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For your own lifeblood, too, I will demand an
accounting: from every animal I will demand it, and from man in
regard to his fellow man I will demand an accounting for human
life. [GEN 9:5]
Then the man said, "You shall no longer be
spoken of as Jacob, but as Israel, because you have contended with
divine and human beings and have prevailed." [GEN 32:29]
"Whoever touches the dead body of any human
being shall be unclean for seven days; he shall purify himself
with the water on the third and on the seventh day, and then he
will be clean again. But if he fails to purify himself on the
third and on the seventh day, he will not become clean. Everyone
who fails to purify himself after touching the body of any
deceased person, defiles the Dwelling of the LORD and shall be cut
off from Israel. Since the lustral water has not been splashed
over him, he remains unclean: his uncleanness still clings to him."
[Taken from NUM 19:11-13] [Note: Although various Old Testament
practices are not binding under the New Covenant, such passages
may nevertheless be useful for reference purposes.]
Moreover, everyone who in the open country
touches a dead person, whether he was slain by the sword or died
naturally, or who touches a human bone or a grave, shall be
unclean for seven days. [NUM 19:16] [Note: Although various Old
Testament practices are not binding under the New Covenant, such
passages may nevertheless be useful for reference purposes.]
God is not man that he should speak falsely, nor
human, that he should change his mind. Is he one to speak and not
act, to decree and not fulfill? [NUM 23:19]
Then panic spread to the army and to the
countryside, and all the soldiers, including the outpost and the
raiding parties, were terror-stricken. The earth also shook, so
that the panic was beyond human endurance. [1SAM 14:15]
"And when your time comes and you rest with your
ancestors, I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your
loins, and I will make his kingdom firm. It is he who shall build
a house for my name. And I will make his royal throne firm
forever. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me.
And if he does wrong, I will correct him with the rod of men and
with human chastisements; but I will not withdraw my favor from
him as I withdrew it from your predecessor Saul, whom I removed
from my presence. Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever
before me; your throne shall stand firm forever." [Taken from 2SAM 7:12-16]
Then they said to one another: "We are not
doing right. This is a day of good news, and we are keeping
silent. If we wait until morning breaks, we shall be blamed. Come,
let us go and inform the palace." They came and summoned the
city gatekeepers. "We went to the camp of the Arameans,"
they said, "but no one was there - not a human voice, only the
horses and asses tethered, and the tents just as they were
left." The gatekeepers announced this and it was reported
within the palace. [2KGS 7:9-11]
Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the
messengers and read it; then he went up to the temple of the LORD,
and spreading it out before him, he prayed in the LORD'S presence:
"O LORD, God of Israel, enthroned upon the cherubim! You
alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made
the heavens and the earth. Incline your ear, O LORD, and listen!
Open your eyes, O LORD, and see! Hear the words of Sennacherib
which he sent to taunt the living God. Truly, O LORD, the kings of
Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, and cast
their gods into the fire; they destroyed them because they were
not gods, but the work of human hands, wood and stone. Therefore,
O LORD, our God, save us from the power of this man, that all the
kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone, O LORD, are
God." [2KGS 19:14-19]
In a loud voice they shouted in the Judean
language to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to
frighten and terrify them so that they might capture their city.
They spoke of the God of Israel as though he were one of the gods
of the other peoples of the earth, a work of human hands. But
because of this, King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah, son of
Amos, prayed and called out to heaven. Then the LORD sent an
angel, who destroyed every valiant warrior, leader and commander
in the camp of the Assyrian king, so that he had to return
shamefaced to his own country. And when he entered the temple of
his god, some of his own offspring struck him down there with the
sword. Thus the LORD saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of
Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib, king of Assyria, as from
every other power; he gave them rest on every side. [2CHRON 32:18-22]
You made Adam and you gave him his wife Eve to
be his help and support; and from these two the human race
descended. You said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone; let
us make him a partner like himself.' [Taken from TOBIT 8:6]
When they came, she said to them: "Listen
to me, you rulers of the people of Bethulia. What you said to the
people today is not proper. When you promised to hand over the
city to our enemies at the end of five days unless within that
time the Lord comes to our aid, you interposed between God and
yourselves this oath which you took. Who are you, then, that you
should have put God to the test this day, setting yourselves in
the place of God in human affairs? It is the Lord Almighty for
whom you are laying down conditions; will you never understand
anything? You cannot plumb the depths of the human heart or grasp
the workings of the human mind; how then can you fathom God, who
has made all these things, discern his mind, and understand his
plan? No, my brothers, do not anger the Lord our God. For if
he does not wish to come to our aid within the five days, he has
it equally within his power to protect us at such time as he
pleases, or to destroy us in the face of our enemies. It is not
for you to make the Lord our God give surety for his
plans. God is not man that he should be moved by
threats, nor human, that he may be given an ultimatum. So while we wait for the salvation that comes from him, let
us call upon him to help us, and he will hear our cry if it is his
good pleasure." [JDTH 8:11-17]
Antiochus, suspecting insult in her words,
thought he was being ridiculed. As the youngest brother was still
alive, the king appealed to him, not with mere words, but with
promises on oath, to make him rich and happy if he would abandon
his ancestral customs: he would make him his Friend and entrust
him with high office. When the youth paid no attention to him at
all, the king appealed to the mother, urging her to advise her boy
to save his life. After he had urged her for a long time, she went
through the motions of persuading her son. In derision of the
cruel tyrant, she leaned over close to her son and said in their
native language: "Son, have pity on me, who carried you in my
womb for nine months, nursed you for three years, brought you up,
educated and supported you to your present age. I beg you, child,
to look at the heavens and the earth and see all that is in them;
then you will know that God did not make them out of existing
things; and in the same way the human race came into existence. Do
not be afraid of this executioner, but be worthy of your brothers
and accept death, so that in the time of mercy I may receive you
again with them." She had scarcely finished speaking when the
youth said: "What are you waiting for? I will not obey the
king's command. I obey the command of the law given to our
forefathers through Moses." [2MACC 7:24-30]
Had I, out of human weakness, hidden my
sins and buried my guilt in my bosom Because I feared the
noisy multitude and the scorn of the tribes terrified
me- then I should have remained silent, and not come out
of doors! Oh, that I had one to hear my case, and that
my accuser would write out his indictment! [JOB 31:33-35]
What are humans that you are mindful of
them, mere mortals that you care for them? Yet you have made
them little less than a god, crowned them with glory and
honor. You have given them rule over the works of your
hands, put all things at their feet [Taken from PS 8:5-7]
Help, LORD, for no one loyal remains; the
faithful have vanished from the human race [PS 12:2]
The LORD looks down from heaven upon the
human race, To see if even one is wise, if even one
seeks God. All have gone astray; all alike are
perverse. Not one does what is right, not even one. [PS
14:2-3]
Hear, LORD, my plea for justice; pay heed
to my cry; Listen to my prayer spoken without guile.
From you let my vindication come; your eyes see what is
right. You have tested my heart, searched it in the
night. You have tried me by fire, but find no malice in
me. My mouth has not transgressed as humans often do. As
your lips have instructed me, I have kept the way of the law.
My steps have kept to your paths; my feet have not faltered. [PS
17:1-5]
Your hand will reach all your enemies; your
right hand will reach your foes! At the time of your
coming you will drive them into a furnace. Then the
LORD'S anger will consume them, devour them with fire. Even
their descendants you will wipe out from the earth, their
offspring from the human race. Though they intend evil against
you, devising plots, they will not succeed, For you will put
them to flight; you will aim at them with your bow. [PS
21:9-13]
My God, my God, why have you abandoned
me? Why so far from my call for help, from my cries of
anguish? My God, I call by day, but you do not answer; by
night, but I have no relief. Yet you are enthroned as the Holy
One; you are the glory of Israel. In you our ancestors
trusted; they trusted and you rescued them. To you they cried
out and they escaped; in you they trusted and were not
disappointed. But I am a worm, hardly human, scorned by
everyone, despised by the people. All who see me mock
me; they curl their lips and jeer; they shake their
heads at me: "You relied on the LORD - let him deliver
you; if he loves you, let him rescue you." Yet you drew
me forth from the womb, made me safe at my mother's breast.
Upon you I was thrust from the womb; since birth you are my
God. Do not stay far from me, for trouble is near, and
there is no one to help. Many bulls surround me; fierce bulls
of Bashan encircle me. They open their mouths against
me, lions that rend and roar. Like water my life drains
away; all my bones grow soft. My heart has become like
wax, it melts away within me. As dry as a potsherd is my
throat; my tongue sticks to my palate; you lay me in the
dust of death. Many dogs surround me; a pack of evildoers
closes in on me. So wasted are my hands and feet that I can
count all my bones. They stare at me and gloat; they divide
my garments among them; for my clothing they cast lots. But
you, LORD, do not stay far off; my strength, come quickly to
help me. Deliver me from the sword, my forlorn life from the
teeth of the dog. Save me from the lion's mouth, my poor life
from the horns of wild bulls. [PS 22:2-22]
From heaven the LORD looks down and
observes the whole human race, Surveying from the royal
throne all who dwell on earth. The one who fashioned the
hearts of them all knows all their works. [PS 33:13-15]
God looks down from heaven upon the human
race, To see if even one is wise, if even one seeks God.
All have gone astray; all alike are perverse. Not one
does what is right, not even one. [PS 53:3-4]
I must lie down in the midst of lions hungry for
human prey. Their teeth are spears and arrows; their tongue, a
sharpened sword. [PS 57:5]
Give us aid against the foe; worthless is human help. We will triumph with the help of God, who will trample down our foes.
[PS 60:13-14]
God heard and grew angry; he rejected
Israel completely. He forsook the shrine at Shiloh, the tent
where he dwelt with humans. He gave up his might into
captivity, his glorious ark into the hands of the foe. God
abandoned his people to the sword; he was enraged against his
heritage. [Taken from PS 78:59-62]
Lord, you have been our refuge through all
generations. Before the mountains were born, the earth and
the world brought forth, from eternity to eternity you are
God. A thousand years in your eyes are merely a yesterday,
But humans you return to dust, saying, "Return, you
mortals!" Before a watch passes in the night, you have
brought them to their end; They disappear like sleep at
dawn; they are like grass that dies. It sprouts green in the
morning; by evening it is dry and withered. [PS 90:1-6]
How long, LORD, shall the wicked, how
long shall the wicked glory? How long will they mouth haughty
speeches, go on boasting, all these evildoers? They crush
your people, LORD, torment your very own. They kill the widow
and alien; the fatherless they murder. They say, "The
LORD does not see; the God of Jacob takes no
notice." Understand, you stupid people! You fools,
when will you be wise? Does the one who shaped the ear not
hear? The one who formed the eye not see? Does the one who
guides nations not rebuke? The one who teaches humans not
have knowledge? The LORD does know human plans; they are only
puffs of air. [PS 94:3-11]
Give us aid against the foe; worthless is human
help. [PS 108:13]
Their idols are silver and gold, the work
of human hands. They have mouths but do not speak, eyes but
do not see. They have ears but do not hear, noses but do not
smell. They have hands but do not feel, feet but do not
walk, and no sound rises from their throats. Their makers
shall be like them, all who trust in them. [PS 115:4-8]
Steady my feet in accord with your
promise; do not let iniquity lead me. Free me from human
oppression, that I may keep your precepts. [PS 119:133-134]
Whatever the LORD wishes he does in heaven
and on earth, in the seas and in all the deeps. He raises
storm clouds from the end of the earth, makes lightning and
rain, brings forth wind from the storehouse. He struck
down Egypt's firstborn, human and beast alike, And sent signs
and portents against you, Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his
servants. The Lord struck down many nations, slew mighty
kings - Sihon, king of the Amorites, Og, king of Bashan, all
the kings of Canaan - And made their land a heritage, a
heritage for Israel his people. O LORD, your name is
forever, your renown, from age to age! For the LORD defends
his people, shows mercy to his servants. [Taken from PS 135:6-14]
LORD, what are mortals that you notice
them; human beings, that you take thought of them? They are
but a breath; their days are like a passing shadow. [PS 144:3-4]
The intention in the human heart is like water
far below the surface, but the man of intelligence draws it forth.
[PROV 20:5]
Like a moth in clothing, or a maggot in wood,
sorrow gnaws at the human heart. [PROV 25:20]
As one face differs from another, so does one
human heart from another. [PROV 27:19]
Though a man burdened with human blood were to
flee to the grave, none should support him. [PROV 28:17]
The pronouncement of mortal man: "I
am not God; I am not God, that I should prevail. Why, I am
the most stupid of men, and have not even human intelligence;
Neither have I learned wisdom, nor have I the knowledge of
the Holy One. Who has gone up to heaven and come down again - who has cupped the wind in his hands? Who has
bound up the waters in a cloak - who has marked out all the
ends of the earth? What is his name, what is his son's
name, if you know it?" Every word of God is
tested; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Add
nothing to his words, lest he reprove you, and you be exposed
as a deceiver. [Taken from PROV 30:1-6]
I amassed for myself silver and gold, and the
wealth of kings and provinces. I got for myself male and female
singers and all human luxuries. I became great, and I stored up
more than all others before me in Jerusalem; my wisdom, too,
stayed with me. Nothing that my eyes desired did I deny them, nor
did I deprive myself of any joy, but my heart rejoiced in the
fruit of all my toil. This was my share for all my toil. But when
I turned to all the works that my hands had wrought, and to the
toil at which I had taken such pains, behold! all was vanity and a
chase after wind, with nothing gained under the sun. [ECCL 2:8-11]
Just as you know not how the breath of life
fashions the human frame in the mother's womb, So you know not the
work of God which he is accomplishing in the universe. [ECCL 11:5]
But doomed are they, and in dead things are
their hopes, who termed gods things made by human hands: Gold and
silver, the product of art, and likenesses of beasts, or useless
stone, the work of an ancient hand. [WISDOM 13:10]
With what is too much for you meddle not, when
shown things beyond human understanding. [SIRACH 3:22]
Chief of all needs for human life are water
and fire, iron and salt, The heart of the wheat, milk and
honey, the blood of the grape, and oil, and cloth; For the
good all these are good, but for the wicked they turn out
evil. [SIRACH 39:26-27]
But of these things be not ashamed, lest
you sin through human respect: Of the law of the Most High and his
precepts, or of the sentence to be passed upon the sinful; Of
sharing the expenses of a business or a journey, or of
dividing an inheritance or property; Of accuracy of scales and
balances, or of tested measures and weights; Of acquiring
much or little, or of bargaining in dealing with a
merchant; Of constant training of children, or of
beating the sides of a disloyal servant; Of a seal to keep an
erring wife at home, or of a lock placed where there are many
hands; Of numbering every deposit, or of recording all that
is given or received; Of chastisement of the silly and the
foolish, or of the aged and infirm answering for wanton
conduct. Thus you will be truly cautious and recognized
by all men as discreet. [SIRACH 42:1-8]
Human pride will be abased, the arrogance of men
brought low, And the LORD alone will be exalted, on that day. [ISA
2:17]
I, it is I who comfort you. Can you then
fear mortal man, who is human only, to be looked upon as
grass, And forget the LORD, your maker, who stretched out the
heavens and laid the foundations of the earth? [Taken from ISA
51:12-13]
Thus says the LORD: Cursed is the man who trusts
in human beings, who seeks his strength in flesh, whose heart
turns away from the LORD. [JER 17:5]
More tortuous than all else is the human
heart, beyond remedy; who can understand it? I, the LORD,
alone probe the mind and test the heart, To reward
everyone according to his ways, according to the merit of his
deeds. [JER 17:9-10]
Hazor shall become a haunt of jackals, a desert
forever, Where no man lives, no human being stays. [JER 49:33]
As when God overturned Sodom and Gomorrah, with
their neighbors, says the LORD, Not a man shall dwell there, no
human being shall tarry there. [JER 50:40]
They are wooden, gilded and silvered; they will
later be known for frauds. To all peoples and kings it will be
clear that they are not gods, but human handiwork; and that God's
work is not in them. [BARUCH 6:50]
As I looked, a stormwind came from the North, a
huge cloud with flashing fire (enveloped in brightness), from the
midst of which (the midst of the fire) something gleamed like
electrum. Within it were figures resembling four living creatures
that looked like this: their form was human, but each had four
faces and four wings, and their legs went straight down; the soles
of their feet were round. They sparkled with a gleam like
burnished bronze. Their faces were like this: each of the four had
the face of a man, but on the right side was the face of a lion,
and on the left side the face of an ox, and finally each had the
face of an eagle. Their faces (and their wings) looked out on all
their four sides; they did not turn when they moved, but each went
straight forward. (Each went straight forward; wherever the spirit
wished to go, there they went; they did not turn when they moved.)
Human hands were under their wings, and the wings of one touched
those of another. Each had two wings spread out above so that they
touched one another's, while the other two wings of each covered
his body. In among the living creatures something like burning
coals of fire could be seen; they seemed like torches, moving to
and fro among the living creatures. The fire gleamed, and from it
came forth flashes of lightning. As I looked at the living
creatures, I saw wheels on the ground, one beside each of the four
living creatures. [Taken from EZEK 1:4-15]
Then he said to me: Son of man, I am breaking
the staff of bread in Jerusalem. They shall eat bread which they
have weighed out anxiously, and they shall drink water which they
have measured out fearfully, so that, owing to the scarcity of
bread and water, everyone shall be filled with terror and waste
away because of his sins. For your food you must bake barley
loaves over human excrement in their sight, said the LORD. [Taken from EZEK
4:12,16-17]
I will make my holy name known among my people
Israel; I will no longer allow my holy name to be profaned. Thus
the nations shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
Yes, it is coming and shall be fulfilled, says the Lord GOD. This
is the day I have decreed. Then shall those who live in the cities
of Israel go out and burn weapons: (shields and bucklers,) bows
and arrows, clubs and lances; for seven years they shall make
fires with them. They shall not have to bring in wood from the
fields or cut it down in the forests, for they shall make fires
with the weapons. Thus they shall plunder those who plundered them
and pillage those who pillaged them, says the Lord GOD. On that
day I will give Gog for his tomb a well-known place in Israel, the
Valley of Abarim east of the sea (it is blocked to travelers). Gog
shall be buried there with all his horde, and it shall be named
"Valley of Hamon-gog." To purify the land, the house of
Israel shall need seven months to bury them. All the people of the
land shall bury them and gain renown for it, when I reveal my
glory, says the Lord GOD. Men shall be permanently employed to
pass through the land burying those who lie unburied, so as to
purify the land. For seven months they shall keep searching. When
they pass through, should they see a human bone, let them put up a
marker beside it, until others have buried it in the Valley of
Hamon-gog. (Also the name of the city shall be Hamonah.) Thus the
land shall be purified. [Taken from EZEK 39:7-16]
In the vision I saw while in bed, a holy
sentinel came down from heaven, and cried out: 'Cut
down the tree and lop off its branches, strip off its leaves
and scatter its fruit; let the beasts flee its shade, and the
birds its branches. But leave in the earth its stump and
roots, fettered with iron and bronze, in the grass of the
field. Let him be bathed with the dew of heaven; his lot
be to eat, among beasts, the grass of the earth. Let his mind be
changed from the human; let him be given the sense of a
beast, till seven years pass over him. By decree of the
sentinels is this decided, by order of the holy ones, this
sentence; That all who live may know that the Most High
rules over the kingdom of men: He can give it to whom he
will, or set over it the lowliest of men.' [DAN 4:10-14]
King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a
thousand of his lords, with whom he drank. Under the influence of
the wine, he ordered the gold and silver vessels which
Nebuchadnezzar, his father, had taken from the temple in
Jerusalem, to be brought in so that the king, his lords, his wives
and his entertainers might drink from them. When the gold and
silver vessels taken from the house of God in Jerusalem had been
brought in, and while the king, his lords, his wives and his
entertainers were drinking wine from them, they praised their gods
of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone. Suddenly,
opposite the lampstand, the fingers of a human hand appeared,
writing on the plaster of the wall in the king's palace. When the
king saw the wrist and hand that wrote, his face blanched; his
thoughts terrified him, his hip joints shook, and his knees
knocked. [DAN 5:1-6]
In the vision I saw during the night, suddenly
the four winds of heaven stirred up the great sea, from which
emerged four immense beasts, each different from the others. The
first was like a lion, but with eagle's wings. While I watched,
the wings were plucked; it was raised from the ground to stand on
two feet like a man, and given a human mind. [Taken from DAN 7:2-4]
While I, Daniel, sought the meaning of the
vision I had seen, a manlike figure stood before me, and on the
Ulai I heard a human voice that cried out, "Gabriel, explain
the vision to this man." When he came near where I was
standing, I fell prostrate in terror. But he said to me,
"Understand, son of man, that the vision refers to the end
time." As he spoke to me, I fell forward in a faint; he
touched me and made me stand up. "I will show you," he
said, "what is to happen later in the period of wrath; for at the appointed time, there will be an end."
[DAN 8:15-19]
I drew them with human cords, with bands of
love; I fostered them like one who raises an infant to his cheeks;
Yet, though I stooped to feed my child, they did not know that I
was their healer. [HOSEA 11:4]
He entered a boat, made the crossing, and came
into his own town. And there people brought to him a paralytic
lying on a stretcher. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the
paralytic, "Courage, child, your sins are forgiven." At
that, some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man is
blaspheming." Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said,
"Why do you harbor evil thoughts? Which is easier, to say,
'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise and walk'? But that you
may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive
sins" - he then said to the paralytic, "Rise, pick up
your stretcher, and go home." He rose and went home. When the
crowds saw this they were struck with awe and glorified God who
had given such authority to human beings. [MT 9:1-8]
Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from
Jerusalem and said, "Why do your disciples break the
tradition of the elders? They do not wash (their) hands when they
eat a meal." He said to them in reply, "And why do you
break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For
God said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and 'Whoever curses
father or mother shall die.' But you say, 'Whoever says to father
or mother, "Any support you might have had from me is
dedicated to God," need not honor his father.' You have
nullified the word of God for the sake of your tradition.
Hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy about you when he said: 'This
people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from
me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human
precepts.'" He summoned the crowd and said to them,
"Hear and understand. It is not what enters one's mouth that
defiles that person; but what comes out of the mouth is what
defiles one." Then his disciples approached and said to him,
"Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard
what you said?" He said in reply, "Every plant that my
heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone;
they are blind guides (of the blind). If a blind person leads a
blind person, both will fall into a pit." Then Peter said to
him in reply, "Explain (this) parable to us." He said to
them, "Are even you still without understanding? Do you not
realize that everything that enters the mouth passes into the
stomach and is expelled into the latrine? But the things that come
out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile. For from
the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, unchastity, theft,
false witness, blasphemy. These are what defile a person, but to
eat with unwashed hands does not defile." [MT 15:1-20]
From that time on, Jesus began to show his
disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the
elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on
the third day be raised. Then Peter took him aside and began to
rebuke him, "God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever
happen to you." He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind
me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God
does, but as human beings do." [MT 16:21-23]
When Jesus finished these words, he left
Galilee and went to the district of Judea across the Jordan. Great
crowds followed him, and he cured them there. Some Pharisees
approached him, and tested him, saying, "Is it lawful for a
man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?" He said in
reply, "Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator
'made them male and female' and said, 'For this reason a man shall
leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two
shall become one flesh'? So they are no longer two, but one flesh.
Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must
separate." They said to him, "Then why did Moses command
that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss
(her)?" He said to them, "Because of the hardness of
your hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the
beginning it was not so. I say to you, whoever divorces his wife
(unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits
adultery." [MT 19:1-9]
Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Amen, I
say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the
kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to
pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter
the kingdom of God." When the disciples heard this, they were
greatly astonished and said, "Who then can be saved?"
Jesus looked at them and said, "For human beings this is
impossible, but for God all things are possible." [MT 19:23-26]
When he had come into the temple area, the chief
priests and the elders of the people approached him as he was
teaching and said, "By what authority are you doing these
things? And who gave you this authority?" Jesus said to them
in reply, "I shall ask you one question, and if you answer it
for me, then I shall tell you by what authority I do these things.
Where was John's baptism from? Was it of heavenly or of human
origin?" They discussed this among themselves and said,
"If we say 'Of heavenly origin,' he will say to us, 'Then why
did you not believe him?' But if we say, 'Of human origin,' we
fear the crowd, for they all regard John as a prophet." So
they said to Jesus in reply, "We do not know." He
himself said to them, "Neither shall I tell you by what
authority I do these things." [MT 21:23-27]
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you
hypocrites. You lock the kingdom of heaven before human beings.
You do not enter yourselves, nor do you allow entrance to those
trying to enter." [MT 23:13]
Now when the Pharisees with some scribes who had
come from Jerusalem gathered around him, they observed that some
of his disciples ate their meals with unclean, that is, unwashed,
hands. (For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews, do not eat
without carefully washing their hands, keeping the tradition of
the elders. And on coming from the marketplace they do not eat
without purifying themselves. And there are many other things that
they have traditionally observed, the purification of cups and
jugs and kettles (and beds).) So the Pharisees and scribes
questioned him, "Why do your disciples not follow the
tradition of the elders but instead eat a meal with unclean
hands?" He responded, "Well did Isaiah prophesy about
you hypocrites, as it is written: 'This people honors me
with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; In vain do
they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts.' You
disregard God's commandment but cling to human tradition." He
went on to say, "How well you have set aside the commandment
of God in order to uphold your tradition! For Moses said, 'Honor
your father and your mother,' and 'Whoever curses father or mother
shall die.' Yet you say, 'If a person says to father or mother,
"Any support you might have had from me is qorban"'
(meaning, dedicated to God), you allow him to do nothing more for
his father or mother. You nullify the word of God in favor of your
tradition that you have handed on. And you do many such
things." He summoned the crowd again and said to them,
"Hear me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that enters one
from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out
from within are what defile." [MK 7:1-15]
He began to teach them that the Son of Man must
suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests,
and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days. He
spoke this openly. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke
him. At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples,
rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan. You are
thinking not as God does, but as human beings do." [MK 8:31-33]
The Pharisees approached and asked, "Is it
lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?" They were testing
him. He said to them in reply, "What did Moses command
you?" They replied, "Moses permitted him to write a bill
of divorce and dismiss her." But Jesus told them,
"Because of the hardness of your hearts he wrote you this
commandment. But from the beginning of creation, 'God made them
male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and
mother (and be joined to his wife), and the two shall become one
flesh.' So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what
God has joined together, no human being must separate." In
the house the disciples again questioned him about this. He said
to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another
commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and
marries another, she commits adultery." [MK 10:2-12]
Jesus looked around and said to his disciples,
"How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the
kingdom of God!" The disciples were amazed at his words. So
Jesus again said to them in reply, "Children, how hard it is
to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass
through (the) eye of (a) needle than for one who is rich to enter
the kingdom of God." They were exceedingly astonished and
said among themselves, "Then who can be saved?" Jesus
looked at them and said, "For human beings it is impossible,
but not for God. All things are possible for God." [MK 10:23-27]
They returned once more to Jerusalem. As he was
walking in the temple area, the chief priests, the scribes, and
the elders approached him and said to him, "By what authority
are you doing these things? Or who gave you this authority to do
them?" Jesus said to them, "I shall ask you one
question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do
these things. Was John's baptism of heavenly or of human origin?
Answer me." They discussed this among themselves and said,
"If we say, 'Of heavenly origin,' he will say, '(Then) why
did you not believe him?' But shall we say, 'Of human
origin'?" - they feared the crowd, for they all thought John
really was a prophet. So they said to Jesus in reply, "We do
not know." Then Jesus said to them, "Neither shall I
tell you by what authority I do these things." [MK 11:27-33]
The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all these
things and sneered at him. And he said to them, "You justify
yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts; for
what is of human esteem is an abomination in the sight of God." [LK
16:14-15]
Then he told them a parable about the necessity
for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said,
"There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God
nor respected any human being. And a widow in that town used to
come to him and say, 'Render a just decision for me against my
adversary.' For a long time the judge was unwilling, but
eventually he thought, 'While it is true that I neither fear God
nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering me
I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and
strike me.'" The Lord said, "Pay attention to what the
dishonest judge says. Will not God then secure the rights of his
chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to
answer them? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done
for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find
faith on earth?" [LK 18:1-8]
Jesus looked at him (now sad) and said,
"How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the
kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to pass through the
eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of
God." Those who heard this said, "Then who can be
saved?" And he said, "What is impossible for human
beings is possible for God." [LK 18:24-27]
One day as he was teaching the people in the
temple area and proclaiming the good news, the chief priests and
scribes, together with the elders, approached him and said to him,
"Tell us, by what authority are you doing these things? Or
who is the one who gave you this authority?" He said to them
in reply, "I shall ask you a question. Tell me, was John's
baptism of heavenly or of human origin?" They discussed this
among themselves, and said, "If we say, 'Of heavenly origin,'
he will say, 'Why did you not believe him?' But if we say, 'Of
human origin,' then all the people will stone us, for they are
convinced that John was a prophet." So they answered that
they did not know from where it came. Then Jesus said to them,
"Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these
things." [LK 20:1-8]
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning
with God. All things came to be through him, and without him
nothing came to be. What came to be through him was
life, and this life was the light of the human race; the
light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not
overcome it. A man named John was sent from God. He came for
testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe
through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the
light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into
the world. He was in the world, and the world came to be
through him, but the world did not know him. He came to what
was his own, but his own people did not accept him. But to
those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God,
to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural
generation nor by human choice nor by a man's decision but of God.
And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and
we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father's only
Son, full of grace and truth. [JN 1:1-14]
While he was in Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, many began to believe in his name when they saw the signs he was doing. But Jesus would not trust himself to them because he knew them all, and did not need anyone to testify about human nature. He himself understood it well.
[JN 2:23-25]
"If I testify on my own behalf, my
testimony cannot be verified. But there is another who testifies
on my behalf, and I know that the testimony he gives on my behalf
is true. You sent emissaries to John, and he testified to the
truth. I do not accept testimony from a human being, but I say
this so that you may be saved. He was a burning and shining lamp,
and for a while you were content to rejoice in his light. But I
have testimony greater than John's. The works that the Father gave
me to accomplish, these works that I perform testify on my behalf
that the Father has sent me. Moreover, the Father who sent me has
testified on my behalf. But you have never heard his voice nor
seen his form, and you do not have his word remaining in you,
because you do not believe in the one whom he has sent. You search
the scriptures, because you think you have eternal life through
them; even they testify on my behalf. But you do not want to come
to me to have life. I do not accept human praise; moreover,
I know that you do not have the love of God in you. I came in the
name of my Father, but you do not accept me; yet if another comes
in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe, when
you accept praise from one another and do not seek the praise that
comes from the only God? Do not think that I will accuse you
before the Father: the one who will accuse you is Moses, in whom
you have placed your hope. For if you had believed Moses, you
would have believed me, because he wrote about me. But if you do
not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?" [JN
5:31-47]
Nevertheless, many, even among the authorities, believed in him, but because of the Pharisees they did not acknowledge it openly in order not to be expelled from the synagogue. For they preferred human praise to the glory of God.
[JN 12:42-43]
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit,
answered them, "Leaders of the people and elders: If we are
being examined today about a good deed done to a cripple, namely,
by what means he was saved, then all of you and all the people of
Israel should know that it was in the name of Jesus Christ the
Nazorean whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead; in his
name this man stands before you healed. He is 'the stone rejected
by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.' There is
no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name
under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be
saved." [ACTS 4:8-12]
A man named Ananias, however, with his wife
Sapphira, sold a piece of property. He retained for himself, with
his wife's knowledge, some of the purchase price, took the
remainder, and put it at the feet of the apostles. But Peter said,
"Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart so that you lied to
the Holy Spirit and retained part of the price of the land? While
it remained unsold, did it not remain yours? And when it was sold,
was it not still under your control? Why did you contrive this
deed? You have lied not to human beings, but to God." When
Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last, and
great fear came upon all who heard of it.
[Taken from ACTS 5:1-5]
But a Pharisee in the Sanhedrin named Gamaliel,
a teacher of the law, respected by all the people, stood up,
ordered the men to be put outside for a short time, and said to
them, "Fellow Israelites, be careful what you are about to do
to these men. Some time ago, Theudas appeared, claiming to be
someone important, and about four hundred men joined him, but he
was killed, and all those who were loyal to him were disbanded and
came to nothing. After him came Judas the Galilean at the time of
the census. He also drew people after him, but he too perished and
all who were loyal to him were scattered. So now I tell you, have
nothing to do with these men, and let them go. For if this
endeavor or this activity is of human origin, it will destroy
itself. But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy
them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God."
They were persuaded by him. [ACTS 5:34-39]
"Our ancestors had the tent of testimony in
the desert just as the One who spoke to Moses directed him to make
it according to the pattern he had seen. Our ancestors who
inherited it brought it with Joshua when they dispossessed the
nations that God drove out from before our ancestors, up to the
time of David, who found favor in the sight of God and asked that
he might find a dwelling place for the house of Jacob. But Solomon
built a house for him. Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses
made by human hands. As the prophet says: 'The heavens are my
throne, the earth is my footstool. What kind of house
can you build for me? says the Lord, or what is to be my
resting place? Did not my hand make all these things?'" [ACTS
7:44-50]
On the following day he entered Caesarea.
Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives
and close friends. When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and,
falling at his feet, paid him homage. Peter, however, raised him
up, saying, "Get up. I myself am also a human being."
While he conversed with him, he went in and found many people
gathered together and said to them, "You know that it is
unlawful for a Jewish man to associate with, or visit, a Gentile,
but God has shown me that I should not call any person profane or
unclean." [ACTS 10:24-28]
At Lystra there was a crippled man, lame from
birth, who had never walked. He listened to Paul speaking, who
looked intently at him, saw that he had the faith to be healed,
and called out in a loud voice, "Stand up straight on your
feet." He jumped up and began to walk about. When the crowds
saw what Paul had done, they cried out in Lycaonian, "The
gods have come down to us in human form." [ACTS 14:8-11]
The apostles Barnabas and Paul tore their garments
when they heard this and rushed out into the crowd, shouting, "Men, why are you doing this? We are of the same nature as you, human beings. We proclaim to you good news that you should turn from these idols to the living God, 'who made heaven and earth and sea and all that is in them.'"
[ACTS 14:14-15]
Then Paul stood up at the Areopagus and said:
"You Athenians, I see that in every respect you are very
religious. For as I walked around looking carefully at your
shrines, I even discovered an altar inscribed, 'To an Unknown
God.' What therefore you unknowingly worship, I proclaim to you.
The God who made the world and all that is in it, the Lord of
heaven and earth, does not dwell in sanctuaries made by human
hands, nor is he served by human hands because he needs anything.
Rather it is he who gives to everyone life and breath and
everything. He made from one the whole human race to dwell on the
entire surface of the earth, and he fixed the ordered seasons and
the boundaries of their regions, so that people might seek God,
even perhaps grope for him and find him, though indeed he is not
far from any one of us. For 'In him we live and move and have our
being,' as even some of your poets have said, 'For we too are his
offspring.' Since therefore we are the offspring of God, we ought
not to think that the divinity is like an image fashioned from
gold, silver, or stone by human art and imagination. God has
overlooked the times of ignorance, but now he demands that all
people everywhere repent because he has established a day on which
he will 'judge the world with justice' through a man he has
appointed, and he has provided confirmation for all by raising him
from the dead." When they heard about resurrection of the
dead, some began to scoff, but others said, "We should like
to hear you on this some other time." And so Paul left them.
But some did join him, and became believers. Among them were
Dionysius, a member of the Court of the Areopagus, a woman named
Damaris, and others with them. [ACTS 17:22-34]
Do you suppose, then, you who judge those who
engage in such things and yet do them yourself, that you will
escape the judgment of God? Or do you hold his priceless kindness,
forbearance, and patience in low esteem, unaware that the kindness
of God would lead you to repentance? By your stubbornness and
impenitent heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself for the
day of wrath and revelation of the just judgment of God, who will
repay everyone according to his works: eternal life to those who
seek glory, honor, and immortality through perseverance in good
works, but wrath and fury to those who selfishly disobey the truth
and obey wickedness. Yes, affliction and distress will come upon
every human being who does evil, Jew first and then Greek. But
there will be glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does good,
Jew first and then Greek. There is no partiality with God. [ROM
2:3-11]
Circumcision, to be sure, has value if you
observe the law; but if you break the law, your circumcision has
become uncircumcision. Again, if an uncircumcised man keeps the
precepts of the law, will he not be considered circumcised?
Indeed, those who are physically uncircumcised but carry out the
law will pass judgment on you, with your written law and
circumcision, who break the law. One is not a Jew outwardly. True
circumcision is not outward, in the flesh. Rather, one is a Jew
inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart, in the spirit, not the
letter; his praise is not from human beings but from God. [ROM 2:25-29]
What advantage is there then in being a Jew? Or
what is the value of circumcision? Much, in every respect. (For)
in the first place, they were entrusted with the utterances of
God. What if some were unfaithful? Will their infidelity nullify
the fidelity of God? Of course not! God must be true, though every
human being is a liar, as it is written: "That you
may be justified in your words, and conquer when you are
judged." But if our wickedness provides proof of God's
righteousness, what can we say? Is God unjust, humanly speaking,
to inflict his wrath? Of course not! For how else is God to judge
the world? But if God's truth redounds to his glory through my
falsehood, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? And why not
say - as we are accused and as some claim we say - that we should do
evil that good may come of it? Their penalty is what they deserve.
[ROM 3:1-8]
Now we know that what the law says is addressed to those under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world stand accountable to God,
since no human being will be justified in his sight by observing the law; for through the law comes consciousness of sin.
[ROM 3:19-20]
For sin is not to have any power over you, since
you are not under the law but under grace. What then? Shall we sin
because we are not under the law but under grace? Of course not!
Do you not know that if you present yourselves to someone as
obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey, either of
sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to
righteousness? But thanks be to God that, although you were once
slaves of sin, you have become obedient from the heart to the
pattern of teaching to which you were entrusted. Freed from sin,
you have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human
terms because of the weakness of your nature. For just as you
presented the parts of your bodies as slaves to impurity and to
lawlessness for lawlessness, so now present them as slaves to
righteousness for sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin,
you were free from righteousness. But what profit did you get then
from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those
things is death. But now that you have been freed from sin and
have become slaves of God, the benefit that you have leads to
sanctification, and its end is eternal life. For the wages of sin
is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our
Lord. [ROM 6:14-23]
But who indeed are you, a human being, to talk back to God? Will what is made say to its
maker, "Why have you created me so?" Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for a noble purpose and another for an ignoble one?
[ROM 9:20-21]
For it has been reported to me about you, my
brothers, by Chloe's people, that there are rivalries among you. I
mean that each of you is saying, "I belong to Paul," or
"I belong to Apollos," or "I belong to Kephas,"
or "I belong to Christ." Is Christ divided? Was Paul
crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I
give thanks (to God) that I baptized none of you except Crispus
and Gaius, so that no one can say you were baptized in my name. (I
baptized the household of Stephanas also; beyond that I do not
know whether I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me
to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with the wisdom of
human eloquence, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied
of its meaning. [1COR 1:11-17]
The message of the cross is foolishness to those
who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power
of God. For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of
the wise, and the learning of the learned I will set
aside." Where is the wise one? Where is the scribe? Where is
the debater of this age? Has not God made the wisdom of the world
foolish? For since in the wisdom of God the world did not come to
know God through wisdom, it was the will of God through the
foolishness of the proclamation to save those who have faith. For
Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we proclaim
Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to
Gentiles, but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike,
Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness
of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is
stronger than human strength. Consider your own calling, brothers.
Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were
powerful, not many were of noble birth. Rather, God chose the
foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of
the world to shame the strong, and God chose the lowly and
despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to
nothing those who are something, so that no human being might
boast before God. [Taken from 1COR 1:18-29]
When I came to you, brothers, proclaiming the
mystery of God, I did not come with sublimity of words or of
wisdom. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except
Jesus Christ, and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and
fear and much trembling, and my message and my proclamation were
not with persuasive (words of) wisdom, but with a demonstration of
spirit and power, so that your faith might rest not on human
wisdom but on the power of God. Yet we do speak a wisdom to those
who are mature, but not a wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of
this age who are passing away. Rather, we speak God's wisdom,
mysterious, hidden, which God predetermined before the ages for
our glory, and which none of the rulers of this age knew; for if
they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of
glory. But as it is written: "What eye has not seen, and
ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human
heart, what God has prepared for those who love him,"
this God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit
scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God. Among human
beings, who knows what pertains to a person except the spirit of
the person that is within? Similarly, no one knows what pertains
to God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit
of the world but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may
understand the things freely given us by God. And we speak about
them not with words taught by human wisdom, but with words taught
by the Spirit, describing spiritual realities in spiritual terms. [1COR
2:1-13]
Brothers, I could not talk to you as spiritual
people, but as fleshly people, as infants in Christ. I fed you
milk, not solid food, because you were unable to take it. Indeed,
you are still not able, even now, for you are still of the flesh.
While there is jealousy and rivalry among you, are you not of the
flesh, and behaving in an ordinary human way? Whenever someone
says, "I belong to Paul," and another, "I belong to
Apollos," are you not merely human? [1COR 3:1-4]
Let no one deceive himself. If any one among you
considers himself wise in this age, let him become a fool so as to
become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in
the eyes of God, for it is written: "He catches the
wise in their own ruses," and again: "The Lord knows the
thoughts of the wise, that they are vain." So let no one
boast about human beings, for everything belongs to you, Paul or
Apollos or Kephas, or the world or life or death, or the present
or the future: all belong to you, and you to Christ, and Christ to
God. [1COR 3:18-23]
Thus should one regard us: as servants of Christ
and stewards of the mysteries of God. Now it is of course required
of stewards that they be found trustworthy. It does not concern me
in the least that I be judged by you or any human tribunal; I do
not even pass judgment on myself; I am not conscious of anything
against me, but I do not thereby stand acquitted; the one who
judges me is the Lord. Therefore, do not make any judgment before
the appointed time, until the Lord comes, for he will bring to
light what is hidden in darkness and will manifest the motives of
our hearts, and then everyone will receive praise from God. [1COR
4:1-5]
For as I see it, God has exhibited us apostles
as the last of all, like people sentenced to death, since we have
become a spectacle to the world, to angels and human beings alike.
[1COR 4:9]
For the slave called in the Lord is a freed person in the Lord, just as the free person who has been called is a slave of Christ. You have been purchased at a price. Do not become slaves to human beings.
[1COR 7:22-23]
Who ever serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard without eating its produce? Or who shepherds a flock without using some of the milk from the flock? Am I saying this on human authority, or does not the law also speak of these things?
[1COR 9:7-8]
No trial has come to you but what is human. God
is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength;
but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may
be able to bear it. [1COR 10:13]
If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do
not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. [1COR
13:1]
Pursue love, but strive eagerly for the
spiritual gifts, above all that you may prophesy. For one who
speaks in a tongue does not speak to human beings but to God, for
no one listens; he utters mysteries in spirit. On the other hand,
one who prophesies does speak to human beings, for their building
up, encouragement, and solace. Whoever speaks in a tongue builds
himself up, but whoever prophesies builds up the church. Now I
should like all of you to speak in tongues, but even more to
prophesy. One who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in
tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may be built up.
[1COR 14:1-5]
But now Christ has been raised from the dead,
the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death
came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead came also
through a human being. For just as in Adam all die, so too in
Christ shall all be brought to life, but each one in proper order:
Christ the firstfruits; then, at his coming, those who belong to
Christ; then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to his
God and Father, when he has destroyed every sovereignty and every
authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his
enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death,
for "he subjected everything under his feet." But when
it says that everything has been subjected, it is clear that it
excludes the one who subjected everything to him. When everything
is subjected to him, then the Son himself will (also) be subjected
to the one who subjected everything to him, so that God may be all
in all. [1COR 15:20-28]
You fool! What you sow is not brought to life
unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body that is to be but
a bare kernel of wheat, perhaps, or of some other kind; but God
gives it a body as he chooses, and to each of the seeds its own
body. Not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for human
beings, another kind of flesh for animals, another kind of flesh
for birds, and another for fish. There are both heavenly bodies
and earthly bodies, but the brightness of the heavenly is one kind
and that of the earthly another. The brightness of the sun is one
kind, the brightness of the moon another, and the brightness of
the stars another. For star differs from star in brightness. So
also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown corruptible; it
is raised incorruptible. It is sown dishonorable; it is raised
glorious. It is sown weak; it is raised powerful. It is sown a
natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural
body, there is also a spiritual one. So, too, it is written,
"The first man, Adam, became a living being," the last
Adam a life-giving spirit. But the spiritual was not first; rather
the natural and then the spiritual. The first man was from the
earth, earthly; the second man, from heaven. As was the earthly
one, so also are the earthly, and as is the heavenly one, so also
are the heavenly. Just as we have borne the image of the earthly
one, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly one. [1COR 15:36-49]
For our boast is this, the testimony of our
conscience that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and
especially toward you, with the simplicity and sincerity of God,
(and) not by human wisdom but by the grace of God. For we write
you nothing but what you can read and understand, and I hope that
you will understand completely, as you have come to understand us
partially, that we are your boast as you also are ours, on the day
of (our) Lord Jesus. With this confidence I formerly intended to
come to you so that you might receive a double favor, namely, to
go by way of you to Macedonia, and then to come to you again on my
return from Macedonia, and have you send me on my way to Judea. So
when I intended this, did I act lightly? Or do I make my plans
according to human considerations, so that with me it is
"yes, yes" and "no, no"? As God is faithful,
our word to you is not "yes" and "no." [2COR
1:12-18]
Paul, an apostle not from human beings nor
through a human being but through Jesus Christ and God the Father
who raised him from the dead [Taken from GAL 1:1]
I am amazed that you are so quickly forsaking
the one who called you by (the) grace (of Christ) for a different
gospel (not that there is another). But there are some who are
disturbing you and wish to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even
if we or an angel from heaven should preach (to you) a gospel
other than the one that we preached to you, let that one be
accursed! As we have said before, and now I say again, if anyone
preaches to you a gospel other than the one that you received, let
that one be accursed! Am I now currying favor with human beings or
God? Or am I seeking to please people? If I were still trying to
please people, I would not be a slave of Christ. Now I want you to
know, brothers, that the gospel preached by me is not of human
origin. For I did not receive it from a human being, nor was I
taught it, but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ. [GAL 1:6-12]
Brothers, in human terms I say that no one can
annul or amend even a human will once ratified. Now the promises
were made to Abraham and to his descendant. It does not say,
"And to descendants," as referring to many, but as
referring to one, "And to your descendant," who is
Christ. This is what I mean: the law, which came four hundred and
thirty years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously
ratified by God, so as to cancel the promise. For if the
inheritance comes from the law, it is no longer from a promise;
but God bestowed it on Abraham through a promise. [Taken from GAL
3:15-18]
Therefore, remember that at one time you,
Gentiles in the flesh, called the uncircumcision by those called
the circumcision, which is done in the flesh by human hands, were
at that time without Christ, alienated from the community of
Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, without hope and
without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once
were far off have become near by the blood of Christ. For he is
our peace, he who made both one and broke down the dividing wall
of enmity, through his flesh, abolishing the law with its
commandments and legal claims, that he might create in himself one
new person in place of the two, thus establishing peace, and might
reconcile both with God, in one body, through the cross, putting
that enmity to death by it. [EPH 2:11-16]
When you read this you can understand my insight
into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to human
beings in other generations as it has now been revealed to his
holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit, that the Gentiles are
coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise
in Christ Jesus through the gospel. [EPH 3:4-6]
And he gave some as apostles, others as
prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers,
to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up
the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of faith and
knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the extent of
the full stature of Christ, so that we may no longer be infants,
tossed by waves and swept along by every wind of teaching arising
from human trickery, from their cunning in the interests of
deceitful scheming. Rather, living the truth in love, we should
grow in every way into him who is the head, Christ, from whom the
whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament,
with the proper functioning of each part, brings about the body's
growth and builds itself up in love. [EPH 4:11-16]
Have among yourselves the same attitude that is
also yours in Christ Jesus, Who, though he was in the form of
God, did not regard equality with God something to be
grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a
slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in
appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to
death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly
exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every
name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of
those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the
Father. [PHIL 2:5-11]
I say this so that no one may deceive you by
specious arguments. For even if I am absent in the flesh, yet I am
with you in spirit, rejoicing as I observe your good order and the
firmness of your faith in Christ. So, as you received Christ Jesus
the Lord, walk in him, rooted in him and built upon him and
established in the faith as you were taught, abounding in
thanksgiving. See to it that no one captivate you with an empty,
seductive philosophy according to human tradition, according to
the elemental powers of the world and not according to Christ. [COL
2:4-8]
If you died with Christ to the elemental powers
of the world, why do you submit to regulations as if you were
still living in the world? "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do
not touch!" These are all things destined to perish with use;
they accord with human precepts and teachings. While they have a
semblance of wisdom in rigor of devotion and self-abasement (and)
severity to the body, they are of no value against gratification
of the flesh. [COL 2:20-23]
For you yourselves know, brothers, that our
reception among you was not without effect. Rather, after we had
suffered and been insolently treated, as you know, in Philippi, we
drew courage through our God to speak to you the gospel of God
with much struggle. Our exhortation was not from delusion or
impure motives, nor did it work through deception. But as we were
judged worthy by God to be entrusted with the gospel, that is how
we speak, not as trying to please human beings, but rather God, who
judges our hearts. Nor, indeed, did we ever appear with flattering
speech, as you know, or with a pretext for greed - God is witness
-
nor did we seek praise from human beings, either from you or from
others, although we were able to impose our weight as apostles of
Christ. Rather, we were gentle among you, as a nursing mother
cares for her children. With such affection for you, we were
determined to share with you not only the gospel of God, but our
very selves as well, so dearly beloved had you become to us. You
recall, brothers, our toil and drudgery. Working night and day in
order not to burden any of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of
God. You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and justly and
blamelessly we behaved toward you believers. As you know, we
treated each one of you as a father treats his children, exhorting
and encouraging you and insisting that you conduct yourselves as
worthy of the God who calls you into his kingdom and glory. And
for this reason we too give thanks to God unceasingly, that, in receiving the word of God from hearing us, you received not a
human word but, as it truly is, the word of God, which is now at work
in you who believe. [1THES 2:1-13]
This is the will of God, your holiness: that you
refrain from immorality, that each of you know how to acquire a
wife for himself in holiness and honor, not in lustful passion as
do the Gentiles who do not know God; not to take advantage of or
exploit a brother in this matter, for the Lord is an avenger in
all these things, as we told you before and solemnly affirmed. For
God did not call us to impurity but to holiness. Therefore,
whoever disregards this, disregards not a human being but God, who
(also) gives his Holy Spirit to you. [1THES 4:3-8]
For there is one God. There is also one
mediator between God and the human race, Christ Jesus,
himself human, who gave himself as ransom for all. This was
the testimony at the proper time. For this I was appointed
preacher and apostle (I am speaking the truth, I am not lying),
teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. [1TM 2:5-7]
I charge (you) before God, who gives life to all
things, and before Christ Jesus, who gave testimony under Pontius
Pilate for the noble confession, to keep the commandment without
stain or reproach until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ
that the blessed and only ruler will make manifest at the proper
time, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has
immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, and whom no human
being has seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal power.
Amen. [1TM 6:13-16]
Just as it is appointed that human beings die
once, and after this the judgment, so also Christ, offered once to
take away the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to take
away sin but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him. [HEB
9:27-28]
In the same way the tongue is a small member and
yet has great pretensions. Consider how small a fire can set a
huge forest ablaze. The tongue is also a fire. It exists among our
members as a world of malice, defiling the whole body and setting
the entire course of our lives on fire, itself set on fire by
Gehenna. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea
creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species,
but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil,
full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and
with it we curse human beings who are made in the likeness of God.
From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. This need not be
so, my brothers. Does a spring gush forth from the same opening
both pure and brackish water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, produce
olives, or a grapevine figs? Neither can salt water yield fresh. [JMS
3:5-12]
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and
pray for one another, that you may be healed. The fervent prayer
of a righteous person is very powerful. Elijah was a human being
like us; yet he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and for
three years and six months it did not rain upon the land. Then he
prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the earth produced its
fruit. [JMS 5:16-18]
Come to him, a living stone, rejected by human
beings but chosen and precious in the sight of God, and, like
living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house to
be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to
God through Jesus Christ. [1PT 2:4-5] [Note: This does not
mean that all Jesus' followers share in the ministerial
priesthood. As in the Old Testament, (e.g. where God spoke to
Moses: "You shall be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy
nation. That is what you must tell the Israelites" - see EX
19:6) different classes of the priesthood exist, including a
general priesthood of followers who can offer prayers,
thanksgiving, and other "spiritual sacrifices" to God.
The passage above refers to this type of universal priesthood,
which should not be confused with the ministerial priesthood. For additional information on this topic,
visit the non-Catholics
section.]
Be subject to every human institution for the Lord's sake, whether it be to the king as supreme or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the approval of those who do good.
[1PT 2:13-14]
Therefore, since Christ suffered in the flesh,
arm yourselves also with the same attitude (for whoever suffers in
the flesh has broken with sin), so as not to spend what remains of
one's life in the flesh on human desires, but on the will of God.
For the time that has passed is sufficient for doing what the
Gentiles like to do: living in debauchery, evil desires,
drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and wanton idolatry. They are
surprised that you do not plunge into the same swamp of
profligacy, and they vilify you; but they will give an account to
him who stands ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is
why the gospel was preached even to the dead that, though
condemned in the flesh in human estimation, they might live in the
spirit in the estimation of God. [1PT 4:1-6]
Know this first of all, that there is no prophecy of scripture that is a matter of personal interpretation, for no prophecy ever came through human will; but rather human beings moved by the
Holy Spirit spoke under the influence of God.
[2PT 1:20-21]
If we accept human testimony, the testimony of
God is surely greater. Now the testimony of God is this, that he
has testified on behalf of his Son. Whoever believes in the Son of
God has this testimony within himself. Whoever does not believe
God has made him a liar by not believing the testimony God has
given about his Son. And this is the testimony: God gave us
eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever possesses the
Son has life; whoever does not possess the Son of God does not
have life. [1JN 5:9-12]
In front of the throne was something that
resembled a sea of glass like crystal. In the center and around
the throne, there were four living creatures covered with eyes in
front and in back. The first creature resembled a lion, the second
was like a calf, the third had a face like that of a human being,
and the fourth looked like an eagle in flight. [Taken from RV 4:6-7]
The appearance of the locusts was like that of
horses ready for battle. On their heads they wore what looked like
crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces, and they had
hair like women's hair. Their teeth were like lions' teeth, and
they had chests like iron breastplates. The sound of their wings
was like the sound of many horse-drawn chariots racing into
battle. They had tails like scorpions, with stingers; with their
tails they had power to harm people for five months.
[Taken from RV 9:7-10]
Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I
heard a voice coming from the (four) horns of the gold altar
before God, telling the sixth angel who held the trumpet,
"Release the four angels who are bound at the banks of the
great river Euphrates." So the four angels were released, who
were prepared for this hour, day, month, and year to kill a third
of the human race. The number of cavalry troops was two hundred
million; I heard their number. Now in my vision this is how I saw
the horses and their riders. They wore red, blue, and yellow
breastplates, and the horses' heads were like heads of lions, and
out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and sulfur. By these three
plagues of fire, smoke, and sulfur that came out of their mouths a
third of the human race was killed. For the power of the horses is
in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails are like
snakes, with heads that inflict harm. The rest of the human race,
who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works
of their hands, to give up the worship of demons and idols made
from gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which cannot see or
hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic
potions, their unchastity, or their robberies. [RV 9:13-21]
Then I looked and there was the Lamb standing on
Mount Zion, and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand who had
his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. I heard
a sound from heaven like the sound of rushing water or a loud peal
of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing
their harps. They were singing (what seemed to be) a new hymn
before the throne, before the four living creatures and the
elders. No one could learn this hymn except the hundred and
forty-four thousand who had been ransomed from the earth. These
are they who were not defiled with women; they are virgins and
these are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They have
been ransomed as the firstfruits of the human race for God and the
Lamb. On their lips no deceit has been found; they are
unblemished. [RV 14:1-5]
The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the
air. A loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying,
"It is done." Then there were lightning flashes,
rumblings, and peals of thunder, and a great earthquake. It was
such a violent earthquake that there has never been one like it
since the human race began on earth. The great city was split into
three parts, and the gentile cities fell. But God remembered great
Babylon, giving it the cup filled with the wine of his fury and
wrath. Every island fled, and mountains disappeared. Large
hailstones like huge weights came down from the sky on people, and
they blasphemed God for the plague of hail because this plague was
so severe. [RV 16:17-21]
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The
former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea
was no more. I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming
down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her
husband. I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
"Behold, God's dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell
with them and they will be his people and God himself will always
be with them (as their God). He will wipe every tear from their
eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or
pain, (for) the old order has passed away." The one who sat
on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new."
Then he said, "Write these words down, for they are
trustworthy and true." He said to me, "They are
accomplished. I (am) the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and
the end. To the thirsty I will give a gift from the spring of
life-giving water. The victor will inherit these gifts, and I
shall be his God, and he will be my son. But as for cowards, the
unfaithful, the depraved, murderers, the unchaste, sorcerers,
idol-worshipers, and deceivers of every sort, their lot is in the
burning pool of fire and sulfur, which is the second death." [RV
21:1-8]
Also try:
man
/ men / mankind [M1a]
woman
/ women [W9a]
child
/ children [C3a]
husband
[H22]
wife
/ wives [W4a]
Father
/ fathers / fatherhood [F5a]
mother
/ mothers [M6a]
parent
/ parents [P2]
offspring
[D5]
youth
/ youthful / young [Y1]
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