The Law Cannot Save: Grace Alone Liberates

1. Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2. “Command the children of Israel, and tell them, ‘See that you present my offering, my food for my offerings made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to me, in their due season.’ 3. You shall tell them, ‘This is the offering made by fire which you shall offer to Yahweh: male lambs a year old without defect, two day by day, for a continual burnt offering. 4. You shall offer the one lamb in the morning, and you shall offer the other lamb at evening; 5. with one tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a meal offering, mixed with the fourth part of a hin of beaten oil. 6. It is a continual burnt offering, which was ordained in Mount Sinai for a pleasant aroma, an offering made by fire to Yahweh. 7. Its drink offering shall be the fourth part of a hin for the one lamb. You shall pour out a drink offering of strong drink to Yahweh in the holy place. 8. The other lamb you shall offer at evening. As the meal offering of the morning, and as its drink offering, you shall offer it, an offering made by fire, for a pleasant aroma to Yahweh. 9. “‘On the Sabbath day, you shall offer two male lambs a year old without defect, and two tenths of an ephah of fine flour for a meal offering, mixed with oil, and its drink offering: 10. this is the burnt offering of every Sabbath, besides the continual burnt offering, and its drink offering. 11. “‘In the beginnings of your months, you shall offer a burnt offering to Yahweh: two young bulls, and one ram, seven male lambs a year old without defect; 12. and three tenths of an ephah of fine flour for a meal offering, mixed with oil, for each bull; and two tenth parts of fine flour for a meal offering, mixed with oil, for the one ram; 13. and one tenth part of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering to every lamb; for a burnt offering of a pleasant aroma, an offering made by fire to Yahweh. 14. Their drink offerings shall be half a hin of wine for a bull, and the third part of a hin for the ram, and the fourth part of a hin for a lamb. This is the burnt offering of every month throughout the months of the year. 15. One male goat for a sin offering to Yahweh; it shall be offered besides the continual burnt offering, and its drink offering. 16. “‘In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, is Yahweh’s Passover. 17. On the fifteenth day of this month shall be a feast. Unleavened bread shall be eaten for seven days. 18. In the first day shall be a holy convocation. You shall do no regular work; 19. but you shall offer an offering made by fire, a burnt offering to Yahweh: two young bulls, and one ram, and seven male lambs a year old; they shall be to you without defect; 20. and their meal offering, fine flour mixed with oil. You shall offer three tenths for a bull, and two tenths for the ram. 21. You shall offer one tenth for every lamb of the seven lambs; 22. and one male goat for a sin offering, to make atonement for you. 23. You shall offer these besides the burnt offering of the morning, which is for a continual burnt offering. 24. In this way you shall offer daily, for seven days, the food of the offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to Yahweh. It shall be offered in addition to the continual burnt offering, and its drink offering. 25. On the seventh day you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no regular work. 26. “‘Also in the day of the first fruits, when you offer a new meal offering to Yahweh in your feast of weeks, you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no regular work; 27. but you shall offer a burnt offering for a pleasant aroma to Yahweh: two young bulls, one ram, seven male lambs a year old; 28. and their meal offering, fine flour mixed with oil, three tenths for each bull, two tenths for the one ram, 29. one tenth for every lamb of the seven lambs; 30. one male goat, to make atonement for you. 31. Besides the continual burnt offering, and its meal offering, you shall offer them and their drink offerings. See that they are without defect. 1. “‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no regular work: it is a day of blowing of trumpets to you. 2. You shall offer a burnt offering for a pleasant aroma to Yahweh: one young bull, one ram, seven male lambs a year old without defect; 3. and their meal offering, fine flour mixed with oil, three tenths for the bull, two tenths for the ram, 4. and one tenth for every lamb of the seven lambs; 5. and one male goat for a sin offering, to make atonement for you; 6. besides the burnt offering of the new moon, and its meal offering, and the continual burnt offering and its meal offering, and their drink offerings, according to their ordinance, for a pleasant aroma, an offering made by fire to Yahweh. 7. “‘On the tenth day of this seventh month you shall have a holy convocation. You shall afflict your souls. You shall do no kind of work; 8. but you shall offer a burnt offering to Yahweh for a pleasant aroma: one young bull, one ram, seven male lambs a year old; all without defect; 9. and their meal offering, fine flour mixed with oil, three tenths for the bull, two tenths for the one ram, 10. one tenth for every lamb of the seven lambs: 11. one male goat for a sin offering; besides the sin offering of atonement, and the continual burnt offering, and its meal offering, and their drink offerings. 12. “‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no regular work. You shall keep a feast to Yahweh seven days. 13. You shall offer a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to Yahweh: thirteen young bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old; all without defect; 14. and their meal offering, fine flour mixed with oil, three tenths for every bull of the thirteen bulls, two tenths for each ram of the two rams, 15. and one tenth for every lamb of the fourteen lambs; 16. and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, its meal offering, and its drink offering. 17. “‘On the second day you shall offer twelve young bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old without defect; 18. and their meal offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number, after the ordinance; 19. and one male goat for a sin offering; besides the continual burnt offering, with its meal offering and their drink offerings. 20. “‘On the third day eleven bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old without defect; 21. and their meal offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number, after the ordinance; 22. and one male goat for a sin offering; besides the continual burnt offering, and its meal offering, and its drink offering. 23. “‘On the fourth day ten bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old without defect; 24. their meal offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number, after the ordinance; 25. and one male goat for a sin offering; besides the continual burnt offering, its meal offering, and its drink offering. 26. “‘On the fifth day nine bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old without defect; 27. and their meal offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number, after the ordinance; 28. and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, and its meal offering, and its drink offering. 29. “‘On the sixth day eight bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old without defect; 30. and their meal offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number, after the ordinance; 31. and one male goat for a sin offering; besides the continual burnt offering, its meal offering, and the drink offerings of it. 32. “‘On the seventh day seven bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old without defect; 33. and their meal offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number, after the ordinance; 34. and one male goat for a sin offering; besides the continual burnt offering, its meal offering, and its drink offering. 35. “‘On the eighth day you shall have a solemn assembly: you shall do no regular work; 36. but you shall offer a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to Yahweh: one bull, one ram, seven male lambs a year old without defect; 37. their meal offering and their drink offerings for the bull, for the ram, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the ordinance: 38. and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, with its meal offering, and its drink offering. 39. “‘You shall offer these to Yahweh in your set feasts, besides your vows, and your freewill offerings, for your burnt offerings, and for your meal offerings, and for your drink offerings, and for your peace offerings.’” 40. Moses told the children of Israel according to all that Yahweh commanded Moses. 1. Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of the children of Israel, saying, “This is the thing which Yahweh has commanded. 2. When a man vows a vow to Yahweh, or swears an oath to bind his soul with a bond, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth. 3. “Also when a woman vows a vow to Yahweh, and binds herself by a bond, being in her father’s house, in her youth, 4. and her father hears her vow, and her bond with which she has bound her soul, and her father holds his peace at her; then all her vows shall stand, and every bond with which she has bound her soul shall stand. 5. But if her father forbids her in the day that he hears, none of her vows, or of her bonds with which she has bound her soul, shall stand. Yahweh will forgive her, because her father has forbidden her. 6. “If she has a husband, while her vows are on her, or the rash utterance of her lips, with which she has bound her soul, 7. and her husband hears it, and hold his peace at her in the day that he hears it; then her vows shall stand, and her bonds with which she has bound her soul shall stand. 8. But if her husband forbids her in the day that he hears it, then he shall make void her vow which is on her, and the rash utterance of her lips, with which she has bound her soul. Yahweh will forgive her. 9. “But the vow of a widow, or of her who is divorced, everything with which she has bound her soul, shall stand against her. 10. “If she vowed in her husband’s house, or bound her soul by a bond with an oath, 11. and her husband heard it, and held his peace at her, and didn’t disallow her; then all her vows shall stand, and every bond with which she bound her soul shall stand. 12. But if her husband made them null and void in the day that he heard them, then whatever proceeded out of her lips concerning her vows, or concerning the bond of her soul, shall not stand. Her husband has made them void. Yahweh will forgive her. 13. Every vow, and every binding oath to afflict the soul, her husband may establish it, or her husband may make it void. 14. But if her husband altogether hold his peace at her from day to day, then he establishes all her vows, or all her bonds, which are on her. He has established them, because he held his peace at her in the day that he heard them. 15. But if he shall make them null and void after that he has heard them, then he shall bear her iniquity.” 16. These are the statutes which Yahweh commanded Moses, between a man and his wife, between a father and his daughter, being in her youth, in her father’s house.

1. Or don’t you know, brothers (for I speak to men who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man for as long as he lives? 2. For the woman that has a husband is bound by law to the husband while he lives, but if the husband dies, she is discharged from the law of the husband. 3. So then if, while the husband lives, she is joined to another man, she would be called an adulteress. But if the husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is no adulteress, though she is joined to another man. 4. Therefore, my brothers, you also were made dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you would be joined to another, to him who was raised from the dead, that we might produce fruit to God. 5. For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were through the law, worked in our members to bring out fruit to death. 6. But now we have been discharged from the law, having died to that in which we were held; so that we serve in newness of the spirit, and not in oldness of the letter. 7. What shall we say then? Is the law sin? May it never be! However, I wouldn’t have known sin, except through the law. For I wouldn’t have known coveting, unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.” 8. But sin, finding occasion through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of coveting. For apart from the law, sin is dead. 9. I was alive apart from the law once, but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. 10. The commandment, which was for life, this I found to be for death; 11. for sin, finding occasion through the commandment, deceived me, and through it killed me. 12. Therefore the law indeed is holy, and the commandment holy, and righteous, and good. 13. Did then that which is good become death to me? May it never be! But sin, that it might be shown to be sin, was producing death in me through that which is good; that through the commandment sin might become exceedingly sinful. 14. For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am fleshly, sold under sin. 15. For I don’t know what I am doing. For I don’t practice what I desire to do; but what I hate, that I do. 16. But if what I don’t desire, that I do, I consent to the law that it is good. 17. So now it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me. 18. For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwells no good thing. For desire is present with me, but I don’t find it doing that which is good. 19. For the good which I desire, I don’t do; but the evil which I don’t desire, that I practice. 20. But if what I don’t desire, that I do, it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me. 21. I find then the law, that, to me, while I desire to do good, evil is present. 22. For I delight in God’s law after the inward man, 23. but I see a different law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity under the law of sin which is in my members. 24. What a wretched man I am! Who will deliver me out of the body of this death? 25. I thank God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! So then with the mind, I myself serve God’s law, but with the flesh, the sin’s law. 1. There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who don’t walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death. 3. For what the law couldn’t do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God did, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh; 4. that the ordinance of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 5. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6. For the mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace; 7. because the mind of the flesh is hostile towards God; for it is not subject to God’s law, neither indeed can it be. 8. Those who are in the flesh can’t please God. 9. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if it is so that the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if any man doesn’t have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his. 10. If Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11. But if the Spirit of him who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. 12. So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. 13. For if you live after the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are children of God. 15. For you didn’t receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16. The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God; 17. and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; if indeed we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified with him. 18. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which will be revealed toward us. 19. For the creation waits with eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20. For the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21. that the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of decay into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. 22. For we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now. 23. Not only so, but ourselves also, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for adoption, the redemption of our body. 24. For we were saved in hope, but hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for that which he sees? 25. But if we hope for that which we don’t see, we wait for it with patience. 26. In the same way, the Spirit also helps our weaknesses, for we don’t know how to pray as we ought. But the Spirit himself makes intercession for us with groanings which can’t be uttered. 27. He who searches the hearts knows what is on the Spirit’s mind, because he makes intercession for the saints according to God. 28. We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose. 29. For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30. Whom he predestined, those he also called. Whom he called, those he also justified. Whom he justified, those he also glorified. 31. What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32. He who didn’t spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how would he not also with him freely give us all things? 33. Who could bring a charge against God’s chosen ones? It is God who justifies. 34. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, yes rather, who was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Could oppression, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36. Even as it is written, “For your sake we are killed all day long. We were accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” 37. No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39. nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from God’s love, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 1. I tell the truth in Christ. I am not lying, my conscience testifying with me in the Holy Spirit, 2. that I have great sorrow and unceasing pain in my heart. 3. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brothers’ sake, my relatives according to the flesh, 4. who are Israelites; whose is the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service, and the promises; 5. of whom are the fathers, and from whom is Christ as concerning the flesh, who is over all, God, blessed forever. Amen. 6. But it is not as though the word of God has come to nothing. For they are not all Israel, that are of Israel. 7. Neither, because they are Abraham’s offspring, are they all children. But, “your offspring will be accounted as from Isaac.” 8. That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as heirs. 9. For this is a word of promise, “At the appointed time I will come, and Sarah will have a son.” 10. Not only so, but Rebekah also conceived by one, by our father Isaac. 11. For being not yet born, neither having done anything good or bad, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him who calls, 12. it was said to her, “The elder will serve the younger.” 13. Even as it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” 14. What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? May it never be! 15. For he said to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16. So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who has mercy. 17. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I caused you to be raised up, that I might show in you my power, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18. So then, he has mercy on whom he desires, and he hardens whom he desires. 19. You will say then to me, “Why does he still find fault? For who withstands his will?” 20. But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed ask him who formed it, “Why did you make me like this?” 21. Or hasn’t the potter a right over the clay, from the same lump to make one part a vessel for honor, and another for dishonor? 22. What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23. and that he might make known the riches of his glory on vessels of mercy, which he prepared beforehand for glory, 24. us, whom he also called, not from the Jews only, but also from the Gentiles? 25. As he says also in Hosea, “I will call them ‘my people,’ which were not my people; and her ‘beloved,’ who was not beloved.” 26. “It will be that in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ There they will be called ‘children of the living God.’” 27. Isaiah cries concerning Israel, “If the number of the children of Israel are as the sand of the sea, it is the remnant who will be saved; 28. for He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness, because the LORD will make a short work upon the earth.” 29. As Isaiah has said before, “Unless the Lord of Armies had left us a seed, we would have become like Sodom, and would have been made like Gomorrah.” 30. What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, who didn’t follow after righteousness, attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith; 31. but Israel, following after a law of righteousness, didn’t arrive at the law of righteousness. 32. Why? Because they didn’t seek it by faith, but as it were by works of the law. They stumbled over the stumbling stone; 33. even as it is written, “Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and a rock of offense; and no one who believes in him will be disappointed.”

1. We have heard with our ears, God; our fathers have told us, what work you did in their days, in the days of old. 2. You drove out the nations with your hand, but you planted them. You afflicted the peoples, but you spread them abroad. 3. For they didn’t get the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them; but your right hand, and your arm, and the light of your face, because you were favorable to them. 4. You are my King, God. Command victories for Jacob! 5. Through you, will we push down our adversaries. Through your name, will we tread them under who rise up against us. 6. For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me. 7. But you have saved us from our adversaries, and have shamed those who hate us. 8. In God we have made our boast all day long, we will give thanks to your name forever. Selah. 9. But now you rejected us, and brought us to dishonor, and don’t go out with our armies. 10. You make us turn back from the adversary. Those who hate us take plunder for themselves. 11. You have made us like sheep for food, and have scattered us among the nations. 12. You sell your people for nothing, and have gained nothing from their sale. 13. You make us a reproach to our neighbors, a scoffing and a derision to those who are around us. 14. You make us a byword among the nations, a shaking of the head among the peoples. 15. All day long my dishonor is before me, and shame covers my face, 16. At the taunt of one who reproaches and verbally abuses, because of the enemy and the avenger. 17. All this has come on us, yet have we not forgotten you, Neither have we been false to your covenant. 18. Our heart has not turned back, neither have our steps strayed from your path, 19. Though you have crushed us in the haunt of jackals, and covered us with the shadow of death. 20. If we have forgotten the name of our God, or spread out our hands to a strange god; 21. won’t God search this out? For he knows the secrets of the heart. 22. Yes, for your sake we are killed all day long. We are regarded as sheep for the slaughter. 23. Wake up! Why do you sleep, Lord? Arise! Don’t reject us forever. 24. Why do you hide your face, and forget our affliction and our oppression? 25. For our soul is bowed down to the dust. Our body clings to the earth. 26. Rise up to help us. Redeem us for your loving kindness’ sake.