And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

through whom we did receive grace and apostleship, for obedience of faith among all the nations, in behalf of his name;

And I do not wish you to be ignorant, brethren, that many times I did purpose to come unto you -- and was hindered till the present time -- that some fruit I might have also among you, even as also among the other nations.

Because that which is known of God is manifest among them, for God did manifest it to them,

because, having known God they did not glorify Him as God, nor gave thanks, but were made vain in their reasonings, and their unintelligent heart was darkened,

Wherefore also God did give them up, in the desires of their hearts, to uncleanness, to dishonour their bodies among themselves;

who did change the truth of God into a falsehood, and did honour and serve the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed to the ages. Amen.

For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:

and in like manner also the males having left the natural use of the female, did burn in their longing toward one another; males with males working shame, and the recompense of their error that was fit, in themselves receiving.

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

who knowing the divine rule of right, did not perceive that they who commit such things are worthy of death, and not only they who do the same, but they who give countenance to those that do them.

for as many as without law did sin, without law also shall perish, and as many as did sin in law, through law shall be judged,

which show the deed of the law written in their hearts: While their conscience beareth witness unto them, and also their thoughts, accusing one another, or excusing,

For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?

for if the truth of God in my falsehood did more abound to His glory, why yet am I also as a sinner judged?

What, then? are we better? not at all! for we did before charge both Jews and Greeks with being all under sin,

All did go out of the way, together they became unprofitable, there is none doing good, there is not even one.

And a way of peace they did not know.

for all did sin, and are come short of the glory of God --

whom God did set forth a mercy seat, through the faith in his blood, for the shewing forth of His righteousness, because of the passing over of the bygone sins in the forbearance of God --

which God did suffer to show at this time: the righteousness that is allowed of him, that he might be counted just, and a justifier of him which believeth on Jesus.

Do we then nullify the Law by this faith [making the Law of no effect, overthrowing it]? Certainly not! On the contrary, we confirm and establish and uphold the Law [since it convicts us all of sin, pointing to the need for salvation].

What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather humanly speaking, has found? [Has he obtained a favored standing?]

For if Abraham was justified [that is, acquitted from the guilt of his sins] by works [those things he did that were good], he has something to boast about, but not before God.

for what doth the writing say? 'And Abraham did believe God, and it was reckoned to him -- to righteousness;'

How, then, was it judged? when he had circumcision, or when he had it not? Not when he had it, but when he did not have it:

and a sign he did receive of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith in the uncircumcision, for his being father of all those believing through uncircumcision, for the righteousness also being reckoned to them,

For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through [observing the requirements of] the Law, but through the righteousness of faith.

This is why righteousness is of faith, that it may be a free gift; so that the promise stands firm to all Abraham's posterity; not to his children of his faith. For in the sight of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead, and calls into being that which is not, Abraham is the father of us all both Jews and Gentiles,

(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

Who, against hope in hope did believe, for his becoming father of many nations according to that spoken: 'So shall thy seed be;'

And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb:

and at the promise of God did not stagger in unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, having given glory to God,

But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;

[This] Jesus was delivered up [to die] for our sins and was raised [from the dead] to make us right with God.

For in our being still ailing, Christ in due time did die for the impious;

For hardly, in deed, will one die for a just man; yet, perhaps, for the good man some one would even dare to die.

and God doth commend His own love to us, that, in our being still sinners, Christ did die for us;

And not only so, but we are also boasting in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom now we did receive the reconciliation;

because of this, even as through one man the sin did enter into the world, and through the sin the death; and thus to all men the death did pass through, for that all did sin;

but the death did reign from Adam till Moses, even upon those not having sinned in the likeness of Adam's transgression, who is a type of him who is coming.

But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

and not as through one who did sin is the free gift, for the judgment indeed is of one to condemnation, but the gift is of many offences to a declaration of 'Righteous,'

for if by the offence of the one the death did reign through the one, much more those, who the abundance of the grace and of the free gift of the righteousness are receiving, in life shall reign through the one -- Jesus Christ.

Consequently therefore, as through one trespass [came] condemnation to all people, so also through one righteous deed [came] justification of life to all people.

Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:

that even as the sin did reign in the death, so also the grace may reign, through righteousness, to life age-during, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

For, if we have become united with Christ in an act similar to His death [i.e., by being buried in water], we will also be [united with Him] in an act similar to His resurrection from the dead [i.e., our rising from the water to live a new life].

For this we know, that our old self was crucified with Christ, in order that the slave of sin might be destroyed; so that we should no longer be in slavery to sin??7 for he who is dead is set free from sin.

For he that is dead is freed from sin.

Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:

Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.

Death has no longer any power over Him. For by the death which He died He became, once for all, dead in relation to sin; but by the life which He now lives He is alive in relation to God.

Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

But thanks be to God that, though ye were slaves of sin, ye did, however, obey from the heart that form of teaching unto which ye were delivered;

In the manner of men I speak, because of the weakness of your flesh, for even as ye did present your members servants to the uncleanness and to the lawlessness -- to the lawlessness, so now present your members servants to the righteousness -- to sanctification,

So what benefit did you get at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? [None!] For the outcome of those things is death!

For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.

So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.

Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.

For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.

But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.

What, then, shall we say? the law is sin? let it not be! but the sin I did not know except through law, for also the covetousness I had not known if the law had not said:

But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.

I once lived without law: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I was dead.

for the sin, having received an opportunity, through the command, did deceive me, and through it did slay me;

Did then that which is good become death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might be shown to be sin, by working death to me through that which is good; --that through the commandment sin might become exceeding sinful.

So now [if that is the case, then] it is no longer I who do it [the disobedient thing which I despise], but the sin [nature] which lives in me.

Well, if I act against my wishes, it is not I who do the deed but sin that dwells within me.

for the law of the Spirit of the life in Christ Jesus did set me free from the law of the sin and of the death;

for what the law was not able to do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God, His own Son having sent in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, did condemn the sin in the flesh,

And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

for ye did not receive a spirit of bondage again for fear, but ye did receive a spirit of adoption in which we cry, 'Abba -- Father.'

for to vanity was the creation made subject -- not of its will, but because of Him who did subject it -- in hope,

For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

He who indeed His own Son did not spare, but for us all did deliver him up, how shall He not also with him the all things grant to us?

who is he that condemneth? It is Christ Jesus that died, yea rather, that was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

For even before the twins were born, and therefore had not done anything good or bad, Rebecca was told [Gen. 25:23], "The older one [i.e., Esau] will serve the younger one [i.e., Jacob]." This was so that God's purpose of choosing and calling [whomever He wanted to] might prevail, instead of [it depending on] what a person did.

according as it hath been written, 'Jacob I did love, and Esau I did hate.'

For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, For this very purpose did I raise thee up, that I might show in thee my power, and that my name might be published abroad in all the earth.

nay, but, O man, who art thou that art answering again to God? shall the thing formed say to Him who did form it, Why me didst thou make thus?

And if God, willing to shew the wrath and to make known His power, did endure, in much long suffering, vessels of wrath fitted for destruction,

and that He might make known the riches of His glory on vessels of kindness, that He before prepared for glory, whom also He did call -- us --

and according as Isaiah saith before, 'Except the Lord of Sabaoth did leave to us a seed, as Sodom we had become, and as Gomorrah we had been made like.'

What then shall we say? That they of the nations, who did not follow after righteousness, have attained righteousness, but the righteousness that is on the principle of faith.

but Israel, following after a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law.

wherefore? because -- not by faith, but as by works of law; for they did stumble at the stone of stumbling,

For being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.

for Moses doth describe the righteousness that is of the law, that, 'The man who did them shall live in them,'

But the [means of] being made right with God by faith [in Christ] is described in the Scripture this way [Deut. 30:12-13], "Do not ask yourself, 'Who will go up into heaven?'" (in order to bring Christ down [to earth]).

Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)

But what does the Scripture say [about being made right with God]? [Deut. 30:14 says], "The message of God is near you [i.e., it is not difficult to comprehend]. It is on your lips and in your heart." This is the message of faith [in Christ] which we [apostles] preach.

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

How then shall they call upon him in whom they did not believe? and how shall they believe on him of whom they did not hear? and how shall they hear apart from one preaching?

But they did not all hearken to the glad tidings. For Isaiah saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?