and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.

Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake.

To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul’s Longing to Visit Rome

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.

I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.

For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

God’s Wrath Against Sinful Humanity

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness,

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

God’s Righteous Judgment

You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.

But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.

All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law.

The Jews and the Law

Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God;

you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal?

No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.

Righteousness Through Faith

But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.

For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.

David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”

but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.

Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!

Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.

We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.

For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.

In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.