Study Desk

In the same way the Spirit also joins to help in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should,^(au) but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us^[l](av) with unspoken groanings.

And He who searches the hearts^(aw) knows the Spirit's mind-set, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

We know that all things work together^[m] for the good^[n] of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.^(ax)

For those He foreknew He also predestined^(ay) to be conformed to the image of His Son,^(az) so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.^(ba)

And those He predestined, He also called; and those He called, He also justified;^(bb) and those He justified, He also glorified.^(bc)

What then are we to say about these things?^(bd) If God is for us, who is against us?^(be)

He did not even spare His own Son^(bf) but offered Him up for us all;^(bg) how will He not also with Him grant us everything?

Who can bring an accusation against God's elect?^(bh) God is the One who justifies.^(bi)

Who is the one who condemns?^(bj) Christ Jesus is the One who died,^(bk) but even more, has been raised;^(bl) He also is at the right hand of God^(bm) and intercedes for us.^(bn)

Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction^(bo) or anguish or persecution^(bp) or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

As it is written: Because of You we are being put to death all day long; ^(bq) we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered. ^(br)[o]

No, in all these things we are more than victorious^(bs) through Him who loved us.^(bt)

For I am persuaded that not even death or life,^(bu) angels or rulers,^(bv) things present or things to come,^(bw) hostile powers,

height or depth, or any other created thing will have the power to separate us from the love of God^(bx) that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!^(by)

I speak the truth in Christ^(a)—I am not lying; my conscience is testifying to me with the Holy Spirit^[a]—

that I have intense sorrow and continual anguish in my heart.

For I could almost wish^(b) to be cursed^(c) and cut off^[b] from the Messiah for the benefit of my brothers, my own flesh and blood.

They are Israelites,^(d) and to them belong the adoption,^(e) the glory,^(f) the covenants,^(g) the giving of the law,^(h) the temple service,⁽ⁱ⁾ and the promises.^(j)

The ancestors are theirs,^(k) and from them, by physical descent,^[c] came the Messiah,^(l) who is God^(m) over all,⁽ⁿ⁾ praised forever.^[d](o) Amen.

But it is not as though the word of God has failed.^(p) For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.^(q)

Neither are they all children because they are Abraham's descendants.^[e](r) On the contrary, your offspring will be traced ^[f] through Isaac. ^(s)[g]

That is, it is not the children by physical descent^[h] who are God's children,^(t) but the children of the promise^(u) are considered to be the offspring.

For this is the statement of the promise: At this time I will come, and Sarah will have a son. ^(v)[i]

And not only that,^(w) but also Rebekah received a promise when she became pregnant^[j](x) by one man, our ancestor Isaac.

For though her sons had not been born yet or done anything good or bad, so that God's purpose according to election might stand—^(y)

not from works but from the One who calls—she was told: The older will serve the younger. ^(z)[k]

As it is written: I have loved Jacob, but I have hated Esau. ^(aa)[l]

What should we say then?^(ab) Is there injustice with God?^(ac) Absolutely not!^(ad)

For He tells Moses: I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. ^(ae)[m]

So then it does not depend on human will or effort^[n](af) but on God who shows mercy.^(ag)

For the Scripture tells Pharaoh: I raised you up for this reason so that I may display My power in you and that My name may be proclaimed in all the earth. ^(ah)[o]

So then, He shows mercy to those He wants to, and He hardens those He wants to harden.^(ai)

You will say to me,^(aj) therefore, "Why then does He still find fault?^(ak) For who can resist His will?"^(al)

But who are you, a mere man, to talk back to God?^(am) Will what is formed say to the one who formed it, "Why did you make me like this?"^(an)

Or has the potter no right over the clay,^(ao) to make from the same lump one piece of pottery for honor and another for dishonor?

And what if God, desiring to display His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience^(ap) objects of wrath ready for destruction?^(aq)

And what if He did this to make known the riches of His glory^(ar) on objects of mercy^(as) that He prepared beforehand for glory^(at)—

on us, the ones He also called,^(au) not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?^(av)

As He also says in Hosea: I will call Not My People, My People, and she who is Unloved, Beloved. ^(aw)[p]

And it will be in the place where they were told, you are not My people, there they will be called sons of the living God. ^(ax)[q]

But Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: Though the number of Israel's sons is like the sand of the sea, ^(ay) only the remnant will be saved; ^(az)

for the Lord will execute His sentence completely and decisively on the earth. ^[r](ba)[s]

And just as Isaiah predicted: If the Lord of Hosts ^[t] had not left us offspring, ^(bb) we would have become like Sodom, and we would have been made like Gomorrah. ^(bc)[u]

What should we say then?^(bd) Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained righteousness—namely the righteousness that comes from faith.^(be)

But Israel, pursuing the law for righteousness,^(bf) has not achieved the righteousness of the law.^[v](bg)

Why is that? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were by works.^[w] They stumbled over the stumbling stone.^(bh)

As it is written: Look! I am putting a stone in Zion to stumble over and a rock to trip over, yet the one who believes on Him ^(bi) will not be put to shame. ^(bj)[x]

Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God concerning them^[a] is for their salvation!

I can testify about them that they have zeal for God,^(a) but not according to knowledge.

Because they disregarded the righteousness from God^(b) and attempted to establish their own righteousness, they have not submitted themselves to God's righteousness.

For Christ is the end^[b] of the law for righteousness^(c) to everyone who believes.^(d)

For Moses writes about the righteousness that is from the law: The one who does these things will live by them. ^(e)[c]

But the righteousness that comes from faith^(f) speaks like this: Do not say in your heart, "Who will go up to heaven?" ^(g)[d] that is, to bring Christ down

or, "Who will go down into the abyss?" ^(h)[e] that is, to bring Christ up from the dead.⁽ⁱ⁾

On the contrary, what does it say? The message is near you, in your mouth and in your heart. ^(j)[f] This is the message of faith that we proclaim:

If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord,"^(k) and believe in your heart^(l) that God raised Him from the dead,^(m) you will be saved.

One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.

Now the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on Him will not be put to shame, ^(n)[g]

for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek,^(o) since the same Lord^(p) of all^(q) is rich to all who call on Him.

For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. ^(r)[h]

But how can they call on Him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about Him?^(s) And how can they hear without a preacher?^(t)

And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful ^[i] are the feet of those ^[j] who announce the gospel of good things! ^(u)[k]

But all did not obey the gospel.^(v) For Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed our message? ^(w)[l]

So faith comes from what is heard,^(x) and what is heard comes through the message about Christ.^[m](y)

But I ask, "Did they not hear?" Yes, they did: Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the inhabited world. ^(z)[n]

But I ask, "Did Israel not understand?" First, Moses said: I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; ^(aa) I will make you angry by a nation that lacks understanding. ^(ab)[o]

And Isaiah says boldly: I was found by those who were not looking for Me; I revealed Myself to those who were not asking for Me. ^(ac)[p]

But to Israel he says: All day long I have spread out My hands to a disobedient and defiant people. ^(ad)[q]

I ask, then, has God rejected His people?^(a) Absolutely not!^(b) For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham,^(c) from the tribe of Benjamin.

God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew.^(d) Or don't you know^(e) what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he pleads with God against Israel?

Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars. I am the only one left, and they are trying to take my life! ^(f)[a]

But what was God's reply to him? I have left 7,000 men for Myself who have not bowed down to Baal. ^(g)[b]

In the same way, then, there is also at the present time a remnant chosen by grace.^(h)

Now if by grace,⁽ⁱ⁾ then it is not by works; otherwise grace ceases to be grace.^[c]

What then? Israel did not find what it was looking for,^(j) but the elect did find it. The rest were hardened,^(k)

as it is written: God gave them a spirit of insensitivity, ^[d] eyes that cannot see and ears that cannot hear, to this day .^(l)[e]

And David says: Let their feasting ^[f] become a snare and a trap, a pitfall and a retribution to them.

Let their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent continually. ^(m)[g]

I ask, then, have they stumbled in order to fall? Absolutely not! On the contrary, by their stumbling,^[h] salvation has come to the Gentiles⁽ⁿ⁾ to make Israel jealous.

Now if their stumbling^[i] brings riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full number bring!^(o)

Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. In view of the fact that I am an apostle to the Gentiles,^(p) I magnify my ministry,

if I can somehow make my own people^[j](q) jealous and save some of them.^(r)

For if their rejection brings reconciliation^(s) to the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?^(t)

Now if the firstfruits offered up are holy,^(u) so is the whole batch. And if the root is holy, so are the branches.

Now if some of the branches were broken off,^(v) and you, though a wild olive branch, were grafted in among them^(w) and have come to share in the rich root^[k] of the cultivated olive tree,

do not brag that you are better than those branches. But if you do brag—you do not sustain the root, but the root sustains you.^(x)

Then you will say,^(y) "Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in."

True enough; they were broken off by unbelief, but you stand by faith.^(z) Do not be arrogant, but be afraid.^(aa)

For if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you either.

Therefore, consider God's kindness and severity: severity toward those who have fallen but God's kindness^(ab) toward you—if you remain in His kindness.^(ac) Otherwise you too will be cut off.^(ad)

And even they, if they do not remain in unbelief,^(ae) will be grafted in, because God has the power to graft them in again.

For if you were cut off from your native wild olive and against nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these—the natural branches—be grafted into their own olive tree?