Roma 4:15

4:15 For the law brings wrath, because where there is no law there is no transgression ¹  either.

Roma 4:1

The Illustration of Justification

4:1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh, ²  has discovered regarding this matter? ³ 

Kolose 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ⁴  an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

Kolose 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ⁵  an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

Yohanes 3:4

3:4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother’s womb and be born a second time, can he?” ⁶ 

Yohanes 3:14

3:14 Just as ⁷  Moses lifted up the serpent ⁸  in the wilderness, ⁹  so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁰ 

[4:15]  ¹ tn Or “violation.”

[4:1]  ² tn Or “according to natural descent” (BDAG 916 s.v. σάρξ 4).

[4:1]  ³ tn Grk “has found?”

[1:1]  ⁴ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:1]  ⁵ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[3:4]  ⁶ tn The grammatical structure of the question in Greek presupposes a negative reply.

[3:14]  ⁷ tn Grk “And just as.”

[3:14]  ⁸ sn Or the snake, referring to the bronze serpent mentioned in Num 21:9.

[3:14]  ⁹ sn An allusion to Num 21:5-9.

[3:14]  ¹⁰ sn So must the Son of Man be lifted up. This is ultimately a prediction of Jesus’ crucifixion. Nicodemus could not have understood this, but John’s readers, the audience to whom the Gospel is addressed, certainly could have (compare the wording of John 12:32). In John, being lifted up refers to one continuous action of ascent, beginning with the cross but ending at the right hand of the Father. Step 1 is Jesus’ death; step 2 is his resurrection; and step 3 is the ascension back to heaven. It is the upward swing of the “pendulum” which began with the incarnation, the descent of the Word become flesh from heaven to earth (cf. Paul in Phil 2:5-11). See also the note on the title Son of Man in 1:51.