For just as through the disobedience of the one man many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of one man many will be made righteous.

Or do you not know that as many as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

But thanks be to God that though you were slaves to sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching you were entrusted to,

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free with regard to righteousness.

For when we were in the flesh, the sinful desires, aroused by the law, were active in the members of our body to bear fruit for death.

For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees?

As it is written, "For your sake we encounter death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered."

For I could wish that I myself were accursed -- cut off from Christ -- for the sake of my people, my fellow countrymen,

even before they were born or had done anything good or bad (so that God's purpose in election would stand, not by works but by his calling) --

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.'"

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

What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was diligently seeking, but the elect obtained it. The rest were hardened,

Now if some of the branches were broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among them and participated in the richness of the olive root,

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

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

For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these natural branches be grafted back into their own olive tree?

Just as you were formerly disobedient to God, but have now received mercy due to their disobedience,

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

For they were pleased to do this, and indeed they are indebted to the Jerusalem saints. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things, they are obligated also to minister to them in material things.

Greet Andronicus and Junia, my compatriots and my fellow prisoners. They are well known to the apostles, and they were in Christ before me.

For you were made rich in every way in him, in all your speech and in every kind of knowledge --

God is faithful, by whom you were called into fellowship with his son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Is Christ divided? Paul wasn't crucified for you, was he? Or were you in fact baptized in the name of Paul?

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

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.

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

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

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

For even though I am absent physically, I am present in spirit. And I have already judged the one who did this, just as though I were present.

Some of you once lived this way. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

For you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body.

Were you called as a slave? Do not worry about it. But if indeed you are able to be free, make the most of the opportunity.

You were bought with a price. Do not become slaves of men.

those who use the world as though they were not using it to the full. For the present shape of this world is passing away.

For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea,

and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,

and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they were all drinking from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ.

But God was not pleased with most of them, for they were cut down in the wilderness.

So do not be idolaters, as some of them were. As it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play."

And let us not be immoral, as some of them were, and twenty-three thousand died in a single day.

And let us not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by snakes.

And do not complain, as some of them did, and were killed by the destroying angel.

These things happened to them as examples and were written for our instruction, on whom the ends of the ages have come.

You know that when you were pagans you were often led astray by speechless idols, however you were led.

For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body. Whether Jews or Greeks or slaves or free, we were all made to drink of the one Spirit.

If the whole body were an eye, what part would do the hearing? If the whole were an ear, what part would exercise the sense of smell?

If they were all the same member, where would the body be?

For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, regarding the affliction that happened to us in the province of Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of living.

Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as if it were coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God,

But their minds were closed. For to this very day, the same veil remains when they hear the old covenant read. It has not been removed because only in Christ is it taken away.

Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His plea through us. We plead with you on Christ's behalf, "Be reconciled to God!"

For even when we came into Macedonia, our body had no rest at all, but we were troubled in every way -- struggles from the outside, fears from within.

We were encouraged not only by his arrival, but also by the encouragement you gave him, as he reported to us your longing, your mourning, your deep concern for me, so that I rejoiced more than ever.

Now I rejoice, not because you were made sad, but because you were made sad to the point of repentance. For you were made sad as God intended, so that you were not harmed in any way by us.

For we were not overextending ourselves, as though we did not reach as far as you, because we were the first to reach as far as you with the gospel about Christ.

What I am saying with this boastful confidence I do not say the way the Lord would. Instead it is, as it were, foolishness.

(To my disgrace I must say that we were too weak for that!) But whatever anyone else dares to boast about (I am speaking foolishly), I also dare to boast about the same thing.

Indeed, the signs of an apostle were performed among you with great perseverance by signs and wonders and powerful deeds.

For how were you treated worse than the other churches, except that I myself was not a burden to you? Forgive me this injustice!

Am I now trying to gain the approval of people, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a slave of Christ!

nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before me, but right away I departed to Arabia, and then returned to Damascus.

They were only hearing, "The one who once persecuted us is now proclaiming the good news of the faith he once tried to destroy."

But from those who were influential (whatever they were makes no difference to me; God shows no favoritism between people) -- those influential leaders added nothing to my message.

Until certain people came from James, he had been eating with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he stopped doing this and separated himself because he was afraid of those who were pro-circumcision.

But when I saw that they were not behaving consistently with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, "If you, although you are a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you try to force the Gentiles to live like Jews?"

Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his descendant. Scripture does not say, "and to the descendants," referring to many, but "and to your descendant," referring to one, who is Christ.

Now before faith came we were held in custody under the law, being kept as prisoners until the coming faith would be revealed.

For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

So also we, when we were minors, were enslaved under the basic forces of the world.

to redeem those who were under the law, so that we may be adopted as sons with full rights.

Formerly when you did not know God, you were enslaved to beings that by nature are not gods at all.

and though my physical condition put you to the test, you did not despise or reject me. Instead, you welcomed me as though I were an angel of God, as though I were Christ Jesus himself!

Where then is your sense of happiness now? For I testify about you that if it were possible, you would have pulled out your eyes and given them to me!

You were running well; who prevented you from obeying the truth?

For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity to indulge your flesh, but through love serve one another.

In Christ we too have been claimed as God's own possession, since we were predestined according to the one purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will

so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, would be to the praise of his glory.

And when you heard the word of truth (the gospel of your salvation) -- when you believed in Christ -- you were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit,

And although you were dead in your transgressions and sins,

among whom all of us also formerly lived out our lives in the cravings of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath even as the rest

even though we were dead in transgressions, made us alive together with Christ -- by grace you are saved! --

that you were at that time without the Messiah, alienated from the citizenship of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near,

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you too were called to the one hope of your calling,

if indeed you heard about him and were taught in him, just as the truth is in Jesus.

You were taught with reference to your former way of life to lay aside the old man who is being corrupted in accordance with deceitful desires,

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

for you were at one time darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light --

I have great joy in the Lord because now at last you have again expressed your concern for me. (Now I know you were concerned before but had no opportunity to do anything.)

for all things in heaven and on earth were created by him -- all things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, whether principalities or powers -- all things were created through him and for him.

And you were at one time strangers and enemies in your minds as expressed through your evil deeds,

rooted and built up in him and firm in your faith just as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

In him you also were circumcised -- not, however, with a circumcision performed by human hands, but by the removal of the fleshly body, that is, through the circumcision done by Christ.

And even though you were dead in your transgressions and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he nevertheless made you alive with him, having forgiven all your transgressions.

Let the peace of Christ be in control in your heart (for you were in fact called as one body to this peace), and be thankful.

But although we suffered earlier and were mistreated in Philippi, as you know, we had the courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of much opposition.

with such affection for you we were happy to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us.

But when we were separated from you, brothers and sisters, for a short time (in presence, not in affection) we became all the more fervent in our great desire to see you in person.

For in fact when we were with you, we were telling you in advance that we would suffer affliction, and so it has happened, as you well know.

So in all our distress and affliction, we were reassured about you, brothers and sisters, through your faith.