Quotes About Faith

I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.

For you have heard of my former way of life in Judaism, how severely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it.

I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.

But when God, who set me apart from my motherís womb and called me by His grace, was pleased

to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not rush to consult with flesh and blood,

nor did I go up to Jerusalem to the apostles who came before me, but I went into Arabia and later returned to Damascus.

Only after three years did I go up to Jerusalem to confer with Cephas, and I stayed with him fifteen days.

But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lordís brother.

I assure you before God that what I am writing to you is no lie.

Later I went to the regions of Syria and Cilicia.

I was personally unknown, however, to the churches of Judea that are in Christ.

They only heard the account: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.”

And they glorified God because of me.

Fourteen years later I went up again to Jerusalem, accompanied by Barnabas. I took Titus along also.

I went in response to a revelation and set before them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. But I spoke privately to those recognized as leaders, for fear that I was running or had already run in vain.

Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek.

This issue arose because some false brothers had come in under false pretenses to spy on our freedom in Christ Jesus, in order to enslave us.

We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you.

But as for the highly esteemed—whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism—those leaders added nothing to me.

On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted to preach the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been to the circumcised.

For the One who was at work in Peterís apostleship to the circumcised was also at work in my apostleship to the Gentiles.

And recognizing the grace that I had been given, James, Cephas, and John—those reputed to be pillars—gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, so that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised.

They only asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.

When Cephas came to Antioch, however, I opposed him to his face, because he stood to be condemned.