THE RIGHTEOUS WILL LIVE BY FAITH

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel,I,ab because it is the power of God for salvationac to everyone who believes, first to the Jew,ad and also to the Greek.ae 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith,J,af just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.K,L,ag

THE GUILT OF THE GENTILE WORLD

18 For God’s wrathah is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth,ai 19 since what can be knownM about God is evident among them,aj because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, that is, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world,ak being understood through what he has made.al As a result, people are without excuse. 21 For though they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became worthless, and their senseless hearts were darkened.am 22 Claiming to be wise, they became foolsan 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles.ao

24 Therefore God delivered them over in the desires of their heartsap to sexual impurity, so that their bodies were degraded among themselves. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie,aq and worshiped and served what has been created instead of the Creator, who is praised forever.ar Amen.

FROM IDOLATRY TO DEPRAVITY

26 For this reason God delivered them over to disgraceful passions.as Their women* exchanged natural sexual relations* for unnatural ones. 27 The menC in the same way also left natural relations with women and were inflamed in their lust for one another. Men committed shameless acts with menat and received in their own personsD the appropriate penalty of their error.

28 And because they did not think it worthwhile to acknowledge God, God delivered them over to a corrupt mind so that they do what is not right. 29 They are filled with all unrighteousness,E evil, greed, and wickedness. They are full of envy, murder, quarrels, deceit, and malice. They are gossips,a 30 slanderers, God-haters, arrogant, proud, boastful,b inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,c 31 senseless, untrustworthy, unloving,F,d and unmerciful. 32 Although they know God’s just sentence—that those who practice such things deserve to dieG,e—they not only do them, but even applaudH,f others who practice them.

GOD’S RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT

2 Therefore, every one of youI,g who judges is without excuse.h For when you judge another,i you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, do the same things. 2 Now we know that God’s judgment on those who do such things is based on the truth. 3 Do you think—anyone of you who judges those who do such things yet do the same—that you will escape God’s judgment? 4 Or do you despise the riches of his kindness,j restraint,k and patience,l not recognizingJ that God’s kindnessm is intended to lead you to repentance? 5 Because of your hardened and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrathn for yourself in the day of wrath,o when God’s righteous judgment is revealed. 6 He will repay each one according to his works:K,p 7 eternal lifeq to those who by persistence in doing goodr seek glory, honor,s and immortality;t 8 but wrath and anger to those who are self-seekingu and disobey the truthv while obeying unrighteousness. 9 There will be affliction and distressw for every human being who does evil, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek;x 10 but glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does what is good, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. 11 For there is no favoritism with God.y

12 For all who sin without the lawz will also perish without the law, and all who sin underA the law will be judged by the law. 13 For the hearers of the lawaa are not righteous before God, but the doers of the law will be justified.B 14 So, when Gentiles, who do not by nature have the law,ab doC what the law demands, they are a law to themselves even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the lawD is written on their hearts.ac Their consciences confirm this. Their competing thoughts either accuse or even excuse themE 16 on the day when God judgesad what people have kept secret, according to my gospel through Christ Jesus.ae