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 hearts were darkened.

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

But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourselves in the day of wrath, when God's righteous judgment is revealed!

but wrath and anger to those who live in selfish ambition and do not obey the truth but follow unrighteousness.

but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, for the Jew first and also the Greek.

For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous before God, but those who do the law will be declared righteous.

But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast of your relationship to God

For circumcision has its value if you practice the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.

but someone is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart by the Spirit and not by the written code. This person's praise is not from people but from God.

But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is he? (I am speaking in human terms.)

But now apart from the law the righteousness of God (which is attested by the law and the prophets) has been disclosed --

But they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded! By what principle? Of works? No, but by the principle of faith!

For if Abraham was declared righteous by the works of the law, he has something to boast about -- but not before God.

Now to the one who works, his pay is not credited due to grace but due to obligation.

But to the one who does not work, but believes in the one who declares the ungodly righteous, his faith is credited as righteousness.

How then was it credited to him? Was he circumcised at the time, or not? No, he was not circumcised but uncircumcised!

And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised, so that he would become the father of all those who believe but have never been circumcised, that they too could have righteousness credited to them.

And he is also the father of the circumcised, who are not only circumcised, but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham possessed when he was still uncircumcised.

For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would inherit the world was not fulfilled through the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.

For this reason it is by faith so that it may be by grace, with the result that the promise may be certain to all the descendants -- not only to those who are under the law, but also to those who have the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all

He did not waver in unbelief about the promise of God but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God.

But the statement it was credited to him was not written only for Abraham's sake,

but also for our sake, to whom it will be credited, those who believe in the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.

Not only this, but we also rejoice in sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,

But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Not only this, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received this reconciliation.

for before the law was given, sin was in the world, but there is no accounting for sin when there is no law.

But the gracious gift is not like the transgression. For if the many died through the transgression of the one man, how much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man Jesus Christ multiply to the many!

And the gift is not like the one who sinned. For judgment, resulting from the one transgression, led to condemnation, but the gracious gift from the many failures led to justification.

Now the law came in so that the transgression may increase, but where sin increased, grace multiplied all the more,

For the death he died, he died to sin once for all, but the life he lives, he lives to God.

So you too consider yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

and do not present your members to sin as instruments to be used for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who are alive from the dead and your members to God as instruments to be used for righteousness.

For sin will have no mastery over you, because you are not under law but under grace.

What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Absolutely not!

But thanks be to God that though you were slaves to sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching you were entrusted to,

But now, freed from sin and enslaved to God, you have your benefit leading to sanctification, and the end is eternal life.

For the payoff of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

For a married woman is bound by law to her husband as long as he lives, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of the marriage.

So then, if she is joined to another man while her husband is alive, she will be called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she is joined to another man, she is not an adulteress.

But now we have been released from the law, because we have died to what controlled us, so that we may serve in the new life of the Spirit and not under the old written code.

But sin, seizing the opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of wrong desires. For apart from the law, sin is dead.

And I was once alive apart from the law, but with the coming of the commandment sin became alive

Did that which is good, then, become death to me? Absolutely not! But sin, so that it would be shown to be sin, produced death in me through what is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful.

For we know that the law is spiritual -- but I am unspiritual, sold into slavery to sin.

But if I do what I don't want, I agree that the law is good.

But now it is no longer me doing it, but sin that lives in me.

For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For I want to do the good, but I cannot do it.

For I do not do the good I want, but I do the very evil I do not want!

Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer me doing it but sin that lives in me.

But I see a different law in my members waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that is in my members.

Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

so that the righteous requirement of the law may be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

For those who live according to the flesh have their outlook shaped by the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit have their outlook shaped by the things of the Spirit.

For the outlook of the flesh is death, but the outlook of the Spirit is life and peace,

You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, this person does not belong to him.

But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is your life because of righteousness.

(for if you live according to the flesh, you will die), but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live.

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery leading again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, "Abba, Father."

For the creation was subjected to futility -- not willingly but because of God who subjected it -- in hope

Not only this, but we ourselves also, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we eagerly await our adoption, the redemption of our bodies.

But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with endurance.

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how we should pray, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings.

Indeed, he who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all -- how will he not also, along with him, freely give us all things?

Not only that, but when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our ancestor Isaac --

even before they were born or had done anything good or bad (so that God's purpose in election would stand, not by works but by his calling) --

just as it is written: "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."

So then, it does not depend on human desire or exertion, but on God who shows mercy.

But who indeed are you -- a mere human being -- to talk back to God? Does what is molded say to the molder, "Why have you made me like this?"

But what if God, willing to demonstrate his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience the objects of wrath prepared for destruction?

even us, whom he has called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?

but Israel even though pursuing a law of righteousness did not attain it.

Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but (as if it were possible) by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone,

For I can testify that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not in line with the truth.

But the righteousness that is by faith says: "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down)

But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we preach),

But not all have obeyed the good news, for Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our report?"

But I ask, have they not heard? Yes, they have: Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.

But again I ask, didn't Israel understand? First Moses says, "I will make you jealous by those who are not a nation; with a senseless nation I will provoke you to anger."

But about Israel he says, "All day long I held out my hands to this disobedient and stubborn people!"

But what was the divine response to him? "I have kept for myself seven thousand people who have not bent the knee to Baal."

What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was diligently seeking, but the elect obtained it. The rest were hardened,

I ask then, they did not stumble into an irrevocable fall, did they? Absolutely not! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make Israel jealous.

For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?

do not boast over the branches. But if you boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.

Granted! They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but fear!

Notice therefore the kindness and harshness of God -- harshness toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness toward you, provided you continue in his kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off.

In regard to the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but in regard to election they are dearly loved for the sake of the fathers.

Just as you were formerly disobedient to God, but have now received mercy due to their disobedience,

Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God -- what is good and well-pleasing and perfect.

For by the grace given to me I say to every one of you not to think more highly of yourself than you ought to think, but to think with sober discernment, as God has distributed to each of you a measure of faith.

Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly. Do not be conceited.

Do not avenge yourselves, dear friends, but give place to God's wrath, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay," says the Lord.

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

(for rulers cause no fear for good conduct but for bad). Do you desire not to fear authority? Do good and you will receive its commendation,

for it is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be in fear, for it does not bear the sword in vain. It is God's servant to administer retribution on the wrongdoer.

Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of the wrath of the authorities but also because of your conscience.

One person believes in eating everything, but the weak person eats only vegetables.

But you who eat vegetables only -- why do you judge your brother or sister? And you who eat everything -- why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.