Paul, a slave of Jesus Christ, called as an apostle, set apart to declare God's good news,

Therefore you have no excuse, whoever you are, if you pose as a judge, for when you pass judgment on someone else, you are condemning yourself, for you, who sit in judgment, do the very same things yourself.

And do you suppose, when you sit in judgment upon those who do such things and yet do them yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God?

For merely hearing the Law read does not make a man upright in the sight of God; men must obey the Law to be made upright.

For no human being can be made upright in the sight of God by observing the Law. All that the Law can do is to make man conscious of sin.

as the Scripture says, "I have made you the father of many nations." The promise is guaranteed in the very sight of God in whom he had faith, who can bring the dead to life and call into being what does not exist.

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."

that creation itself would be set free from its bondage to decay, and have the glorious freedom of the children of God.

For this is what the promise said: "When I come back at this time next year, Sarah will have a son."

He said to Moses, "I will have mercy on the man on whom I choose to have mercy, and take pity on the man on whom I choose to take pity."

For in their ignorance of God's way of uprightness and in the attempt to set up one of their own, they refused to conform to God's way of uprightness.

Moses said that anyone who carried out the uprightness the Law prescribed would find life through it.

But I ask again, did Israel fail to understand? Why, to begin with, Moses said, "I will make you jealous of what is no nation at all, I will exasperate you at a senseless nation."

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."

But of Israel he said, "All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people."

And David said, "Let their feasting prove a snare and a trap to them, Their ruin and their retribution.

It is the duty of us who are strong to put up with the weaknesses of those who are immature, and not just suit ourselves.

Again Isaiah says, "The descendant of Jesse will come, The one who is to rise to rule the heathen; The heathen will set their hopes on him."