What shall we say then? Is there injustice with God? Absolutely not!

So then, it does not depend on human desire or exertion, but on God who shows mercy.

even us, whom he has called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?

As he also says in Hosea: "I will call those who were not my people, 'My people,' and I will call her who was unloved, 'My beloved.'"

"And in the very place where it was said to them, 'You are not my people,' there they will be called 'sons of the living God.'"

Just as Isaiah predicted, "If the Lord of armies had not left us descendants, we would have become like Sodom, and we would have resembled Gomorrah."

What shall we say then? -- that the Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness obtained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith,

but Israel even though pursuing a law of righteousness did not attain it.

Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but (as if it were possible) by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone,

just as it is written, "Look, I am laying in Zion a stone that will cause people to stumble and a rock that will make them fall, yet the one who believes in him will not be put to shame."

For I can testify that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not in line with the truth.

For ignoring the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking instead to establish their own righteousness, they did not submit to God's righteousness.

But the righteousness that is by faith says: "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down)

For the scripture says, "Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame."

How are they to call on one they have not believed in? And how are they to believe in one they have not heard of? And how are they to hear without someone preaching to them?

But not all have obeyed the good news, for Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our report?"

But I ask, have they not heard? Yes, they have: Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.

But again I ask, didn't Israel understand? First Moses says, "I will make you jealous by those who are not a nation; with a senseless nation I will provoke you to anger."

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.

God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew! Do you not know what the scripture says about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel?

But what was the divine response to him? "I have kept for myself seven thousand people who have not bent the knee to Baal."

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."

I ask then, they did not stumble into an irrevocable fall, did they? Absolutely not! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make Israel jealous.

do not boast over the branches. But if you boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.

Granted! They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but fear!

For if God did not spare the natural branches, perhaps he will not spare you.

And even they -- if they do not continue in their unbelief -- will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.

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.

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.

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

Do not lag in zeal, be enthusiastic in spirit, serve the Lord.

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

Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly. Do not be conceited.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil; consider what is good before 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.

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

(for rulers cause no fear for good conduct but for bad). Do you desire not to fear authority? Do good and you will receive its commendation,

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.

Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of the wrath of the authorities but also because of your conscience.

For the commandments, "Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not covet," (and if there is any other commandment) are summed up in this, "Love your neighbor as yourself."

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.

Let us live decently as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in discord and jealousy.

Now receive the one who is weak in the faith, and do not have disputes over differing opinions.

The one who eats everything must not despise the one who does not, and the one who abstains must not judge the one who eats everything, for God has accepted him.

Therefore we must not pass judgment on one another, but rather determine never to place an obstacle or a trap before a brother or sister.

For if your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy by your food someone for whom Christ died.

Therefore do not let what you consider good be spoken of as evil.

For the kingdom of God does not consist of food and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. For although all things are clean, it is wrong to cause anyone to stumble by what you eat.

It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything that causes your brother to stumble.

The faith you have, keep to yourself before God. Blessed is the one who does not judge himself by what he approves.

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.

But we who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak, and not just please ourselves.

For even Christ did not please himself, but just as it is written, "The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me."

For I will not dare to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in order to bring about the obedience of the Gentiles, by word and deed,

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."

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.

who risked their own necks for my life. Not only I, but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.

For these are the kind who do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By their smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of the naive.

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

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

(I also baptized the household of Stephanus. Otherwise, I do not remember whether I baptized anyone else.)

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.

Where is the wise man? Where is the expert in the Mosaic law? Where is the debater of this age? Has God not made the wisdom of the world foolish?

For since in the wisdom of God the world by its wisdom did not know God, God was pleased to save those who believe by the foolishness of preaching.

Think about the circumstances of your call, brothers and sisters. Not many were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were born to a privileged position.

When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come with superior eloquence or wisdom as I proclaimed the testimony of God.

My conversation and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power,

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

Now we do speak wisdom among the mature, but not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are perishing.

None of the rulers of this age understood it. If they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

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.

And we speak about these things, not with words taught us by human wisdom, but with those taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people.

The unbeliever does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him. And he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

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

I fed you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready. In fact, you are still not ready,

for you are still influenced by the flesh. For since there is still jealousy and dissension among you, are you not influenced by the flesh and behaving like unregenerate people?

For whenever someone says, "I am with Paul," or "I am with Apollos," are you not merely human?

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

For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not acquitted because of this. The one who judges me is the Lord.

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.

For who concedes you any superiority? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you received it, why do you boast as though you did not?

I am not writing these things to shame you, but to correct you as my dear children.

For though you may have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, because I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Some have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you.

But I will come to you soon, if the Lord is willing, and I will find out not only the talk of these arrogant people, but also their power.

For the kingdom of God is demonstrated not in idle talk but with power.

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.

Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast affects the whole batch of dough?

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.

I wrote you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people.

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

For what do I have to do with judging those outside? Are you not to judge those inside?

Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you not competent to settle trivial suits?