For God, whom I serve with my spirit in telling the good news about His Son, is my witness that I constantly mention you,

always asking in my prayers that if it is somehow in God’s will, I may now at last succeed in coming to you.

For I want very much to see you, so I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you,

that is, to be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.

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.

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.

Therefore God delivered them over in the cravings of their hearts to sexual impurity, so that their bodies were degraded among themselves.

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.

We know that God’s judgment on those who do such things is based on the truth.

Do you really think—anyone of you who judges those who do such things yet do the same—that you will escape God’s judgment?

Or do you despise the riches of His kindness, restraint, and patience, not recognizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?

They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts. Their consciences confirm this. Their competing thoughts will either accuse or excuse them

know His will, and approve the things that are superior, being instructed from the law,

and if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light to those in darkness,

Absolutely not! God must be true, even if everyone is a liar, as it is written:

That You may be justified in Your words
and triumph when You judge.

And why not say, just as some people slanderously claim we say, “Let us do what is evil so that good may come”? Their condemnation is deserved!

What then? Are we any better? Not at all! For we have previously charged that both Jews and Gentiles are all under sin,

Now we know that whatever the law says speaks to those who are subject to the law, so that every mouth may be shut and the whole world may become subject to God’s judgment.

—that is, God’s righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ, to all who believe, since there is no distinction.

They are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

God presented Him to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be righteous and declare righteous the one who has faith in Jesus.

For we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.

What then can we say that Abraham, our physical ancestor, has found?

And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while still uncircumcised. This was to make him the father of all who believe but are not circumcised, so that righteousness may be credited to them also.

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

This is why the promise is by faith, so that it may be according to grace, to guarantee it to all the descendants—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of Abraham’s faith. He is the father of us all

in God’s sight. As it is written: I have made you the father of many nations. He believed in God, who gives life to the dead and calls things into existence that do not exist.

He believed, hoping against hope, so that he became the father of many nations according to what had been spoken: So will your descendants be.

because he was fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.

And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance,

But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us!

And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We have now received this reconciliation through Him.

Since by the one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive the overflow of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness, resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

What should we say then? Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply?

Or are you unaware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?

Therefore we were buried with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in a new way of life.

For we know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that sin’s dominion over the body may be abolished, so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin,

Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him,

because we know that Christ, having been raised from the dead, will not die again. Death no longer rules over Him.

For in light of the fact that He died, He died to sin once for all; but in light of the fact that He lives, He lives to God.

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its desires.

Don’t you know that if you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of that one you obey—either of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness?

But thank God that, although you used to be slaves of sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching you were transferred to,

Since I am speaking to those who understand law, brothers, are you unaware that the law has authority over someone as long as he lives?

So then, if she gives herself to another man while her husband is living, she will be called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law. Then, if she gives herself to another man, she is not an adulteress.

Therefore, my brothers, you also were put to death in relation to the law through the crucified body of the Messiah, so that you may belong to another—to Him who was raised from the dead—that we may bear fruit for God.

But now we have been released from the law, since we have died to what held us, so that we may serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old letter of the law.

and I died. The commandment that was meant for life resulted in death for me.

Therefore, did what is good cause my death? Absolutely not! On the contrary, sin, in order to be recognized as sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that through the commandment, sin might become sinful beyond measure.

For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am made out of flesh, sold into sin’s power.

And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree with the law that it is good.

For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it.

For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do.

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

in order that the law’s requirement would be accomplished in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

The Spirit Himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children,

and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—seeing that we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us.

that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage of corruption into the glorious freedom of God’s children.

For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now.

And not only that, but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits—we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.

Now in this hope we were saved, yet hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees?

We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.

For those He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.

No, in all these things we are more than victorious
through Him who loved us.

For I am persuaded that not even death or life,
angels or rulers,
things present or things to come, hostile powers,

height or depth, or any other created thing
will have the power to separate us
from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!

that I have intense sorrow and continual anguish in my heart.

For I could almost wish to be cursed and cut off from the Messiah for the benefit of my brothers, my own flesh and blood.

That is, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but the children of the promise are considered to be the offspring.

And not only that, but also Rebekah received a promise when she became pregnant by one man, our ancestor Isaac.

For though her sons had not been born yet or done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to election might stand—

For the Scripture tells Pharaoh:

I raised you up for this reason
so that I may display My power in you
and that My name may be proclaimed in all the earth.

And what if He did this to make known the riches of His glory on objects of mercy that He prepared beforehand for glory—

What should we say then? Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained righteousness—namely the righteousness that comes from faith.

Why is that? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone.

I can testify about them that they have zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.

For Moses writes about the righteousness that is from the law: The one who does these things will live by them.

But the righteousness that comes from faith speaks like this: Do not say in your heart, “Who will go up to heaven?” that is, to bring Christ down

or, “Who will go down into the abyss?” that is, to bring Christ up from the dead.

On the contrary, what does it say? The message is near you, in your mouth and in your heart. This is the message of faith that we proclaim:

If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

But I ask, “Did Israel not understand?” First, Moses said:

I will make you jealous
of those who are not a nation;
I will make you angry by a nation
that lacks understanding.

as it is written:

God gave them a spirit of insensitivity,
eyes that cannot see
and ears that cannot hear,
to this day.

Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. In view of the fact that I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry,

do not brag that you are better than those branches. But if you do brag—you do not sustain the root, but the root sustains you.

Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.”

So that you will not be conceited, brothers, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery: A partial hardening has come to Israel until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.

so they too have now disobeyed, resulting in mercy to you, so that they also now may receive mercy.

For God has imprisoned all in disobedience, so that He may have mercy on all.

Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one.

Everyone must submit to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist are instituted by God.

For government is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because it does not carry the sword for no reason. For government is God’s servant, an avenger that brings wrath on the one who does wrong.

Besides this, knowing the time, it is already the hour for you to wake up from sleep, for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.

Whoever observes the day, observes it for the honor of the Lord. Whoever eats, eats for the Lord, since he gives thanks to God; and whoever does not eat, it is for the Lord that he does not eat it, yet he thanks God.

Christ died and came to life for this: that He might rule over both the dead and the living.

(I know and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. Still, to someone who considers a thing to be unclean, to that one it is unclean.)

For if your brother is hurt by what you eat, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy that one Christ died for by what you eat.