about his Son, who was physically descended from David,

For they had exchanged the truth of God for what was false, and worshiped and served what he had created, instead of the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen!

For God showed him publicly dying as a sacrifice of reconciliation to be taken advantage of through faith. This was to vindicate his own justice (for in his forbearance, God passed over men's former sins)??26 to vindicate his justice at the present time, and show that he is upright himself, and that he makes those who have faith in Jesus upright also.

For if he was made upright by what he did, it is something to be proud of. But not to be proud of before God,

for what does the Scripture say? "Abraham had faith in God, and it was credited to him as uprightness."

Does this happiness apply to those who are circumcised, or to those who are uncircumcised as well? What we say is, Abraham's faith was credited to him as uprightness.

In what circumstances? Was it after he was circumcised or before? Not after he was circumcised, but before;

and he was afterward given the mark of circumcision as the stamp of God's acknowledgment of the uprightness based on faith that was his before he was circumcised, so that he should be the forefather of all who, without being circumcised, have faith and so are credited with uprightness,

and the forefather of those circumcised persons who not only share his circumcision but follow our forefather Abraham's example in the faith he had before he was circumcised.

His faith did not weaken, although he realized that his own body was worn out, for he was about a hundred years old, and that Sarah was past bearing children.

in the full assurance that God was able to do what he had promised.

That was why it was credited to him as uprightness.

It was not on his account alone that these words, "it was credited to him," were written,

who was given up to death to make up for our offenses, and raised to life to make us upright.

It is true sin was in the world before the Law was given, and men are not charged with sin where there is no law.

Still death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned as Adam had, in the face of an express command. So Adam foreshadowed the one who was to come.

Nor is there any comparison between the gift and the effects of that one man's sin. That sentence arose from the act of one man, and was for condemnation; but God's gift arose out of many offenses and results in acquittal.

Through baptism we have been buried with him in death, so that just as he was raised from the dead through the Father's glory, we too may live a new life.

for we know that our old self was crucified with him, to do away with our sinful body, so that we might not be enslaved to sin any longer,

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free as far as uprightness was concerned.

So you, in turn, my brothers, in the body of Christ have become dead as far as the Law is concerned, so that you may belong to another husband, who was raised from the dead in order that we might bear fruit for God.

Then what shall we conclude? That the Law is sin? Certainly not! Yet, if it had not been for the Law, I should never have learned what sin was; I should not have known what it was to covet if the Law had not said, "You must not covet."

I was once alive and without law, but when the command came, sin awoke and then I died;

Did what was good, then, prove the death of me? Certainly not! It was sin that did so, so that it might be recognized as sin, because even through something that was good it effected my death, so that through the command it might appear how immeasurably sinful sin was.

For though it was impossible for the Law to do it, hampered as it was by our physical limitations, God, by sending his own Son in our sinful physical form, as a sin-offering, put his condemnation upon sin through his physical nature,

For it was not the fault of creation that it was frustrated; it was by the will of him who condemned it to that, and in the hope

It was in this hope that we were saved. But a hope that can be seen is not a hope, for who hopes for what he sees?

who can condemn them? Christ Jesus who died, or rather who was raised from the dead, is at God's right hand, and actually pleads for us.

nor are they all children of Abraham because they are descended from him, but he was told, "The line of Isaac will be called your descendants."

And that is not all, for there was Rebecca too, when she was about to bear twin sons to our forefather Isaac.

she was told, "The elder will be the younger's slave."

Just as he says in Hosea, "I will call a people that was not mine, my people, And her who was not beloved, my beloved,

Then what do we conclude? That heathen who were not striving for uprightness attained it, that is, an uprightness which was produced by faith;

Then Isaiah broke out boldly and said, "I have been found by men who were not looking for me, I have shown myself to men who were not asking what my will was."

That is true; but it was for their want of faith that they were broken off, and it is through your faith that you stand where you do. You ought not to feel proud; you ought to be afraid,

For everything that was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that by being steadfast and through the encouragement the Scriptures give, we might hold our hope fast.

In all this it has been my ambition to preach the good news only where Christ's name was unknown, so as not to build on foundations other men had laid.

Remember me to my dear Epaenetus, who was the first man in Asia to turn to Christ.