Study Desk

And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you.

And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.

For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.

He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, freely give us all things?

Nor because they are Abraham's descendants are they all his children. On the contrary, "Through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned."

One of you will say to me, "Then why does God still find fault? For who can resist His will?"

What if God, intending to show His wrath and make His power known, bore with great patience the vessels of His wrath, prepared for destruction?

What if He did this to make the riches of His glory known to the vessels of His mercy, whom He prepared in advance for glory-

For the Lord will carry out His sentence on the earth thoroughly and decisively."

I ask then, did God reject His people? Certainly not! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin.

God did not reject His people, whom He foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says about Elijah, how he appealed to God against Israel:

Take notice, therefore, of the kindness and severity of God: severity to those who fell, but kindness to you, if you continue in His kindness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.

For God's gifts and His call are irrevocable.

O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments, and untraceable His ways!

"Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor?"

We have different gifts according to the grace given us. If one's gift is prophecy, let him use it in proportion to his faith;

On the contrary, "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. For in so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head."

For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the one in authority? Then do what is right, and you will have his approval.

Be indebted to no one, except to one another in love, for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.

Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on his opinions.