Letters to the Churches

And it shall be, thatin the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, There shall they be called sons of the living God.

And Isaiah crieth concerning Israel, If the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, it is the remnant that shall be saved:

for the Lord will execute his word upon the earth, finishing it and cutting it short.

And, as Isaiah hath said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, We had become as Sodom, and had been made like unto Gomorrah.

What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, who followed not after righteousness, attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith:

but Israel, following after a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law.

Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by works. They stumbled at the stone of stumbling;

even as it is written, Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence: And he that believeth on him shall not be put to shame.

Brethren, my heart’s desire and my supplication to God is for them, that they may be saved.

For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.

For being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.

For Christ is the end of the law unto righteousness to every one that believeth.

For Moses writeth that the man that doeth the righteousness which is of the law shall live thereby.

But the righteousness which is of faith saith thus, Say not in thy heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down:)

or, Who shall descend into the abyss? (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead.)

But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach:

because if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved:

for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be put to shame.

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek: for the same Lord is Lord of all, and is rich unto all that call upon him:

for, Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

and how shall they preach, except they be sent? even as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that bring glad tidings of good things!

But they did not all hearken to the glad tidings. For Isaiah saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?

So belief cometh of hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.