Israel Needs the Gospel
1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness Acts 21:20; Gal. 1:14that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of (Rom. 1:17)God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own (Phil. 3:9)righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. 4 For Matt. 5:17; (Rom. 7:1–4; Gal. 3:24; 4:5)Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
5 For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, Lev. 18:5; Neh. 9:29; Ezek. 20:11, 13, 21; Rom. 7:10; Gal. 3:12"The man who does those things shall live by them." 6 But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, Deut. 30:12–14"Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ " (that is, to bring Christ down fromabove) 7 or, Deut. 30:13" ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ " (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? Deut. 30:14"The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that Matt. 10:32; Luke 12:8; Acts 8:37; Rom. 14:9; (1 Cor. 12:3); Phil. 2:11if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, Is. 28:16; Jer. 17:7; Rom. 9:33"Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame." 12 For Acts 15:9; Rom. 3:22, 29; Gal. 3:28there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for Acts 10:36; 1 Tim. 2:5the same Lord over all Eph. 1:7is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For Joel 2:32; Acts 2:21"whoever calls Acts 9:14on the name of the Lord shall be saved."
Israel Rejects the Gospel
14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear Acts 8:31; Titus 1:3without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:
Is. 52:7; Nah. 1:15"How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace,
Who bring glad tidings of good things!"
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, Is. 53:1; John 12:38"Lord, who has believed our report?" 17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
18 But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed:
Ps. 19:4; Matt. 24:14; Mark 16:15; Rom. 1:8; Col. 1:6, 23; 1 Thess. 1:8"Their sound has gone out to all the earth,
And their words to the ends of the world."
19 But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says:
Deut. 32:21; Rom. 11:11"I will provoke you to jealousy by thosewhoare not a nation,
I will move you to anger by a Titus 3:3foolish nation."
20 But Isaiah is very bold and says:
Is. 65:1; Rom. 9:30"I was found by those who did not seek Me;
I was made manifest to those who did not ask for Me."
21 But to Israel he says:
Is. 65:2"All day long I have stretched out My hands
To a disobedient and contrary people."