Day 275 of 365

¹There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.

²For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made you free from the law of sin and of death.

³For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God did, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh;

⁴that the ordinance of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

⁵For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

⁶For the mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace;

⁷because the mind of the flesh is hostile towards God; for it is not subject to God's law, neither indeed can it be.

⁸Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

⁹But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if it is so that the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if any man does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his.

¹⁰If Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is alive because of righteousness.

¹¹But if the Spirit of him who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

¹²So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.

¹³For if you live after the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

¹⁴For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are children of God.

¹⁵For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!"

¹⁶The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God;

¹⁷and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; if indeed we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified with him.

¹⁸For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which will be revealed toward us.

¹⁹For the creation waits with eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.

²⁰For the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but because of him who subjected it, in hope

²¹that the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of decay into the liberty of the glory of the children of God.

²²For we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now.

²³Not only so, but ourselves also, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for adoption, the redemption of our body.

²⁴For we were saved in hope, but hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for that which he sees?

²⁵But if we hope for that which we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

²⁶In the same way, the Spirit also helps our weaknesses, for we do not know how to pray as we ought. But the Spirit himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

²⁷He who searches the hearts knows what is on the Spirit's mind, because he makes intercession for the saints according to God.

²⁸We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.

²⁹For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

³⁰Whom he predestined, those he also called. Whom he called, those he also justified. Whom he justified, those he also glorified.

³¹What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

³²He who did not spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how would he not also with him freely give us all things?

³³Who could bring a charge against God's chosen ones? It is God who justifies.

³⁴Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, yes rather, who was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

³⁵Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Could oppression, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

³⁶Even as it is written, "For your sake we are killed all day long. We were accounted as sheep for the slaughter."

³⁷No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

³⁸For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,

³⁹nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

¹I tell the truth in Christ. I am not lying, my conscience testifying with me in the Holy Spirit,

²that I have great sorrow and unceasing pain in my heart.

³For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brothers' sake, my relatives according to the flesh,

⁴who are Israelites; whose is the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service, and the promises;

⁵of whom are the fathers, and from whom is Christ as concerning the flesh, who is over all, God, blessed forever. Amen.

⁶But it is not as though the word of God has come to nothing. For they are not all Israel, that are of Israel.

⁷Neither, because they are Abraham's seed, are they all children. But, "In Isaac will your seed be called."

⁸That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as a seed.

⁹For this is a word of promise, "At the appointed time I will come, and Sarah will have a son."

¹⁰Not only so, but Rebekah also conceived by one, by our father Isaac.

¹¹For being not yet born, neither having done anything good or bad, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him who calls,

¹²it was said to her, "The elder will serve the younger."

¹³Even as it is written, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."

¹⁴What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? May it never be!

¹⁵For he said to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."

¹⁶So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who has mercy.

¹⁷For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I caused you to be raised up, that I might show in you my power, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."

¹⁸So then, he has mercy on whom he desires, and he hardens whom he desires.

¹⁹You will say then to me, "Why does he still find fault? For who withstands his will?"

²⁰But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed ask him who formed it, "Why did you make me like this?"

²¹Or hasn't the potter a right over the clay, from the same lump to make one part a vessel for honor, and another for dishonor?

²²What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath made for destruction,

²³and that he might make known the riches of his glory on vessels of mercy, which he prepared beforehand for glory,

²⁴us, whom he also called, not from the Jews only, but also from the Gentiles?

²⁵As he says also in Hosea, "I will call them 'my people,' which were not my people; and her 'beloved,' who was not beloved."

²⁶"It will be that in the place where it was said to them, 'You are not my people,' There they will be called 'children of the living God.'"

²⁷Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, "If the number of the sons of Israel are as the sand of the sea, it is the remnant who will be saved;

²⁸for the Lord will fulfill his word completely and without delay upon the earth."

²⁹As Isaiah has said before, "Unless the Lord of hosts had left us a seed, we would have become like Sodom, and would have been made like Gomorrah."

³⁰What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, who did not follow after righteousness, attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith;

³¹but Israel, following after a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law.

³²Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone;

³³even as it is written, "Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and a rock that will make them fall; and no one who believes in him will be put to shame."

¹Brothers, my heart's desire and my prayer to God is for them, that they may be saved.

²For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.

³For being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.

⁴For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

⁵For Moses writes about the righteousness of the law, "The one who does them will live by them."

⁶But the righteousness which is of faith says this, "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?' (that is, to bring Christ down);

⁷or, 'Who will descend into the abyss?' (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead.)"

⁸But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth, and in your heart;" that is, the word of faith, which we proclaim:

⁹that if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

¹⁰For with the heart, one believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

¹¹For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes in him will not be disappointed."

¹²For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord of all is rich to all who call on him.

¹³For, "Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved."

¹⁴How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in him whom they have not heard? How will they hear without a proclaimer?

¹⁵And how will they proclaim unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tidings of good things!"

¹⁶But they did not all listen to the glad news. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our report?"

¹⁷So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

¹⁸But I say, did they not hear? Yes, truly, "Their sound went out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world."

¹⁹But I ask, did not Israel know? First Moses says, "I will provoke you to jealousy with that which is no nation, with a nation void of understanding I will make you angry."

²⁰Isaiah is very bold, and says, "I was found by those who did not seek me. I was revealed to those who did not ask for me."

²¹But as to Israel he says, "All day long I stretched out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people."

¹I ask then, did God reject his people? May it never be! For I also am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.

²God did not reject his people, which he foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says about Elijah? How he pleads with God against Israel:

³"Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have broken down your altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life."

⁴But how does God answer him? "I have reserved for myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to Baal."

⁵Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

⁶And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace.

⁷What then? That which Israel seeks for, that he did not obtain, but the chosen ones obtained it, and the rest were hardened.

⁸According as it is written, "God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear, to this very day."

⁹David says, "Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, a stumbling block, and a retribution to them.

¹⁰Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see. Bow down their back always."

¹¹I ask then, did they stumble that they might fall? May it never be! But by their fall salvation has come to the Gentiles, to provoke them to jealousy.

¹²Now if their fall is the riches of the world, and their loss the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fullness?

¹³For I speak to you who are Gentiles. Since then as I am an apostle to Gentiles, I glorify my ministry;

¹⁴if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh, and may save some of them.

¹⁵For if the rejection of them is the reconciling of the world, what would their acceptance be, but life from the dead?

¹⁶If the first fruit is holy, so is the lump. If the root is holy, so are the branches.

¹⁷But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them, and became partaker with them of the root and of the richness of the olive tree;

¹⁸do not boast over the branches. But if you boast, it is not you who support the root, but the root supports you.

¹⁹You will say then, "Branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in."

²⁰True; by their unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear;

²¹for if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you.

²²See then the goodness and severity of God. Toward those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in his goodness; otherwise you also will be cut off.

²³They also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.

²⁴For if you were cut out of that which is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree, how much more will these, which are the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?

²⁵For I do not desire you to be ignorant, brothers, of this mystery, so that you won't be wise in your own conceits, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in,

²⁶and so all Israel will be saved. Even as it is written, "There will come out of Zion the Deliverer, and he will turn away ungodliness from Jacob.

²⁷This is my covenant to them, when I will take away their sins."

²⁸Concerning the Good News, they are enemies for your sake. But concerning the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sake.

²⁹For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

³⁰For as you in time past were disobedient to God, but now have obtained mercy by their disobedience,

³¹even so these also have now been disobedient, that by the mercy shown to you they may also obtain mercy.

³²For God has shut up all to disobedience, that he might have mercy on all.

³³Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past tracing out!

³⁴"For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?"

³⁵"Or who has first given to him, and it will be repaid to him again?"

³⁶For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things. To him be the glory for ever! Amen.