Day 41 of 365

¹What then will we say that Abraham, our forefather, has found according to the flesh?

²For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not toward God.

³For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness."

⁴Now to him who works, the reward is not counted as grace, but as debt.

⁵But to him who does not work, but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.

⁶Even as David also pronounces blessing on the man to whom God counts righteousness apart from works,

⁷"Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, whose sins are covered.

⁸Blessed is the man whom the Lord will by no means charge with sin."

⁹Is this blessing then pronounced on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness.

¹⁰How then was it counted? When he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.

¹¹He 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.

¹²The 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.

¹³For the promise to Abraham and to his seed that he should be heir of the world was not through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

¹⁴For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void, and the promise is made of no effect.

¹⁵For the law works wrath, for where there is no law, neither is there disobedience.

¹⁶For 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.

¹⁷As it is written, "I have made you a father of many nations." 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.

¹⁸Who 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."

¹⁹Without being weakened in faith, he considered his own body, already having been worn out, (he being about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb.

²⁰Yet, looking to the promise of God, he did not waver through unbelief, but grew strong through faith, giving glory to God,

²¹and being fully assured that what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

²²Therefore it also was "reckoned to him for righteousness."

²³Now it was not written that it was accounted to him for his sake alone,

²⁴but for our sake also, to whom it will be accounted, who believe in him who raised Jesus, our Lord, from the dead,

²⁵who was delivered up for our trespasses, and was raised for our justification.

¹Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ;

²through whom we also have our access by faith into this grace in which we stand. We rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

³Not only this, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering works perseverance;

⁴and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope:

⁵and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

⁶For while we were yet weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

⁷For rarely does one die for the righteous. Yet perhaps for a good person someone might dare to die.

⁸But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

⁹Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we will be saved from God's wrath through him.

¹⁰For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we will be saved by his life.

¹¹Not only so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

¹²Therefore, as sin entered into the world through one man, and death through sin; and so death passed to all men, because all sinned.

¹³For until the law, sin was in the world; but sin is not charged when there is no law.

¹⁴Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those whose sins weren't like Adam's disobedience, who is a foreshadowing of him who was to come.

¹⁵But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if by the trespass of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God, and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many.

¹⁶The gift is not as through one who sinned: for the judgment came by one to condemnation, but the free gift came of many trespasses to justification.

¹⁷For if by the trespass of the one, death reigned through the one; so much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ.

¹⁸So then as through one trespass, all men were condemned; even so through one act of righteousness, all men were justified to life.

¹⁹For as through the one man's disobedience many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the one, many will be made righteous.

²⁰The law came in besides, that the trespass might abound; but where sin abounded, grace abounded more exceedingly;

²¹that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

¹What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?

²May it never be! We who died to sin, how could we live in it any longer?

³Or do you not know that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

⁴We were buried therefore with him through baptism to death, that just like Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life.

⁵For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will also be part of his resurrection;

⁶knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be in bondage to sin.

⁷For he who has died has been freed from sin.

⁸But if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him;

⁹knowing that Christ, being raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no more has dominion over him!

¹⁰For the death that he died, he died to sin one time; but the life that he lives, he lives to God.

¹¹Thus consider yourselves also to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

¹²Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.

¹³Neither present your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God, as alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

¹⁴For sin will not have dominion over you. For you are not under law, but under grace.

¹⁵What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under law, but under grace? May it never be!

¹⁶Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves as servants to obedience, his servants you are whom you obey; whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness?

¹⁷But thanks be to God, that, whereas you were bondservants of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching whereunto you were delivered.

¹⁸Being made free from sin, you became bondservants of righteousness.

¹⁹I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh, for as you presented your members as servants to uncleanness and to wickedness upon wickedness, even so now present your members as servants to righteousness for sanctification.

²⁰For when you were servants of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.

²¹What fruit then did you have at that time in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.

²²But now, being made free from sin, and having become servants of God, you have your fruit of sanctification, and the result of eternal life.

²³For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

¹Blessed is he who considers the poor. The Lord will deliver him in the day of evil.

²The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive. He shall be blessed on the earth, and he will not surrender him to the will of his enemies.

³The Lord will sustain him on his sickbed, and restore him from his bed of illness.

⁴I said, "Lord, have mercy on me! Heal me, for I have sinned against you."

⁵My enemies speak evil against me: "When will he die, and his name perish?"

⁶If he comes to see me, he speaks falsehood. His heart gathers iniquity to itself. When he goes abroad, he tells it.

⁷All who hate me whisper together against me. They imagine the worst for me.

⁸"An evil disease," they say, "has afflicted him. Now that he lies he shall rise up no more."

⁹Yes, my own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, who ate bread with me, has lifted up his heel against me.

¹⁰But you, Lord, have mercy on me, and raise me up, that I may repay them.

¹¹By this I know that you delight in me, because my enemy doesn't triumph over me.

¹²As for me, you uphold me in my integrity, and set me in your presence forever.

¹³Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting and to everlasting! Amen and amen.

¹The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son makes a glad father; but a foolish son brings grief to his mother.

²Treasures of wickedness profit nothing, but righteousness delivers from death.

³The Lord will not allow the soul of the righteous to go hungry, but he thrusts away the desire of the wicked.

⁴He becomes poor who works with a lazy hand, but the hand of the diligent brings wealth.

⁵He who gathers in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during the harvest is a son who causes shame.

⁶Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but violence covers the mouth of the wicked.

⁷The memory of the righteous is blessed, but the name of the wicked will rot.

⁸The wise in heart accept commandments, but a chattering fool will fall.

⁹He who walks blamelessly walks surely, but he who perverts his ways will be found out.

¹⁰One winking with the eye causes sorrow, but a chattering fool will fall.

¹¹The mouth of the righteous is a spring of life, but violence covers the mouth of the wicked.

¹²Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all wrongs.

¹³Wisdom is found on the lips of him who has discernment, but a rod is for the back of him who is void of understanding.

¹⁴Wise men lay up knowledge, but the mouth of the foolish is near ruin.

¹⁵The rich man's wealth is his strong city. The destruction of the poor is their poverty.

¹⁶The labor of the righteous leads to life. The increase of the wicked leads to sin.

¹⁷He is in the way of life who heeds correction, but he who forsakes reproof leads others astray.

¹⁸He who hides hatred has lying lips. He who utters a slander is a fool.

¹⁹In the multitude of words there is no lack of disobedience, but he who restrains his lips does wisely.

²⁰The tongue of the righteous is like choice silver. The heart of the wicked is of little worth.

²¹The lips of the righteous feed many, but the foolish die for lack of understanding.

²²The Lord's blessing brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it.

²³It is a fool's pleasure to do wickedness, but wisdom is a man of understanding's pleasure.

²⁴What the wicked fear, will overtake them, but the desire of the righteous will be granted.

²⁵When the whirlwind passes, the wicked is no more; but the righteous stand firm forever.

²⁶As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to those who send him.

²⁷The fear of the Lord prolongs days, but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.

²⁸The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hope of the wicked will perish.

²⁹The way of the Lord is a stronghold to the upright, but it is a destruction to the workers of iniquity.

³⁰The righteous will never be removed, but the wicked will not dwell in the land.

³¹The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off.

³²The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked is perverse.