What then can we say that Abraham, our physical ancestor, has found?

For what does the Scripture say?

Abraham believed God,
and it was credited to him for righteousness.

Is this blessing only for the circumcised, then? Or is it also for the uncircumcised? For we say, Faith was credited to Abraham for righteousness.

What should we say then? Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply?

What should we say then? Is the law sin? Absolutely not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin if it were not for the law. For example, I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, Do not covet.

What then are we to say about these things?
If God is for us, who is against us?

What should we say then? Is there injustice with God? Absolutely not!

You will say to me, therefore, “Why then does He still find fault? For who can resist His will?”

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?”

As He also says in Hosea:

I will call Not My People, My People,
and she who is Unloved, Beloved.

What should we say then? Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained righteousness—namely the righteousness that comes from faith.

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

On the contrary, what does it say? The message is near you, in your mouth and in your heart. This is the message of faith that we proclaim:

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

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

And Isaiah says boldly:

I was found
by those who were not looking for Me;
I revealed Myself
to those who were not asking for Me.

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

God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or don’t you know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he pleads with God against Israel?

And David says:

Let their feasting become a snare and a trap,
a pitfall and a retribution to them.

Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.”

Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for His wrath. For it is written: Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay, says the Lord.

For it is written:

As I live, says the Lord,
every knee will bow to Me,
and every tongue will give praise to God.

For I say that the Messiah became a servant of the circumcised on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises to the fathers,

Again it says: Rejoice, you Gentiles, with His people!

And again, Isaiah says:

The root of Jesse will appear,
the One who rises to rule the Gentiles;
the Gentiles will hope in Him.

For I would not dare say anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to make the Gentiles obedient by word and deed,

Now I urge you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, that there be no divisions among you, and that you be united with the same understanding and the same conviction.

What I am saying is this: Each of you says, “I’m with Paul,” or “I’m with Apollos,” or “I’m with Cephas,” or “I’m with Christ.”

so that no one can say you were baptized in my name.

For whenever someone says, “I’m with Paul,” and another, “I’m with Apollos,” are you not unspiritual people?

I say this to your shame! Can it be that there is not one wise person among you who is able to arbitrate between his brothers?

Don’t you know that anyone joined to a prostitute is one body with her? For Scripture says, The two will become one flesh.

I say the following as a concession, not as a command.

I say to the unmarried and to widows: It is good for them if they remain as I am.

But I (not the Lord) say to the rest: If any brother has an unbelieving wife and she is willing to live with him, he must not leave her.

And I say this, brothers: The time is limited, so from now on those who have wives should be as though they had none,

Am I saying this from a human perspective? Doesn’t the law also say the same thing?

I am speaking as to wise people. Judge for yourselves what I say.

No, but I do say that what they sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God. I do not want you to participate with demons!

But if someone says to you, “This is food offered to an idol,” do not eat it, out of consideration for the one who told you, and for conscience’ sake.

Don’t you have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you look down on the church of God and embarrass those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I praise you? I do not praise you for this!

Therefore I am informing you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

If the foot should say, “Because I’m not a hand, I don’t belong to the body,” in spite of this it still belongs to the body.

And if the ear should say, “Because I’m not an eye, I don’t belong to the body,” in spite of this it still belongs to the body.

So the eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” Or again, the head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you!”

Otherwise, if you praise with the spirit, how will the uninformed person say “Amen” at your giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying?

It is written in the law:

I will speak to these people
by people of other languages
and by the lips of foreigners,
and even then, they will not listen to Me,

says the Lord.

Therefore, if the whole church assembles together and all are speaking in other languages and people who are uninformed or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your minds?

the women should be silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak, but should be submissive, as the law also says.

Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say, “There is no resurrection of the dead”?

For God has put everything under His feet. But when it says “everything” is put under Him, it is obvious that He who puts everything under Him is the exception.

Come to your senses and stop sinning, for some people are ignorant about God. I say this to your shame.

But someone will say, “How are the dead raised? What kind of body will they have when they come?”

So when I planned this, was I irresponsible? Or what I plan, do I plan in a purely human way so that I say “Yes, yes” and “No, no” simultaneously?

For He says:

I heard you in an acceptable time,
and I helped you in the day of salvation.

Look, now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation.

Therefore, come out from among them
and be separate, says the Lord;
do not touch any unclean thing,
and I will welcome you.

I will be a Father to you,
and you will be sons and daughters to Me,
says the Lord Almighty.

I don’t say this to condemn you, for I have already said that you are in our hearts, to live together and to die together.

What I say in this matter of boasting, I don’t speak as the Lord would, but foolishly.

I say this to our shame: We have been weak.

But in whatever anyone dares to boast—I am talking foolishly—I also dare:

As we have said before, I now say again: If anyone preaches to you a gospel contrary to what you received, a curse be on him!

Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say “and to seeds,” as though referring to many, but referring to one, and to your seed, who is Christ.

And I say this: The law, which came 430 years later, does not revoke a covenant that was previously ratified by God and cancel the promise.

Now I say that as long as the heir is a child, he differs in no way from a slave, though he is the owner of everything.

But what does the Scripture say?

Drive out the slave and her son, for the son of the slave will never be a coheir with the son of the free woman.

I say then, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.

For it says:

When He ascended on high,
He took prisoners into captivity;
He gave gifts to people.

Therefore, I say this and testify in the Lord: You should no longer walk as the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their thoughts.

For I have often told you, and now say again with tears, that many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.

For the Lord’s message rang out from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place that your faith in God has gone out. Therefore, we don’t need to say anything,

For we say this to you by a revelation from the Lord: We who are still alive at the Lord’s coming will certainly have no advantage over those who have fallen asleep.

When they say, “Peace and security,” then sudden destruction comes on them, like labor pains come on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

Now the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will depart from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons,

At the same time, they also learn to be idle, going from house to house; they are not only idle, but are also gossips and busybodies, saying things they shouldn’t say.

For the Scripture says:

Do not muzzle an ox
while it is treading out the grain, and,
the worker is worthy of his wages.

Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.

Your message is to be sound beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be ashamed, having nothing bad to say about us.

Say these things, and encourage and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.

Since I am confident of your obedience, I am writing to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say.

For to which of the angels did He ever say, You are My Son; today I have become Your Father, or again, I will be His Father, and He will be My Son?

When He again brings His firstborn into the world, He says, And all God’s angels must worship Him.

And about the angels He says:

He makes His angels winds,
and His servants a fiery flame,

Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says:

Today, if you hear His voice,

Again, in that passage He says, They will never enter My rest.

We have a great deal to say about this, and it’s difficult to explain, since you have become too lazy to understand.

But finding fault with His people, He says:

Look, the days are coming, says the Lord,
when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah—

not like the covenant
that I made with their ancestors
on the day I took them by their hands
to lead them out of the land of Egypt.
I disregarded them, says the Lord,
because they did not continue in My covenant.

But this is the covenant
that I will make with the house of Israel
after those days, says the Lord:
I will put My laws into their minds
and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be My people.

After He says above, You did not want or delight in sacrifices and offerings, whole burnt offerings and sin offerings (which are offered according to the law),

He then says, See, I have come to do Your will. He takes away the first to establish the second.

This is the covenant I will make with them
after those days, says the Lord:
I will put My laws on their hearts
and write them on their minds,

Now those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.

And what more can I say? Time is too short for me to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets,

to Jesus (mediator of a new covenant), and to the sprinkled blood, which says better things than the blood of Abel.

Therefore, we may boldly say:

The Lord is my helper;
I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?

No one undergoing a trial should say, “I am being tempted by God.” For God is not tempted by evil, and He Himself doesn’t tempt anyone.

If you look with favor on the man wearing the fine clothes and say, “Sit here in a good place,” and yet you say to the poor man, “Stand over there,” or, “Sit here on the floor by my footstool,”

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can his faith save him?