Day 330 of 364

^9:1I tell the truth in Christ. I am not lying, my conscience testifying with me in the Holy Spirit ^9:2that I have great sorrow and unceasing pain in my heart. ^9:3For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brothers’ sake, my relatives according to the flesh ^9:4who are Israelites; whose is the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service, and the promises; ^9:5of whom are the fathers, and from whom is Christ as concerning the flesh, who is over all, God, blessed forever. Amen. ^9:6But it is not as though the word of God has come to nothing. For they are not all Israel that are of Israel. ^9:7Neither, because they are Abraham’s offspring, are they all children. But, “your offspring will be accounted as from Isaac.” ^9:8That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as heirs. ^9:9For this is a word of promise: “At the appointed time I will come, and Sarah will have a son.” ^9:10Not only so, but Rebekah also conceived by one, by our father Isaac. ^9:11For 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 who calls, ^9:12it was said to her, “The elder will serve the younger.” ^9:13Even as it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” ^9:14What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? May it never be! ^9:15For he said to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” ^9:16So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who has mercy. ^9:17For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I caused you to be raised up, that I might show in you my power, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” ^9:18So then, he has mercy on whom he desires, and he hardens whom he desires. ^9:19You will say then to me, “Why does he still find fault? For who withstands his will?” ^9:20But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed ask him who formed it, “Why did you make me like this?” ^9:21Or hasn’t the potter a right over the clay, from the same lump to make one part a vessel for honor, and another for dishonor? ^9:22What if God, willing to show his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, ^9:23and that he might make known the riches of his glory on vessels of mercy, which he prepared beforehand for glory— ^9:24us, whom he also called, not from the Jews only, but also from the Gentiles? ^9:25As he says also in Hosea, “I will call them ‘my people,’ which were not my people; and her ‘beloved,’ who was not beloved.” ^9:26“It will be that in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘children of the living God.’” ^9:27Isaiah cries concerning Israel, “If the number of the children of Israel are as the sand of the sea, it is the remnant who will be saved; ^9:28for he will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness, because the Lord will make a short work upon the earth.” ^9:29As Isaiah has said before, “Unless the Lord of Armies had left us a seed, we would have become like Sodom, and would have been made like Gomorrah.” ^9:30What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, who didn’t follow after righteousness, attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith; ^9:31but Israel, following after a law of righteousness, didn’t arrive at the law of righteousness. ^9:32Why? Because they didn’t seek it by faith, but as it were by works of the law. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, ^9:33even as it is written, “Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and a rock of offense; and no one who believes in him will be disappointed.” ^10:1Brothers, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God is for Israel, that they may be saved. ^10:2For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. ^10:3For being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, they didn’t subject themselves to the righteousness of God. ^10:4For Christ is the fulfillment of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. ^10:5For Moses writes about the righteousness of the law, “The one who does them will live by them.” ^10:6But the righteousness which is of faith says this, “Don’t say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down); ^10:7or, ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead.)” ^10:8But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart;” that is, the word of faith which we preach: ^10:9that if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ^10:10For with the heart one believes resulting in righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made resulting in salvation. ^10:11For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in him will not be disappointed.” ^10:12For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, and is rich to all who call on him. ^10:13For, “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” ^10:14How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in him whom they have not heard? How will they hear without a preacher? ^10:15And how will they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the Good News of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!” ^10:16But they didn’t all listen to the glad news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” ^10:17So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. ^10:18But I say, didn’t they hear? Yes, most certainly, “Their sound went out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” ^10:19But I ask, didn’t Israel know? First Moses says, “I will provoke you to jealousy with that which is no nation. I will make you angry with a nation void of understanding.” ^10:20Isaiah is very bold and says, “I was found by those who didn’t seek me. I was revealed to those who didn’t ask for me.” ^10:21But about Israel he says, “All day long I stretched out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”