Released from the Law

7 Or do you not know, brothers¹—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? 2 For ^ga married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage.² 3 Accordingly, she will be called an ^hadulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress.

4 Likewise, my brothers, you also have ⁱdied to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. 5 For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful ^jpassions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit ^kfor death. 6 But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve ^lin the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the ^mwritten code.³

The Law and Sin

7 ⁿWhat then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! ^oYet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, ^p“You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. ^qFor apart from the law, sin lies dead. 9 I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. 10 The very commandment ^rthat promised life proved to be death to me. 11 For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. 12 So ^sthe law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

13 Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. 14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. 15 For I do not understand my own actions. For ^tI do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now ^uit is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that ^vnothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

21 So I find it to be a ^wlaw that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I ^xdelight in the law of God, in my ^yinner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this ^zbody of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

Life in the Spirit

8 There is therefore now no ^acondemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.¹ 2 For the ^blaw of the Spirit of life has set you^{2 c}free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done ^dwhat the law, ^eweakened by the flesh, could not do. ^fBy sending his own Son ^gin the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin,³ he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the ^hrighteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who ⁱwalk ^jnot according to the flesh but ^kaccording to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh ^lset their minds on ^mthe things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on ⁿthe things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 ^oFor the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God ^pdwells in you. Anyone who does not have the ^qSpirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is ^rin you, although the ^sbody is dead because of sin, the Spirit is ^tlife because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of ^uhim who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus⁴ from the dead will also ^vgive life to your mortal bodies ^wthrough his Spirit who dwells in you.

Heirs with Christ

12 So then, brothers,⁵ we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For ^xif you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you ^yput to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are ^zled by the Spirit of God are sons⁶ of God. 15 For you did ^anot receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of ^badoption as sons, by whom we cry, ^c“Abba! Father!” 16 ^dThe Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then ^eheirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, ^fprovided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Future Glory

18 For I consider that ^gthe sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with ^hthe glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For ⁱthe creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that ^jthe creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits ^kof the Spirit, ^lgroan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this ^mhope we were saved. Now hope ⁿthat is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself ^ointercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And ^phe who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because⁷ the Spirit intercedes for the saints ^qaccording to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who ^rlove God ^sall things work together for good,⁸ for those who are called according to his ^tpurpose. 29 For those whom he ^uforeknew he also ^vpredestined to be ^wconformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be ^xthe firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also ^ycalled, and those whom he called he also ^zjustified, and those whom he justified he also ^aglorified.

God’s Everlasting Love

31 ^bWhat then shall we say to these things? ^cIf God is for us, who can be⁹ against us? 32 ^dHe who ^edid not spare his own Son but gave him up for us ^fall, ^ghow will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 ^hWho shall bring any charge against God’s ⁱelect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is ^jto condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—^kwho is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.¹⁰ 35 Who shall separate us from the ^llove of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,

37 No, in all these things we are more than ^oconquerors through him who ^ploved us. 38 For I am sure that ^qneither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor ^rheight 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 ^sI am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— 2 that ^tI have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were ^uaccursed and cut off from Christ ^vfor the sake of my brothers,¹ my kinsmen ^waccording to the flesh. 4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the ^xadoption, the ^yglory, ^zthe ^acovenants, ^bthe ^cgiving of the law, the ^dworship, and the ^epromises. 5 To them belong the patriarchs, and ^ffrom their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God ^gover all, blessed forever. Amen.

6 ^hBut it is not as though the word of God has failed. For ⁱnot all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, 7 and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but ^j“Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the ^kchildren of the promise are ^lcounted as offspring. 9 For this is what the promise said: ^m“About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.” 10 And not only so, but also ⁿwhen Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, 11 though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s ^opurpose of ^pelection might continue, ^qnot because of works but because of him who calls— 12 she was told, ^r“The older will serve the younger.” 13 As it is written, ^s“Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

14 ^tWhat shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! 15 For he says to Moses, ^u“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it depends ^vnot on human will or exertion,² but on God, who has ^wmercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, ^x“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.” 18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he ^yhardens whomever he wills.

19 You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For ^zwho can resist his will?” 20 But ^awho are you, O man, to answer back to God? ^bWill what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 ^cHas the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump ^done vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? 22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much ^epatience vessels of wrath ^fprepared for destruction, 23 in order to make known the ^griches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has ^hprepared beforehand for glory— 24 even us whom he has called, ⁱnot from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? 25 As indeed he says in Hosea,

27 And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: ^l“Though ^mthe number of the sons of Israel³ be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, 28 for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.” 29 And as Isaiah predicted,

Israel’s Unbelief

30 ^oWhat shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a ^prighteousness that is by faith; 31 but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness^{4 q}did not succeed in reaching that law. 32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the ^rstumbling stone, 33 as it is written,

10 Brothers,^{1 v}my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that they have a ^wzeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For, being ignorant of the ^xrighteousness of God, and ^yseeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 For ^zChrist is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.²

The Message of Salvation to All

5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that ^athe person who does the commandments shall live by them. 6 But the ^brighteousness based on faith says, ^c“Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you ^dconfess with your mouth that ^eJesus is Lord and ^fbelieve in your heart that ^gGod raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, ^h“Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is ⁱno distinction between ^jJew and Greek; for the same Lord is ^kLord of all, ^lbestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For ^m“everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?³ And ⁿhow are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ^o“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But ^pthey have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, ^q“Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So ^rfaith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

18 But I ask, have they not heard? ^sIndeed they have, for

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

20 Then Isaiah is so bold as to say,

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

The Remnant of Israel

11 I ask, then, has God ^arejected his people? By no means! For ^bI myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham,¹ a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not rejected his people whom he ^cforeknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? 3 ^d“Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” 4 But what is God’s reply to him? ^e“I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 So too at the present time there is a ^fremnant, chosen by grace. 6 But ^gif it is by grace, it is ^hno longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be ⁱgrace.

7 What then? Israel ^jfailed to obtain what it was seeking. The ^kelect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, 8 as it is written,

9 And David says,

Gentiles Grafted In

11 So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass ^osalvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to ^pmake Israel jealous. 12 Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion² mean!

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

17 ^uBut if some of the branches were broken off, and you, ^valthough a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root³ of the olive tree, 18 do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. 19 Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. ^wSo do not become proud, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, ^xprovided you continue in his kindness. ^yOtherwise you too will be cut off. 23 And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. 24 For 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 Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this ^zmystery, brothers:⁴ a partial ^ahardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written,