Romans 1
Romans
God’s Good News for Rome
1 Paul, a ▼▼slave: The strong Greek word doulos cannot be accurately translated in English by "servant" or "bond servant"; the HCSB translates this word as "slave," not out of insensitivity to the legitimate concerns of modern English speakers, but out of a commitment to accurately convey the brutal reality of the Roman empire's inhumane institution as well as the ownership called for by Christ.
slave of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle ▼▼Or Jesus, a called apostle
,
c and singled out d for God’s good news e – 2 which He promised long ago f through His prophets g in the Holy Scriptures – 3 concerning His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was a descendant of David ▼▼Lit was of the seed of David
,
i according to the flesh j 4and who has been declared to be the powerful k Son of God l by the resurrection from the dead according to the Spirit of holiness. ▼▼Or the spirit of holiness, or the Holy Spirit
5We have received grace and apostleship n through Him to bring about ▼▼Or Him for; lit Him into
the obedience p of faith ▼ among all the nations, ▼▼Or Gentiles
,
s on behalf of His name, 6 including yourselves who also belong to Jesus Christ by calling: t 7To all who are in Rome, loved by God, u called v as ▼▼saint(s)/sanctification/sanctify/sanctified: The work of the Holy Spirit that separates believers in Jesus from the world; at the time of saving faith in Jesus, the believer is made a saint; therefore, all believers are saints. The believer participates with the Spirit in a process of transformation that continues until glorification. The goal of sanctification is progressive conformity to the image of Jesus Christ.
saints. xGrace 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 ▼▼Or because your faith
is being reported in all the world. z 9 For God, whom I serve with my spirit aa in telling the good news about His Son, is my witness ab that I constantly mention you, ac 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. ad 11 For I want very much to see you, ae 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, ▼▼Lit I don’t want you to be unaware
,
ag ▼▼brother(s): The Greek word adelphoi can be used as a reference to males only or to groups that include males and females. It is the context of each usage that determines the proper meaning.
brothers, that I often planned to come to you (but was prevented until now ai) in order that I might have a fruitful ministry ▼▼Lit have some fruit
among you, ak just as among the rest of the Gentiles. 14I am obligated both to Greeks and barbarians, ▼▼Or non-Greeks
,
am both to the wise and the foolish. 15 So I am eager to preach the good news an to you also who are in Rome. The Righteous Will Live by Faith
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, ▼▼Other mss add of Christ
,
ap because it is God’s power for salvation aq to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, ar and also to the Greek. as 17 For in it God’s righteousness is revealed from faith to faith, ▼▼Or revealed out of faith into faith
,
au just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith. ▼▼Or The one who is righteous by faith will live
aw
,
ax The Guilt of the Gentile World
18 For God’s wrath ay is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth, az 19 since what can be known ▼▼Or what is known
about God is evident among them, bb 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, bc being understood through what He has made. bd 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. be 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools bf 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles. bg 24 Therefore God delivered them over in the cravings of their hearts bh to sexual impurity, so that their bodies were degraded among themselves. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, bi and worshiped and served something created instead of the Creator, who is praised forever. bj ▼▼Amen: The transliteration of a Hebrew word signifying that something is certain, valid, truthful, or faithful; it is often used at the end of biblical songs, hymns, and prayers.
Amen. From Idolatry to Depravity
26 This is why God delivered them over to degrading passions. bl For even their females exchanged natural sexual relations ▼▼Lit natural use
for unnatural ones. 27 The males in the same way also left natural relations ▼▼Lit natural use
with females and were inflamed in their lust for one another. Males committed shameless acts with males bo and received in their own persons ▼▼Or in themselves
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. 29They are filled with all unrighteousness, ▼▼Other mss add sexual immorality
evil, greed, and wickedness. They are full of envy, murder, quarrels, deceit, and malice. They are gossips, br 30 slanderers, God-haters, arrogant, proud, boastful, bs inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, bt 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, ▼▼Other mss add unforgiving
,
bv and unmerciful. 32Although they know full well God’s just sentence – that those who practice such things deserve to die ▼▼Lit things are worthy of death
,
bx – they not only do them, but even applaud ▼▼Lit even take pleasure in
,
bz others who practice them.
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