Hebrews 10:36

10:36 For you need endurance in order to do God’s will and so receive what is promised. ¹ 

Matthew 7:21

Judgment of Pretenders

7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ ²  will enter into the kingdom of heaven – only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.

Matthew 12:50

12:50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is ³  my brother and sister and mother.”

Matthew 21:31

21:31 Which of the two did his father’s will?” They said, “The first.” ⁴  Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, ⁵  tax collectors ⁶  and prostitutes will go ahead of you into the kingdom of God!

John 7:17

7:17 If anyone wants to do God’s will, ⁷  he will know about my teaching, whether it is from God or whether I speak from my own authority. ⁸ 

Romans 12:2

12:2 Do not be conformed ⁹  to this present world, ¹⁰  but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve ¹¹  what is the will of God – what is good and well-pleasing and perfect.

Romans 12:1

Consecration of the Believer’s Life

12:1 Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, ¹²  by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice – alive, holy, and pleasing to God ¹³  – which is your reasonable service.

Romans 4:3

4:3 For what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited ¹⁴  to him as righteousness.” ¹⁵ 

Romans 4:1-2

The Illustration of Justification

4:1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh, ¹⁶  has discovered regarding this matter? ¹⁷  4:2 For if Abraham was declared righteous ¹⁸  by the works of the law, he has something to boast about – but not before God.

Romans 4:1

The Illustration of Justification

4:1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh, ¹⁹  has discovered regarding this matter? ²⁰ 

Romans 2:17

The Condemnation of the Jew

2:17 But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law ²¹  and boast of your relationship to God ²² 

[10:36]  ¹ tn Grk “the promise,” referring to the thing God promised, not to the pledge itself.

[7:21]  ² sn The double use of the vocative is normally used in situations of high emotion or emphasis. Even an emphatic confession without action means little.

[12:50]  ³ tn The pleonastic pronoun αὐτός (autos, “he”) which precedes this verb has not been translated.

[21:31]  ⁴ tc Verses 29-31 involve a rather complex and difficult textual problem. The variants cluster into three different groups: (1) The first son says “no” and later has a change of heart, and the second son says “yes” but does not go. The second son is called the one who does his father’s will. This reading is found in the Western mss (D it). But the reading is so hard as to be nearly impossible. One can only suspect some tampering with the text, extreme carelessness on the part of the scribe, or possibly a recognition of the importance of not shaming one’s parent in public. (Any of these reasons is not improbable with this texttype, and with codex D in particular.) The other two major variants are more difficult to assess. Essentially, the responses make sense (the son who does his father’s will is the one who changes his mind after saying “no”): (2) The first son says “no” and later has a change of heart, and the second son says “yes” but does not go. But here, the first son is called the one who does his father’s will (unlike the Western reading). This is the reading found in (א) C L W (Z) 0102 0281 ˹ 33 Ï and several versional witnesses. (3) The first son says “yes” but does not go, and the second son says “no” but later has a change of heart. This is the reading found in B Θ Ë¹³ 700 and several versional witnesses. Both of these latter two readings make good sense and have significantly better textual support than the first reading. The real question, then, is this: Is the first son or the second the obedient one? If one were to argue simply from the parabolic logic, the second son would be seen as the obedient one (hence, the third reading). The first son would represent the Pharisees (or Jews) who claim to obey God, but do not (cf. Matt 23:3). This accords well with the parable of the prodigal son (in which the oldest son represents the unbelieving Jews). Further, the chronological sequence of the second son being obedient fits well with the real scene: Gentiles and tax collectors and prostitutes were not, collectively, God’s chosen people, but they did repent and come to God, while the Jewish leaders claimed to be obedient to God but did nothing. At the same time, the external evidence is weaker for this reading (though stronger than the first reading), not as widespread, and certainly suspect because of how neatly it fits. One suspects scribal manipulation at this point. Thus the second reading looks to be superior to the other two on both external and transcriptional grounds. But what about intrinsic evidence? One can surmise that Jesus didn’t always give predictable responses. In this instance, he may well have painted a picture in which the Pharisees saw themselves as the first son, only to stun them with his application (v. 32).

[21:31]  ⁵ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[21:31]  ⁶ sn See the note on tax collectors in 5:46.

[7:17]  ⁷ tn Grk “his will.”

[7:17]  ⁸ tn Grk “or whether I speak from myself.”

[12:2]  ⁹ tn Although συσχηματίζεσθε (suschmatizesqe) could be either a passive or middle, the passive is more likely since it would otherwise have to be a direct middle (“conform yourselves”) and, as such, would be quite rare for NT Greek. It is very telling that being “conformed” to the present world is viewed as a passive notion, for it may suggest that it happens, in part, subconsciously. At the same time, the passive could well be a “permissive passive,” suggesting that there may be some consciousness of the conformity taking place. Most likely, it is a combination of both.

[12:2]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “to this age.”

[12:2]  ¹¹ sn The verb translated test and approve (δοκιμάζω, dokimazw) carries the sense of “test with a positive outcome,” “test so as to approve.”

[12:1]  ¹² tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.

[12:1]  ¹³ tn The participle and two adjectives “alive, holy, and pleasing to God” are taken as predicates in relation to “sacrifice,” making the exhortation more emphatic. See ExSyn 618-19.

[4:3]  ¹⁴ tn The term λογίζομαι (logizomai) occurs 11 times in this chapter (vv. 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 22, 23, 24). In secular usage it could (a) refer to deliberations of some sort, or (b) in commercial dealings (as virtually a technical term) to “reckoning” or “charging up a debt.” See H. W. Heidland, TDNT 4:284, 290-92.

[4:3]  ¹⁵ sn A quotation from Gen 15:6.

[4:1]  ¹⁶ tn Or “according to natural descent” (BDAG 916 s.v. σάρξ 4).

[4:1]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “has found?”

[4:2]  ¹⁸ tn Or “was justified.”

[4:1]  ¹⁹ tn Or “according to natural descent” (BDAG 916 s.v. σάρξ 4).

[4:1]  ²⁰ tn Grk “has found?”

[2:17]  ²¹ sn The law refers to the Mosaic law, described mainly in the OT books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

[2:17]  ²² tn Grk “boast in God.” This may be an allusion to Jer 9:24.