Romans 15

1 We who are strong in faith should help the weak with their weaknesses, and not please only ourselves.2 Let each of us please our neighbors for their good, to help them be stronger in faith.3 Even Christ did not live to please himself. It was as the Scriptures said: “When people insult you, it hurts me.” 4 Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us. The Scriptures give us patience and encouragement so that we can have hope.5 May the patience and encouragement that come from God allow you to live in harmony with each other the way Christ Jesus wants.6 Then you will all be joined together, and you will give glory to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.7 Christ accepted you, so you should accept each other, which will bring glory to God.8 I tell you that Christ became a servant of the Jews to show that God’s promises to the Jewish ancestors are true.

9 And he also did this so that those who are not Jews could give glory to God for the mercy he gives to them. It is written in the Scriptures:
“So I will praise you among the non-Jewish people. I will sing praises to your name.” t

10 The Scripture also says,
“Be happy, you who are not Jews, together with his people.” t

11 Again the Scripture says,
“All you who are not Jews, praise the Lord. All you people, sing praises to him.” t

12 And Isaiah says,
“A new king will come from the family of Jesse. 

13 I pray that the God who gives hope will fill you with much joy and peace while you trust in him. Then your hope will overflow by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Paul Talks About His Work

14 My brothers and sisters, I am sure that you are full of goodness. I know that you have all the knowledge you need and that you are able to teach each other.15 But I have written to you very openly about some things I wanted you to remember. I did this because God gave me this special gift:

16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to those who are not Jews. I served God by teaching his Good News, so that the non-Jewish people could be an offering that God would accept—an offering made holy by the Holy Spirit.
17 So I am proud of what I have done for God in Christ Jesus.18 I will not talk about anything except what Christ has done through me in leading those who are not Jews to obey God. They have obeyed God because of what I have said and done,19 because of the power of miracles and the great things they saw, and because of the power of the Holy Spirit. I preached the Good News from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, and so I have finished that part of my work.20 I always want to preach the Good News in places where people have never heard of Christ, because I do not want to build on the work someone else has already started.

21 But it is written in the Scriptures:
“Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard about him will understand.” t

Paul’s Plan to Visit Rome

22 This is the reason I was stopped many times from coming to you.23 Now I have finished my work here. Since for many years I have wanted to come to you,24 I hope to visit you on my way to Spain. After I enjoy being with you for a while, I hope you can help me on my trip.25 Now I am going to Jerusalem to help God’s people.26 The believers in Macedonia and Southern Greece were happy to give their money to help the poor among God’s people at Jerusalem.27 They were happy to do this, and really they owe it to them. These who are not Jews have shared in the Jews’ spiritual blessings, so they should use their material possessions to help the Jews.28 After I am sure the poor in Jerusalem get the money that has been given for them, I will leave for Spain and stop and visit you.

29 I know that when I come to you I will bring Christ’s full blessing.
30 Brothers and sisters, I beg you to help me in my work by praying to God for me. Do this because of our Lord Jesus and the love that the Holy Spirit gives us.31 Pray that I will be saved from the nonbelievers in Judea and that this help I bring to Jerusalem will please God’s people there.32 Then, if God wants me to, I will come to you with joy, and together you and I will have a time of rest.33 The God who gives peace be with you all. Amen.

Romans 16

Greetings to the Christians

1 I recommend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a helper 

2 I ask you to accept her in the Lord in the way God’s people should. Help her with anything she needs, because she has helped me and many other people also.
3 Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila, who work together with me in Christ Jesus4 and who risked their own lives to save my life. I am thankful to them, and all the non-Jewish churches are thankful as well.

5 Also, greet for me the church that meets at their house.
Greetings to my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first person in Asia to follow Christ.6 Greetings to Mary, who worked very hard for you.7 Greetings to Andronicus and Junia, my relatives, who were in prison with me. They are very important apostles. They were believers in Christ before I was.8 Greetings to Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord.9 Greetings to Urbanus, a worker together with me for Christ. And greetings to my dear friend Stachys.10 Greetings to Apelles, who was tested and proved that he truly loves Christ. Greetings to all those who are in the family of Aristobulus.11 Greetings to Herodion, my fellow citizen. Greetings to all those in the family of Narcissus who belong to the Lord.12 Greetings to Tryphena and Tryphosa, women who work very hard for the Lord. Greetings to my dear friend Persis, who also has worked very hard for the Lord.13 Greetings to Rufus, who is a special person in the Lord, and to his mother, who has been like a mother to me also.14 Greetings to Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and all the brothers and sisters who are with them.15 Greetings to Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and to all God’s people with them.

16 Greet each other with a holy kiss. All of Christ’s churches send greetings to you.
17 Brothers and sisters, I ask you to look out for those who cause people to be against each other and who upset other people’s faith. They are against the true teaching you learned, so stay away from them.18 Such people are not serving our Lord Christ but are only doing what pleases themselves. They use fancy talk and fine words to fool the minds of those who do not know about evil.

19 All the believers have heard that you obey, so I am very happy because of you. But I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil.

20 The God who brings peace will soon defeat Satan and give you power over him.
The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

21 Timothy, a worker together with me, sends greetings, as well as Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my relatives.

22 I am Tertius, and I am writing this letter from Paul. I send greetings to you in the Lord.
23 Gaius is letting me and the whole church here use his home. He also sends greetings to you, as do Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus. [24 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you. Amen.] 25 Glory to God who can make you strong in faith by the Good News that I tell people and by the message about Jesus Christ. The message about Christ is the secret that was hidden for long ages past but is now made known.

26 It has been made clear through the writings of the prophets. And by the command of the eternal God it is made known to all nations that they might believe and obey.
27 To the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.

1 Corinthians 1

1 From Paul. God called me to be an apostle of Christ Jesus because that is what God wanted. Also from Sosthenes, our brother in Christ.

2 To the church of God in Corinth, to you who have been made holy in Christ Jesus. You were called to be God’s holy people with all people everywhere who pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours:

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

Paul Gives Thanks to God

4 I always thank my God for you because of the grace God has given you in Christ Jesus.5 I thank God because in Christ you have been made rich in every way, in all your speaking and in all your knowledge.6 Just as our witness about Christ has been guaranteed to you,7 so you have every gift from God while you wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to come again.8 Jesus will keep you strong until the end so that there will be no wrong in you on the day our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.

9 God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

Problems in the Church

10 I beg you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that all of you agree with each other and not be split into groups. I beg that you be completely joined together by having the same kind of thinking and the same purpose.11 My brothers and sisters, some people from Chloe’s family have told me quite plainly that there are quarrels among you.12 This is what I mean: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another says, “I follow Apollos”; another says, “I follow Peter”; and another says, “I follow Christ.”13 Christ has been divided up into different groups! Did Paul die on the cross for you? No! Were you baptized in the name of Paul? No!14 I thank God I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius15 so that now no one can say you were baptized in my name.16 (I also baptized the family of Stephanas, but I do not remember that I baptized anyone else.)17 Christ did not send me to baptize people but to preach the Good News. And he sent me to preach the Good News without using words of human wisdom so that the cross 

Christ Is God’s Power and Wisdom

18 The teaching about the cross is foolishness to those who are being lost, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

19 It is written in the Scriptures:
“I will cause the wise to lose their wisdom; I will make the wise unable to understand.” t
20 Where is the wise person? Where is the educated person? Where is the skilled talker of this world? God has made the wisdom of the world foolish.21 In the wisdom of God the world did not know God through its own wisdom. So God chose to use the message that sounds foolish to save those who believe.22 The Jews ask for miracles, and the Greeks want wisdom.23 But we preach a crucified Christ. This causes the Jews to stumble and is foolishness to non-Jews.24 But Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God to those people God has called—Jews and Greeks.

25 Even the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.
26 Brothers and sisters, look at what you were when God called you. Not many of you were wise in the way the world judges wisdom. Not many of you had great influence. Not many of you came from important families.27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and he chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.28 He chose what the world thinks is unimportant and what the world looks down on and thinks is nothing in order to destroy what the world thinks is important.29 God did this so that no one can brag in his presence.30 Because of God you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God. In Christ we are put right with God, and have been made holy, and have been set free from sin.31 So, as the Scripture says, “If people want to brag, they should brag only about the Lord.”