Romans 8–9

THE LIFE-GIVING SPIRIT

8Therefore, there is now no condemnation^ak for those in^al Christ Jesus,^{Gam 2}because the law^* of the Spirit of life^an in Christ Jesus has set you^H free from the law^* of sin and death.^{ao 3}For what the law could not do^ap since it was weakened by the flesh,^aq God did. He condemned sin in the flesh by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh^ar as a sin offering,^{Ias 4}in order that the law’s requirement would be fulfilled^at in us who do not walk according to the flesh^a but according to the Spirit. ⁵For those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on the things of the flesh,^b but those who live according to the Spirit have their minds set on the things of the Spirit. ⁶Now the mindset of the flesh^c is death,^d but the mindset of the Spirit is life and peace. ⁷The mindset of the flesh is hostile^e to God because it does not submit to God’s law. Indeed, it is unable to do so. ⁸Those who are in the flesh^f cannot please God. ⁹You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you.^g If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ,^h he does not belong to him. ¹⁰Now if Christ is in you,ⁱ the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit^A gives life^B because of righteousness. ¹¹And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead^j lives in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through^C his Spirit who lives in you.

THE HOLY SPIRIT’S MINISTRIES

¹²So then, brothers and sisters, we are not obligated to the flesh to live according to the flesh, ¹³because if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body,^k you will live. ¹⁴For all those led by God’s Spirit^l are God’s sons.^{m 15}For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear.ⁿ Instead, you received the Spirit of adoption,^o by whom we cry out, “Abba,^D Father!”^{p 16}The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit^q that we are God’s children, ¹⁷and if children, also heirs^r—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with him^s so that we may also be glorified with him.

FROM GROANS TO GLORY

¹⁸For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing^t with the glory^u that is going to be revealed to us. ¹⁹For the creation eagerly waits with anticipation^v for God’s sons^w to be revealed. ²⁰For the creation was subjected^x to futility^y—not willingly, but because of him who subjected it^z—in the hope ²¹that the creation itself^aa will also be set free from the bondage to decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children. ²²For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains^ab until now. ²³Not only that,^ac but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits^ad—we also groan within ourselves,^ae eagerly waiting for adoption,^af the redemption of our bodies.^{ag 24}Now in this hope^ah we were saved, but hope^ai that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? ²⁵Now if we hope for what we do not see,^aj we eagerly wait for it with patience.

²⁶In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should,^ak but the Spirit himself intercedes for us^Eal with inexpressible groanings. ²⁷And he who searches our hearts^am knows the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

²⁸We know that all things work together^F for the good^G of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.^{an 29}For those he foreknew he also predestined^ao to be conformed to the image of his Son,^ap so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.^{aq 30}And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified;^ar and those he justified, he also glorified.^as

THE BELIEVER’S TRIUMPH

³¹What, then, are we to say about these things?^at If God is for us, who is against us?^{au 32}He did not even spare his own Son^av but gave him up for us all.^aw How will he not also with him grant us everything? ³³Who can bring an accusation against God’s elect?^ax God is the one who justifies.^{ay 34}Who is the one who condemns?^az Christ Jesus is the one who died,^ba but even more, has been raised;^bb he also is at the right hand of God^bc and intercedes for us.^{bd 35}Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction^be or distress or persecution^bf or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶As it is written:

Because of you

we are being put to death all day long;^bg

we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered.^Abh

³⁷No, in all these things we are more than conquerors^a through him who loved us.^{b 38}For I am persuaded that neither death nor life,^c nor angels nor rulers,^d nor things present nor things to come,^e nor powers, ³⁹nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God^f that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.^g

ISRAEL’S REJECTION OF CHRIST

9I speak the truth in Christ^h—I am not lying; my conscience testifies to me through the Holy Spirit^B—²that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. ³For I could wishⁱ that I myself were cursed^j and cut off^C from Christ for the benefit of my brothers and sisters, my own flesh and blood. ⁴They are Israelites,^k and to them belong the adoption,^l the glory,^m the covenants,ⁿ the giving of the law,^o the temple service,^p and the promises.^{q 5}The ancestors are theirs,^r and from them, by physical descent,^D came the Christ,^s who is God^t over all,^u praised forever.^Ev Amen.

GOD’S GRACIOUS ELECTION OF ISRAEL

⁶Now it is not as though the word of God has failed,^w because not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.^{x 7}Neither is it the case that all of Abraham’s children are his descendants.^Fy On the contrary, your offspring will be traced^G through Isaac.^{Hz 8}That is, it is not the children by physical descent^I who are God’s children,^aa but the children of the promise^ab are considered to be the offspring. ⁹For this is the statement of the promise: At this time I will come, and Sarah will have a son.^{Jac 10}And not only that,^ad but Rebekah conceived children^ae through one man, our father Isaac. ¹¹For though her sons had not been born yet or done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to election might stand^af—¹²not from works but from the one who calls—she was told, The older will serve the younger.^{Aag 13}As it is written: I have loved Jacob, but I have hated Esau.^Bah

GOD’S SELECTION IS JUST

¹⁴What should we say then?^ai Is there injustice with God?^aj Absolutely not!^{ak 15}For he tells Moses, I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.^{Cal 16}So then, it does not depend on human will or effort^am but on God who shows mercy.^{an 17}For the Scripture tells Pharaoh, I raised you up for this reason so that I may display my power in you and that my name may be proclaimed in the whole earth.^{Dao 18}So then, he has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy and he hardens whom he wants to harden.^ap

¹⁹You will say to me,^aq therefore, “Why then does he still find fault?^ar For who resists his will?”^{as 20}On the contrary, who are you, a human being, to talk back to God?^at Will what is formed say to the one who formed it, “Why did you make me like this?”^{au 21}Or has the potter no right over the clay,^av to make from the same lump one piece of pottery for honor and another for dishonor? ²²And what if God, wanting to display his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much patience^aw objects of wrath prepared for destruction?^{ax 23}And what if he did this to make known the riches of his glory^ay on objects of mercy^az that he prepared beforehand for glory^ba—²⁴on us, the ones he also called,^bb not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?^{bc 25}As it^E also says in Hosea,

I will call Not my People, My People,

and she who is Unloved, Beloved.^Fbd

²⁶And it will be in the place where they were told,

you are not my people,

there they will be called sons of the living God.^Gbe

²⁷But Isaiah cries out concerning Israel,

Though the number of Israelites

is like the sand of the sea,^bf

only the remnant will be saved;^bg

²⁸since the Lord will execute his sentence

completely and decisively on the earth.^HIbh

²⁹And just as Isaiah predicted:

If the Lord of Hosts^s had not left us offspring,^bi

we would have become like Sodom,

and we would have been made like Gomorrah.^Ja

ISRAEL’S PRESENT STATE

³⁰What should we say then?^b Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained righteousness—namely the righteousness that comes from faith.^{c 31}But Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness,^d has not achieved the righteousness of the law.^{Ke 32}Why is that? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were by works.^L They stumbled over the stumbling stone.^{f 33}As it is written,

Look, I am putting a stone in Zion to stumble over

and a rock to trip over,

and the one who believes on him^g

will not be put to shame.^Ah