Now I want you to know, brothers, that I often planned to come to you (but was prevented until now) in order that I might have a fruitful ministry among you, just as among the rest of the Gentiles.

Although they know full well God’s just sentence—that those who practice such things deserve to die—they not only do them, but even applaud others who practice them.

But because of your hardness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment is revealed.

but wrath and indignation to those who are self-seeking and disobey the truth but are obeying unrighteousness;

but glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does what is good, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.

For the hearers of the law are not righteous before God, but the doers of the law will be declared righteous.

For circumcision benefits you if you observe the law, but if you are a lawbreaker, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.

A man who is physically uncircumcised, but who fulfills the law, will judge you who are a lawbreaker in spite of having the letter of the law and circumcision.

On the contrary, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart—by the Spirit, not the letter. That man’s praise is not from men but from God.

Absolutely not! God must be true, even if everyone is a liar, as it is written:

That You may be justified in Your words
and triumph when You judge.

But if our unrighteousness highlights God’s righteousness, what are we to say? I use a human argument: Is God unrighteous to inflict wrath?

But if by my lie God’s truth is amplified to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner?

But now, apart from the law, God’s righteousness has been revealed—attested by the Law and the Prophets

If Abraham was justified by works, he has something to brag about—but not before God.

Now to the one who works, pay is not considered as a gift, but as something owed.

But to the one who does not work, but believes on Him who declares the ungodly to be righteous, his faith is credited for righteousness.

In what way then was it credited—while he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while he was circumcised, but uncircumcised.

And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while still uncircumcised. This was to make him the father of all who believe but are not circumcised, so that righteousness may be credited to them also.

And he became the father of the circumcised, who are not only circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith our father Abraham had while he was still uncircumcised.

For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would inherit the world was not through the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.

For the law produces wrath. And where there is no law, there is no transgression.

This is why the promise is by faith, so that it may be according to grace, to guarantee it to all the descendants—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of Abraham’s faith. He is the father of us all

He did not waver in unbelief at God’s promise but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,

but also for us. It will be credited to us who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.

And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance,

But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us!

And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We have now received this reconciliation through Him.

In fact, sin was in the world before the law, but sin is not charged to a person’s account when there is no law.

But the gift is not like the trespass. For if by the one man’s trespass the many died, how much more have the grace of God and the gift overflowed to the many by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ.

And the gift is not like the one man’s sin, because from one sin came the judgment, resulting in condemnation, but from many trespasses came the gift, resulting in justification.

The law came along to multiply the trespass. But where sin multiplied, grace multiplied even more

For in light of the fact that He died, He died to sin once for all; but in light of the fact that He lives, He lives to God.

So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

And do not offer any parts of it to sin as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God, and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness.

For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under law but under grace.

What then? Should we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Absolutely not!

But thank God that, although you used to be slaves of sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching you were transferred to,

But now, since you have been liberated from sin and have become enslaved to God, you have your fruit, which results in sanctification—and the end is eternal life!

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

For example, a married woman is legally bound to her husband while he lives. But if her husband dies, she is released from the law regarding the husband.

So then, if she gives herself to another man while her husband is living, she will be called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law. Then, if she gives herself to another man, she is not an adulteress.

Therefore, my brothers, you also were put to death in relation to the law through the crucified body of the Messiah, so that you may belong to another—to Him who was raised from the dead—that we may bear fruit for God.

But now we have been released from the law, since we have died to what held us, so that we may serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old letter of the law.

Once I was alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life

For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am made out of flesh, sold into sin’s power.

For I do not understand what I am doing, because I do not practice what I want to do, but I do what I hate.

So now I am no longer the one doing it, but it is sin living in me.

For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it.

For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do.

Now if I do what I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but it is the sin that lives in me.

But I see a different law in the parts of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and taking me prisoner to the law of sin in the parts of my body.

I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I myself am a slave to the law of God, but with my flesh, to the law of sin.

in order that the law’s requirement would be accomplished in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

For those who live according to the flesh think about the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, about the things of the Spirit.

For the mind-set of the flesh is death, but the mind-set of the Spirit is life and peace.

You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God lives in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.

Now if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

for if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!”

For the creation was subjected to futility—not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it—in the hope

And not only that, but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits—we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.

But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience.

In the same way the Spirit also joins to help in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with unspoken groanings.

He did not even spare His own Son
but offered Him up for us all;
how will He not also with Him grant us everything?

Who is the one who condemns?
Christ Jesus is the One who died,
but even more, has been raised;
He also is at the right hand of God
and intercedes for us.

As it is written:
Because of You
we are being put to death all day long;
we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered.

But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.

That is, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but the children of the promise are considered to be the offspring.

And not only that, but also Rebekah received a promise when she became pregnant by one man, our ancestor Isaac.

For though her sons had not been born yet or done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to election might stand—

not from works but from the One who calls—she was told: The older will serve the younger.

As it is written: I have loved Jacob, but I have hated Esau.

So then it does not depend on human will or effort but on God who shows mercy.

But who are you, a mere man, to talk back to God? Will what is formed say to the one who formed it, “Why did you make me like this?”

on us, the ones He also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?

But Isaiah cries out concerning Israel:

Though the number of Israel’s sons
is like the sand of the sea,
only the remnant will be saved;

But Israel, pursuing the law for righteousness, has not achieved the righteousness of the law.

Why is that? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone.

As it is written:

Look! I am putting a stone in Zion to stumble over
and a rock to trip over,
yet the one who believes on Him
will not be put to shame.

I can testify about them that they have zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.

But the righteousness that comes from faith speaks like this: Do not say in your heart, “Who will go up to heaven?” that is, to bring Christ down

Now the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on Him will not be put to shame,

But how can they call on Him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about Him? And how can they hear without a preacher?

But all did not obey the gospel. For Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed our message?

But I ask, “Did they not hear?” Yes, they did:

Their voice has gone out to all the earth,
and their words to the ends of the inhabited world.

But I ask, “Did Israel not understand?” First, Moses said:

I will make you jealous
of those who are not a nation;
I will make you angry by a nation
that lacks understanding.

But to Israel he says: All day long I have spread out My hands to a disobedient and defiant people.

But what was God’s reply to him? I have left 7,000 men for Myself who have not bowed down to Baal.

What then? Israel did not find what it was looking for, but the elect did find it. The rest were hardened,

For if their rejection brings reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?

do not brag that you are better than those branches. But if you do brag—you do not sustain the root, but the root sustains you.

True enough; they were broken off by unbelief, but you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid.

Therefore, consider God’s kindness and severity: severity toward those who have fallen but God’s kindness toward you—if you remain in His kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.

Regarding the gospel, they are enemies for your advantage, but regarding election, they are loved because of the patriarchs,

As you once disobeyed God, but now have received mercy through their disobedience,

Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

But

If your enemy is hungry, feed him.
If he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
For in so doing
you will be heaping fiery coals on his head.

Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.

For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have its approval.

For government is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because it does not carry the sword for no reason. For government is God’s servant, an avenger that brings wrath on the one who does wrong.