The Person who Believes will be Saved

1Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God about the Jewsa is that they would be saved. 2For I can testify on their behalf that they have a zeal for God, but it is not in keeping with full knowledge. 3For 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 means to attainb righteousness. 4For the Messiahc is the culminationd of the Law as far as righteousness is concerned for everyone who believes.

5For Moses writes about the righteousness that comes from the Law as follows: “The person who obeys these things will find life by them.”e 6But the righteousness that comes from faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will go up to heaven?’ (that is, to bring the Messiahf down), 7or ‘Who will go down into the depths?’ (that is, to bring the Messiahg back from the dead).”

8But what does it say? “The message is near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart.”h This is the message about faith that we are proclaiming: 9If 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. 10For one believes with his heart and is justified, and declares with his mouth and is saved. 11The Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will never be ashamed.”i 12There is no difference between Jew and Greek, because they all have the same Lord, who gives richly to all who call on him. 13“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lordj will be saved.”k

14How, then, can peoplel 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? 15And how can peoplem preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful aren those who bring the good news!”o 16But not everyone has obeyed the gospel, for Isaiah asks, “Lord, who has believed our message?”p 17Consequently, faith results from listening, and listening results through the word of the Messiah.q

18But 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.”r

19Again 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.”s

20And 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.”t

21But about Israel he says,

“All day long I have held out my hands

to a disobedient and rebellious people.”u