Romans 1

Greeting

1 From Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle and appointed to spread the Good News of God.2 (God had already promised this Good News through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures.3 This Good News is about his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.t In his human nature he was a descendant of David.4 In his spiritual, holy nature he was declared the Son of God. This was shown in a powerful way when he came back to life.5 Through him we have received God’s kindnesst and the privilege of being apostles who bring people from every nation to the obedience that is associated with faith. This is for the honor of his name.

6 You are among those who have been called to belong to Jesus Christ.)
7 To everyone in Rome whom God loves and has called to be his holy people.Good willt and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ are yours!

Paul’s Prayer and Desire to Visit Rome

8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for every one of you because the news of your faith is spreading throughout the whole world.9 I serve God by spreading the Good News about his Son. God is my witness that I always mention you10 every time I pray. I ask that somehow God will now at last make it possible for me to visit you.11 I long to see you to share a spiritual blessing with you so that you will be strengthened.

12 What I mean is that we may be encouraged by each other’s faith.
13 I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that I often planned to visit you. However, until now I have been kept from doing so. What I want is to enjoy some of the results of working among you as I have also enjoyed the results of working among the rest of the nations.14 I have an obligation to those who are civilized and those who aren’t, to those who are wise and those who aren’t.

15 That’s why I’m eager to tell you who live in Rome the Good News also.
16 I’m not ashamed of the Good News. It is God’s power to save everyone who believes, Jews first and Greeks as well.

17 God’s approval is revealed in this Good News. This approval begins and ends with faith as Scripture says, “The person who has God’s approval will live because of faith.”

God’s Anger Against Sinful Humanity

18 God’s anger is revealed from heaven against every ungodly and immoral thing people do as they try to suppress the truth by their immoral living.19 What can be known about God is clear to them because he has made it clear to them.20 From the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly observed in what he made. As a result, people have no excuse.21 They knew God but did not praise and thank him for being God. Instead, their thoughts were total nonsense, and their misguided minds were plunged into darkness.22 While claiming to be wise, they became fools.

23 They exchanged the glory of the immortal God for statues that looked like mortal humans, birds, animals, and snakes.
24 For this reason God allowed their lusts to control them. As a result, they dishonor their bodies by sexual perversion with each other.

25 These people have exchanged God’s truth for a lie. So they have become ungodly and serve what is created rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen!
26 For this reason God allowed their shameful passions to control them. Their women have exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones.

27 Likewise, their men have given up natural sexual relations with women and burn with lust for each other. Men commit indecent acts with men, so they experience among themselves the punishment they deserve for their perversion.
28 And because they thought it was worthless to acknowledge God, God allowed their own immoral minds to control them. So they do these indecent things.29 Their lives are filled with of all kinds of sexual sins, wickedness, and greed. They are mean. They are filled with envy, murder, quarreling, deceit, and viciousness. They are gossips,30 slanderers, haters of God, haughty, arrogant, and boastful. They think up new ways to be cruel. They don’t obey their parents,31 don’t have any sense, don’t keep promises, and don’t show love to their own families or mercy to others.

32 Although they know God’s judgment that those who do such things deserve to die, they not only do these things but also approve of others who do them.

Romans 1

Salutation

1 From Paul,t a slavets of Christ Jesus,s called to be an apostle,t set apart for the gospel of God.t2 This gospelt he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures,3 concerning his Son who was a descendantt of David with reference to the flesh,t4 who was appointed the Son-of-God-in-powers according to the Holy Spiritt by the resurrectiont from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.5 Through himt we have received grace and our apostleshipt to bring about the obediencet of faitht among all the Gentiles on behalf of his name.6 You also are among them,t called to belong to Jesus Christ.t

7 To all those loved by God in Rome,s called to be saints:t Grace and peace to yout from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Paul’s Desire to Visit Rome

8 First of all,t I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed throughout the whole world.9 For God, whom I serve in my spirit by preaching the gospelt of his Son, is my witness thatt I continually remember you10 and I always askt in my prayers, if perhaps now at last I may succeed in visiting you according to the will of God.t11 For I long to see you, so that I may impart to you some spiritual gifts to strengthen you,12 that is, that we may be mutually comforted by one another’s faith,t both yours and mine.13 I do not want you to be unaware,s brothers and sisters,t that I often intended to come to you (and was prevented until now), so that I may have some fruit even among you, just as I already have among the rest of the Gentiles.t14 I am a debtort both to the Greeks and to the barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish.

15 Thus I am eagert also to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome.s

The Power of the Gospel

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.s

17 For the righteousnesst of God is revealed in the gospelt from faith to faith,t just as it is written, “The righteous by faith will live.”s

The Condemnation of the Unrighteous

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of peoplet who suppress the truth by theirt unrighteousness,t19 because what can be known about God is plain to them,t because God has made it plain to them.20 For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, because they are understood through what has been made. So peoplet are without excuse.21 For although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give him thanks, but they became futile in their thoughts and their senseless heartst were darkened.22 Although they claimedt to be wise, they became fools

23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for an image resembling mortal human beingst or birds or four-footed animalss or reptiles.
24 Therefore God gave them overs in the desires of their hearts to impurity, to dishonort their bodies among themselves.t

25 Theyt exchanged the truth of God for a liet and worshiped and served the creationt rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged the natural sexual relations for unnatural ones,t

27 and likewise the men also abandoned natural relations with woment and were inflamed in their passionst for one another. Ment committed shameless acts with men and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God,t God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what should not be done.t29 They are filledt with every kind of unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, malice. They are rife witht envy, murder, strife, deceit, hostility. They are gossips,30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, contrivers of all sorts of evil, disobedient to parents,31 senseless, covenant-breakers,t heartless, ruthless.

32 Although they fully knowt God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die,t they not only do them but also approve of those who practice them.s