• 1 Brothers, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation.
  • 2 For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.
  • 3 For not knowing about the righteousness of God and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.
  • 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

  • Faith Comes by Hearing

  • 5 For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of law: “The man who does these things shall live by them.”
  • 6 But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will go up into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down),
  • 7 or ‘Who will go down into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).”
  • 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching,
  • 9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
  • 10 for with the heart a person believes, leading to righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, leading to salvation.
  • 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes upon Him will not be put to shame.”
  • 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him,
  • 13 for “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
  • 14 How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?
  • 15 And how will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who proclaim good news of good things!”
  • 16 However, they did not all heed the good news, for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?”
  • 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
  • 18 But I say, have they never heard? On the contrary, they have; “Their voice has gone out into all the earth, And their words to the ends of the world.”
  • 19 But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says, “I will make you jealous by that which is not a nation, By a nation without understanding will I anger you.”
  • 20 And Isaiah is very bold and says, “I was found by those who did not seek Me, I became manifest to those who did not ask for Me.”
  • 21 But as for Israel He says, “All day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.”