Romans 8–9

The Life-Giving Spirit

8Therefore, no condemnation ^xnow exists for those in ^yChrist Jesus, ^za2because the Spirit’s law of life ^bin Christ Jesus has set you ^cfree from the law of sin and of death. ^d3What the law could not do ^esince it was limited ^fby the flesh, ^gGod did. He condemned sin in the flesh by sending His own Son in flesh like ours ^hunder sin’s domain, ⁱand as a sin offering, ^j4in order that the law’s requirement would be accomplished ^kin us who do not walk according to the flesh ^lbut according to the Spirit. ⁵For those who live ^maccording to the flesh think about the things of the flesh, ⁿbut those who live ^oaccording to the Spirit, about the things of the Spirit. ⁶For the mind-set of the flesh ^pis death, ^qbut the mind-set of the Spirit is life and peace. ⁷For the mind-set of the flesh is hostile ^rto God because it does not submit itself to God’s law, for it is unable to do so. ⁸Those who are in the flesh ^scannot please God. ⁹You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, since ^tthe Spirit of God lives in you. ^uBut if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, ^vhe does not belong to Him. ¹⁰Now if Christ is in you, ^wthe body is dead ^xbecause of sin, but the Spirit ^yis life because of righteousness. ¹¹And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead ^zlives in you, then He who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through ^aHis Spirit who lives in you.

The Holy Spirit’s Ministries

¹²So then, brothers, we are not obligated to the flesh to live according to the flesh, ¹³for 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, ^byou will live. ¹⁴All those led by God’s Spirit ^care God’s sons. ^d15For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, ^ebut you received the Spirit of adoption, ^fby whom we cry out, “^•Abba, Father!” ^g16The Spirit Himself testifies together with our spirit ^hthat we are God’s children, ¹⁷and if children, also heirs ⁱ—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—seeing that ^jwe suffer with Him ^kso 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 ^lwith the glory ^mthat is going to be revealed to us. ¹⁹For the creation eagerly waits with anticipation ⁿfor God’s sons ^oto be revealed. ²⁰For the creation was subjected ^pto futility ^q—not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it ^r—in the hope ²¹that the creation itself ^swill also be set free from the bondage of corruption into the glorious freedom of God’s children. ²²For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains ^tuntil now. ²³And not only that, ^ubut we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits ^v—we also groan within ourselves, ^weagerly waiting for adoption, ^xthe redemption of our bodies. ^y24Now in this hope ^zwe were saved, yet hope ^athat is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? ²⁵But if we hope for what we do not see, ^bwe eagerly wait for it with patience.

²⁶In the same way the Spirit also joins to help in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, ^cbut the Spirit Himself intercedes for us ^dewith unspoken groanings. ²⁷And He who searches the hearts ^fknows the Spirit’s mind-set, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

²⁸We know that all things work together ^gfor the good ^hof those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose. ⁱ²⁹For those He foreknew He also predestined ^jto be conformed to the image of His Son, ^kso that He would be the firstborn among many brothers. ^l30And those He predestined, He also called; and those He called, He also justified; ^mand those He justified, He also glorified. ⁿ

The Believer’s Triumph

³¹What then are we to say about these things? ^o

If God is for us, who is against us? ^p

³²He did not even spare His own Son ^q

but offered Him up for us all; ^r

how will He not also with Him grant us everything?

³³Who can bring an accusation against God’s elect? ^s

God is the One who justifies. ^t

³⁴Who is the one who condemns? ^u

Christ Jesus is the One who died, ^v

but even more, has been raised; ^w

He also is at the right hand of God ^x

and intercedes for us. ^y

³⁵Who can separate us from the love of Christ?

Can affliction ^zor anguish or persecution ^a

or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

³⁶As it is written:

Because of You

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

we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered. ^cd

³⁷No, in all these things we are more than victorious ^e

through Him who loved us. ^f

³⁸For I am persuaded that not even death or life, ^g

angels or rulers, ^h

things present or things to come, ⁱhostile powers,

³⁹height or depth, or any other created thing

will have the power to separate us

from the love of God ^jthat is in Christ Jesus our Lord! ^k

Israel’s Rejection of Christ

9I speak the truth in Christ ^l—I am not lying; my conscience is testifying to me with the Holy Spirit ^m— ²that I have intense sorrow and continual anguish in my heart. ³For I could almost wish ⁿto be cursed ^oand cut off ^pfrom the Messiah for the benefit of my brothers, my own flesh and blood. ⁴They are Israelites, ^qand to them belong the adoption, ^rthe glory, ^sthe covenants, ^tthe giving of the law, ^uthe temple service, ^vand the promises. ^w5The ancestors are theirs, ^xand from them, by physical descent, ^ycame the Messiah, ^zwho is God ^aover all, ^bpraised forever. ^cdAmen.

God’s Gracious Election of Israel

⁶But it is not as though the word of God has failed. ^eFor not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. ^f7Neither are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants. ^ghOn the contrary, your offspring will be traced ⁱthrough Isaac. ^jk8That is, it is not the children by physical descent ^lwho are God’s children, ^mbut the children of the promise ⁿare 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. ^op10And not only that, ^qbut also Rebekah received a promise when she became pregnant ^rsby one man, our ancestor 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— ^t12not from works but from the One who calls—she was told: The older will serve the younger. ^uv13As it is written: I have loved Jacob, but I have hated Esau. ^wx

God’s Selection Is Just

¹⁴What should we say then? ^yIs there injustice with God? ^zAbsolutely not! ^a15For He tells Moses:

I will show mercy

to whom I will show mercy,

and I will have compassion

on whom I will have compassion. ^bc

¹⁶So then it does not depend on human will or effort ^debut on God who shows mercy. ^f17For 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 all the earth. ^gh

¹⁸So then, He shows mercy to those He wants to, and He hardens those He wants to harden. ⁱ

¹⁹You will say to me, ^jtherefore, “Why then does He still find fault? ^kFor who can resist His will?” ^l20But who are you, a mere man, to talk back to God? ^mWill what is formed say to the one who formed it, “Why did you make me like this?” ⁿ²¹Or has the potter no right over the clay, ^oto make from the same lump one piece of pottery for honor and another for dishonor? ²²And what if God, desiring to display His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience ^pobjects of wrath ready for destruction? ^q23And what if He did this to make known the riches of His glory ^ron objects of mercy ^sthat He prepared beforehand for glory ^t— ²⁴on us, the ones He also called, ^unot only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? ^v25As He also says in Hosea:

I will call Not My People, My People,

and she who is Unloved, Beloved. ^wx

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. ^yz

²⁷But Isaiah cries out concerning Israel:

Though the number of Israel’s sons

is like the sand of the sea, ^a

only the remnant will be saved; ^b

²⁸for the Lord will execute His sentence

completely and decisively on the earth. ^cde

²⁹And just as Isaiah predicted:

If the Lord of Hosts ^fhad not left us offspring, ^g

we would have become like Sodom,

and we would have been made like Gomorrah. ^hi

Israel’s Present State

³⁰What should we say then? ^jGentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained righteousness—namely the righteousness that comes from faith. ^k31But Israel, pursuing the law for righteousness, ^lhas not achieved the righteousness of the law. ^mn32Why is that? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were by works. ^oThey stumbled over the stumbling stone. ^p33As it is written:

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

and a rock to trip over,

yet the one who believes on Him ^q

will not be put to shame. ^rs