Israel Needs the Gospel

10 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for ^[a]Israel is that they may be saved. ² For I bear them witness ^(A)that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. ³ For they being ignorant of ^(B)God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own ^(C)righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. ⁴ For ^(D)Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

⁵ For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, ^(E)“The man who does those things shall live by them.” ⁶ But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, ^(F)“Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down from above) ⁷ or, ^(G)“ ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). ⁸ But what does it say? ^(H)“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): ⁹ that ^(I)if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. ¹¹ For the Scripture says, ^(J)“Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” ¹² For ^(K)there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for ^(L)the same Lord over all ^(M)is rich to all who call upon Him. ¹³ For ^(N)“whoever calls ^(O)on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Israel Rejects the Gospel

¹⁴ How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear ^(P)without a preacher? ¹⁵ And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:

¹⁶ But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, ^(R)“Lord, who has believed our report?” ¹⁷ So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

¹⁸ But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed:

¹⁹ But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says:

²⁰ But Isaiah is very bold and says:

²¹ But to Israel he says:

All for Christ

3 Finally, my brethren, ^(A)rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe.

^2 (B)Beware of dogs, beware of ^(C)evil workers, ^(D)beware of the mutilation! ³ For we are ^(E)the circumcision, ^(F)who worship ^[a]God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, ⁴ though ^(G)I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I ^(H)more so: ⁵ circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, ^(I)of the tribe of Benjamin, ^(J)a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, ^(K)a Pharisee; ⁶ concerning zeal, ^(L)persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

⁷ But ^(M)what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. ⁸ Yet indeed I also count all things loss ^(N)for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in Him, not having ^(O)my own righteousness, which is from the law, but ^(P)that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; ¹⁰ that I may know Him and the ^(Q)power of His resurrection, and ^(R)the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, ¹¹ if, by any means, I may ^(S)attain^[b] to the resurrection from the dead.

Pressing Toward the Goal

¹² Not that I have already ^(T)attained,^[c] or am already ^(U)perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. ¹³ Brethren, I do not count myself to have ^[d]apprehended; but one thing I do, ^(V)forgetting those things which are behind and ^(W)reaching forward to those things which are ahead, ^14 (X)I press toward the goal for the prize of ^(Y)the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

¹⁵ Therefore let us, as many as are ^(Z)mature, ^(AA)have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, ^(AB)God will reveal even this to you. ¹⁶ Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already ^[e]attained, ^(AC)let us walk ^(AD)by the same ^[f]rule, let us be of the same mind.

Our Citizenship in Heaven

¹⁷ Brethren, ^(AE)join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as ^(AF)you have us for a pattern. ¹⁸ For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are ^(AG)the enemies of the cross of Christ: ^19 (AH)whose end is destruction, ^(AI)whose god is their belly, and ^(AJ)whose glory is in their shame—^(AK)who set their mind on earthly things. ²⁰ For ^(AL)our citizenship is in heaven, ^(AM)from which we also ^(AN)eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, ^21 (AO)who will transform our lowly body that it may be ^(AP)conformed to His glorious body, ^(AQ)according to the working by which He is able even to ^(AR)subdue all things to Himself.

The Trustworthy Prophetic Word^(A)

¹⁶ For we did not follow ^(B)cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the ^(C)power and ^(D)coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were ^(E)eyewitnesses of His majesty. ¹⁷ For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: ^(F)“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” ¹⁸ And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on ^(G)the holy mountain.

^19 [a]And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a ^(H)light that shines in a dark place, ^(I)until ^(J)the day dawns and the morning star rises in your ^(K)hearts; ²⁰ knowing this first, that ^(L)no prophecy of Scripture is of any private ^[b]interpretation, ²¹ for ^(M)prophecy never came by the will of man, ^(N)but ^[c]holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.