because what can be known of God is clear to their inner moral sense; for in this way God Himself has shown it to them.

for they had utterly transformed the reality of God into what was unreal, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

and males too have forsaken the natural function of females and been consumed by flaming passion for one another, males practicing shameful vice with other males, and continuing to suffer in their persons the inevitable penalty for doing what is improper.

For when He finally judges, He will pay everyone with exactness for what he has done,

Indeed, when heathen people who have no law instinctively do what the law demands, although they have no law, they are a law to themselves,

What special privilege, then, has a Jew? Or, what benefit does circumcision confer?

What then, if some of them have proved unfaithful? Can their unfaithfulness make null and void God's faithfulness?

But if our wrongdoing brings to light the uprightness of God, what shall we infer? Is it wrong (I am using everyday human terms) for God to inflict punishment?

What is our conclusion then? Is it that we Jews are better than they? Not at all! For we have already charged that Jews and Greeks alike are all under the sway of sin,

So where has human boasting gone? It was completely shut out. On what principle? On that of doing something? No, but on the principle of faith.

Then what are we to say about our forefather Abraham?

For if he was considered in right standing with God on the condition of what he did, he has something to boast of, but not before God.

For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham put his faith in God, and it was credited to him as right standing with God."

Under what circumstances was it credited to him as right standing? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? Not after but before he was circumcised.

in full assurance that He was able to do what He had promised.

What is our conclusion then? Are we to continue to sin for His unmerited favor to multiply?

What are we to conclude? Are we to keep on sinning, because we are not living as slaves to law but as subjects to God's favor? Never!

What benefit did you then derive from doing the things of which you are now ashamed? None, for they end in death.

What are we then to conclude? Is the law sin? Of course not! Yet, if it had not been for the law, I should not have learned what sin was, for I should not have known what an evil desire was, if the law had not said, "You must not have an evil desire."

Indeed, I do not understand what I do, for I do not practice what I want to do, but I am always doing what I hate.

But if I am always doing what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is right.

For I know that nothing good has its home in me; that is, in my lower self; I have the will but not the power to do what is right.

But a hope that is seen is not real hope, for who hopes for what he actually sees? But if we hope for something we do not see, we keep on patiently waiting for it.

and He who searches our hearts knows what the Spirit thinks, for He pleads for His people in accordance with God's will.

What are we then to say to facts like these? If God is for us, who can be against us?

What are we then to conclude? It is not that there is injustice in God, is it? Of course not!

And what if God, though wishing to display His anger and make known His power, yet, has most patiently borne with the objects of His anger, already ripe for destruction,

What are we then to conclude? That heathen peoples who were not in search for right standing with God have obtained it, and that a right standing conditioned on faith;

Why? Because they did not try through faith but through what they could do. They have stumbled over the stone that causes people to stumble,

But here is what the faith-way to right standing says, "Do not say to yourself, 'Who will go up to heaven?'" that is, to bring Christ down;

But what does it say? "God's message is close to you, on your very lips and in your heart"; that is, the message about faith which we preach.

However, they have not all given heed to the good news, for Isaiah says, "Lord, who has put faith in what we told?"

So faith comes from hearing what is told, and hearing through the message about Christ.

No, God has not disowned His people, on whom He set His heart beforehand. Do you know what the Scripture says in Elijah's case, how he pleaded with God against Israel?

But if it is by His unmerited favor, it is not at all conditioned on what they have done. If that were so, His favor would not be favor at all.

What are we then to conclude? Israel has failed to obtain what it is still in search for, but His chosen ones have obtained it. The rest have become insensible to it,

For if the rejection of them has resulted in the reconciling of the world, what will the result be of the final reception of them but life from the dead?

Stop living in accordance with the customs of this world, but by the new ideals that mold your minds continue to transform yourselves, so as to find and follow God's will; that is, what is good, well-pleasing to Him, and perfect.

Your love must be true. You must always turn in horror from what is wrong, but keep on holding to what is right.

so that anyone who resists the authorities sets himself against what God has established, and those who set themselves against Him will get the penalty due them.

Pay all of them what is due them -- tribute to the officer to receive it, taxes to the officer to receive them, respect to the man entitled to it, and honor to the man entitled to it.

For if your brother is hurt because of the food you eat, you are not living by the standard of love. Stop ruining, by what you eat, the man for whom Christ died.

For the kingdom of God does not consist in what we eat and drink, but in doing right, in peace and joy through the Holy Spirit;

For I would venture to mention only what Christ has accomplished through me in bringing the heathen peoples to obedience, by word and by work,

Yes, your obedience has been told to everybody; so I am delighted about you, but I want you to be wise about what is good and innocent about what is bad.