They know God's decree that those who act in this way deserve to die, yet they not only do it, but applaud any who do.

What does this mean? Are we Jews at a disadvantage? Not at all. We have already charged Jews and Greeks all alike with being under the control of sin.

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.

Is this using faith to overthrow law? Far from it. This confirms the Law.

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.

For just as that one man's disobedience made the mass of mankind sinners, so this one's obedience will make the mass of them upright.

What a wretched man I am! Who can save me from this doomed body?

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?

Then what shall we conclude from this? If God is for us, who can be against us?

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

On the contrary, who are you, my friend, to answer back to God? Can something a man shapes say to the man who shaped it, "Why did you make me like this?"

But this is what the uprightness that springs from faith says: "Do not say to yourself, 'Who will go up to heaven?' " that is, to bring Christ down;

No! This is what it says: "God's message is close to you, on your lips and in your mind"??hat is, the message about faith that we preach.

The rest became callous; as the Scripture says, "God has thrown them into a state of spiritual insensibility, with eyes that cannot see and cars that cannot hear, that has lasted down to this day."

For to keep you from thinking too well of yourselves, brothers, I do not want you to miss this secret, that only partial insensibility has come upon Israel, to last until all the heathen have come in,

And this will be my agreement with them, When I take away their sins."

I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by this mercy of God, to offer your bodies in a living sacrifice that will be holy and acceptable to God; that is your rational worship.

You must not adopt the customs of this world but by your new attitude of mind be transformed so that you can find out what God's will is??hat is good, pleasing, and perfect.

just as you pay your taxes; they are God's ministers, devoting themselves to this service.

All this especially, because you know this critical time and that it is time for you to wake from your sleep, for our salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.

and causing the heathen to praise God for his mercy; as the Scripture says, "I will give thanks to you for this among the heathen, And sing in honor of your name."

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.

This is why I have so often been prevented from coming to see you.

But now there is no more work for me in this part of the world, and as I have had a great desire for many years to come to see you,

So when I have finished this matter, and seen this contribution safely into their possession, I will start for Spain, and come to you on the way,

I, Tertius, who write this letter, wish to be remembered to you as a fellow-Christian.