Letters to the Churches

Lo, then, goodness and severity of God--upon those indeed who fell, severity; and upon thee, goodness, if thou mayest remain in the goodness, otherwise, thou also shalt be cut off.

And those also, if they may not remain in unbelief, shall be graffed in, for God is able again to graff them in;

for if thou, out of the olive tree, wild by nature, wast cut out, and, contrary to nature, wast graffed into a good olive tree, how much rather shall they, who are according to nature, be graffed into their own olive tree?

For I do not wish you to be ignorant, brethren, of this secret--that ye may not be wise in your own conceits--that hardness in part to Israel hath happened till the fulness of the nations may come in;

and so all Israel shall be saved, according as it hath been written, `There shall come forth out of Sion he who is delivering, and he shall turn away impiety from Jacob,

and this to them is the covenant from Me, when I may take away their sins.'

As regards, indeed, the good tidings, they are enemies on your account; and as regards the choice--beloved on account of the fathers;

for unrepented of are the gifts and the calling of God;

for as ye also once did not believe in God, and now did find kindness by the unbelief of these:

so also these now did not believe, that in your kindness they also may find kindness;

for God did shut up together the whole to unbelief, that to the whole He might do kindness.

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

for who did know the mind of the Lord? or who did become His counsellor?

or who did first give to Him, and it shall be given back to him again?

because of Him, and through Him, and to Him are the all things; to Him is the glory--to the ages. Amen.

I call upon you, therefore, brethren, through the compassions of God, to present your bodies a sacrifice--living, sanctified, acceptable to God--your intelligent service;

and be not conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, for your proving what is the will of God--the good, and acceptable, and perfect.

For I say, through the grace that was given to me, to every one who is among you, not to think above what it behoveth to think; but to think so as to think wisely, as to each God did deal a measure of faith,

for as in one body we have many members, and all the members have not the same office,

so we, the many, one body are in Christ, and members each one of one another.

And having gifts, different according to the grace that was given to us; whether prophecy--`According to the proportion of faith!'

or ministration--`In the ministration!' or he who is teaching--`In the teaching!'

or he who is exhorting--`In the exhortation!' he who is sharing--`In simplicity!' he who is leading--`In diligence?' he who is doing kindness--`In cheerfulness.'

The love unfeigned: abhorring the evil; cleaving to the good;

in the love of brethren, to one another kindly affectioned: in the honour going before one another;