Who can separate us from the love of Christ?
Can affliction or anguish or persecution
or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

No, in all these things we are more than victorious
through Him who loved us.

The ancestors are theirs, and from them, by physical descent, came the Messiah, who is God over all, praised forever. Amen.

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.

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

For He tells Moses:

I will show mercy
to whom I will show mercy,
and I will have compassion
on whom I will have compassion.

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

So then, He shows mercy to those He wants to, and He hardens those He wants to harden.

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?”

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

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.

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.

For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

For Moses writes about the righteousness that is from the law: The one who does these things will live by them.

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

or, “Who will go down into the abyss?” that is, to bring Christ up from the dead.

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

for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, since the same Lord of all is rich to all who call on Him.

For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

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?

And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who announce the gospel of good things!

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

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.

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.

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?

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

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.

For who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been His counselor?

Or who has ever first given to Him,
and has to be repaid?

in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.

So then, the one who resists the authority is opposing God’s command, and those who oppose it will bring judgment on themselves.

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.

Do not owe anyone anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.

Accept anyone who is weak in faith, but don’t argue about doubtful issues.

One person believes he may eat anything, but one who is weak eats only vegetables.

One who eats must not look down on one who does not eat, and one who does not eat must not criticize one who does, because God has accepted him.

Who are you to criticize another’s household slave? Before his own Lord he stands or falls. And he will stand. For the Lord is able to make him stand.

(I know and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. Still, to someone who considers a thing to be unclean, to that one it is unclean.)

For if your brother is hurt by what you eat, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy that one Christ died for by what you eat.

Do you have a conviction? Keep it to yourself before God. The man who does not condemn himself by what he approves is blessed.

Now we who are strong have an obligation to bear the weaknesses of those without strength, and not to please ourselves.

For even the Messiah did not please Himself. On the contrary, as it is written, The insults of those who insult You have fallen on Me.

And again, Isaiah says:

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

but, as it is written:

Those who were not told about Him will see,
and those who have not heard will understand.

I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church in Cenchreae.

who risked their own necks for my life. Not only do I thank them, but so do all the Gentile churches.

Greet also the church that meets in their home.
Greet my dear friend Epaenetus, who is the first convert to Christ from Asia.

Greet Mary, who has worked very hard for you.

Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ.
Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus.

Greet Herodion, my fellow countryman.
Greet those who belong to the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord.

Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who have worked hard in the Lord.
Greet my dear friend Persis, who has worked very hard in the Lord.

Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers who are with them.

Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them.

Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause dissensions and obstacles contrary to the doctrine you have learned. Avoid them,

I Tertius, who wrote this letter, greet you in the Lord.

Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus greet you.

Now to Him who has power to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation about Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept silent for long ages

To God’s church at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus and called as saints, with all those in every place who call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord—both their Lord and ours.

Is Christ divided? Was it Paul who was crucified for you? Or were you baptized in Paul’s name?

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is God’s power to us who are being saved.

For since, in God’s wisdom, the world did not know God through wisdom, God was pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of the message preached.

Yet to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is God’s power and God’s wisdom,

But it is from Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became God-given wisdom for us—our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption,

in order that, as it is written: The one who boasts must boast in the Lord.

However, we do speak a wisdom among the mature, but not a wisdom of this age, or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.

But as it is written:

What eye did not see and ear did not hear,
and what never entered the human mind—
God prepared this for those who love Him.

For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man that is in him? In the same way, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who comes from God, so that we may understand what has been freely given to us by God.

For

who has known the Lord’s mind,
that he may instruct Him?

But we have the mind of Christ.

What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, and each has the role the Lord has given.

So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

Now the one planting and the one watering are one in purpose, and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

For I am not conscious of anything against myself, but I am not justified by this. The One who evaluates me is the Lord.

Therefore don’t judge anything prematurely, before the Lord comes, who will both bring to light what is hidden in darkness and reveal the intentions of the hearts. And then praise will come to each one from God.

For who makes you so superior? What do you have that you didn’t receive? If, in fact, you did receive it, why do you boast as if you hadn’t received it?

This is why I have sent Timothy to you. He is my dearly loved and faithful son in the Lord. He will remind you about my ways in Christ Jesus, just as I teach everywhere in every church.

But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will know not the talk but the power of those who are inflated with pride.

And you are inflated with pride, instead of filled with grief so that he who has committed this act might be removed from your congregation.

For though I am absent in body but present in spirit, I have already decided about the one who has done this thing as though I were present.

But now I am writing you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer who is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or verbally abusive, a drunkard or a swindler. Do not even eat with such a person.

For what business is it of mine to judge outsiders? Don’t you judge those who are inside?

If any of you has a legal dispute against another, do you dare go to court before the unrighteous, and not before the saints?

So if you have cases pertaining to this life, do you select those who have no standing in the church to judge?

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?

Run from sexual immorality! “Every sin a person can commit is outside the body.” On the contrary, the person who is sexually immoral sins against his own body.

Don’t you know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,

For he who is called by the Lord as a slave is the Lord’s freedman. Likewise he who is called as a free man is Christ’s slave.

About virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I do give an opinion as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy.

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

those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess,

and those who use the world as though they did not make full use of it. For this world in its current form is passing away.

But he who stands firm in his heart (who is under no compulsion, but has control over his own will) and has decided in his heart to keep his own virgin, will do well.

So then he who marries his virgin does well, but he who does not marry will do better.

yet for us there is one God, the Father.
All things are from Him,
and we exist for Him.
And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ.
All things are through Him,
and we exist through Him.

For if someone sees you, the one who has this knowledge, dining in an idol’s temple, won’t his weak conscience be encouraged to eat food offered to idols?