Of the True Justification of the Faithful

Berean Standard Bible. Public domain text and source credits.

Romans 8:33

33Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.

Acts 13:38-52

38Therefore let it be known to you, brothers, that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.

39Through Him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses.

40Watch out, then, that what was spoken by the prophets does not happen to you:

41‘Look, you scoffers, wonder and perish! For I am doing a work in your days that you would never believe, even if someone told you.’”

42As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people urged them to continue this message on the next Sabbath.

43After the synagogue was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.

44On the following Sabbath, nearly the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.

45But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy, and they blasphemously contradicted what Paul was saying.

46Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “It was necessary to speak the word of God to you first. But since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.

47For this is what the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”

48When the Gentiles heard this, they rejoiced and glorified the word of the Lord, and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.

49And the word of the Lord spread throughout that region.

50The Jews, however, incited the religious women of prominence and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and drove them out of their district.

51So they shook the dust off their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium.

52And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Deuteronomy 25:1

1If there is a dispute between men, they are to go to court to be judged, so that the innocent may be acquitted and the guilty condemned.

Isaiah 5:1-30

1I will sing for my beloved a song of his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill.

2He dug it up and cleared the stones and planted the finest vines. He built a watchtower in the middle and dug out a winepress as well. He waited for the vineyard to yield good grapes, but the fruit it produced was sour!

3“And now, O dwellers of Jerusalem and men of Judah, I exhort you to judge between Me and My vineyard.

4What more could I have done for My vineyard than I already did for it? Why, when I expected sweet grapes, did it bring forth sour fruit?

5Now I will tell you what I am about to do to My vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be consumed; I will tear down its wall, and it will be trampled.

6I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and thorns and briers will grow up. I will command the clouds that rain shall not fall on it.”

7For the vineyard of the LORD of Hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the plant of His delight. He looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard a cry of distress.

8Woe to you who add house to house and join field to field until no place is left and you live alone in the land.

9I heard the LORD of Hosts declare: “Surely many houses will become desolate, great mansions left unoccupied.

10For ten acres of vineyard will yield but a bath of wine, and a homer of seed only an ephah of grain.”

11Woe to those who rise early in the morning in pursuit of strong drink, who linger into the evening, to be inflamed by wine.

12At their feasts are the lyre and harp, tambourines and flutes and wine. They disregard the actions of the LORD and fail to see the work of His hands.

13Therefore My people will go into exile for their lack of understanding; their dignitaries are starving and their masses are parched with thirst.

14Therefore Sheol enlarges its throat and opens wide its enormous jaws, and down go Zion’s nobles and masses, her revelers and carousers!

15So mankind will be brought low, and each man humbled; the arrogant will lower their eyes.

16But the LORD of Hosts will be exalted by His justice, and the holy God will show Himself holy in righteousness.

17Lambs will graze as in their own pastures, and strangers will feed in the ruins of the wealthy.

18Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of deceit and pull sin along with cart ropes,

19to those who say, “Let Him hurry and hasten His work so that we may see it! Let the plan of the Holy One of Israel come so that we may know it!”

20Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who turn darkness to light and light to darkness, who replace bitter with sweet and sweet with bitter.

21Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.

22Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine and champions in mixing beer,

23who acquit the guilty for a bribe and deprive the innocent of justice.

24Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes the straw, and as dry grass shrivels in the flame, so their roots will decay and their blossoms will blow away like dust; for they have rejected the instruction of the LORD of Hosts and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

25Therefore the anger of the LORD burns against His people; His hand is raised against them to strike them down. The mountains quake, and the corpses lay like refuse in the streets. Despite all this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised.

26He lifts a banner for the distant nations and whistles for those at the ends of the earth. Behold—how speedily and swiftly they come!

27None of them grows weary or stumbles; no one slumbers or sleeps. No belt is loose and no sandal strap is broken.

28Their arrows are sharpened, and all their bows are strung. The hooves of their horses are like flint; their chariot wheels are like a whirlwind.

29Their roaring is like that of a lion; they roar like young lions. They growl and seize their prey; they carry it away from deliverance.

30In that day they will roar over it, like the roaring of the sea. If one looks over the land, he will see darkness and distress; even the light will be obscured by clouds.

Berean Standard Bible. Public domain text and source credits.

Romans 3:23-31

23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

24and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

25God presented Him as the atoning sacrifice through faith in His blood, in order to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had passed over the sins committed beforehand.

26He did this to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and to justify the one who has faith in Jesus.

27Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of works? No, but on that of faith.

28For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law.

29Is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too,

30since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith.

31Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Certainly not! Instead, we uphold the law.

Berean Standard Bible. Public domain text and source credits.

2 Corinthians 5:19-21

19that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s trespasses against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

20Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ: Be reconciled to God.

21God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

Romans 4:25

25He was delivered over to death for our trespasses and was raised to life for our justification.

Berean Standard Bible. Public domain text and source credits.

Romans 3:28

28For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law.

Romans 4:2-25

2If Abraham was indeed justified by works, he had something to boast about, but not before God.

3For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

4Now the wages of the worker are not credited as a gift, but as an obligation.

5However, to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.

6And David speaks likewise of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

7“Blessed are they whose lawless acts are forgiven, whose sins are covered.

8Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.”

9Is this blessing only on the circumcised, or also on the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness.

10In what context was it credited? Was it after his circumcision, or before? It was not after, but before.

11And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but are not circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them.

12And he is also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised, but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

13For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world was not given through the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.

14For if those who live by the law are heirs, faith is useless and the promise is worthless,

15because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law, there is no transgression.

16Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may rest on grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.

17As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the presence of God, in whom he believed, the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being what does not yet exist.

18Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.”

19Without weakening in his faith, he acknowledged the decrepitness of his body (since he was about a hundred years old) and the lifelessness of Sarah’s womb.

20Yet he did not waver through disbelief in the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,

21being fully persuaded that God was able to do what He had promised.

22This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.”

23Now the words “it was credited to him” were written not only for Abraham,

24but also for us, to whom righteousness will be credited—for us who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.

25He was delivered over to death for our trespasses and was raised to life for our justification.

Genesis 15:6

6Abram believed the LORD, and it was credited to him as righteousness.

Ephesians 2:8-22

8For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God,

9not by works, so that no one can boast.

10For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.

11Therefore remember that formerly you who are Gentiles in the flesh and called uncircumcised by the so-called circumcision (that done in the body by human hands)—

12remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.

13But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.

14For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has torn down the dividing wall of hostility

15by abolishing in His flesh the law of commandments and decrees. He did this to create in Himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace

16and reconciling both of them to God in one body through the cross, by which He extinguished their hostility.

17He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.

18For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

19Therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household,

20built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone.

21In Him the whole building is fitted together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord.

22And in Him you too are being built together into a dwelling place for God in His Spirit.

Berean Standard Bible. Public domain text and source credits.

John 6:1-71

1After this, Jesus crossed to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias).

2A large crowd followed Him because they saw the signs He was performing on the sick.

3Then Jesus went up on the mountain and sat down with His disciples.

4Now the Jewish Feast of the Passover was near.

5When Jesus looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where can we buy bread for these people to eat?”

6But He was asking this to test him, for He knew what He was about to do.

7Philip answered, “Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to have a small piece.”

8One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him,

9“Here is a boy with five barley loaves and two small fish. But what difference will these make among so many?”

10“Have the people sit down,” Jesus said. Now there was plenty of grass in that place, so the men sat down, about five thousand of them.

11Then Jesus took the loaves and the fish, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted.

12And when everyone was full, He said to His disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over, so that nothing will be wasted.”

13So they collected them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

14When the people saw the sign that Jesus had performed, they began to say, “Truly this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

15Then Jesus, realizing that they were about to come and make Him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by Himself.

16When evening came, His disciples went down to the sea,

17got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was already dark, and Jesus had not yet gone out to them.

18A strong wind was blowing, and the sea grew agitated.

19When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the sea—and they were terrified.

20But Jesus spoke up: “It is I; do not be afraid.”

21Then they were willing to take Him into the boat, and at once the boat reached the shore where they were heading.

22The next day, the crowd that had remained on the other side of the sea realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not boarded it with His disciples, but they had gone away alone.

23However, some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.

24So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor His disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum to look for Him.

25When they found Him on the other side of the sea, they asked Him, “Rabbi, when did You get here?”

26Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, it is not because you saw these signs that you are looking for Me, but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.

27Do not work for food that perishes, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on Him God the Father has placed His seal of approval.”

28Then they inquired, “What must we do to perform the works of God?”

29Jesus replied, “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.”

30So they asked Him, “What sign then will You perform, so that we may see it and believe You? What will You do?

31Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

32Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.

33For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

34“Sir,” they said, “give us this bread at all times.”

35Jesus answered, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst.

36But as I stated, you have seen Me and still you do not believe.

37Everyone the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will never drive away.

38For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but to do the will of Him who sent Me.

39And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall lose none of those He has given Me, but raise them up at the last day.

40For it is My Father’s will that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

41At this, the Jews began to grumble about Jesus because He had said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”

42They were asking, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How then can He say, ‘I have come down from heaven?’”

43“Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus replied.

44“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.

45It is written in the Prophets: ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from Him comes to Me—

46not that anyone has seen the Father except the One who is from God; only He has seen the Father.

47Truly, truly, I tell you, he who believes has eternal life.

48I am the bread of life.

49Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died.

50This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that anyone may eat of it and not die.

51I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And this bread, which I will give for the life of the world, is My flesh.”

52At this, the Jews began to argue among themselves, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?”

53So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man, you have no life in you.

54Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.

55For My flesh is real food, and My blood is real drink.

56Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me, and I in him.

57Just as the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on Me will live because of Me.

58This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your fathers, who ate the manna and died, the one who eats this bread will live forever.”

59Jesus said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

60On hearing it, many of His disciples said, “This is a difficult teaching. Who can accept it?”

61Aware that His disciples were grumbling about this teaching, Jesus asked them, “Does this offend you?

62Then what will happen if you see the Son of Man ascend to where He was before?

63The Spirit gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.

64However, there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray Him.)

65Then Jesus said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to Me unless the Father has granted it to him.”

66From that time on many of His disciples turned back and no longer walked with Him.

67So Jesus asked the Twelve, “Do you want to leave too?”

68Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life.

69We believe and know that You are the Holy One of God.”

70Jesus answered them, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!”

71He was speaking about Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. For although Judas was one of the Twelve, he was later to betray Jesus.

Berean Standard Bible. Public domain text and source credits.

1 Timothy 1:5

5The goal of our instruction is the love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and a sincere faith.

Berean Standard Bible. Public domain text and source credits.

James 2:14-26

14What good is it, my brothers, if someone claims to have faith, but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?

15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.

16If one of you tells him, “Go in peace; stay warm and well fed,” but does not provide for his physical needs, what good is that?

17So too, faith by itself, if it does not result in action, is dead.

18But someone will say, “You have faith and I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.

19You believe that God is one. Good for you! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

20O foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is worthless?

21Was not our father Abraham justified by what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?

22You see that his faith was working with his actions, and his faith was perfected by what he did.

23And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called a friend of God.

24As you can see, a man is justified by his deeds and not by faith alone.

25In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute justified by her actions when she welcomed the spies and sent them off on another route?

26As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

Galatians 2:20-21

20I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

21I do not set aside the grace of God. For if righteousness comes through the law, Christ died for nothing.