⁴⁴ “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them,^(A) and I will raise them up at the last day. ⁴⁵ It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’^[a](B) Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. ⁴⁶ No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God;^(C) only he has seen the Father. ⁴⁷ Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life.^{(D) 48} I am the bread of life.^{(E) 49} Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died.^{(F) 50} But here is the bread that comes down from heaven,^(G) which anyone may eat and not die. ⁵¹ I am the living bread^(H) that came down from heaven.^(I) Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”^(J)

¹² The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders^(A) God had done among the Gentiles through them.^{(B) 13} When they finished, James^(C) spoke up. “Brothers,” he said, “listen to me. ¹⁴ Simon^[a] has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles.^{(D) 15} The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:

¹⁹ “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. ²⁰ Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols,^(G) from sexual immorality,^(H) from the meat of strangled animals and from blood.^{(I) 21} For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”^(J)

¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel,^(A) because it is the power of God^(B) that brings salvation to everyone who believes:^(C) first to the Jew,^(D) then to the Gentile.^{(E) 17} For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed^(F)—a righteousness that is by faith^(G) from first to last,^[a] just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”^[b](H)

God’s Wrath Against Sinful Humanity

¹⁸ The wrath of God^(I) is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, ¹⁹ since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.^{(J) 20} For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made,^(K) so that people are without excuse.^(L)

²¹ For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.^{(M) 22} Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools^{(N) 23} and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images^(O) made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

²⁴ Therefore God gave them over^(P) in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.^{(Q) 25} They exchanged the truth about God for a lie,^(R) and worshiped and served created things^(S) rather than the Creator—who is forever praised.^(T) Amen.^(U)