ROMANS

THE GOSPEL OF GOD FOR ROME

1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostleA,a and set apartb for the gospel of Godc—2 which he promised beforehand d through his prophetse in the Holy Scriptures—3 concerning his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was a descendant of DavidB,f according to the fleshg 4 and was appointed to be the powerfulh Son of Godi according to the Spirit of holinessC by the resurrection of the dead. 5 Through him we have received grace and apostleshipj to bring aboutD the obediencek of faith for the sake of his name among all the Gentiles,* l 6 including you who are also called by Jesus Christ.m

7 To all who are in Rome, loved by God,n calledo as saints.p

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

PAUL’S DESIRE TO VISIT ROME

8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you because the news of your faithF is being reported in all the world.q 9 God is my witness,r whom I serve with my spirits in telling the good news about his Son—that I constantly mention you,t 10 always asking in my prayers that if it is somehow in God’s will, I may now at last succeed in coming to you.u 11 For I want very much to see you,v so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you, 12 that is, to be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.

13 Now I don’t want you to be unaware,w brothers and sisters, that I often planned to come to you (but was prevented until nowx) in order that I might have a fruitful ministryG among you,y just as I have had among the rest of the Gentiles. 14 I am obligated both to Greeks and barbarians,H,z both to the wise and the foolish. 15 So I am eager to preach the gospelaa to you also who are in Rome.

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 menP 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 personsQ 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,A 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,B,d and unmerciful. 32 Although they know God’s just sentence—that those who practice such things deserve to dieC,e—they not only do them, but even applaudD,f others who practice them.

GOD’S RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT

2 Therefore, every one of youE,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 recognizingF 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:G,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 underH 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.I 14 So, when Gentiles, who do not by nature have the law,ab doJ 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 lawK is written on their hearts.ac Their consciences confirm this. Their competing thoughts either accuse or even excuse themL 16 on the day when God judgesad what people have kept secret, according to my gospel through Christ Jesus.ae

JEWISH VIOLATION OF THE LAW

17 Now ifM you call yourself a Jew, and rely on the law,af and boast in God, 18 and know his will, and approve the things that are superior,ag being instructed from the law, 19 and if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light to those in darkness, 20 an instructor of the ignorant, a teacher of the immature, having the embodiment of knowledge and truthah in the law—21 you then, who teach another,ai don’t you teach yourself? You who preach, “You must not steal”—do you steal? 22 You who say, “You must not commit adultery”—do you commit adultery? You who detest idols, do you rob temples?aj 23 You who boast in the law,ak do you dishonor God by breaking the law?* 24 For, as it is written: The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.N,al

CIRCUMCISION OF THE HEART

25 Circumcision benefits you if you observe the law, but if you are a lawbreaker, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.am 26 So if an uncircumcisedan man keeps the law’s requirements,ao will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision? 27 A man who is physically uncircumcised, but who keeps the law, will judge youap who are a lawbreaker in spite of having the letter of the law and circumcision. 28 For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly,aq and true circumcision is not something visible in the flesh. 29 On the contrary, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly,ar and circumcision is of the heart—by the Spirit, not the letter.O,as That person’s praise is not from people but from God.at

PAUL ANSWERS AN OBJECTION

3 So what advantage does the Jew have? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? 2 Considerable in every way. First, they were entrusteda with the very words of God.b 3 What then? If some were unfaithful,c will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness? 4 Absolutely not!d Let God be true, even though everyone is a liar,e as it is written:

That you may be justified in your words

and triumph when you judge.A,f

5 But if our unrighteousness highlightsB God’s righteousness,g what are we to say?h I am using a human argument:C,i Is God unrighteous to inflict wrath? 6 Absolutely not! Otherwise, how will God judge the world?j 7 But if by my lie God’s truth abounds to his glory, why am I also still being judged as a sinner?k 8 And why not say, just as some people slanderously claim we say, “Let us do what is evil so that good may come”?l Their condemnation is deserved!

THE WHOLE WORLD GUILTY BEFORE GOD

9 What then? Are we any better off?D Not at all! For we have already charged that both Jewsm and Greeksn are all under sin,F,o 10 as it is written:

There is no one righteous, not even one.

11 There is no one who understands;

there is no one who seeks God.

12 All have turned away;

all alike have become worthless.

There is no one who does what is good,

not even one.G,p

13 Their throat is an open grave;

they deceive with their tongues.H,q

Vipers’ venom is under their lips.I,r

14 Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.J,s

15 Their feet are swift to shed blood;

16 ruin and wretchedness are in their paths,

17 and the path of peace they have not known.K,t

18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.L,u

19 Now we know that whatever the law says,v it speaks to those who are subject to the law,M,w so that every mouth may be shut and the whole world may become subject to God’s judgment.N,x 20 For no one will be justifiedO in his sight by the works of the law,y because the knowledge of sin comes through the law.z

THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD THROUGH FAITH

21 But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed,aa attested by the Law and the Prophets.P,ab 22 The righteousness of God is through faithac in Jesus ChristQ,ad to all who believe,ae since there is no distinction.af 23 For all have sinnedag and fall short of theR glory of God; 24 they are justified freely by his graceah through the redemption that …