God's Election of Israel

91 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 I could wish that I myself were accursed , separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren , my kinsmen according to the flesh , 4 who are Israelites , to whom belongs the adoption as sons , and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises , 5 whose are the fathers , and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh , who is over all , God blessed forever . Amen .

6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed . For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel ; 7 nor are they all children because they are Abraham's descendants , but: " THROUGH ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE NAMED ." 8 That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God , but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants . 9 For this is the word of promise : " AT THIS TIME I WILL COME , AND SARAH SHALL HAVE A SON ." 10 And not only this, but there was Rebekah also , when she had conceived e 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 God's purpose according to His choice would stand , not because of works but because of Him who calls , 12 it was said to her, " THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER ." 13 Just as it is written , " JACOB I LOVED , BUT ESAU I HATED ."

14 What shall we say then ? There is no injustice with God , is there? May it never be! 15 For He says to Moses , " 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 man who wills or the man who runs , but on God who has mercy . 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh , " FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH ." 18 So then He has mercy on whom He desires , and He hardens whom He desires . 19 You will say to me then , " Why does He still find fault ? For who resists His will ?" 20 On the contrary , who are you, O man , who answers back to God ? The thing molded will not say to the molder , "Why did you make me like this ," will it? 21 Or does not the potter have a right over the clay , to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another e for common use ? 22 What if God , although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known , endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction ? 23 And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy , which He prepared beforehand for glory , 24 even us, whom He also called , not from among Jews only , but also from among Gentiles .

25 As He says also in Hosea , " I WILL CALL THOSE WHO WERE NOT MY PEOPLE , 'MY PEOPLE ,' AND HER WHO WAS NOT BELOVED , 'BELOVED .' " 26 " 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 THE LIVING GOD ." 27 Isaiah cries out concerning Israel , " THOUGH THE NUMBER OF THE SONS OF ISRAEL BE LIKE THE SAND OF THE SEA , IT IS THE REMNANT THAT WILL BE SAVED ; 28 FOR THE Lord WILL EXECUTE HIS WORD ON THE EARTH , THOROUGHLY AND QUICKLY ." 29 And just as Isaiah foretold , " UNLESS THE Lord OF SABAOTH HAD LEFT TO US A POSTERITY , WE WOULD HAVE BECOME LIKE SODOM , AND WOULD HAVE RESEMBLED GOMORRAH ."

Righteousness Based on Faith

30 What shall we say then ? That Gentiles , who did not pursue righteousness , attained righteousness , even the righteousness which is by faith ; 31 but Israel , pursuing a law of righteousness , did not arrive at that law . 32 Why e ? Because they did not pursue it by faith , but as though it were by works . They stumbled over the stumbling stone , 33 just as it is written , " BEHOLD , I LAY IN ZION A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE , AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED ."

31 Then what advantage has the Jew ? Or what is the benefit of circumcision ? 2 Great in every respect . First of all , that they were entrusted with the oracles of God . 3 What then ? If some did not believe , their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God , will it? 4 May it never be! Rather , let God be found true , though every man be found a liar , as it is written , " THAT YOU MAY BE JUSTIFIED IN YOUR WORDS , AND PREVAIL WHEN YOU ARE JUDGED ." 5 But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God , what shall we say ? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous , is He? ( I am speaking in human terms .) 6 May it never be! For otherwise , how will God judge the world ? 7 But if through my lie the truth of God abounded to His glory , why am I also still being judged as a sinner ? 8 And why not say (as we are slanderously reported and as some claim that we say ), " Let us do evil that good may come "? Their condemnation is just .

There Is None Righteous

9 What then ? Are we better than they? Not at all ; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin ; 10 as it is written , " THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS , NOT EVEN ONE ; 11 THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS , THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD ; 12 ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE , TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS ; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD , THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE ." 13 " THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE , WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING ," " THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS "; 14 " WHOSE MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS "; 15 " THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD , 16 DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS , 17 AND THE PATH OF PEACE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN ." 18 " THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES ."

19 Now we know that whatever the Law says , it speaks to those who are under the Law , so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God ; 20 because by the works of the Law no e flesh will be justified in His sight ; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin .

Righteousness through Faith

21 But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested , being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets , 22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe ; for there is no distinction ; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God , 24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus ; 25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith . This was to demonstrate His righteousness , because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed ; 26 for the demonstration , I say, of His righteousness at the present time , so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus . 27 Where then is boasting ? It is excluded . By what kind of law ? Of works ? No , but by a law of faith . 28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law . 29 Or is God the God of Jews only ? Is He not the God of Gentiles also ? Yes , of Gentiles also , 30 since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one . 31 Do we then nullify the Law through faith ? May it never be! On the contrary , we establish the Law .