10 Brothers and sisters, with all my heart I long for the people of Israel to be saved. I pray to God for them. ² I can tell you for certain that they really want to serve God. But how they are trying to do it is not based on knowledge. ³ They didn’t know that God’s power makes people right with himself. They tried to get right with God in their own way. They didn’t do it in God’s way. ⁴ Christ has fulfilled everything the law was meant to do. So now everyone who believes can be right with God.

⁵ Moses writes about how the law could help a person do what God requires. He writes, “The person who does these things will live by them.” (Leviticus 18:5) ⁶ But the way to do what God requires must begin by having faith in him. Scripture says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will go up into heaven?’ ” (Deuteronomy 30:12) That means to go up into heaven and bring Christ down. ⁷ “And do not say, ‘Who will go down into the grave?’ ” (Deuteronomy 30:13) That means to bring Christ up from the dead. ⁸ But what does it say? “The message is near you. It’s in your mouth and in your heart.” (Deuteronomy 30:14) This means the message about faith that we are preaching. ⁹ Say with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord.” Believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead. Then you will be saved. ¹⁰ With your heart you believe and are made right with God. With your mouth you say what you believe. And so you are saved.