Greetings to the Saints in Rome
1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the Gospel of God, 2 which he promised before through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was born of the offspring of David according to the flesh, 4 who was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.
5 Through him we received grace and apostleship to bring about obedience that comes from faith, for his name’s sake, among all the nations, 6 among whom you are also called to belong to Jesus Christ.
7 To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul’s Desire to Visit Rome
8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, that your faith is proclaimed throughout the whole world. 9 For God (whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son) is my witness of how unceasingly I make mention of you always in my prayers, 10 requesting that I may at last, if by any means and by the will of God succeed in coming to you. 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established, 12 that is, that I, with you, may be encouraged in you, each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine.
13 Now I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I often planned to come to you and was hindered so far, that I might have a fruitful harvest among you just as I have had among the rest of the Gentiles. 14 I am under obligation to both Greeks and to non-Greeks, both to the wise and to the foolish. 15 So I am eager to preach the Gospel to you also who are in Rome.
I am Not Ashamed of the Gospel
16 I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, because it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first, and also for the Gentile. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed, from faith to faith, as it is written, “But the righteous shall live by faith.”
God’s Wrath against Sin
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who, in wickedness, suppress the truth, 19 because that which may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has revealed it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world, the invisible things of God; his everlasting power and divinity, can be clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made. Therefore, they have no excuse.
21 They knew God but did not glorify him as God and did not give thanks, but in their useless reasoning, their hearts, lacking understanding, were darkened.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 and traded the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, four-footed animals, and creeping things.
24 Therefore God gave them over, in the lusts of their hearts, to impurity, to dishonor their own bodies among themselves. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
26 For this reason, God gave them up to vile passions. For their women exchanged the natural function for that which is against nature. 27 Likewise, the men also, leaving the natural function of the woman, burned in their lust toward one another, men doing what is inappropriate with men, and receiving in themselves the due penalty of their error.
28 Because they did not see fit to acknowledge God, He gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not fitting, 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, malice; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil habits, secret slanderers, 30 backbiters, hateful to God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but also approve of those who practice them.