Read the New Testament in 24 Weeks
God’s Chosen People, Israel
9 (A)I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. 3 For (B)I could [a]wish that I myself were (C)accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen (D)according to the flesh, 4 who are (E)Israelites, to whom belongs (F)the adoption as sons, and (G)the glory and (H)the covenants and (I)the giving of the Law and (J)the temple service and (K)the promises, 5 whose are (L)the fathers, and (M)from whom is the [b]Christ according to the flesh, (N)who is (O)God over all, (P)blessed [c]forever. Amen.
6 But it is not as though (Q)the word of God has failed. (R)For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; 7 nor are they all children (S)because they are Abraham’s seed, but: “[d](T)through Isaac your seed will be named.” 8 That is, the children of the flesh are not the (U)children of God, but the (V)children of the promise are considered as seed. 9 For this is the word of promise: “(W)At this time I will come, and Sarah shall have a son.” 10 (X)And not only this, but there was (Y)Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; 11 for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that the (Z)purpose of God according to His choice would [e]stand, not [f]because of works but [g]because of Him who calls, 12 it was said to her, “(AA)The older shall serve the younger.” 13 Just as it is written, “(AB)Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
14 (AC)What shall we say then? (AD)Is there any unrighteousness with God? (AE)May it never be! 15 For He says to Moses, “(AF)I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it does not depend on the one who wills or the one who (AG)runs, but on (AH)God who has mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “(AI)For this very purpose I raised you up, in order to demonstrate My power in you, and in order that My name might be proclaimed [h]throughout the whole earth.” 18 So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He (AJ)hardens whom He desires.
19 (AK)You will say to me then, “(AL)Why does He still find fault? For (AM)who resists His will?” 20 On the contrary, who are you, (AN)O man, who (AO)answers back to God? (AP)Will the thing molded say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this”? 21 Or does not the potter have authority over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel [i]for honorable use and another [j]for dishonorable use? 22 And [k]what if God, wanting to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much (AQ)patience vessels of wrath (AR)having been prepared for destruction, 23 and in order that He might make known (AS)the riches of His glory upon (AT)vessels of mercy, which He (AU)prepared beforehand for glory— 24 even us, whom He also (AV)called, (AW)not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles? 25 As He says also in Hosea,
“(AX)I will call those who were not My people, ‘My people,’
And her who was not beloved, ‘beloved.’”
26 “(AY)And it shall be that in the place where it was said to them, ‘you are not My people,’
There they shall be called sons of (AZ)the living God.”
27 And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, “(BA)Though the number of the sons of Israel be (BB)like the sand of the sea, it is (BC)the remnant that will be saved; 28 (BD)for the Lord will execute His word on the land, [l]thoroughly and [m]quickly.” 29 And just as Isaiah foretold,
“(BE)Unless (BF)the Lord of [n]Sabaoth had left to us a seed,
(BG)We would have become like Sodom, and would have [o]resembled Gomorrah.”
30 (BH)What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, laid hold of righteousness, even (BI)the righteousness which is [p]by faith; 31 but Israel, (BJ)pursuing a law of righteousness, did not (BK)attain that law. 32 Why? Because they did not pursue it [q]by faith, but as though it were [r]by works. They stumbled over (BL)the stumbling stone, 33 just as it is written,
“(BM)Behold, I am laying in Zion (BN)a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense,
(BO)And the one who believes upon Him (BP)will not be put to shame.”
10 Brothers, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. 2 For I testify about them that they have (BQ)a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For not knowing about the (BR)righteousness of God and (BS)seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. 4 For (BT)Christ is the [s]end of the law for righteousness to (BU)everyone who believes.
Faith Comes by Hearing
5 For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of law: “(BV)The man who does these things shall live by them.” 6 But (BW)the righteousness of faith speaks in this way: “(BX)Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will go up into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down), 7 or ‘Who will go down into the (BY)abyss?’ (that is, to (BZ)bring Christ up from the dead).” 8 But what does it say? “(CA)The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, 9 [t]that (CB)if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and (CC)believe in your heart that (CD)God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, [u]leading to righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, [v]leading to salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “(CE)Whoever believes upon Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For (CF)there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is (CG)Lord of (CH)all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him, 13 for “(CI)Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
14 How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him (CJ)whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without (CK)a preacher? 15 And how will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “(CL)How beautiful are the feet of those who (CM)proclaim good news of good things!”
16 However, they (CN)did not all heed the [w]good news, for Isaiah says, “(CO)Lord, who has believed our report?” 17 So faith comes from (CP)hearing, and hearing by (CQ)the word [x]of Christ.
18 But I say, have they never heard? On the contrary, they have;
19 But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says,
“(CS)I will (CT)make you jealous by that which is not a nation,
By a nation without understanding will I anger you.”
20 And Isaiah is very bold and says,
“(CU)I was found by those who did not seek Me,
I became manifest to those who did not ask for Me.”
21 But as for Israel He says, “(CV)All day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.”
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