10:1 Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God on behalf of the Jews is that they would be saved. |
10:2 For I can testify on their behalf that they have a zeal for God, but it is not in keeping with full knowledge. |
10:3 For they are ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God while they try to establish their own, and they have not submitted to God's righteousness. |
10:4 For Christ is the culmination of the law as far as righteousness is concerned for everyone who believes. |
10:5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that comes from the law as follows: "The person who obeys these things will find life in them." |
10:6 But the righteousness that comes from faith says, "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will go up to heaven?' (that is, to bring Christ down), |
10:7 or 'Who will go down into the depths?' (that is, to bring Christ back from the dead)." |
10:8 But what does it say? "The message is near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart." This is the message of faith that we proclaim: |
10:9 If you declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. |
10:10 For a person believes with his heart and is justified, and a person declares with his mouth and is saved. |
10:11 For the Scripture says, "Everyone who believes in him will not be ashamed." |
10:12 For there is no difference between Jew and Greek, because they all have the same Lord, who gives richly to all who call on him. |
10:13 For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." |
10:14 How, then, can people call on someone they have not believed? And how can they believe in someone they have not heard about? And how can they hear without someone preaching? |
10:15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news!" |
10:16 But not everyone has obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah asks, "Lord, who has believed our message?" |
10:17 Consequently, faith comes from listening, and listening comes through the word of Christ. |
10:18 But I ask, "Didn't they hear?" Certainly they did! In fact, "Their voice has gone out into the whole world, and their words to the ends of the earth." |
10:19 Again I ask, "Did Israel not understand?" Moses was the first to say, "I will make you jealous by those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation that doesn't understand." |
10:20 And Isaiah boldly says, "I was found by those who were not looking for me; I was revealed to those who were not asking for me." |
10:21 But about Israel he says, "All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and rebellious people." |