Study Desk

But Christ makes the Law no longer necessary for those who become acceptable to God by faith.

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.

Yet not everyone has believed the message. For example, the prophet Isaiah asked, "Lord, has anyone believed what we said?"

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."

This happened because of God's undeserved kindness and not because of anything they have done. It could not have happened except for God's kindness.

This means that only a chosen few of the people of Israel found what all of them were searching for. And the rest of them were stubborn,

Then David said, "Turn their meals into bait for a trap, so that they will stumble and be given what they deserve.

Do I mean that the people of Israel fell, never to get up again? Certainly not! Their failure made it possible for the Gentiles to be saved, and this will make the people of Israel jealous.

After all, it wasn't natural for branches to be cut from a wild olive tree and to be made part of a cultivated olive tree. So it is much more likely that God will join the natural branches back to the cultivated olive tree.

Be sincere in your love for others. Hate everything that is evil and hold tight to everything that is good.

Rulers are a threat to evil people, not to good people. There is no need to be afraid of the authorities. Just do right, and they will praise you for it.

Welcome all the Lord's followers, even those whose faith is weak. Don't criticize them for having beliefs that are different from yours.

But you should not criticize others for eating or for not eating. After all, God welcomes everyone.

Whether we live or die, it must be for God, rather than for ourselves.

Whether we live or die, it must be for the Lord. Alive or dead, we still belong to the Lord.

And so, each of us must give an account to God for what we do.

The Lord Jesus has made it clear to me that God considers all foods fit to eat. But if you think some foods are unfit to eat, then for you they are not fit.

If you are hurting others by the foods you eat, you are not guided by love. Don't let your appetite destroy someone Christ died for.

Don't let your appetite destroy what God has done. All foods are fit to eat, but it is wrong to cause problems for others by what you eat.

It is best not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else that causes problems for other followers of the Lord.