The Gospel Exalted

1 Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, ^[a](A)called as an apostle, ^(B)set apart for ^(C)the gospel of God, ² which He ^(D)promised beforehand through His ^(E)prophets in the holy Scriptures, ³ concerning His Son, who was born ^(F)of a ^[b]descendant of David ^(G)according to the flesh, ⁴ who was declared ^(H)the Son of God with power according to the ^[c]Spirit of holiness ^[d]by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, ⁵ through whom we have received grace and ^(I)apostleship ^[e]to bring about the ^(J)obedience of faith among ^(K)all the Gentiles in behalf of His name, ⁶ among whom you also are the ^(L)called of Jesus Christ;

⁷ to all who are ^(M)beloved of God in Rome, called as ^[f](N)saints: ^(O)Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

⁸ First, ^(P)I thank my God through Jesus Christ ^[g]for you all, because ^(Q)your faith is being proclaimed throughout the world. ⁹ For ^(R)God, whom I ^(S)serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly ^(T)I make mention of you, ¹⁰ always in my prayers requesting if perhaps now, at last by ^(U)the will of God, I will succeed in coming to you. ¹¹ For ^(V)I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be ^[h]established; ¹² that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine. ^13 (W)I do not want you to be unaware, ^(X)brothers and sisters, that often I ^(Y)have planned to come to you (and have been prevented so far) so that I may obtain some ^(Z)fruit among you also just as among the rest of the Gentiles. ^14 (AA)I am ^[i]under obligation both to Greeks and to the ^[j](AB)uncultured, both to the wise and to the foolish. ¹⁵ So, for my part, I am eager to ^(AC)preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

¹⁶ For I am not ^(AD)ashamed of the gospel, for ^(AE)it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the ^(AF)Jew first and also to ^(AG)the Greek. ¹⁷ For in it ^(AH)the righteousness of God is revealed ^[k]from faith to faith; as it is written: “^[l](AI)But the righteous one will live by faith.”

Unbelief and Its Consequences

¹⁸ For ^(AJ)the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who ^(AK)suppress the truth ^[m]in unrighteousness, ¹⁹ because ^(AL)that which is known about God is evident ^[n]within them; for God made it evident to them. ²⁰ For ^(AM)since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ^(AN)being understood by what has been made, so that they are without excuse. ²¹ For even though they knew God, they did not ^[o]honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became ^(AO)futile in their reasonings, and their senseless hearts were darkened. ^22 (AP)Claiming to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and they ^(AQ)exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible mankind, of birds, four-footed animals, and ^[p]crawling creatures.

²⁴ Therefore ^(AR)God gave them up to vile impurity in the lusts of their hearts, so that their bodies would be ^(AS)dishonored among them. ²⁵ For they exchanged the truth of God for ^[q](AT)falsehood, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, ^(AU)who is blessed ^[r]forever. Amen.

²⁶ For this reason ^(AV)God gave them over to ^(AW)degrading passions; for their women exchanged natural relations for that which is contrary to nature, ²⁷ and likewise the men, too, abandoned natural relations ^[s]with women and burned in their desire toward one another, ^(AX)males with males committing ^[t]shameful acts and receiving in ^[u]their own persons the due penalty of their error.

²⁸ And just as they did not see fit ^[v]to acknowledge God, ^(AY)God gave them up to a depraved mind, to do those things that are not proper, ²⁹ people having been filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, and evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice; they are ^(AZ)gossips, ³⁰ slanderers, ^[w](BA)haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, ^(BB)disobedient to parents, ³¹ without understanding, untrustworthy, ^(BC)unfeeling, and unmerciful; ³² and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of ^(BD)death, they not only do the same, but also ^(BE)approve of those who practice them.

The Impartiality of God

2 Therefore you have ^(BF)no excuse, ^[x]you foolish person, ^(BG)everyone of you who passes judgment; for ^[y]in that matter in which ^(BH)you judge someone else, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. ² And we know that the judgment of God ^[z]rightly falls upon those who practice such things. ³ But do you suppose this, ^[aa](BI)you foolish person who passes judgment on those who practice such things, and yet does them as well, that you will escape the judgment of God? ⁴ Or do you think lightly of ^(BJ)the riches of His ^(BK)kindness and ^[ab](BL)restraint and ^(BM)patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? ⁵ But ^[ac]because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart ^(BN)you are storing up wrath for yourself ^(BO)on the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, ^6 (BP)who will repay each person according to his deeds: ⁷ to those who by ^(BQ)perseverance in doing good seek ^(BR)glory, honor, and ^(BS)immortality, He will give ^(BT)eternal life; ⁸ but to those who are ^(BU)self-serving and ^(BV)do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, He will give wrath and indignation. ⁹ There will be ^(BW)tribulation and distress ^[ad]for every soul of mankind who does evil, ^[ae]for the Jew ^(BX)first and also ^[af]for the Greek, ¹⁰ but ^(BY)glory, honor, and peace to everyone who does what is good, to the Jew ^(BZ)first and also to the Greek. ¹¹ For ^(CA)there is no partiality with God.

¹² For all who have sinned ^[ag](CB)without the Law will also perish ^[ah]without the Law, and all who have sinned ^[ai]under the Law will be judged ^[aj]by the Law; ¹³ for it is ^(CC)not the hearers ^[ak]of the Law who are ^[al]righteous before God, but the doers ^[am]of the Law who will be justified. ¹⁴ For when Gentiles who do not have ^[an]the Law ^[ao](CD)instinctively perform the requirements of the Law, these, though not having ^[ap]the Law, are a law to themselves, ¹⁵ in that they show ^(CE)the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience testifying and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, ¹⁶ on the day when, ^(CF)according to my gospel, ^(CG)God will judge the secrets of mankind through Christ Jesus.

The Jews under the Law

¹⁷ But if you call yourself a ^[aq]Jew and ^(CH)rely ^[ar]upon the Law and boast in God, ¹⁸ and know His will and ^[as](CI)distinguish the things that matter, being instructed from the Law, ¹⁹ and are confident that you yourself are a guide to people who are blind, a light to those in darkness, ²⁰ a ^[at]corrector of the foolish, a teacher of ^[au]the immature, possessing in the Law ^(CJ)the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth— ²¹ you, therefore, ^(CK)who teach someone else, do you not teach yourself? You who ^[av]preach that one is not to steal, do you steal? ²² You who say that one is not to commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who loathe idols, do you ^(CL)rob temples? ²³ You who ^(CM)boast ^[aw]in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? ²⁴ For “^(CN)the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles ^(CO)because of you,” just as it is written.

²⁵ For indeed circumcision is of value if you ^(CP)practice ^[ax]the Law; but if you are a violator ^[ay]of the Law, ^(CQ)your circumcision has turned into uncircumcision. ^26 (CR)So if ^(CS)the ^[az]uncircumcised man ^(CT)keeps the requirements of the Law, will his uncircumcision not be regarded as circumcision? ²⁷ And ^(CU)he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the Law, will he not ^(CV)judge you who ^[ba]though having the letter of the Law and circumcision are a violator ^[bb]of the Law? ²⁸ For ^(CW)he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. ²⁹ But ^(CX)he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and ^(CY)circumcision is of the heart, by the ^(CZ)Spirit, not by the letter; ^(DA)and his praise is not from people, but from God.