And you are included among those Gentiles who have been called to belong to Jesus Christ.

God’s Judgment of Sin

You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things.

But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.

You are convinced that you are a guide for the blind and a light for people who are lost in darkness.

You think you can instruct the ignorant and teach children the ways of God. For you are certain that God’s law gives you complete knowledge and truth.

You are so proud of knowing the law, but you dishonor God by breaking it.

The Jewish ceremony of circumcision has value only if you obey God’s law. But if you don’t obey God’s law, you are no better off than an uncircumcised Gentile.

For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision.

Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living.

And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom.

But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life.

So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God.

But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)

And, “Then, at the place where they were told, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘children of the living God.’”

For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.

But you must not brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. You are just a branch, not the root.

Yes, but remember—those branches were broken off because they didn’t believe in Christ, and you are there because you do believe. So don’t think highly of yourself, but fear what could happen.

Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.

If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well.

Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable.

The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong.

And if another believer is distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it. Don’t let your eating ruin someone for whom Christ died.

You may believe there’s nothing wrong with what you are doing, but keep it between yourself and God. Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty for doing something they have decided is right.

But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it. For you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.

Paul’s Reason for Writing

I am fully convinced, my dear brothers and sisters, that you are full of goodness. You know these things so well you can teach each other all about them.