Romans 1

God's Good News for Rome

1 Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle and singled out for God's good news- 2 which He promised long ago through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures- 3 concerning His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was a descendant of David according to the flesh 4 and who has been declared to be the powerful Son of God by the resurrection from the dead according to the Spirit of holiness. 5 We have received grace and apostleship through Him to bring about the obedience of faith among all the nations, on behalf of His name,

6 including yourselves who also belong to Jesus Christ by calling:

7 To all who are in Rome, loved by God, called as saints.
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 faith is being reported in all the world. 9 For God, whom I serve with my spirit in [telling] the good news about His Son, is my witness that I constantly mention you, 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. 11 For I want very much to see you, so 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 want you to know, brothers, that I often planned to come to you (but was prevented until now) in order that I might have a fruitful ministry among you, just as among the rest of the Gentiles. 14 I am obligated both to Greeks and barbarians, both to the wise and the foolish.

15 So I am eager to preach the good news to you also who are in Rome.

The Righteous Will Live by Faith

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

17 For in it God's righteousness is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.

The Guilt of the Gentile World

18 For God's wrath is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth, 19 since what can be known about God is evident among them, 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, being understood through what He has made. 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 nonsense, and their senseless minds were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools

23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles.
24 Therefore God delivered them over in the cravings of their hearts to sexual impurity, so that their bodies were degraded among themselves.

25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served something created instead of the Creator, who is praised forever. Amen.

From Idolatry to Depravity

26 This is why God delivered them over to degrading passions. For even their females exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones.

27 The males in the same way also left natural relations with females and were inflamed in their lust for one another. Males committed shameless acts with males and received in their own persons the appropriate penalty of their error.
28 And because they did not think it worthwhile to acknowledge God, God delivered them over to a worthless mind to do what is morally wrong. 29 They are filled with all unrighteousness, evil, greed, and wickedness. They are full of envy, murder, quarrels, deceit, and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, arrogant, proud, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, and unmerciful.

32 Although they know full well God's just sentence-that those who practice such things deserve to die-they not only do them, but even applaud others who practice 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