But, as to the spirit of holiness within him, was miraculously designated Son of God by his resurrection from the dead.

I want you to know, Brothers, that I have many times intended coming to see you-but until now I have been prevented-that I might find among you some fruit of my labors, as I have already among the other nations.

For I am not ashamed of the Good News; it is the power of God which brings Salvation to every one who believes in Christ, to the Jew first, but also to the Greek.

Well aware of God's decree, that those who do such things deserve to die, not only are they guilty of them themselves, but they even applaud those who do them.

While as to those who are factious, and disobedient to Truth but obedient to Evil, wrath and anger, distress and despair,

Will fall upon every human being who persists in wrong-doing- -upon the Jew first, but also upon the Greek.

But there will be glory, honor, and peace for every one who does right-for the Jew first, but also for the Greek,

It is not those who hear the words of a Law that are righteous before God, but it is those who obey it that will be pronounced righteous.

But, perhaps, you bear the name of 'Jew,' and are relying upon Law, and boast of belonging to God, and understand his will,

Circumcision has its value, if you are obeying the Law. But, if you are a breaker of the Law, your circumcision is no better than uncircumcision.

What follows then? Some, no doubt, showed a want of faith; but will their want of faith make God break faith? Heaven forbid!

But what if our wrong-doing makes God's righteousness all the clearer? Will God be wrong in inflicting punishment? (I can but speak as a man.) Heaven forbid!

But, if my falsehood redounds to the glory of God, by making his truthfulness more apparent, why am I like others, still condemned as a sinner?

But now, quite apart from Law, the Divine Righteousness stands revealed, and to it the Law and the Prophets bear witness--

But, in his loving-kindness, are being freely pronounced righteous through the deliverance found in Christ Jesus.

If he was pronounced righteous as the result of obedience, then he has something to boast of. Yes, but not before God.

Now wages are regarded as due to the man who works, not as a favor, but as a debt;

While, as for the man who does not rely upon his obedience, but has faith in him who can pronounce the godless righteous, his faith is regarded by God as righteousness.

Not after, but before. And it was as a sign of this that he received the rite of circumcision-to attest the righteousness due to the faith of an uncircumcised man-in order that he might be the father of all who have faith in God even when uncircumcised, that they also may be regarded by God as righteous;

As well as father of the circumcised-to those who are not only circumcised, but who also follow our father Abraham in that faith which he had while still uncircumcised.

For the promise that he should inherit the world did not come to Abraham or his descendants through Law, but through the righteousness due to faith.

Law entails punishment; but, where no Law exists, no breach of it is possible.

That is why all is made to depend upon faith, that all may be God's gift, and in order that the fulfillment of the promise may be made certain for all Abraham's descendants-not only for those who take their stand on the Law, but also for those who take their stand on the faith of Abraham. (He is the Father of us all;

With no ground for hope, Abraham, sustained by hope, put faith in God; in order that, in fulfillment of the words-'So many shall thy descendants be,' he might become 'the Father of many nations.'

But also with reference to us. Our faith, too, will be regarded by God in the same light, if we have faith in him who raised Jesus, our Lord, from the dead;

And not only that, but let us also exult in our troubles;

But God puts his love for us beyond all doubt by the fact that Christ died on our behalf while we were still sinners.

And not only that, but we exult in God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, through whom we have now obtained this reconciliation.

Even before the time of the Law there was sin in the world; but sin cannot be charged against a man where no Law exists.

But there is a contrast between Adam's Offence and God's gracious Gift. For, if by reason of the offence of the one man the whole race died, far more were the loving-kindness of God, and the gift given in the loving-kindness of the one man, Jesus Christ, lavished upon the whole race.

There is a contrast, too, between the gift and the results of the one man's sin. The judgment, which followed upon the one man's sin, resulted in condemnation, but God's gracious Gift, which followed upon many offences, resulted in a decree of righteousness.

Law was introduced in order that offences might be multiplied. But, where sins were multiplied, the loving-kindness of God was lavished the more,

For the death that he died was a death to sin, once and for all. But the Life that he now lives, he lives for God.

So let it be with you-regard yourselves as dead to sin, but as living for God, through union with Christ Jesus.

Do not offer any part of your bodies to Sin, in the cause of unrighteousness, but once for all offer yourselves to God (as those who, though once dead, now have Life), and devote every part of your bodies to the cause of righteousness.

For Sin shall not lord it over you. You are living under the reign, not of Law, but of Love.

I can but speak as men do because of the weakness of your earthly nature. Once you offered every part of your bodies to the service of impurity, and of wickedness, which leads to further wickedness. Now, in the same way, offer them to the service of Righteousness, which leads to holiness.

But what were the fruits that you reaped from those things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of such things is Death.

But now that you have been set free from the control of Sin, and have become servants to God, the fruit that you reap is an ever-increasing holiness, and the end Immortal Life.

The wages of Sin are Death, but the gift of God is Immortal Life, through union with Christ Jesus, our Lord.

For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband while he is living; but, if her husband dies, she is set free from the law that bound her to him.

If, then, during her husband's lifetime, she unites herself to another man, she will be called an adulteress; but, if her husband dies, the law has no further hold on her, nor, if she unites herself to another man, is she an adulteress.

But now we are set free from the Law, because we are dead to that which once kept us under restraint; and so we serve under new, spiritual conditions, and not under old, written regulations.

But sin took advantage of the Commandment to arouse in me every form of covetousness, for where there is no consciousness of Law sin shows no sign of life.

There was a time when I myself, unconscious of Law, was alive; but when the Commandment was brought home to me, sin sprang into life, while I died!

We know that the Law is spiritual, but I am earthly-sold into slavery to Sin.

But when I do what I want not to do, I am admitting that the Law is right.

This being so, the action is no longer my own, but that of Sin which is within me.

I fail to do the good thing that I want to do, but the bad thing that I want not to do-that I habitually do.

But, when I do the very thing that I want not to do, the action is no longer my own, but that of Sin which is within me.

But throughout my body I see a different law, one which is in conflict with the law accepted by my reason, and which endeavors to make me a prisoner to that law of Sin which exists throughout my body.

Thank God, there is deliverance through Jesus Christ, our Lord! Well then, for myself, with my reason I serve the Law of God, but with my earthly nature the Law of Sin.

So that the requirements of the Law might be satisfied in us who live now in obedience, not to our earthly nature, but to the Spirit.

You, however, are not earthly but spiritual, since the Spirit of God lives within you. Unless a man has the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ;

But, if Christ is within you, then, though the body is dead as a consequence of sin, the spirit is Life as a consequence of righteousness.

If you live in obedience to your earthly nature, you will inevitably die; but if, by the power of the Spirit, you put an end to the evil habits of the body, you will live.

For you did not receive the spirit of a slave, to fill you once more with fear, but the spirit of a son which leads us to cry 'Abba, Our Father.'

For Nature was made subject to imperfection-not by its own choice, but owing to him who made it so--

And not Nature only; but we ourselves also, though we have already a first gift of the Spirit-we ourselves are inwardly groaning, while we eagerly await our full adoption as Sons-the redemption of our bodies.

By our hope we were saved. But the thing hoped for is no longer an object of hope when it is before our eyes; for who hopes for what is before his eyes?

But when we hope for what is not before our eyes, then we wait for it with patience.

So, also, the Spirit supports us in our weakness. We do not even know how to pray as we should; but the Spirit himself pleads for us in sighs that can find no utterance.

But we do know that God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love him-those who have received the Call in accordance with his purpose.

God did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up on behalf of us all; will he not, then, with him, freely give us all things?

Nor, because they are Abraham's descendants, are they all his Children; but-'It is Isaac's children who will be called thy descendants.'

This means that it is not the children born in the course of nature who are God's Children, but it is the children born in fulfillment of the Promise who are to be regarded as Abraham's descendants.

For in order that the purpose of God, working through selection, might not fail-a selection depending, not on obedience, but on his Call-Rebecca was told, before her children were born and before they had done anything either right or wrong,

The words of Scripture are-'I loved Jacob, but I hated Esau.'

So, then, all depends, not on human wishes or human efforts, but on God's mercy.

And whom he called-even us-Not only from among the Jews but from among the Gentiles also!

I can testify that they are zealous for the honor of God; but they are not guided by true insight,

But the righteousness which results from faith finds expression in these words--'Do not say to yourself "Who will go up into heaven?"'--which means to bring Christ down--'

No, but what does it say? 'The Message of Faith' which we proclaim.

But how, it may be asked, are they to invoke one in whom they have not learned to believe? And how are they to believe in one whose words they have not heard? And how are they to hear his words unless some one proclaims him?

But I ask 'Is it possible that men have never heard?' No, indeed, for--'Their voices spread through all the earth, and their Message to the very ends of the world.'

But again I ask 'Did not the people of Israel understand? First there is Moses, who says--'I, the Lord, will stir you to rivalry with a nation which is no nation; Against an undiscerning nation I will arouse your anger.'

But of the people of Israel he says--'All day long I have stretched out my hands to a people who disobey and contradict.'

But what was the divine response? 'I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have never bowed the knee to Baal.'

But if in love, then no longer as a result of obedience. Otherwise love would cease to be love.

But I am speaking to you who were Gentiles.

For, if their being cast aside has meant the reconciliation of the world, what will their reception mean, but Life from the dead?

Yet do not exult over the other branches. But, if you do exult over them, remember that you do not support the root, but that the root supports you.

But branches, you will say, were broken off, so that I might be grafted in.

True; it was because of their want of faith that they were broken off, and it is because of your faith that you are standing. Do not think too highly of yourself, but beware.

From the stand-point of the Good News, the Jews are God's enemies on your account; but from the stand-point of God's selection, they are dear to him on account of the Patriarchs.

Just as you at one time were disobedient to him, but have now found mercy in the day of their disobedience;

Do not conform to the fashion of this world; but be transformed by the complete change that has come over your minds, so that you may discern what God's will is--all that is good, acceptable, and perfect.

In fulfillment of the charge with which I have been entrusted, I bid every one of you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think, but to think till he learns to think soberly--in accordance with the measure of faith that God has allotted to each.

So we, by our union in Christ, many though we are, form but one body, and individually we are related one to another as its parts.

Never avenge yourselves, dear friends, but make way for the Wrath of God; for Scripture declares--'"It is for me to avenge, I will requite," says the Lord.'

Never be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.

A good action has nothing to fear from Rulers; a bad action has. Do you want to have no reason to fear the Authorities? Then do what is good, and you will win their praise.

For they are God's servants appointed for your good. But, if you do what is wrong, you may well be afraid; for the sword they carry is not without meaning! They are God's servants to inflict his punishments on those who do wrong.

You are bound, therefore, to obey, not only through fear of God's punishments, but also as a matter of conscience.

As for those whose faith is weak, always receive them as friends, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on their scruples.

For the Kingdom of God does not consist of eating and drinking, but of righteousness and peace and gladness through the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Do not undo God's work for the sake of what you eat. Though everything is 'clean,' yet, if a man eats so as to put a stumbling- block in the way of others, he does wrong.

But in parts of this letter I have expressed myself somewhat boldly--by way of refreshing your memories--

For I will not dare to speak of anything but what Christ has done through me to win the obedience of the Gentiles--

But as Scripture says--'They to whom he had never been proclaimed shall see; and they who have never heard shall understand!'