The Skeptics Annotated Bible (899 page)

13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:

14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:

15 Their feet are swift to shed blood:

16 Destruction and misery are in their ways:

17 And the way of peace have they not known:

18
There is no fear of God before their eyes.

(3.18) “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
132 Should we fear God?

19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

20 Therefore
by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified
in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

(3.20) “By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified.”
304 Is Salvation by faith alone?

21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

23 For
all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God
;

(3.23) “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
229 Do Christians sin?

24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.

28 Therefore we conclude that
a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law
.

(3.28) “A man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.”
304 Is Salvation by faith alone?

29 Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:

30 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.

31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

4
What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?

2 For
if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory
; but not before God.

(4.2) “If Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory.”
456 Was Abraham justified by faith or by works?
304 Is Salvation by faith alone?

3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.

(4.5-6, 13) Paul claims that people are justified by their faith alone—without regard to, or even in spite of, their works. But James (2.14, 17, 24-26) clearly denies this by saying: “By works a man is justified, and not by faith only.”
304 Is Salvation by faith alone?

5 But
to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

(4.5)
“To him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”

6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom
God imputeth righteousness without works,

(4.6)
“God imputeth righteousness without works.”

7 Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.

8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.

9 Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.

10 How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.

11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:

12 And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised.

13
For the promise
, that he should be the heir of the world,
was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

(4.13)
“For the promise … was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.”

14 For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect:

15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.

16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,

17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.

19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead,
when he was about an hundred years old
, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb:

20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;

21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised,
he was able also to perform.

(4.19-21) “When he was about an hundred years old … he was able also to perform.” Abraham needed God’s help to father Isaac when he was 100 years old. But Abraham, when he was even older, managed to father six more children with a new wife without any divine assistance (Genesis 21.2, 25.1-2)