1 Dear friends, my greatest wish and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved. 2 I know they love God, but they don't understand 3 what makes people acceptable to him. So they refuse to trust God, and they try to be acceptable by obeying the Law. 4 But Christ makes the Law no longer necessary for those who become acceptable to God by faith.
Anyone Can Be Saved
5 Moses said a person could become acceptable to God by obeying the Law. He did this when he wrote, “If you want to live, you must do all the Law commands.”
6 But people whose faith makes them acceptable to God will never ask, “Who will go up to heaven to bring Christ down?” 7 Neither will they ask, “Who will go down into the world of the dead to raise him to life?”
8 All who are acceptable because of their faith simply say, “The message is as near as your mouth or your heart.” And this is the same message we preach about faith. 9 So you will be saved, if you honestly say, “Jesus is Lord,” and if you believe with all your heart that God raised him from death. 10 God will accept you and save you, if you truly believe this and tell it to others.
11 The Scriptures say no one who has faith will be disappointed, 12 no matter if that person is a Jew or a Gentile. There is only one Lord, and he is generous to everyone who asks for his help. 13 All who call out to the Lord will be saved.
14 How can people have faith in the Lord and ask him to save them, if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear, unless someone tells them? 15 And how can anyone tell them without being sent by the Lord? The Scriptures say it is a beautiful sight to see even the feet of someone coming to preach the good news. 16 Yet not everyone has believed the message. For example, the prophet Isaiah asked, “Lord, has anyone believed what we said?”
17 No one can have faith without hearing the message about Christ. 18 But am I saying that the people of Israel did not hear? No, I am not! The Scriptures say,
“The message was told
everywhere on earth.
It was announced
all over the world.”
19 Did the people of Israel understand or not? Moses answered this question when he told that the Lord had said,
“I will make Israel jealous
of people
who are a nation
of nobodies.
I will make them angry
with people
who don't understand
a thing.”
20 Isaiah was fearless enough to tell that the Lord had said,
“I was found by people
who were not looking
for me.
I appeared to the ones
who were not asking
about me.”
21 And Isaiah said about the people of Israel,
“All day long the Lord
has reached out
to people who are stubborn
and refuse to obey.”
1 Brethren, mine hearts desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saued. 2 For I beare them record, that they haue the zeale of God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they, being ignorant of the righteousnes of God, and going about to stablish their owne righteousnes, haue not submitted themselues to the righteousnes of God. 4 For Christ is the end of the Law for righteousnes vnto euery one that beleeueth. 5 For Moses thus describeth the righteousnes which is of the Lawe, That the man which doeth these things, shall liue thereby. 6 But the righteousnes which is of faith, speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heauen? (that is to bring Christ from aboue) 7 Or, Who shall descend into the deepe? (that is to bring Christ againe from the dead) 8 But what sayth it? The worde is neere thee, euen in thy mouth, and in thine heart. This is the worde of faith which we preach. 9 For if thou shalt confesse with thy mouth the Lord Iesus, and shalt beleeue in thine heart, that God raised him vp from the dead, thou shalt be saued: 10 For with the heart man beleeueth vnto righteousnes, and with the mouth man confesseth to saluation. 11 For the Scripture saith, Whosoeuer beleeueth in him, shall not be ashamed. 12 For there is no difference betweene the Iewe and the Grecian: for he that is Lord ouer all, is rich vnto all, that call on him. 13 For whosoeuer shall call vpon the Name of the Lord, shalbe saued. 14 But how shall they call on him, in whome they haue not beleeued? and how shall they beleeue in him, of whom they haue not heard? and howe shall they heare without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, Howe beautifull are the feete of them which bring glad tidings of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! 16 But they haue not all obeyed ye Gospel: for Esaias saith, Lord, who hath beleeued our report? 17 Then faith is by hearing, and hearing by the worde of God. 18 But I demaund, Haue they not heard? No doubt their sound went out through all the earth, and their wordes into the endes of the worlde. 19 But I demaund, Did not Israel knowe God? First Moses sayth, I will prouoke you to enuie by a nation that is not my nation, and by a foolish nation I will anger you. 20 And Esaias is bolde, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not, and haue bene made manifest to them that asked not after me. 21 And vnto Israel hee sayth, All the day long haue I stretched foorth mine hand vnto a disobedient, and gainesaying people.