For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but I cannot carry it out.

For I don't do the good I want to do, but instead do the evil that I don't want to do.

But if I do what I don't want to do, I am no longer the one who is doing it, but it is the sin that is living in me.

but I see in my body a different principle waging war with the Law in my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin that exists in my body.

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is infected by death?

For what the Law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the flesh, God did. By sending his own Son in the form of humanity, he condemned sin by being incarnate,

so that the righteous requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not live according to human nature but according to the Spirit.

That is why the mind that focuses on human nature is hostile toward God. It refuses to submit to the authority of God's Law because it is powerless to do so.

Consequently, brothers, we are not with respect to human nature, that is under an obligation to live according to human nature.

For you have not received a spirit of slavery that leads you into fear again. Instead, you have received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba! Father!"

The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.

Now if we are children, we are heirs heirs of God and co-heirs with the Messiah if, in fact, we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed to us.

that the creation itself would also be set free from corrupting bondage in order to share the glorious freedom of God's children.

For we know that all the rest of creation has been groaning with the pains of childbirth up to the present time.

For we were saved with this hope in mind. Now a hope that can be observed is not really hope, for who hopes for what can be seen?

And we know that for those who love God, that is, for those who are called according to his purpose, all things are working together for good.

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that the Son might be the firstborn among many brothers.

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,

nor anything above, nor anything below, nor anything else in all creation can separate us from the love of God that is ours in union with the Messiah Jesus, our Lord.

for I could wish that I myself were condemned and cut off from the Messiah for the sake of my brothers, my own people,

and not all of Abraham's descendants are his true descendants. On the contrary, "It is through Isaac that descendants will be named for you."

That is, it is not merely the children born through natural descent who were regarded as God's children, but it is the children born through the promise who were regarded as descendants.

Not only that, but Rebecca became pregnant by our ancestor Isaac.

Yet before their children had been born or had done anything good or bad (so that God's plan of election might continue to operate

For the Scripture says about Pharaoh, "I have raised you up for this very purpose, to demonstrate my power through you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."

On the contrary, who are you mere man that you are to talk back to God? Can an object that was molded say to the one who molded it, "Why did you make me like this?"

Now if God wants to demonstrate his wrath and reveal his power, can't he be extremely patient with the objects of his wrath that are made for destruction?

Can't he also reveal his glorious riches to the objects of his mercy that he has prepared ahead of time for glory

What can we say, then? Gentiles, who were not pursuing righteousness, have attained righteousness, a righteousness that comes through faith.

Why not? Because they did not pursue it on the basis of faith, but as if it were based on achievements. They stumbled over the stone that causes people to stumble.

As it is written, "Look! I am placing a stone in Zion over which people will stumble a large rock that will make them fall and the one who believes in him will never be ashamed."

Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God about the Jews is that they would be saved.

For I can testify on their behalf that they have a zeal for God, but it is not in keeping with full knowledge.

For they are ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God while they try to establish their own, and they have not submitted to God's means to attain righteousness.

For Moses writes about the righteousness that comes from the Law as follows: "The person who obeys these things will find life by them."

But the righteousness that comes from faith says, "Do not say in your heart, "Who will go up to heaven?' (that is, to bring the Messiah down),

or "Who will go down into the depths?' (that is, to bring the Messiah back from the dead)."

But what does it say? "The message is near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart." This is the message about faith that we are proclaiming:

If you declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Again I ask, "Did Israel not understand?" Moses was the first to say, "I will make you jealous by those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation that doesn't understand."

What, then, does this mean? It means that Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking, but the selected group obtained it while the rest were hardened.

Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and keep their backs forever bent."

in the hope that I can make my people jealous and save some of them.

do not boast about being better than the other branches. If you boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.

Then you will say, "Branches were cut off so that I could be grafted in."

That's right! They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you remain only because of faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid!

For I want to let you know about this secret, brothers, so that you will not claim to be wiser than you are: Stubbornness has come to part of Israel until the full number of the gentiles comes to faith.

For God has locked all people in the prison of their own disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.

I therefore urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercies, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices that are holy and pleasing to God, for this is the reasonable way for you to worship.

Do not be conformed to this world, but continuously be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you may be able to determine what God's will is what is proper, pleasing, and perfect.

For by the grace given to me I ask every one of you not to think of yourself more highly than you should think, rather to think of yourself with sober judgment on the measure of faith that God has assigned each of you.

We have different gifts based on the grace that was given to us. So if your gift is prophecy, use your gift in proportion to your faith.

Live in harmony with each other. Do not be arrogant, but associate with humble people. Do not think that you are wiser than you really are.

so that whoever resists the authorities opposes what God has established, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.

But if you do what is wrong, you should be afraid, for it is not without reason that they bear the sword. Indeed, they are God's servants to administer punishment to anyone who does wrong. Therefore, it is necessary for you to be acquiescent to the authorities, not only for the sake of God's punishment, but also for the sake of your own conscience.

Love never does anything that is harmful to its neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the Law.

One person believes that he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables.

One person decides in favor of one day over another, while another person decides that all days are the same. Let each one be fully convinced in his own mind:

For this reason the Messiah died and returned to life, so that he might become the Lord of both the dead and the living.

I know and have been persuaded by the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in and of itself, but it is unclean to a person who thinks it is unclean.

Therefore, let's keep on pursuing those things that bring peace and that lead to building up one another.

The right thing to do is to avoid eating meat, drinking wine, or doing anything else that makes your brother stumble, upset, or weak.

But the person who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not act in faith; and anything that is not done in faith is sin.

For everything that was written long ago was written to instruct us, so that we might have hope through the endurance and encouragement that the Scriptures give us.

so that with one mind and one voice you might glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah.

For I tell you that the Messiah became a servant of the circumcised on behalf of God's truth in order to confirm the promises given to our ancestors,

so that the gentiles may glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, "That is why I will praise you among the gentiles; I will sing praises to your name."

Now may God, the source of hope, fill you with all joy and peace as you believe, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are filled with goodness and full of all the knowledge you need to be able to instruct each other.

to be a minister of the Messiah Jesus to the gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering brought by gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

Now that I am on my way to Spain, I hope to see you when I come your way and, after I have enjoyed your company for a while, to be sent on by you.

And I know that when I come to you I will come with the full blessing of the Messiah.

Now I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, and by the love that the Spirit produces, to join me in my struggle, earnestly praying to God for me

that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea, that my ministry to Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints,

and that if it's God's will, I may come to you with joy and be refreshed together with you.

Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create divisions and sinful enticements that oppose the teaching you have learned. Stay away from them,

Now to the one who is able to strengthen you with my gospel and the message that I preach about Jesus, the Messiah, by revealing the secret that was kept hidden from long ago

but now has been made known through the prophets to all the gentiles, in keeping with the decree of the eternal God to bring them to the obedience that springs from faith

He will keep you strong until the end, so that you will be blameless on the Day of our Lord Jesus the Messiah.

Brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus the Messiah, I urge all of you to be in agreement and not to have divisions among you, so that you may be perfectly united in your understanding and opinions.

My brothers, some members of Chloe's family have made it clear to me that there are quarrels among you.

I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius,

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

(Oh yes, I also baptized the family of Stephanas. Beyond that, I'm not sure whether I baptized anyone else.)

so that no one may boast in God's presence.

It is because of God that you are in union with the Messiah Jesus, who for us has become wisdom from God, as well as our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.

It was in weakness, fear, and great trembling that I came to you.

so that your faith would not be based on human wisdom but on God's power.

But as it is written, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined the things that God has prepared for those who love him."

Now, we have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who comes from God, so that we can understand the things that were freely given to us by God.

For "Who has known the mind of the Lord so that he can advise him?" However, we have the mind of the Messiah.

That's because you are still worldly. As long as there is jealousy and quarreling among you, you are worldly and living by human standards, aren't you?

As an expert builder using the grace that God gave me, I laid the foundation, and someone else is building on it. But each person must be careful how he builds on it.

After all, no one can lay any other foundation than the one that is already laid, and that is Jesus the Messiah.

You know that you are God's sanctuary and that God's Spirit lives in you, don't you?

If anyone destroys God's sanctuary, God will destroy him, for God's sanctuary is holy. And you are that sanctuary!

and again, "The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are worthless."

Now it is required of servant managers that each one should prove to be trustworthy.

It is a very small thing to me that I should be examined by you or by any human court. In fact, I don't even evaluate myself.