Romans
10:9-10; Matthew 10:32-33; Hebrews 11
NIV
Translation
Romans
10
9
That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your
heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10
For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is
with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
---
Matthew
10
32
"Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will
also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.
33
But whoever disowns me before men, I will
disown him before my Father in heaven."
---
Hebrews
11
By
Faith
1
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not
see.
2
This is what the ancients were commended for.
3
By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so
that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
4
By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he
was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings.
And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.
5
By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience
death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before
he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.
6
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes
to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly
seek him.
7
By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built
an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became
heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
8
By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as
his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he
was going.
9
By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign
country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with
him of the same promise.
10
For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect
and builder is God.
11
By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was
enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made
the promise.
12
And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous
as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
13
All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not
receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from
a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.
14
People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of
their own.
15
If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have
had opportunity to return.
16
Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore
God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for
them.
17
By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He
who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son,
18
even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring
will be reckoned."
19
Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking,
he did receive Isaac back from death.
20
By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.
21
By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons, and worshiped
as he leaned on the top of his staff.
22
By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites
from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones.
23
By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born, because
they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king's
edict.
24
By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of
Pharaoh's daughter.
25
He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy
the pleasures of sin for a short time.
26
He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the
treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.
27
By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because
he saw him who is invisible.
28
By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the
destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.
29
By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when
the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.
30
By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around
them for seven days.
31
By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not
killed with those who were disobedient.
32
And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak,
Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets,
33
who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained
what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions,
34
quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose
weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and
routed foreign armies.
35
Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured
and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection.
36
Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put
in prison.
37
They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the
sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted
and mistreated—
38
the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains,
and in caves and holes in the ground.
39
These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what
had been promised.
40
God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would
they be made perfect. |
Romans
10:9-10; Matthew 10:32-33; Hebrews 11
New
Living Translation
Romans
10
9 If you confess
with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised
him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For it is by believing
in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing
with your mouth that you are saved.
---
Matthew
10
32 “Everyone
who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before
my Father in heaven.
33 But
everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father
in heaven."
---
Hebrews
11
Great Examples of Faith
1 Faith is the confidence
that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about
things we cannot see.
2 Through their faith, the
people in days of old earned a good reputation.
3 By faith we understand
that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now
see did not come from anything that can be seen.
4 It was by faith that Abel
brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel’s offering
gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval
of his gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his
example of faith.
5 It was by faith that Enoch
was taken up to heaven without dying—“he disappeared, because God took
him.” For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased
God.
6 And it is impossible to
please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe
that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
7 It was by faith that Noah
built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who
warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah
condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that
comes by faith.
8 It was by faith that Abraham
obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God
would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was
going.
9 And even when he reached
the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner,
living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise.
10 Abraham was confidently
looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and
built by God.
11 It was by faith that
even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too
old. She believed that God would keep his promise.
12 And so a whole nation
came from this one man who was as good as dead—a nation with so many people
that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is
no way to count them.
13 All these people died
still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was
promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed
that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth.
14 Obviously people who
say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own.
15 If they had longed for
the country they came from, they could have gone back.
16 But they were looking
for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed
to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
17 It was by faith that
Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham,
who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac,
18 even though God had told
him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.”
19 Abraham reasoned that
if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense,
Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.
20 It was by faith that
Isaac promised blessings for the future to his sons, Jacob and Esau.
21 It was by faith that
Jacob, when he was old and dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons and bowed
in worship as he leaned on his staff.
22 It was by faith that
Joseph, when he was about to die, said confidently that the people of Israel
would leave Egypt. He even commanded them to take his bones with them when
they left.
23 It was by faith that
Moses’ parents hid him for three months when he was born. They saw that
God had given them an unusual child, and they were not afraid to disobey
the king’s command.
24 It was by faith that
Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.
25 He chose to share the
oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of
sin.
26 He thought it was better
to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for
he was looking ahead to his great reward.
27 It was by faith that
Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right
on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible.
28 It was by faith that
Moses commanded the people of Israel to keep the Passover and to sprinkle
blood on the doorposts so that the angel of death would not kill their
firstborn sons.
29 It was by faith that
the people of Israel went right through the Red Sea as though they were
on dry ground. But when the Egyptians tried to follow, they were all drowned.
30 It was by faith that
the people of Israel marched around Jericho for seven days, and the walls
came crashing down.
31 It was by faith that
Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed with the people in her city who
refused to obey God. For she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.
32 How much more do I need
to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon,
Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets.
33 By faith these people
overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised
them. They shut the mouths of lions,
34 quenched the flames of
fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned
to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight.
35 Women received their
loved ones back again from death. But others were tortured, refusing to
turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better
life after the resurrection.
36 Some were jeered at,
and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons.
37 Some died by stoning,
some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword. Some went
about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated.
38 They were too good for
this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes
in the ground.
39 All these people earned
a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all
that God had promised.
40 For God had something
better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without
us. |
