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 aa zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For not knowing about the arighteousness of God and bseeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. 4 For aChrist is the end of the law for righteousness to beveryone who believes.
Faith Comes by Hearing
5 For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of law: “aThe man who does these things shall live by them.” 6 But athe righteousness of faith speaks in this way: “bDo 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 aabyss?’ (that is, to bbring Christ up from the dead).” 8 But what does it say? “aThe word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, 9 that aif you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and bbelieve in your heart that cGod raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, leading to righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, leading to salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “aWhoever believes upon Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For athere is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is bLord of call, abounding in riches for all who call on Him, 13 for “aWhoever 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 awhom they have not heard? And how will they hear without ba preacher? 15 And how will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “aHow beautiful are the feet of those who bproclaim good news of good things!”
16 However, they adid not all heed the good news, for Isaiah says, “bLord, who has believed our report?” 17 So faith comes from ahearing, and hearing by bthe word of Christ.
18 But I say, have they never heard? On the contrary, they have;
“aTheir voice has gone out into all the earth,
And their words to the ends of the world.”
19 But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says,
“aI will bmake 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,
“aI 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, “aAll day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.”
God Has Not Rejected Israel
I say then, has God arejected His people? bMay it never be! For cI too am an Israelite, a seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 aGod has not rejected His people whom He bforeknew. cOr do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? 3 “Lord, athey have killed Your prophets, they have torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.” 4 But what does the divine response say to him? “aI have left for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 In this way then, at the present time, aa remnant according to God’s gracious choice has also come to be. 6 But aif it is by grace, it is no longer of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.
7 What then? What aIsrael is seeking, it has not obtained, but the chosen obtained it, and the rest were bhardened; 8 just as it is written,
“aGod gave them a spirit of stupor,
Eyes to see not and ears to hear not,
Down to this very day.”
9 And David says,
“aLet their table become a snare and a trap,
And a stumbling block and a retribution to them.
10 aLet their eyes be darkened to see not,
And bend their backs forever.”
Gentiles Grafted In
11 aI say then, did they stumble so as to fall? bMay it never be! But by their transgression csalvation has come to the Gentiles, to dmake them jealous. 12 Now if their transgression is riches for the world and their failure is riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their afullness be! 13 But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as aI am an apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, 14 if somehow I might amove to jealousy bmy fellow countrymen and csave some of them. 15 For if their rejection is the areconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but blife from the dead? 16 And if the afirst piece of dough is holy, the lump is also; and if the root is holy, the branches are too.
17 But if some of the abranches were broken off, and byou, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became a partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree, 18 do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast against them, remember that ait is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you. 19 aYou will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 Quite right! They were broken off for their unbelief, but you astand by your faith. bDo not be haughty, but fear, 21 for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either. 22 Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s akindness, bif you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also cwill be cut off. 23 And they also, aif they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree?
All Israel Will Be Saved
25 For aI do not want you, brothers, to be uninformed of this bmystery—so that you will not be cwise in your own estimation—that a partial dhardening has happened to Israel until the efullness of the Gentiles has come in; 26 and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written,
“aThe Deliverer will come from Zion,
He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.”
27 “aAnd this is My covenant with them,
bWhen I take away their sins.”
28 From the standpoint of the gospel they are aenemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for bthe sake of the fathers; 29 for the gifts and the acalling of God bare irrevocable. 30 For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy. 32 For aGod has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.
33 Oh, the depth of athe riches and bwisdom and knowledge of God! cHow unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! 34 For awho has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? 35 Or awho has first given to Him that it might be repaid to him? 36 For afrom Him and through Him and to Him are all things. bTo Him be the glory forever. Amen.