Romans 8:32-15:1

English Standard Version

³²^(A)He who did not spare his own Son but ^(B)gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? ³³Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? ^(C)It is God who justifies. ³⁴^(D)Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—^(E)who is at the right hand of God, ^(F)who indeed is interceding for us.^[a] ³⁵Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ³⁶As it is written,

^(G)“For your sake ^(H)we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

³⁷No, in all these things we are more than ^(I)conquerors through ^(J)him who loved us. ³⁸For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God's Sovereign Choice

9 ^(K)I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— ²that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. ³For ^(L)I could wish that I myself were ^(M)accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers,^[b] my kinsmen ^(N)according to the flesh. ⁴They are ^(O)Israelites, and to them belong ^(P)the adoption, ^(Q)the glory, ^(R)the covenants, ^(S)the giving of the law, ^(T)the worship, and ^(U)the promises. ⁵To them belong ^(V)the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, ^(W)who is God over all, ^(X)blessed forever. Amen.

⁶But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, ⁷and not all are children of Abraham ^(Y)because they are his offspring, but ^(Z)“Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” ⁸This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but ^(AA)the children of the promise are counted as offspring. ⁹For this is what the promise said: ^(AB)“About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.” ¹⁰And not only so, but ^(AC)also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, ¹¹though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of ^(AD)him who calls— ¹²she was told, ^(AE)“The older will serve the younger.” ¹³As it is written, ^(AF)“Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

¹⁴What shall we say then? ^(AG)Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! ¹⁵For he says to Moses, ^(AH)“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” ¹⁶So then it depends not on human will or exertion,^[c] but on God, who has mercy. ¹⁷For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, ^(AI)“For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” ¹⁸So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.

¹⁹You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For ^(AJ)who can resist his will?” ²⁰But who are you, O man, ^(AK)to answer back to God? ^(AL)Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” ²¹^(AM)Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump ^(AN)one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? ²²What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience ^(AO)vessels of wrath ^(AP)prepared for destruction, ²³in order to make known ^(AQ)the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he ^(AR)has prepared beforehand for glory— ²⁴even us whom he ^(AS)has called, ^(AT)not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? ²⁵As indeed he says in Hosea,

^(AU)“Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’
and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’”
²⁶^(AV)“And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’
there they will be called ^(AW)‘sons of the living God.’”

²⁷And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: ^(AX)“Though the number of the sons of Israel^[d] be as the sand of the sea, ^(AY)only a remnant of them will be saved, ²⁸for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.” ²⁹And as Isaiah predicted,

^(AZ)^(BA)“If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring,
^(BB)we would have been like Sodom
and become like Gomorrah.”

Israel's Unbelief

³⁰What shall we say, then? ^(BC)That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, ^(BD)a righteousness that is by faith; ³¹but that Israel ^(BE)who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness^[e] ^(BF)did not succeed in reaching that law. ³²Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the ^(BG)stumbling stone, ³³as it is written,

^(BH)“Behold, I am laying in Zion ^(BI)a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense;
^(BJ)and whoever believes in him will not be ^(BK)put to shame.”

10 Brothers,^[f] my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. ²For I bear them witness that ^(BL)they have a zeal for God, ^(BM)but not according to knowledge. ³For, being ignorant of ^(BN)the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. ⁴For ^(BO)Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.^[g]

The Message of Salvation to All

⁵For ^(BP)Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that ^(BQ)the person who does the commandments shall live by them. ⁶But ^(BR)the righteousness based on faith says, ^(BS)“Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) ⁷“or ‘Who will descend into the ^(BT)abyss?’” (that is, ^(BU)to bring Christ up from the dead). ⁸But what does it say? ^(BV)“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); ⁹because, if ^(BW)you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and ^(BX)believe in your heart ^(BY)that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. ¹¹For the Scripture says, ^(BZ)“Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” ¹²^(CA)For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; ^(CB)for the same Lord is Lord of all, ^(CC)bestowing his riches on all who call on him. ¹³For ^(CD)“everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

¹⁴How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him ^(CE)of whom they have never heard?^[h] And how are they to hear ^(CF)without someone preaching? ¹⁵And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ^(CG)“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” ¹⁶But ^(CH)they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, ^(CI)“Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” ¹⁷So ^(CJ)faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

¹⁸But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for

^(CK)“Their voice has gone out ^(CL)to all the earth,
and their words to the ends of the world.”

¹⁹But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says,

^(CM)“I will ^(CN)make you jealous of those who are not a nation;
with a ^(CO)foolish nation I will make you angry.”

²⁰Then Isaiah is so bold as to say,

^(CP)“I have been found by those who did not seek me;
I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.”

²¹But of Israel he says, ^(CQ)“All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”

The Remnant of Israel

11 I ask, then, ^(CR)has God rejected his people? By no means! For ^(CS)I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham,^[i] a member of the tribe of Benjamin. ²^(CT)God has not rejected his people whom he ^(CU)foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? ³^(CV)“Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” ⁴But what is God's reply to him? ^(CW)“I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” ⁵So too at the present time there is ^(CX)a remnant, chosen by grace. ⁶^(CY)But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

⁷What then? ^(CZ)Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest ^(DA)were hardened, ⁸as it is written,

^(DB)“God gave them a spirit of stupor,
^(DC)eyes that would not see
and ears that would not hear,
down to this very day.”

⁹And David says,

^(DD)“Let their table become a snare and a trap,
a stumbling block and a retribution for them;
¹⁰let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see,
and bend their backs forever.”

Gentiles Grafted In

¹¹So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass ^(DE)salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. ¹²Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion^[j] mean!

¹³Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as ^(DF)I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry ¹⁴in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and ^(DG)thus save some of them. ¹⁵For if their rejection means ^(DH)the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? ¹⁶^(DI)If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.

¹⁷But if ^(DJ)some of the branches were broken off, and you, ^(DK)although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root^[k] of the olive tree, ¹⁸do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. ¹⁹Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” ²⁰That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you ^(DL)stand fast through faith. So ^(DM)do not become proud, but ^(DN)fear. ²¹For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. ²²Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, ^(DO)provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise ^(DP)you too will be cut off. ²³And ^(DQ)even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. ²⁴For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.

The Mystery of Israel's Salvation

²⁵^(DR)Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers:^[l] ^(DS)a partial hardening has come upon Israel, ^(DT)until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. ²⁶And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written,

^(DU)“The Deliverer will come ^(DV)from Zion,
he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”;
²⁷“and this will be my ^(DW)covenant with them
^(DX)when I take away their sins.”

²⁸As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are ^(DY)beloved for the sake of their forefathers. ²⁹For the gifts and ^(DZ)the calling of God are irrevocable. ³⁰For just as ^(EA)you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, ³¹so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now^[m] receive mercy. ³²For God ^(EB)has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.

³³Oh, the depth of the riches and ^(EC)wisdom and knowledge of God! ^(ED)How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

³⁴“For ^(EE)who has known the mind of the Lord,
or ^(EF)who has been his counselor?”
³⁵“Or ^(EG)who has given a gift to him
that he might be repaid?”

³⁶For ^(EH)from him and through him and to him are all things. ^(EI)To him be glory forever. Amen.

A Living Sacrifice

12 ^(EJ)I appeal to you therefore, brothers,^[n] by the mercies of God, ^(EK)to present your bodies ^(EL)as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.^[o] ²^(EM)Do not be conformed to this world,^[p] but be transformed by ^(EN)the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may ^(EO)discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.^[q]

Gifts of Grace

³For ^(EP)by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you ^(EQ)not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, ^(ER)each according to ^(ES)the measure of faith that God has assigned. ⁴For ^(ET)as in one body we have many members,^[r] and the members do not all have the same function, ⁵so we, ^(EU)though many, ^(EV)are one body in Christ, and individually ^(EW)members one of another. ⁶^(EX)Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if ^(EY)prophecy, ^(EZ)in proportion to our faith; ⁷if ^(FA)service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; ⁸the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; ^(FB)the one who leads,^[s] with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with ^(FC)cheerfulness.

Marks of the True Christian

⁹^(FD)Let love be genuine. ^(FE)Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. ¹⁰^(FF)Love one another with brotherly affection. ^(FG)Outdo one another in showing honor. ¹¹Do not be slothful in zeal, ^(FH)be fervent in spirit,^[t] ^(FI)serve the Lord. ¹²^(FJ)Rejoice in hope, ^(FK)be patient in tribulation, ^(FL)be constant in prayer. ¹³^(FM)Contribute to the needs of the saints and ^(FN)seek to show hospitality.

¹⁴^(FO)Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. ¹⁵^(FP)Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. ¹⁶^(FQ)Live in harmony with one another. ^(FR)Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.^[u] ^(FS)Never be wise in your own sight. ¹⁷^(FT)Repay no one evil for evil, but ^(FU)give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. ¹⁸If possible, so far as it depends on you, ^(FV)live peaceably with all. ¹⁹Beloved, ^(FW)never avenge yourselves, but leave it^[v] to the wrath of God, for it is written, ^(FX)“Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” ²⁰To the contrary, ^(FY)“if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” ²¹Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Submission to the Authorities

13 Let every person ^(FZ)be subject to the governing authorities. For ^(GA)there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. ²Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. ³For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you ^(GB)will receive his approval, ⁴for ^(GC)he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, ^(GD)an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. ⁵Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also ^(GE)for the sake of conscience. ⁶For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. ⁷^(GF)Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

Fulfilling the Law Through Love

⁸^(GG)Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for ^(GH)the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. ⁹For the commandments, ^(GI)“You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: ^(GJ)“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁰Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore ^(GK)love is the fulfilling of the law.

¹¹Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you ^(GL)to wake from sleep. ^(GM)For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. ¹²^(GN)The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us ^(GO)cast off ^(GP)the works of darkness and ^(GQ)put on the armor of light. ¹³^(GR)Let us walk properly as in the daytime, ^(GS)not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, ^(GT)not in quarreling and jealousy. ¹⁴But ^(GU)put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, ^(GV)to gratify its desires.

Do Not Pass Judgment on One Another

14 As for ^(GW)the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. ²^(GX)One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. ³Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and ^(GY)let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. ⁴^(GZ)Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master^[w] that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

⁵^(HA)One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. ^(HB)Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. ⁶The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since ^(HC)he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. ⁷For ^(HD)none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. ⁸For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, ^(HE)whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. ⁹For to this end Christ ^(HF)died and lived again, that he might be Lord both ^(HG)of the dead and of the living.

¹⁰Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For ^(HH)we will all stand before ^(HI)the judgment seat of God; ¹¹for it is written,

^(HJ)“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
and every tongue shall confess^[x] to God.”

¹²So then ^(HK)each of us will give an account of himself to God.

Do Not Cause Another to Stumble

¹³^(HL)Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide ^(HM)never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. ¹⁴I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus ^(HN)that nothing is unclean in itself, ^(HO)but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. ¹⁵For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, ^(HP)you are no longer walking in love. ^(HQ)By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. ¹⁶^(HR)So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. ¹⁷^(HS)For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but ^(HT)of righteousness and ^(HU)peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸Whoever thus serves Christ is ^(HV)acceptable to God and approved by men. ¹⁹So then let us ^(HW)pursue what makes for peace and for ^(HX)mutual upbuilding.

²⁰^(HY)Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. ^(HZ)Everything is indeed clean, but ^(IA)it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. ²¹^(IB)It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.^[y] ²²The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. ^(IC)Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. ²³But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.^[z]