But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we preach),

And Isaiah is even bold enough to say, "I was found by those who did not seek me; I became well known to those who did not ask for me."

So I ask, God has not rejected his people, has he? Absolutely not! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin.

So in the same way at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.

as it is written, "God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, to this very day."

let their eyes be darkened so that they may not see, and make their backs bend continually."

If the first portion of the dough offered is holy, then the whole batch is holy, and if the root is holy, so too are the branches.

Then you will say, "The branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in."

Notice therefore the kindness and harshness of God -- harshness toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness toward you, provided you continue in his kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off.

For I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: A partial hardening has happened to Israel until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.

And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The Deliverer will come out of Zion; he will remove ungodliness from Jacob.

so they too have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy.

For God has consigned all people to disobedience so that he may show mercy to them all.

Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God -- what is good and well-pleasing and perfect.

For by the grace given to me I say to every one of you not to think more highly of yourself than you ought to think, but to think with sober discernment, as God has distributed to each of you a measure of faith.

so we who are many are one body in Christ, and individually we are members who belong to one another.

if it is exhortation, he must exhort; if it is contributing, he must do so with sincerity; if it is leadership, he must do so with diligence; if it is showing mercy, he must do so with cheerfulness.

If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all people.

Do not avenge yourselves, dear friends, but give place to God's wrath, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay," says the Lord.

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except by God's appointment, and the authorities that exist have been instituted by God.

So the person who resists such authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will incur judgment

for it is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be in fear, for it does not bear the sword in vain. It is God's servant to administer retribution on the wrongdoer.

For this reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants devoted to governing.

The night has advanced toward dawn; the day is near. So then we must lay aside the works of darkness, and put on the weapons of light.

Who are you to pass judgment on another's servant? Before his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

If we live, we live for the Lord; if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's.

For this reason Christ died and returned to life, so that he may be the Lord of both the dead and the living.

So then, let us pursue what makes for peace and for building up one another.

But the man who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not do so from faith, and whatever is not from faith is sin.

For everything that was written in former times was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and through encouragement of the scriptures we may have hope.

so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Receive one another, then, just as Christ also received you, to God's glory.

For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of God's truth to confirm the promises made to the fathers,

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

But I have written more boldly to you on some points so as to remind you, because of the grace given to me by God

to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. I serve the gospel of God like a priest, so that the Gentiles may become an acceptable offering, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

So I boast in Christ Jesus about the things that pertain to God.

in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem even as far as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.

And in this way I desire to preach where Christ has not been named, so as not to build on another person's foundation,

but as it is written: "Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand."

and I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of Christ's blessing.

so that by God's will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company.

so that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints and provide her with whatever help she may need from you, for she has been a great help to many, including me.

Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you; so do Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my compatriots.

so that you do not lack any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

For members of Chloe's household have made it clear to me, my brothers and sisters, that there are quarrels among you.

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

For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel -- and not with clever speech, so that the cross of Christ would not become useless.

so that no one can boast in his presence.

so that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."

so that your faith would not be based on human wisdom but on the power of God.

For who among men knows the things of a man except the man's spirit within him? So too, no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.

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

For who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to advise him? But we have the mind of Christ.

So, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but instead as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ.

So neither the one who plants counts for anything, nor the one who waters, but God who causes the growth.

We are coworkers belonging to God. You are God's field, God's building.

each builder's work will be plainly seen, for the Day will make it clear, because it will be revealed by fire. And the fire will test what kind of work each has done.

If someone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?

If someone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, which is what you are.

Guard against self-deception, each of you. If someone among you thinks he is wise in this age, let him become foolish so that he can become wise.

So then, no more boasting about mere mortals! For everything belongs to you,

So for me, it is a minor matter that I am judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself.

So then, do not judge anything before the time. Wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the motives of hearts. Then each will receive recognition from God.

I have applied these things to myself and Apollos because of you, brothers and sisters, so that through us you may learn "not to go beyond what is written," so that none of you will be puffed up in favor of the one against the other.

Already you are satisfied! Already you are rich! You have become kings without us! I wish you had become kings so that we could reign with you!

when people lie about us, we answer in a friendly manner. We are the world's dirt and scum, even now.

It is actually reported that sexual immorality exists among you, the kind of immorality that is not permitted even among the Gentiles, so that someone is cohabiting with his father's wife.

turn this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.

Clean out the old yeast so that you may be a new batch of dough -- you are, in fact, without yeast. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

So then, let us celebrate the festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of vice and evil, but with the bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.

So if you have ordinary lawsuits, do you appoint as judges those who have no standing in the church?

I say this to your shame! Is there no one among you wise enough to settle disputes between fellow Christians?

Instead, does a Christian sue a Christian, and do this before unbelievers?

Do not deprive each other, except by mutual agreement for a specified time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then resume your relationship, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

I say this as a concession, not as a command.

To the unmarried and widows I say that it is best for them to remain as I am.

To the rest I say -- I, not the Lord -- if a brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is happy to live with him, he should not divorce her.

Nevertheless, as the Lord has assigned to each one, as God has called each person, so must he live. I give this sort of direction in all the churches.

Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Instead, keeping God's commandments is what counts.

For the one who was called in the Lord as a slave is the Lord's freedman. In the same way, the one who was called as a free person is Christ's slave.

And I say this, brothers and sisters: The time is short. So then those who have wives should be as those who have none,

I am saying this for your benefit, not to place a limitation on you, but so that without distraction you may give notable and constant service to the Lord.

So then, the one who marries his own virgin does well, but the one who does not, does better.

If after all there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords),

For if someone weak sees you who possess knowledge dining in an idol's temple, will not his conscience be "strengthened" to eat food offered to idols?

So by your knowledge the weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed.

For this reason, if food causes my brother or sister to sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I may not cause one of them to sin.

Do we not have the right to the company of a believing wife, like the other apostles and the Lord's brothers and Cephas?

Am I saying these things only on the basis of common sense, or does the law not say this as well?

If others receive this right from you, are we not more deserving? But we have not made use of this right. Instead we endure everything so that we may not be a hindrance to the gospel of Christ.

But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing these things so that something will be done for me. In fact, it would be better for me to die than -- no one will deprive me of my reason for boasting!

What then is my reward? That when I preach the gospel I may offer the gospel free of charge, and so not make full use of my rights in the gospel.

To those free from the law I became like one free from the law (though I am not free from God's law but under the law of Christ) to gain those free from the law.

To the weak I became weak in order to gain the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that by all means I may save some.

I do all these things because of the gospel, so that I can be a participant in it.

Do you not know that all the runners in a stadium compete, but only one receives the prize? So run to win.

So I do not run uncertainly or box like one who hits only air.