Romans 10–11

RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH ALONE

10Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God concerning them^B is for their salvation. ²I can testify about them that they have zeal for God,ⁱ but not according to knowledge. ³Since they are ignorant of the righteousness of God^j and attempted to establish their own righteousness, they have not submitted to God’s righteousness. ⁴For Christ is the end^C of the law for righteousness^k to everyone who believes,^{l 5}since Moses writes about the righteousness that is from the law: The one who does these things will live by them.^{Dm 6}But the righteousness that comes from faithⁿ speaks like this: Do not say in your heart, “Who will go up to heaven?”^Eo that is, to bring Christ down ⁷or, “Who will go down into the abyss?”^Fp that is, to bring Christ up from the dead.^{q 8}On the contrary, what does it say? The message is near you, in your mouth and in your heart.^Gr This is the message of faith that we proclaim: ⁹If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,”^s and believe in your heart^t that God raised him from the dead,^u you will be saved. ¹⁰One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. ¹¹For the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on him will not be put to shame,^{Hv 12}since there is no distinction between Jew and Greek,^w because the same Lord^x of all^y richly blesses all who call on him. ¹³For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.^Iz

ISRAEL’S REJECTION OF THE MESSAGE

¹⁴How, then, can they call on him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about him?^aa And how can they hear without a preacher?^{ab 15}And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful^J are the feet of those who bring good news.^{Kac 16}But not all obeyed the gospel.^ad For Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed our message?^{Lae 17}So faith comes from what is heard,^af and what is heard comes through the message about Christ.^{Mag 18}But I ask, “Did they not hear?” Yes, they did:

Their voice has gone out to the whole earth,

and their words to the ends of the world.^Nah

¹⁹But I ask, “Did Israel not understand?” First, Moses said,

I will make you jealous

of those who are not a nation;^ai

I will make you angry by a nation

that lacks understanding.^Oaj

²⁰And 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.^Aak

²¹But to Israel he says, All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and defiant people.^Bal

ISRAEL’S REJECTION NOT TOTAL

11I ask, then, has God rejected his people?^am Absolutely not!^an For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham,^ao from the tribe of Benjamin. ²God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew.^ap Or don’t you know^aq what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he pleads with God against Israel? ³Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars. I am the only one left, and they are trying to take my life!^{Car 4}But what was God’s answer to him? I have left seven thousand for myself who have not bowed down to Baal.^{Das 5}In the same way, then, there is also at the present time a remnant chosen by grace.^{a 6}Now if by grace,^b then it is not by works; otherwise grace ceases to be grace.^E

⁷What then? Israel did not find what it was looking for,^c but the elect did find it. The rest were hardened,^{d 8}as it is written,

God gave them a spirit of stupor,

eyes that cannot see

and ears that cannot hear,

to this day.^Fe

⁹And David says,

Let their table become a snare and a trap,

a pitfall and a retribution to them.

¹⁰Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see,

and their backs be bent continually.^Gf

ISRAEL’S REJECTION NOT FINAL

¹¹I ask, then, have they stumbled so as to fall? Absolutely not! On the contrary, by their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles^g to make Israel jealous. ¹²Now if their transgression brings riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fullness bring!^h

¹³Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Insofar as I am an apostle to the Gentiles,ⁱ I magnify my ministry, ¹⁴if I might somehow make my own people^Hj jealous and save some of them.^{k 15}For if their rejection brings reconciliation^l to the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?^{m 16}Now if the firstfruits are holy,ⁿ so is the whole batch. And if the root is holy, so are the branches.

¹⁷Now if some of the branches were broken off,^o and you, though a wild olive branch, were grafted in among them^p and have come to share in the rich root^I of the cultivated olive tree, ¹⁸do not boast that you are better than those branches. But if you do boast—you do not sustain the root, but the root sustains you.^{q 19}Then you will say,^r “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” ²⁰True enough; they were broken off because of unbelief, but you stand by faith.^s Do not be arrogant, but beware,^{Jt 21}because if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either. ²²Therefore, consider God’s kindness and severity: severity toward those who have fallen but God’s kindness^u toward you—if you remain in his kindness.^v Otherwise you too will be cut off.^{w 23}And even they, if they do not remain in unbelief,^x will be grafted in, because God has the power to graft them in again. ²⁴For if you were cut off from your native wild olive tree 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?

²⁵I don’t want you to be ignorant^y of this mystery,^z brothers and sisters, so that you will not be conceited:^aa A partial hardening has come upon Israel^ab until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.^{ac 26}And in this way all^A Israel will be saved, as it is written,

The Deliverer will come from Zion;

he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.

²⁷And this will be my covenant with them^Bad

when I take away their sins.^Cae

²⁸Regarding the gospel, they are enemies for your advantage,^af but regarding election, they are loved because of the patriarchs,^{ag 29}since God’s gracious gifts and calling^ah are irrevocable.^{Dai 30}As you once disobeyed God but now have received mercy through their disobedience, ³¹so they too have now disobeyed, resulting in mercy to you, so that they also may now^E receive mercy. ³²For God has imprisoned all in disobedience^aj so that he may have mercy on all.

A HYMN OF PRAISE

³³Oh, the depth of the riches^ak

and the wisdom and the knowledge of God!^al

How unsearchable his judgments^am

and untraceable his ways!

³⁴For who has known the mind of the Lord?^an

Or who has been his counselor?

³⁵And who has ever given to God,

that he should be repaid?^Fao

³⁶For from him and through him

and to him are all things.^ap

To him be the glory forever. Amen.