Letters to the Churches

For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to bring you back again into fear; on the contrary, you received the Spirit, who makes us sons and by whose power we cry out, “Abba!” (that is, “Dear Father!”).

The Spirit himself bears witness with our own spirits that we are children of God;

and if we are children, then we are also heirs, heirs of God and joint-heirs with the Messiah — provided we are suffering with him in order also to be glorified with him.

I don’t think the sufferings we are going through now are even worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed to us in the future.

The creation waits eagerly for the sons of God to be revealed;

for the creation was made subject to frustration — not willingly, but because of the one who subjected it. But it was given a reliable hope

that it too would be set free from its bondage to decay and would enjoy the freedom accompanying the glory that God’s children will have.

We know that until now, the whole creation has been groaning as with the pains of childbirth;

and not only it, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we continue waiting eagerly to be made sons — that is, to have our whole bodies redeemed and set free.

It was in this hope that we were saved. But if we see what we hope for, it isn’t hope — after all, who hopes for what he already sees?

But if we continue hoping for something we don’t see, then we still wait eagerly for it, with perseverance.

Similarly, the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we don’t know how to pray the way we should. But the Spirit himself pleads on our behalf with groanings too deep for words;

and the one who searches hearts knows exactly what the Spirit is thinking, because his pleadings for God’s people accord with God’s will.

Furthermore, we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called in accordance with his purpose;

because those whom he knew in advance, he also determined in advance would be conformed to the pattern of his Son, so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers;

and those whom he thus determined in advance, he also called; and those whom he called, he also caused to be considered righteous; and those whom he caused to be considered righteous he also glorified!

What, then, are we to say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

He who did not spare even his own Son, but gave him up on behalf of us all — is it possible that, having given us his Son, he would not give us everything else too?

So who will bring a charge against God’s chosen people? Certainly not God — he is the one who causes them to be considered righteous!

Who punishes them? Certainly not the Messiah Yeshua, who died and — more than that — has been raised, is at the right hand of God and is actually pleading on our behalf!

Who will separate us from the love of the Messiah? Trouble? Hardship? Persecution? Hunger? Poverty? Danger? War?

As the Tanakh puts it, “For your sake we are being put to death all day long, we are considered sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are superconquerors, through the one who has loved us.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor other heavenly rulers, neither what exists nor what is coming,

neither powers above nor powers below, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God which comes to us through the Messiah Yeshua, our Lord.