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But, my fellow believers in the Messiah, I deeply desire that God will save {the Israelites}. I even beg him {to save} them! 2 Certainly, I can personally confirm that they are enthusiastic about God. However, they do not {understand what it means to} {truly} know {him}. 3 This is because they are ignorant of how God makes people right with himself. So, they continue striving to make themselves right with God. {This is why} they refuse to subject themselves to how God makes people right with himself. 4 Indeed, {they do not understand} that {Jesus} the Messiah completes {the purpose that God has always intended for his} law. God makes anyone right with himself who continues to trust {in God}. 5 This is what Moses {himself} wrote {in the holy scriptures} about {those who think they can be} right with God by {obeying his} law: “The person who practices {all} the things in God’s law will stay alive this way.” 6 However, God makes people right with himself by trusting in God. This is what the holy scripture means when it says, “Do not say to yourself, ‘No one can go up to heaven!’ (In other words, to try and bring down the Messiah). 7 ”Or say, ‘No one can bring down {the Messiah} into the bottomless pit!’ (In other words, to try to lead the Messiah up from death). 8 However Moses says this {in another passage of the holy scriptures}, “God‘s message is as close to you as your mouth and your heart!” In other words, we refer to God‘s message about trusting in him, that we {apostles} keep announcing. 9 {This is God‘s message}: God will save {any type of person} who verbally acknowledges that Jesus is the Lord {over all things}. God will also save {any type of person} who deeply trusts that God resurrected Jesus from death. 10 This is because God makes {any type of} person right with himself, who continues to deeply entrust himself {to God}. God also saves {any type of person} who continues to verbally acknowledge {him}. 11 In fact, this is what the holy scripture says, “God will not humiliate {anyone} who continues to trust in him.” 12 Indeed, the Lord Jesus does not discriminate between Jew or Pagan. This is because Jesus is the same Lord over all people types. The Lord Jesus richly blesses all types of people who continue to invoke him {to save them}. 13 Indeed, ”God will save anyone who invokes the name of the Lord {Jesus}.”
14 Certainly, they could not invoke Jesus as Lord {unless} they {first} trust in him. And certainly they could not trust in Jesus {unless} they {first} hear {the message about him}. And certainly, they could not hear {the message about Jesus} unless someone {first} announces {who he is}. 15 And certainly they could not announce the message about Jesus unless someone sends them out! This is exactly what the holy scriptures say, “It is a beautiful thing when people declare happy news about good things!” 16 However, they have not all paid attention to the happy news {about Jesus}. Indeed, this is what the Prophet Isaiah says in the holy scriptures, “Lord, no one trusts what we say!” 17 So then, a person can {only} trust in Jesus by hearing {about him}. And a person can {only} hear about Jesus through {those who announce} the message {that Jesus is} the Messiah.
18 However, this is what I say, “It is absolutely certain they heard!” It is a fact. {As the holy scriptures say,} “What they said spread throughout the entire earth. What they announced spread to the farthest parts of the {inhabited} world.”
19 However this is what I say, “It is absolutely certain that Israel understood!” God first says through Moses in the holy scriptures, “I will personally make you envious because of a nation that does not {belong to me}. I will make you furious because of a nation that does not know {me}.” 20 Indeed, God also quite boldly declares through the Prophet Isaiah in the holy scriptures, “Those who were not searching for me found me. I manifested myself to those who did not ask about me.”
21 However, God tells Israel in the holy scriptures, “I stretch out my arms all the time {to embrace you}. {But, you} are a people who {constantly} disobeys and argues {with me}!”