Romans 8–9

8There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. ²For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me 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, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, 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 they that are after the flesh mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after 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 enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can it be: ⁸and they that are in the flesh cannot please God. ⁹But ye are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you. But if any man hath not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. ¹⁰And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the spirit is life because of righteousness. ¹¹But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwelleth in you, he that raised up Christ Jesus from the dead shall give life also to your mortal bodies through his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

¹²So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh: ¹³for if ye live after the flesh, ye must die; but if by the Spirit ye put to death the deeds of the body, ye shall live. ¹⁴For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. ¹⁵For ye received not the spirit of bondage again unto fear; but ye received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. ¹⁶The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God: ¹⁷and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified with him.

¹⁸For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed to us-ward. ¹⁹For the earnest expectation of the creation waiteth for the revealing of the sons of God. ²⁰For the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but by reason of him who subjected it, in hope ²¹that the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. ²²For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. ²³And not only so, but ourselves also, who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for our adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. ²⁴For in hope were we saved: but hope that is seen is not hope: for who hopeth for that which he seeth? ²⁵But if we hope for that which we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

²⁶And in like manner the Spirit also helpeth our infirmity: for we know not how to pray as we ought; but the Spirit himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered; ²⁷and he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. ²⁸And we know that to them that love God all things work together for good, even to them that are called according to his purpose. ²⁹For whom he foreknew, he also foreordained to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren: ³⁰and whom he foreordained, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

³¹What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? ³²He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not also with him freely give us all things? ³³Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth; ³⁴who is he that condemneth? It is Christ Jesus that died, yea rather, that was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. ³⁵Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ³⁶Even as it is written,

For thy sake we are killed all the day long;

We were accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

³⁷Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that 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 creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

9I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience bearing witness 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 anathema from Christ for my brethren’s sake, my kinsmen according to the flesh: ⁴who are Israelites; whose is the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; ⁵whose are the fathers, and of whom is Christ as concerning the flesh, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.

⁶But it is not as though the word of God hath come to nought. For they are not all Israel, that are of Israel: ⁷neither, because they are Abraham’s seed, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. ⁸That is, it is not the children of the flesh that are children of God; but the children of the promise are reckoned for a seed. ⁹For this is a word of promise, According to this season will I come, and Sarah shall have a son. ¹⁰And not only so; but Rebecca also having conceived by one, even by our father Isaac— ¹¹for the children 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 that calleth, ¹²it was said unto her, The elder shall 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? God forbid. ¹⁵For he saith 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 that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that hath mercy. ¹⁷For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, For this very purpose did I raise thee up, that I might show in thee my power, and that my name might be published abroad in all the earth. ¹⁸So then he hath mercy on whom he will, and whom he will he hardeneth.

¹⁹Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he still find fault? For who withstandeth his will? ²⁰Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why didst thou make me thus? ²¹Or hath not the potter a right over the clay, from the same lump to make one part a vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor? ²²What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering vessels of wrath fitted unto destruction: ²³and that he might make known the riches of his glory upon vessels of mercy, which he afore prepared unto glory, ²⁴even us, whom he also called, not from the Jews only, but also from the Gentiles? ²⁵As he saith also in Hosea,

I will call that my people, which was not my people;

And her beloved, that was not beloved.

²⁶And it shall be, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people,

There shall they be called sons of the living God.

²⁷And Isaiah crieth concerning Israel, If the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, it is the remnant that shall be saved: ²⁸for the Lord will execute his word upon the earth, finishing it and cutting it short. ²⁹And, as Isaiah hath said before,

Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed,

We had become as Sodom, and had been made like unto Gomorrah.

³⁰What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, who followed not 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. ³²Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by works. They stumbled at the stone of stumbling; ³³even as it is written,

Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence:

And he that believeth on him shall not be put to shame.