Bible Verse Lookup

The Rest of Israel

I ask: Has God rejected his people? Of course not! I, myself, am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham from the tribe of Benjamin.

No, God has not rejected the people he knew beforehand. Don’t you know what the scripture says about Elijah when he accused Israel before God?

He said: “Lord, they have killed your prophets, destroyed your altars, and I alone remain; and now they want to kill me.”

What was God’s answer? “I kept for myself seven thousand who did not worship Baal.”

Similarly, there is now a remnant in Israel, those who were chosen by grace.

It is said: by grace, not because of what they did. Otherwise, grace would not be grace.

What then? What Israel was seeking, it did not find, but those whom God chose did find it. The others hardened their hearts

as scripture says: God made them dull of heart and mind; to this day, their eyes cannot see, nor their ears hear.

David says: May they be caught and trapped at their banquets; may they fall, and may they be punished.

May their eyes be closed so they cannot see, and may their backs be bent forever.

Once again, I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall? Of course not. Their stumble brought salvation to the pagan nations, and this, in turn, will ignite Israel’s jealousy.

If Israel’s shortcoming made the world rich, and the pagan nations grew wealthy from what they lost, what will happen when Israel is restored?

Salvation of the Gentiles

Now I am speaking to you, Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I glory in my ministry

to make my own people jealous and ultimately save some of them.

If the world found peace with God when they stayed apart, what will it be like when they are welcomed? It will be nothing less than a passing from death to life.

When the first fruits are consecrated to God, the entire harvest is consecrated. If the roots are holy, then the branches will be too.

Some branches have been cut from the olive tree, while you, as a wild olive tree, have been grafted in their place, and you are benefiting from their roots and sap.

Now, therefore, do not be prideful or despise the branches, because you do not support the roots; the roots support you.

You may say, ‘They cut off the branches to graft me.’

Well and good! But they were cut off because they did not believe, while you stand by faith. So don’t pride yourself on this too much, but be cautious:

if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you.

Admire both the goodness and severity of God at the same time: He was severe with the fallen, and he is generous with you, as long as you remain faithful. Otherwise, you will be cut off.

If they do not keep rejecting the faith, they will be grafted in, because God can graft them back again.

If you were pulled from the wild olive tree where you belonged and, despite being a different species, you were grafted into the cultivated olive tree, how much more will those who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree?

The Conversion of Israel

I want you to understand God’s mysterious decree, so you don’t become overly confident: part of Israel will stay hardened until most Gentiles come in.

Then all Israel will be saved, as scripture says: From Zion will come the Liberator who will purify the descendants of Jacob from all sin.

And this is the covenant I will establish with them: I will remove their sins.

Regarding the gospel, the Jews are opponents, but it is for your benefit. Concerning the election, they are loved because of their ancestors;

because the call of God and his gifts cannot be revoked.

Because of the disobedience of the Jews, God’s mercy came to you who did not obey God.

They, in turn, will receive mercy in due time after this disobedience that brought God’s mercy to you.

So, God has allowed everyone to be disobedient, to show his mercy to all.

How vast are the riches, wisdom, and knowledge of God! His decisions cannot be explained, nor his ways understood!

Who has ever known God’s thoughts? Who has ever been his adviser?

Who has given him something first so that God had to repay him?

Everything comes from him, has been made by him and must return to him. To him be the glory forever! Amen.

Rules of Christian Life

I urge you, dearly beloved, by God’s mercy, to present yourselves as a living and holy sacrifice pleasing to God; this is the kind of worship that makes sense for you as sensible people.

Don’t let the world shape you, but be transformed by renewing your mind. You need to understand God’s will: what is good, pleasing, and perfect.

The grace that God has given me allows me to tell each of you: don’t pretend too much, but think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

See, the body is one, even though it is made up of many parts, but not all of them have the same function.

The same is true for us; since we are many, we are one body in Christ, depending on each other.

Let each of us serve according to our different gifts. Are you a prophet? Then share the insights of faith.

If ministry, in ministering; if one is a teacher, in teaching;

the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.

Let love be genuine. Detest evil and cling to what is good.

Love one another and be kind. Strive to surpass each other in mutual respect.

Be passionate about fulfilling your duties. Be enthusiastic in the spirit and serve God.

Have hope and stay cheerful. Be patient during trials and pray constantly.

Share with other Christians in need. Be prepared to welcome those passing by.

Bless those who persecute you; bless them and do not wish harm on anyone.

Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

Live peacefully with each other. Do not dream of grand things; stay humble and do not consider yourselves wise.

Never repay evil with evil; instead, show everyone your good will.

Do your best to live peacefully with everybody.

Beloved, do not seek revenge yourself, but leave it to God to punish, as scripture says: Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.

And it adds: If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; by doing this, you will heap burning coals upon his head.

Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.

Obedience to the Authorities

Let everyone submit to the authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and the offices have been established by God.

Whoever therefore resists authority is resisting God’s decree, and those who resist deserve condemnation.

In fact, who fears authority? Not those who do good, but those who do evil. Do you want to be free from fear of someone in authority? Do good, and you will receive praise.

They are the stewards of God, for your well-being. But if you do not behave, fear them, for they do not carry arms in vain; they serve God when they judge and punish wrongdoers.

It is necessary to obey, not out of fear, but as a matter of conscience.

Similarly, you must pay taxes because the collectors are God’s representatives.

Pay everyone what is owed to them: give contributions to those you owe contributions; pay taxes to those who are due taxes; show respect to those who are deserving of respect; and give honor to those who are worthy of honor.

Don’t owe anyone anything except love. The one who loves their neighbor fulfills the law.

The commandments—such as do not commit adultery, do not kill, and do not covet—are all summarized in this: You will love your neighbor as yourself.

Love cannot harm a neighbor; therefore, love fulfills the entire law.

The Coming of Christ

You know what hour it is. This is the time to wake up, for our salvation is now nearer than when we first believed.

The night is almost over, and the day is at hand. Let us discard, therefore, everything that belongs to darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.

As we live in the whole light of day, let us act with decency, no banquets with drunkenness, no promiscuity or licentiousness, no fighting or jealousy.

Put on, rather, the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not be led by the will of the flesh or follow its desires.

Freedom and Charity

Welcome those who are weak in faith and do not criticize their scruples.

Some believe they can eat any food, while others who are less liberated eat only vegetables.

If you eat, do not look down on those who abstain; if you abstain, do not judge those who eat, for God has accepted them.

Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? Whether he succeeds or fails, his own master is the one responsible. And he will not fail, because his master can keep him standing.

Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike; let us act according to our own opinion.

The one who distinguishes among days does so for the Lord; and the one who eats, eats for the Lord, and in eating, gives thanks to the Lord. And the one who does not eat does it for the Lord and gives him thanks as well.

We Belong to the Lord

None of us lives for himself,

or dies for himself.

If we live, we live for the Lord,

and if we die, we die for the Lord.

Either in life or in death,

we belong to the Lord.

For this is why Christ died and came to life,

to be Lord both of the dead and the living.

Then you, why do you criticize your brother or sister? And you, why do you despise them? For we will all appear at the tribunal of God.

It is written: I swear by myself—word of the Lord—every knee will bend before me, and every tongue shall give glory to God.

So each of us will account for himself before God.

Do Not Cause Scandal

Therefore, let us stop criticizing each other; instead, let us strive never to place anything in our brother’s or sister’s way that might cause them to stumble or fall.

I know, I am confident in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is inherently unclean; it is only considered unclean by those who view it that way.

But if you hurt your brother or sister because of a particular food, you are no longer walking in love. Let not your eating cause the loss of someone for whom Christ died.

Don’t let your good be spoken of as evil.

The kingdom of God isn’t about food or drink; it’s about justice, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

If you serve Christ this way, you’ll please God and be praised by others.

Let us then explore what promotes peace and makes us better.

Do not ruin God’s work over food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for you to cause others to stumble by what you eat.

And it might be better not to eat meat, drink wine, or do anything else that causes your brother or sister to stumble.

Keep your own belief before God, and you will be happy if you never act against your own belief.

Instead, whoever eats something despite his doubt is condemned by his conscience, because whatever we do against our conscience is sinful.

Pleasing Others

We, the strong and free, should carry the weakness of those who are not strong instead of seeking our own pleasure.

Let each of us bring joy to our neighbors by helping them for a good purpose, for building up.

Christ himself did not seek his own satisfaction, as scripture says: The insults of those insulting you fell upon me.

And we know that whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction, for both perseverance and comfort, given to us by the scripture, to sustain our hope.

May God, the source of all perseverance and comfort, grant you all peace in Christ Jesus,

so that you may praise God, the Father of Christ Jesus, our Lord, with one voice.

The Good News for Jews and Gentiles

Welcome one another, as Christ welcomed you for the glory of God.

Look: Christ put himself at the service of the Jewish world to fulfill the promises made by God to their ancestors; here you see God’s faithfulness.

The pagans instead, give thanks to God for his mercy, as scripture says: Because of that, I will sing and praise your name among the pagans.

And elsewhere: Rejoice, pagan nations, together with God’s people.

And again: Praise the Lord, all people, and let all nations speak of his magnificence.

Isaiah says: A descendant of Jesse will come who will rule the pagan nations, and they will hope in him.

May God, the source of hope, fill you with joy and peace through your faith, so that your hope may grow stronger by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Paul’s Mission to the Gentiles 14As for me, brothers and sisters, I am confident that you have goodwill, knowledge, and the ability to advise each other.

However, I have written boldly at some points in this letter to remind you of what you already know. I do this in accordance with the grace that God has given me

when I was sent to the pagan nations. I dedicated myself to serving the Good News of God as a minister of Christ Jesus, aiming to present the non-Jews to God as an acceptable offering, consecrated by the Holy Spirit.

This service of God is a source of pride for me, in Christ Jesus.

Of course, I would not dare to speak of other things, but what Christ himself has done through me—my words and my works,

with miracles and signs—by the power of the Holy Spirit—so that non-Jews may obey the faith. In this way, I have extended the Good News to all parts, from Jerusalem to Illyricum.

I have been very careful, and I am proud of this, not to preach in places where Christ is already known, nor to build upon foundations laid by others.

Let it be as scripture says: Those who have not been told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand.

This work has kept me from coming to you.

But now there is no more place for me in these regions and, as I have wanted for so long to go and see you,

I hope to visit you when I go to Spain. Then you could help me go there, once I have enjoyed being with you for a time.

I’m heading to Jerusalem now to assist that community.

Know that the churches of Macedonia and Achaia have decided to contribute to the poor among the believers in Jerusalem.

They have decided to do that, and in fact, they were indebted to them. For the non-Jews have shared the spiritual goods of the Jews, and now they must help them materially.

So I am supposed to finish this task and give over the amount that has been collected. Then I will come to you, and from there, go to Spain.

And I am sure that when I go to you, I will go with all the blessings of God.

I urge you, brothers and sisters, by Christ Jesus our Lord and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in prayer to God;

pray that I may avoid the traps set by the enemies of faith in Judea and that the Jerusalem community will welcome the help I bring.

And so I will go to you with joy and, God willing, be refreshed in your company.

May the God of peace be with you. Amen.

Final Greetings

I recommend to you our sister Phoebe, a deaconess of the church of Cenchreae.

Please receive her, in the name of the Lord, as you would among brothers and sisters in faith, and help her with whatever is needed, because she has helped many, including myself.

Greetings to Prisca and Aquilas, my helpers in Christ Jesus.

To save my life, they risked theirs; I am very grateful to them, as are all the churches of the pagan nations.

Greetings also to the church meeting in their house. Greetings to my dear Epaenetus, the first in the province of Asia to believe in Christ.

Greet Mary, who has worked so hard for you.

Greetings to Andronicus and Junia, my relatives and comrades in prison; they are well-known apostles and served Christ before I did.

Send my greetings to Ampliatus, whom I love dearly in the Lord.

Greetings to Urbanus, our coworker, and to my dear Stachys.

Greetings to Apelles, who endured for Christ, and to the family of Aristobulus.

Greetings to my relative Herodion and those in the household of Narcissus who serve in the Lord’s work.

Greetings to Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who labor for the Lord’s sake. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord.

Greetings to Rufus, chosen by the Lord, and his mother, who was like a mother to me.

Greetings to Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters with them.

Greetings to Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, Olympas, and all the holy ones in Christ Jesus with them.

Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send their greetings.

Brothers and sisters, I urge you to be cautious of those who cause divisions and spread different teachings from what you initially learned. Stay away from them,

because those individuals do not serve Christ our Lord, but their own interests, deceiving the naive with their smooth and entertaining words.

Everyone knows you are very obedient, and because of that, I am happy. However, I want you to be sensible in doing good and firm against evil.

The God of peace will soon defeat Satan and bring him under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

Timothy, who is with me, sends you greetings, as do Lucius, Jason, and Sosipatros, my relatives.

I, Tertius, the writer of this letter, send you greetings in the Lord.

Greetings from Gaius, who has hosted me and in whose house the church gathers. Greetings from Erastus, the city treasurer, and from our brother Quartus. [[

The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.]]

Glory be to God! He can give you strength in accordance with the Good News I proclaim, announcing Christ Jesus. The mysterious plan that was hidden for ages is now revealed.

By the will of the eternal God, it is revealed through the prophetic books, and all nations shall come to believe the faith proclaimed to them.

Glory to God, who is the only wise, through Christ Jesus, forever! Amen.