<t /><p class="bodytext">So I ask, God has not rejected his people, has he? Absolutely not! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin.

<t /><p class="bodytext">And do this<n id="1" /> because we know<n id="2" /> the time, that it is already the hour for us to awake from sleep, for our salvation is now nearer than when we became believers.

and thus the Gentiles glorify God for his mercy.<n id="1" /> As it is written, &#8220;<i><b>Because of this I will confess you among the Gentilesb>, <b>and I will sing praises to your nameb>i>.&#8221;<n id="2" />

who risked their own necks for my life. Not only I, but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.

Also greet the church in their house. Greet my dear friend Epenetus,<n id="1" /> who was the first convert<n id="2" /> to Christ in the province of Asia.<n id="3" />

The God of peace will quickly crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.p>

They<n id="1" /> exchanged the truth of God for a lie<n id="2" /> and worshiped and served the creation<n id="3" /> rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.p>

<t /><n id="1" /><p class="bodytext">Therefore<n id="2" /> you are without excuse,<n id="3" /> whoever you are,<n id="4" /> when you judge someone else.<n id="5" /> For on whatever grounds<n id="6" /> you judge another, you condemn yourself, because you who judge practice the same things.

This was<n id="1" /> also to demonstrate<n id="2" /> his righteousness in the present time, so that he would be just<n id="3" /> and the justifier of the one who lives because of Jesus&#8217; faithfulness.<n id="4" />p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">So then, just as sin entered the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all people<n id="1" /> because<n id="2" /> all sinned &#8211;

Therefore we have been buried with him through baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may live a new life.<n id="1" />p>

For God achieved what the law could not do because<n id="1" /> it was weakened through the flesh. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and concerning sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,

Moreover if the Spirit of the one<n id="1" /> who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, the one who raised Christ<n id="2" /> from the dead will also make your mortal bodies alive through his Spirit who lives in you.<n id="3" />p>

God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew! Do you not know what the scripture says about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel?

For the commandments,<n id="1" /> &#8220;<i><b>Do not commit adulteryb>, <b>do not murderb>, <b>do not stealb>, <b>do not covetb>,i>&#8221;<n id="2" /> (and if there is any other commandment) are summed up in this, &#8220;<b><i>Love your neighbor as yourselfi>b>.&#8221;<n id="3" />

<p class="bodytext">Now I urge you, brothers and sisters,<n id="1" /> through our Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit, to join fervently with me in prayer to God on my behalf.