What should we say then? Gentiles did not look for a way to be right with God. But they found it by having faith.

这样，我们可说什么呢？那本来不追求义的外邦人反得了义，就是因信而得的义。

这样，我们要怎么说呢？那不追求义的外邦人却获得了义，就是因信而获得的义。

这样，我们要怎么说呢？那不追求义的外邦人却获得了义，就是因信而获得的义。

这样看来，我们该说什么呢？本来不追求义的外族人却因信而得到了义。

既是这样，我们还有什么可说的呢？那不追求义的外族人却得了义，就是因信而得的义。

那么，我们要怎么说呢？那原来没有追求义的外邦人，却得到了义，就是因信而得的义；

這樣，我們可說甚麼呢？那本來不追求義的外邦人反得了義，就是因信而得的義。

這樣，我們要怎麼說呢？那不追求義的外邦人卻獲得了義，就是因信而獲得的義。

這樣，我們要怎麼說呢？那不追求義的外邦人卻獲得了義，就是因信而獲得的義。

這樣看來，我們該說什麼呢？本來不追求義的外族人卻因信而得到了義。

既是這樣，我們還有甚麼可說的呢？那不追求義的外族人卻得了義，就是因信而得的義。

這樣，我們可怎麼說呢？那不追求義的外國人倒追着了義、那本着信的義；

那麼，我們要怎麼說呢？那原來沒有追求義的外邦人，卻得到了義，就是因信而得的義；

然則將何言耶、異邦人未趨義而得義、即由信之義也、

是何以言之、異邦人不求稱義、而得稱義者、乃以信主而稱義、

是則何言、異邦人不尋義而得義、即由信之義、

於此吾人尚有何說？異邦之人、未曾求義、竟因信而得義矣。

What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith;

What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith;

What does all this mean? Even though the Gentiles were not trying to follow God’s standards, they were made right with God. And it was by faith that this took place.

What should we say then? Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained righteousness— namely the righteousness that comes from faith.

What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, but the righteousness that is by faith;

What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith;

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

What should we say then? Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained righteousness— namely the righteousness that comes from faith.

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

What shall we say then?– that the Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness obtained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith,

What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, who didn’t follow after righteousness, attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith;

I want to be joined to him. Being right with God does not come from my obeying the law. It comes because I believe in Christ. It comes from God because of faith.

Noah had faith. So he built an ark to save his family. He built it because of his great respect for God. God had warned him about things that could not yet be seen. Because of his faith Noah showed the world that it was guilty. Because of his faith he was considered right with God.

He was circumcised as a sign of the covenant God had made with him. It showed that his faith had made him right with God before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the father of all believers who have not been circumcised. God accepts their faith. So their faith makes them right with him.

What should we say then? Is God unfair? Not at all!

Here is what we know. No one is made right with God by obeying the law. It is by believing in Jesus Christ. So we too have put our faith in Christ Jesus. This is so we can be made right with God by believing in Christ. We are not made right by obeying the law. That’s because no one can be made right with God by obeying the law.

Then Isaiah boldly speaks about what God says. God said,“ I was found by those who were not trying to find me. I made myself known to those who were not asking for me.”( Isaiah 65:1)

But the way to do what God requires must begin by having faith in him. Scripture says,“ Do not say in your heart,‘ Who will go up into heaven?’ ”( Deuteronomy 30:12) That means to go up into heaven and bring Christ down.

Long ago, Scripture knew that God would make the Gentiles right with himself. He would do this by their faith in him. He announced the good news ahead of time to Abraham. God said,“ All nations will be blessed because of you.”( Genesis 12:3; 18:18; 22:18)

With your heart you believe and are made right with God. With your mouth you say what you believe. And so you are saved.

Don’t you know that people who do wrong will not receive God’s kingdom? Don’t be fooled. Those who commit sexual sins will not receive the kingdom. Neither will those who worship statues of gods or commit adultery. Neither will men who sleep with other men.Neither will thieves or those who always want more and more. Neither will those who are often drunk or tell lies or cheat. People who live like that will not receive God’s kingdom.Some of you used to do those things. But your sins were washed away. You were made holy. You were made right with God. All of this was done in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. It was also done by the Spirit of our God.

So the law was put in charge of us until Christ came. He came so that we might be made right with God by believing in Christ.

You have spent enough time in the past doing what ungodly people choose to do. You lived a wild life. You longed for evil things. You got drunk. You went to wild parties. You worshiped statues of gods, which the Lord hates.

That’s why“ God accepted Abraham because he believed. So his faith made him right with God.”( Genesis 15:6)

Is that blessing only for those who are circumcised? Or is it also for those who are not circumcised? We have been saying that God accepted Abraham’s faith. So his faith made him right with God.

But we long to be made completely holy because of our faith in Christ. Through the Holy Spirit we wait for this in hope.

Abraham and his family received a promise. God promised that Abraham would receive the world. It would not come to him because he obeyed the law. It would come because of his faith, which made him right with God.

The Lord says,“ I made myself known to those who were not asking for me. I was found by those who were not trying to find me. I spoke to a nation that did not pray to me.‘ Here I am,’ I said.‘ Here I am.’All day long I have held out my hands to welcome a stubborn nation. They lead sinful lives. They go where their evil thoughts take them.

The good news shows God’s power to make people right with himself. God’s power to be made right with him is given to the person who has faith. It happens by faith from beginning to end. It is written,“ The one who is right with God will live by faith.”( Habakkuk 2:4)God shows his anger from heaven. It is against all the godless and evil things people do. They are so evil that they say no to the truth.The truth about God is plain to them. God has made it plain.Ever since the world was created it has been possible to see the qualities of God that are not seen. I’m talking about his eternal power and about the fact that he is God. Those things can be seen in what he has made. So people have no excuse for what they do.They knew God. But they didn’t honor him as God. They didn’t thank him. Their thinking became worthless. Their foolish hearts became dark.They claimed to be wise. But they made fools of themselves.They would rather have statues of gods than the glorious God who lives forever. Their statues of gods are made to look like people, birds, animals and reptiles.So God let them go. He allowed them to do what their sinful hearts wanted to. He let them commit sexual sins. They made one another’s bodies impure by what they did.They chose a lie instead of the truth about God. They worshiped and served created things. They didn’t worship the Creator. But he is praised forever. Amen.So God let them continue to have their shameful desires. Their women committed sexual acts that were not natural.In the same way, the men turned away from their natural love for women. They burned with sexual desire for each other. Men did shameful things with other men. They suffered in their bodies for all the wrong things they did.They didn’t think it was important to know God. So God let them continue to have evil thoughts. They did things they shouldn’t do.They are full of every kind of sin, evil and ungodliness. They want more than they need. They commit murder. They want what belongs to other people. They fight and cheat. They hate others. They say mean things about other people.They tell lies about them. They hate God. They are rude and proud. They brag. They think of new ways to do evil. They don’t obey their parents.They do not understand. They can’t be trusted. They are not loving and kind.They know that God’s commands are right. They know that those who do evil things should die. But they continue to do those very things. They also approve of others who do them.

The Lord hates how sinners live. But he loves those who run after what is right.

Anyone who wants to be godly and loving finds life, success and honor.

Here is what I’m telling you. I am speaking for the Lord as I warn you. You must no longer live as the Gentiles do. Their thoughts don’t have any purpose.They can’t understand the truth. They are separated from the life of God. That’s because they don’t know him. And they don’t know him because their hearts are stubborn.They have lost all feeling for what is right. So they have given themselves over to all kinds of evil pleasures. They take part in every kind of unclean act. And they are full of greed.

Doesn’t the fact that we are wrong prove more clearly that God is right? Then what can we say? Can we say that God is not fair when he brings his anger down on us? As you can tell, I am just using human ways of thinking.

We have been made right with God because of our faith. Now we have peace with him because of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Before you believed in Christ, you were separated from him. You were not considered to be citizens of Israel. You were not included in what the covenants promised. You were without hope and without God in the world.

But you are a man of God. Run away from all these things. Try hard to do what is right and godly. Have faith, love and gentleness. Hold on to what you believe.

The people of Israel tried to obey the law to make themselves right with God. But they didn’t reach their goal of being right with God.

The Lord says,“ Listen to me, you who want to do what is right. Pay attention, you who look to me. Consider the rock you were cut out of. Think about the rock pit you were dug from.

But now God has shown us his saving power without the help of the law. But the Law and the Prophets tell us about this.We are made right with God by putting our faith in Jesus Christ. This happens to all who believe. It is no different for the Jews than for the Gentiles.