Study Desk

It is about his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ: as to his humanity, he was born a descendant of David;

as to his divine holiness, he was shown with great power to be the Son of God by being raised from death.

And so I write to all of you in Rome whom God loves and has called to be his own people: May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

God is my witness that what I say is true—the God whom I serve with all my heart by preaching the Good News about his Son. God knows that I remember you

every time I pray. I ask that God in his good will may at last make it possible for me to visit you now.

Ever since God created the world, his invisible qualities, both his eternal power and his divine nature, have been clearly seen; they are perceived in the things that God has made. So those people have no excuse at all!

Or perhaps you despise his great kindness, tolerance, and patience. Surely you know that God is kind, because he is trying to lead you to repent.

Other people are selfish and reject what is right, in order to follow what is wrong; on them God will pour out his anger and fury.

You boast about having God's law—but do you bring shame on God by breaking his law?

Much, indeed, in every way! In the first place, God trusted his message to the Jews.

But what if my untruth serves God's glory by making his truth stand out more clearly? Why should I still be condemned as a sinner?

God offered him, so that by his blood he should become the means by which people's sins are forgiven through their faith in him. God did this in order to demonstrate that he is righteous. In the past he was patient and overlooked people's sins; but in the present time he deals with their sins, in order to demonstrate his righteousness. In this way God shows that he himself is righteous and that he puts right everyone who believes in Jesus.

What shall we say, then, of Abraham, the father of our race? What was his experience?

The scripture says, "Abraham believed God, and because of his faith God accepted him as righteous."

Does this happiness that David spoke of belong only to those who are circumcised? No indeed! It belongs also to those who are not circumcised. For we have quoted the scripture, "Abraham believed God, and because of his faith God accepted him as righteous."

He was circumcised later, and his circumcision was a sign to show that because of his faith God had accepted him as righteous before he had been circumcised. And so Abraham is the spiritual father of all who believe in God and are accepted as righteous by him, even though they are not circumcised.

When God promised Abraham and his descendants that the world would belong to him, he did so, not because Abraham obeyed the Law, but because he believed and was accepted as righteous by God.

He was then almost one hundred years old; but his faith did not weaken when he thought of his body, which was already practically dead, or of the fact that Sarah could not have children.

His faith did not leave him, and he did not doubt God's promise; his faith filled him with power, and he gave praise to God.

endurance brings God's approval, and his approval creates hope.