All this took about four hundred fifty years. After this he gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet.

Before Jesus arrived, John had proclaimed a baptism for repentance to all the people of Israel.

and he made no distinction between them and us, cleansing their hearts by faith.

Both Judas and Silas, who were prophets themselves, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with a long speech.

Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him, along with all those who were in his house.

Because he could not be persuaded, we said no more except, “The Lord’s will be done.”

After several years I came to bring to my people gifts for the poor and to present offerings,

eternal life to those who by perseverance in good works seek glory and honor and immortality,

but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, for the Jew first and also the Greek.

and if you are convinced that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness,

an educator of the senseless, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the essential features of knowledge and of the truth –

Therefore if the uncircumcised man obeys the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision?

All have turned away, together they have become worthless; there is no one who shows kindness, not even one.”

Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded! By what principle? Of works? No, but by the principle of faith!

For we consider that a person is declared righteous by faith apart from the works of the law.

Do we then nullify the law through faith? Absolutely not! Instead we uphold the law.

How then was it credited to him? Was he circumcised at the time, or not? No, he was not circumcised but uncircumcised!

But the statement it was credited to him was not written only for Abraham’s sake,

Now the law came in so that the transgression may increase, but where sin increased, grace multiplied all the more,

For sin will have no mastery over you, because you are not under law but under grace.