Thursday, December 28

35Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward.

36For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise:

37'For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come and will not tarry.

38Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.'

39But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.

1Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

2For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.

3By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

4By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.

5By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, 'and was not found, because God had taken him'; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

6But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

7By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

27Then they came again to Jerusalem. And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to Him.

28And they said to Him, 'By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority to do these things?'

29But Jesus answered and said to them, 'I also will ask you one question; then answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things:

30The baptism of John—was it from heaven or from men? Answer Me.'

31And they reasoned among themselves, saying, 'If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?'

32But if we say, 'From men' '—they feared the people, for all counted John to have been a prophet indeed.

33So they answered and said to Jesus, 'We do not know.' And Jesus answered and said to them, 'Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.'