The Gospel of God for Rome

1Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostlea a and set apartb for the gospel of Godc —  2which he promised beforehanda through his prophetsb in the Holy Scriptures —  3concerning his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was a descendant of Davida a according to the fleshb 4and was appointed to be the powerfula Son of Godb according to the Spirit of holinessA by the resurrection of the dead. 5Through him we have received grace and apostleshipa to bring aboutA the obedienceb of faith for the sake of his name among all the Gentiles,B c 6including you who are also called by Jesus Christ.a

7To all who are in Rome, loved by God,a calledb as saints.c

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

Paul’s Desire to Visit Rome

8First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you because the news of your faithA is being reported in all the world.a 9God is my witness,a whom I serve with my spiritb in telling the good news about his Son — that I constantly mention you,c 10always asking in my prayers that if it is somehow in God’s will, I may now at last succeed in coming to you.a 11For I want very much to see you,a so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you, 12that is, to be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.

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

The Righteous Will Live by Faith

16For I am not ashamed of the gospel,a a because it is the power of God for salvationb to everyone who believes, first to the Jew,c and also to the Greek.d 17For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith,a a just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.B b c

The Guilt of the Gentile World

18For God’s wratha is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth,b 19since what can be knownA about God is evident among them,a because God has shown it to them. 20For his invisible attributes, that is, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world,a being understood through what he has made.b As a result, people are without excuse. 21For 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.a 22Claiming to be wise, they became foolsa 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles.a

24Therefore God delivered them over in the desires of their heartsa to sexual impurity, so that their bodies were degraded among themselves. 25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie,a and worshiped and served what has been created instead of the Creator, who is praised forever.b Amen.

From Idolatry to Depravity

26For this reason God delivered them over to disgraceful passions.a Their womenA exchanged natural sexual relationsB for unnatural ones. 27The menA in the same way also left natural relations with women and were inflamed in their lust for one another. Men committed shameless acts with mena and received in their own personsB the appropriate penalty of their error.

28And 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. 29They are filled with all unrighteousness,A evil, greed, and wickedness. They are full of envy, murder, quarrels, deceit, and malice. They are gossips,a 30slanderers, God-haters, arrogant, proud, boastful,a inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,b 31senseless, untrustworthy, unloving,a a and unmerciful. 32Although they know God’s just sentence — that those who practice such things deserve to diea a — they not only do them, but even applaudB b others who practice them.