So then, the Law itself is holy, and the rule is holy, just, and good.

Now, did something good bring me death? Of course not! But in order that sin might be recognized as being sin, it used something good to cause my death, so that through the rule, sin might become more exposed as being sinful than ever before.

So I find this to be a principle: when I want to do what is good, evil is right there with 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.

For the Spirit's law of life in the Messiah Jesus has set me free from the Law of sin and death.

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.

You, however, are not under the control of the human nature but under the control of the Spirit, since God's Spirit lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of the Messiah, he does not belong to him.

For all who are led by God's Spirit are God's children.

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

For the creation is eagerly awaiting the revelation of God's children,

because the creation has become subject to futility, though not by anything it did. The one who subjected it did so in the certainty

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

and the one who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, for the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to God's will.

What, then, can we say about all of this? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Who will accuse God's elect? It is God who justifies!

Who will separate us from the Messiah's love? Can trouble, distress, persecution, hunger, nakedness, danger, or a violent death do this?

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.

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

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

What can we say, then? God is not unrighteous, is he? Of course not!

Therefore, God's choice does not depend on a person's will or effort, but on God himself, who shows mercy.

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?"

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

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

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.

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),

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:

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."

So I ask, "God has not rejected his people, has he?" Of course not! I am an Israeli myself, a descendant of Abraham from the tribe of Benjamin.

So it is at the present time: there is a remnant, chosen by grace.

As it is written, "To this day God has put them into deep sleep. Their eyes do not see, and their ears do not hear."

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

And so I ask, "They have not stumbled so as to fall, have they?" Of course not! On the contrary, because of their stumbling, salvation has come to the gentiles to make the Jews jealous.

If the first part of the dough is holy, so is the whole batch. If the root is holy, so are the branches.

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!

Consider, then, the kindness and severity of God: his severity toward those who fell, but God's kindness toward you if you continue receiving his kindness. Otherwise, you too will be cut off.

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's gifts and calling never change.

so they, too, have now disobeyed. As a result, they may receive mercy because of the mercy shown to you.

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

O how deep are God's riches, and wisdom, and knowledge! How unfathomable are his decisions and unexplainable are his ways!

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.

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.

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

Do not take revenge, dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath. For it is written, "Vengeance belongs to me. I will pay them back, declares the Lord."

Every person must be subject to the governing authorities, for no authority exists except by God's permission. The existing authorities have been established by God,

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

For they are God's servants, working for your good.

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.

This is also why you pay taxes. For rulers are God's servants faithfully devoting themselves to their work.

This is necessary because you know the times it's already time for you to wake up from sleep, because our salvation is nearer now than when we became believers.

The night is almost over, and the day is near. Let's therefore put aside the actions of darkness and put on the armor of light.

Let's behave decently, as people who live in the light of day. No wild parties, drunkenness, sexual immorality, promiscuity, quarreling, or jealousy!

Who are you to criticize someone else's servant? He stands or falls before his own Lord and stand he will, because the Lord makes him stand.

If we live, we live to honor the Lord; and if we die, we die to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

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

Therefore, let's no longer criticize each other. Instead, make up your mind not to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.

For God's kingdom does not consist of food and drink, but of righteousness, peace, and joy produced by the Holy Spirit.

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

Do not destroy God's action for the sake of food. Everything is clean, but it is wrong to make another person stumble because of what you eat.

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.

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.

by the power of signs and wonders, and by the power of God's Spirit, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of the Messiah from Jerusalem as far as Illyricum.

My one ambition is to proclaim the gospel where the name of the Messiah is not known, so I don't build on someone else's foundation.

Rather, as it is written, "Those who were never told about him will see, and those who have never heard will understand."

This is why I have so often been hindered from coming to you.

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.

So when I have completed this task and have put my seal on this contribution of theirs, I will visit you on my way to Spain.

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

and who risked their necks for my life. I am thankful to them, and so are all the churches among the gentiles.

To: God's church in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified by the Messiah Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah their Lord and ours.

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.

Is the Messiah divided? Paul wasn't crucified for you, was he? You weren't baptized in Paul's name, were you?

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

For the Messiah did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, not with eloquent wisdom, so the cross of the Messiah won't be emptied of its power.

For the message about the cross is nonsense to those who are being destroyed, but it is God's power to us who are being saved.

but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, the Messiah is God's power and God's wisdom.

For God's nonsense is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength.

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

When I came to you, brothers, I didn't come and tell you about God's secret with rhetorical language or wisdom.

My message and my preaching were not accompanied by clever, wise words, but by a display of the Spirit's power,

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

Instead, we speak about God's wisdom in a hidden secret, which God destined before the world began for our glory.

Is there anyone who can understand his own thoughts except his own inner spirit? In the same way, no one can know the thoughts of God except God's Spirit.

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.

A person who isn't spiritual doesn't accept the things of God's Spirit, for they are nonsense to him. He can't understand them because they are spiritually evaluated.

The spiritual person evaluates everything but is subject to no one else's evaluation.

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?

So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is significant, but God, who keeps everything growing, is the one who matters.