animals and from blood.
sinners, does that mean that Christ promotes 21 For Moses has been preached in every city
sin? Absolutely not!
from the earliest times and is read in the
18 If I rebuild what I destroyed, I prove that I synagogues on every Sabbath.”
am a law-breaker.
22 Then the apostles and elders, with the
19 For through the law I died to the law so that whole church, decided to choose some of
I might live for God.
their own men and send them to Antioch with
20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas
longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I (called Barsabbas) and Silas, two men who
live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of were leaders among the brothers.
God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 23 With them they sent the following letter: The
21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if apostles and elders, your brothers, To the
righteousness could be gained through the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and
law, Christ died for nothing!”
Cilicia: Greetings.
24 We have heard that some went out from us
without our authorisation and disturbed you,
troubling your minds by what they said.
25 So we all agreed to choose some men and
send them to you with our dear friends
Barnabas and Paul--
26 men who have risked their lives for the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
27 Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas
to confirm by word of mouth what we are
writing.
28 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us
not to burden you with anything beyond the
following requirements:
29 You are to abstain from food sacrificed to
idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled
animals and from sexual immorality. You will
do well to avoid these things. Farewell.
30 The men were sent off and went down to
Antioch, where they gathered the church
together and delivered the letter.
31 The people read it and were glad for its
encouraging message.
32 Judas and Silas, who themselves were
prophets, said much to encourage and
strengthen the brothers.
33 After spending some time there, they were
sent off by the brothers with the blessing of
peace to return to those who had sent them.
34
35 But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch,
Galatians Page 16 November 22, 2008 10:05