(as it has been written, "I have made you a father of many nations") --before God, whom he believed, who makes the dead live, and calls the things which do not exist as though they do exist.

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Through Him we also have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice on the hope of the glory of God.

And not only so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the reconciliation.

For if we have been joined together in the likeness of His death, we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection;

For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under Law, but under grace.

But thanks be to our God that you were the slaves of sin, but you have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.

I speak in the manner of men because of the weakness of your flesh; for as you have yielded your members as slaves to uncleanness, and to lawless act unto lawless act, even so now yield your members as slaves to righteousness unto holiness.

What fruit did you have then in those things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.

But now, being made free from sin, and having become slaves to God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end everlasting life.

So, my brothers, you also have become dead to the law by the body of Christ so that you should be married to Another, even to Him raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit to God.

For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption by which we cry, Abba, Father!

And not only so, but ourselves also, who have the firstfruit of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, awaiting adoption, the redemption of our body.

that I have great heaviness and continual pain in my heart.

For this is the word of promise: "At this time I will come and Sarah shall have a son."

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

For He said to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion."

For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "Even for this same purpose I have raised you up, that I might show My power in you, and that My name might be declared throughout all the earth."

Therefore He has mercy on whom He will have mercy, and whom He will, He hardens.

No, but, O man, who are you who replies against God? Shall the thing formed say to Him who formed it, Why have you made me this way?

Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel to honor and another to dishonor?

And as Isaiah said before, "Unless the Lord of hosts had left us a seed, we would have been as Sodom, and would have been like Gomorrah."

What shall we say then? That the nations, who did not follow after righteousness have taken on righteousness, but a righteousness of faith.

For I bear record to them that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.

For they, being ignorant of God's righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God.

How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without preaching?

But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our report?"

But I say, Have they not heard? Yes indeed, their voice went out into all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.

But to Israel He says, "All day long I have stretched forth My hands to a disobeying and gainsaying people."

But what does the Divine answer say to him? "I have reserved to Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal."

For this is My covenant with them, when I have taken away their sins."

For as you also then disbelieved God, but now have been shown mercy through their disbelief,

even so these also have not believed now, so that through your mercy they may also obtain mercy.

For even as we have many members in one body, and all members do not have the same function,

For the rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the bad. And do you desire to be not afraid of the authority? Do the good, and you shall have praise from it.

Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Blessed is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves.

For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, so that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.

Therefore I have boasting in Christ Jesus as to the things pertaining to God.

in power of miracles and wonders, in power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem, and all around to Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.

Yea, so I have been eager to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build on another man's foundation;

but as it is written, "To whom nothing was said about Him, they shall see. And they who have not heard shall understand."

For this cause I also have been greatly hindered from coming to you.

Truly it has pleased them, and they are their debtors. For if the nations have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister to them in fleshly things.

Therefore when I have completed this, and have sealed this fruit to them, I will come by you into Spain.

that I may be delivered from those disbelieving in Judea, and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be accepted by the saints;

who have laid down their own necks for my life; to whom not only I give thanks, but also the churches of the nations.

And I exhort you, brothers, to watch those making divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which you have learned, and avoid them.

For your obedience reached to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf, But I would have you truly wise as to good, and simple toward evil.

which none of the rulers of this world knew (for if they had known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory).

But we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit from God, so that we might know the things that are freely given to us by God.

For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.

I have fed you with milk and not with solid food, for you were not yet able to bear it; nor are you able even now.

I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.

According to the grace of God which is given to me, as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let every man be careful how he builds on it.

for I know nothing by myself. Yet I have not been justified by this, but He who judges me is the Lord.

Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts. And then shall each one have praise of God.

And these things, brothers, I have in a figure transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, so that you might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, so that no one of you may be puffed up against one another.

For who makes you to differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?

Already you are full! Already you are rich! You have reigned as kings without us! And oh that indeed you did reign, that we also might reign with you.

For I think that God has set forth us last, the apostles, as it were appointed to death; for we have become a spectacle to the world and to angels and to men.

Even until this present hour we both hunger and thirst and are naked and are buffeted and have no certain dwelling place.

For though you have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for I have begotten you in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

For this cause I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved son and faithful in the Lord, who shall remind you of my ways which are in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church.

On the whole it is reported that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not even named among the nations, so as one to have his father's wife.

And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, so that he who has done this deed may be taken from your midst.

For as being absent in body but present in spirit, I indeed have judged already as though I were present concerning him who worked out this thing;

But now I have written to you not to associate intimately, if any man called a brother and is either a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such a one not to eat.

Do any of you dare, when you have a matter against another, to go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?

If, then, you truly have judgments of the things of this life, set those who are least esteemed in the church to judge.

Indeed then there is already on the whole a failure among you, that you have lawsuits with yourselves. Why not instead be wronged? Why not instead be defrauded?

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit in you, whom you have of God? And you are not your own,

But, because of the fornications, let each have his own wife, and let each have her own husband.

The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband. And likewise also the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife.

But if they do not have self-control, let them marry; for it is better to marry than to burn.

But concerning virgins, I have no commandment from the Lord. Yet I give my judgment, as one who has obtained mercy from the Lord to be faithful.

But if you do marry, you did not sin; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But such shall have trouble in the flesh, but I spare you.

But this I say, brothers, The time is short. It remains that both those who have wives should be as not having one.

But she is happier if she so remains, according to my judgment. And I also think that I have the Spirit of God.

But concerning the sacrifices to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.

For if anyone sees you who have knowledge sitting in an idol temple, will not the weak one's conscience be lifted up so as to eat things sacrificed to idols?

Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?

Do we not have authority to eat and to drink?

Do we not have authority to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brothers of the Lord do, and Cephas?

Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no authority whether not to work?

If we have sown to you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?

If others have a share of this authority over you, rather should not we? But we have not used this authority, but we endured all things lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ.

But I have used none of these things, nor have I written these things that it should be done so to me; for it is good for me rather to die than that anyone nullify my glorying.

For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, I am entrusted with a stewardship.

For though I am free from all, yet I have made myself servant to all, so that I might gain the more.

And all these things happened to them as examples; and it is written for our warning on whom the ends of the world have come.

But I say that the things which the nations sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God. And I do not desire that you should have fellowship with demons.

But I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.

For a man indeed ought not to have his head covered, because he is the image and glory of God. But the woman is the glory of the man.

For this reason the woman ought to have authority on her head because of the angels.

But if a woman should have long hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given to her in place of a veil.

But if anyone seems to be contentious, we have no such custom, nor the churches of God.

For do you not have houses in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God, and shame those who do not have? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? I do not praise you!

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I would not have you ignorant.

And the eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you; nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.

And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we put more abundant honor around them. And our unpresentable members have more abundant propriety.