Paul’s Letter To The Romans: Part 1

Paul’s Letter To The Romans: Part 1 - 

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A Letter to the Romans 

Chapter 1

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, an Apostle by the selection of God, given authority as a preacher of the good news,

Of which God had given word before by his prophets in the holy Writings,

About his Son who, in the flesh, came from the family of David,

But was marked out as Son of God in power by the Holy Spirit through the coming to life again of the dead; Jesus Christ our Lord,

Through whom grace has been given to us, sending us out to make disciples to the faith among all nations, for his name:

Among whom you in the same way have been marked out to be disciples of Jesus Christ:

To all those who are in Rome, loved by God, marked out as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

First of all, I give praise to my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because news of your faith has gone into all the world.

For God is my witness, whose servant I am in spirit in the good news of his Son, that you are at all times in my memory and in my prayers,

And that I am ever making prayers that God will give me a good journey to you.

For I have a strong desire to see you, and to give you some grace of the spirit, so that you may be made strong;

That is to say, that all of us may be comforted together by the faith which is in you and in me.

You may be certain, my brothers, that it has frequently been in my mind to come to you (but till now I was kept from it), so that I might have some fruit from you in the same way as I have had it from the other nations.

I have a debt to Greeks and to the nations outside; to the wise and to those who have no learning.

For which reason I have the desire, as far as I am able, to give the knowledge of the good news to you who are in Rome.

For I have no feeling of shame about the good news, because it is the power of God giving salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first, and then to the Greek.

For in it there is the revelation of the righteousness of God from faith to faith: as it is said in the holy Writings, The man who does righteousness will be living by his faith.

For there is a revelation of the wrath of God from heaven against all the wrongdoing and evil thoughts of men who keep down what is true by wrongdoing;

Because the knowledge of God may be seen in them, God having made it clear to them.

For from the first making of the world, those things of God which the eye is unable to see, that is, his eternal power and existence, are fully made clear, he having given the knowledge of them through the things which he has made, so that men have no reason for wrongdoing:

Because, having the knowledge of God, they did not give glory to God as God, and did not give praise, but their minds were full of foolish things, and their hearts, being without sense, were made dark.

Seeming to be wise, they were in fact foolish,

And by them the glory of the eternal God was changed and made into the image of man who is not eternal, and of birds and beasts and things which go on the earth.

For this reason God gave them up to the evil desires of their hearts, working shame in their bodies with one another:

Because by them the true word of God was changed into that which is false, and they gave worship and honour to the thing which is made, and not to him who made it, to whom be blessing for ever. So be it.

For this reason God gave them up to evil passions, and their women were changing the natural use into one which is unnatural:

And in the same way the men gave up the natural use of the woman and were burning in their desire for one another, men doing shame with men, and getting in their bodies the right reward of their evil-doing.

And because they had not the mind to keep God in their knowledge, God gave them up to an evil mind, to do those things which are not right;

Being full of all wrongdoing, evil, desire for the goods of others, hate, envy, putting to death, fighting, deceit, cruel ways, evil talk, and false statements about others;

Hated by God, full of pride, without respect, full of loud talk, given to evil inventions, not honouring father or mother,

Without knowledge, not true to their undertakings, unkind, having no mercy:

Who, though they have knowledge of the law of God, that the fate of those who do these things is death, not only go on doing these things themselves, but give approval to those who do them.

Chapter 2

So you have no reason, whoever you are, for judging: for in judging another you are judging yourself, for you do the same things.

And we are conscious that God is a true judge against those who do such things.

But you who are judging another for doing what you do yourself, are you hoping that God’s decision will not take effect against you?

Or is it nothing to you that God had pity on you, waiting and putting up with you for so long, not seeing that in his pity God’s desire is to give you a change of heart?

But by your hard and unchanged heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of the revelation of God’s judging in righteousness;

Who will give to every man his right reward:

To those who go on with good works in the hope of glory and honour and salvation from death, he will give eternal life:

But to those who, from a love of competition, are not guided by what is true, will come the heat of his wrath,

Trouble and sorrow on all whose works are evil, to the Jew first and then to the Greek;

But glory and honour and peace to all whose works are good, to the Jew first and then to the Greek:

For one man is not different from another before God.

All those who have done wrong without the law will get destruction without the law: and those who have done wrong under the law will have their punishment by the law;

For it is not the hearers of the law who will be judged as having righteousness before God, but only the doers:

For when the Gentiles without the law have a natural desire to do the things in the law, they are a law to themselves;

Because the work of the law is seen in their hearts, their sense of right and wrong giving witness to it, while their minds are at one time judging them and at another giving them approval;

In the day when God will be a judge of the secrets of men, as it says in the good news of which I am a preacher, through Jesus Christ.

But as for you who have the name of Jew, and are resting on the law, and take pride in God,

And have knowledge of his desires, and are a judge of the things which are different, having the learning of the law,

In the belief that you are a guide to the blind, a light to those in the dark,

A teacher of the foolish, having in the law the form of knowledge and of what is true;

You who give teaching to others, do you give it to yourself? you who say that a man may not take what is not his, do you take what is not yours?

You who say that a man may not be untrue to his wife, are you true to yours? you who are a hater of images, do you do wrong to the house of God?

You who take pride in the law, are you doing wrong to the honour of God by behaviour which is against the law?

For the name of God is shamed among the Gentiles because of you, as it is said in the holy Writings.

It is true that circumcision is of use if you keep the law, but if you go against the law it is as if you had it not.

If those who have not circumcision keep the rules of the law, will it not be credited to them as circumcision?

And they, by their keeping of the law without circumcision, will be judges of you, by whom the law is broken though you have the letter of the law and circumcision.

The true Jew is not one who is only so publicly, and circumcision is not that which may be seen in the flesh:

But he is a Jew who is a secret one, whose circumcision is of the heart, in the spirit and not in the letter; whose praise is not from men, but from God.

Chapter 3

How then is the Jew better off? or what profit is there in circumcision?

Much in every way: first of all because the words of God were given to them.

And if some have no faith, will that make the faith of God without effect?

In no way: but let God be true, though every man is seen to be untrue; as it is said in the Writings, That your words may be seen to be true, and you may be seen to be right when you are judged.

But if the righteousness of God is supported by our wrongdoing what is to be said? is it wrong for God to be angry (as men may say)?

In no way: because if it is so, how is God able to be the judge of all the world?

But if, because I am untrue, God being seen to be true gets more glory, why am I to be judged as a sinner?

Let us not do evil so that good may come (a statement which we are falsely said by some to have made), because such behaviour will have its right punishment.

What then? are we worse off than they? In no way: because we have before made it clear that Jews as well as Greeks are all under the power of sin;

As it is said in the holy Writings, There is not one who does righteousness;

Not one who has the knowledge of what is right, not one who is a searcher after God;

They have all gone out of the way, there is no profit in any of them; there is not one who does good, not so much as one:

Their throat is like an open place of death; with their tongues they have said what is not true: the poison of snakes is under their lips:

Whose mouth is full of curses and bitter words:

Their feet are quick in running after blood;

Destruction and trouble are in their ways;

And of the way of peace they have no knowledge:

There is no fear of God before their eyes.

Now, we have knowledge that what the law says is for those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and all men may be judged by God:

Because by the works of the law no man is able to have righteousness in his eyes, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.

But now without the law there is a revelation of the righteousness of God, to which witness is given by the law and the prophets;

That is, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ, to all those who have faith; and one man is not different from another,

For all have done wrong and are far from the glory of God;

And they may have righteousness put to their credit, freely, by his grace, through the salvation which is in Christ Jesus:

Whom God has put forward as the sign of his mercy, through faith, by his blood, to make clear his righteousness when, in his pity, God let the sins of earlier times go without punishment;

And to make clear his righteousness now, so that he might himself be upright, and give righteousness to him who has faith in Jesus.

What reason, then, is there for pride? It is shut out. By what sort of law? of works? No, but by a law of faith.

For this reason, then, a man may get righteousness by faith without the works of the law.

Or is God the God of Jews only? is he not in the same way the God of Gentiles? Yes, of Gentiles:

If God is one; and he will give righteousness because of faith to those who have circumcision, and through faith to those who have not circumcision.

Do we, then, through faith make the law of no effect? in no way: but we make it clear that the law is important.

Chapter 4

What, then, may we say that Abraham, our father after the flesh, has got?

For if Abraham got righteousness by works, he has reason for pride; but not before God.

But what does it say in the holy Writings? And Abraham had faith in God, and it was put to his account as righteousness.

Now, the reward is credited to him who does works, not as of grace but as a debt.

But to him who without working has faith in him who gives righteousness to the evil-doer, his faith is put to his account as righteousness.

As David says that there is a blessing on the man to whose account God puts righteousness without works, saying,

Happy are those who have forgiveness for their wrongdoing, and whose sins are covered.

Happy is the man against whom no sin is recorded by the Lord.

Is this blessing, then, for the circumcision only, or in the same way for those who have not circumcision? for we say that the faith of Abraham was put to his account as 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 he was given the sign of circumcision as a witness of the faith which he had before he underwent circumcision: so that he might be the father of all those who have faith, though they have not circumcision, and so that righteousness might be put to their account;

And the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who keep to the way of that faith which our father Abraham had before he underwent circumcision.

For God’s word, that the earth would be his heritage, was given to Abraham, not through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

For if they who are of the law are the people who get the heritage, then faith is made of no use, and the word of God has no power;

For the outcome of the law is wrath; but where there is no law it will not be broken.

For this reason it is of faith, so that it may be through grace; and so that the word of God may be certain to all the seed; not only to that which is of the law, but to that which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,

(As it is said in the holy Writings, I have made you a father of a number of nations) before him in whom he had faith, that is, God, who gives life to the dead, and to whom the things which are not are as if they were.

Who without reason for hope, in faith went on hoping, so that he became the father of a number of nations, as it had been said, So will your seed be.

And not being feeble in faith though his body seemed to him little better than dead (he being about a hundred years old) and Sarah was no longer able to have children:

Still, he did not give up faith in the undertaking of God, but was made strong by faith, giving glory to God,

And being certain that God was able to keep his word.

For which reason it was put to his account as righteousness.

Now, it was not because of him only that this was said,

But for us in addition, to whose account it will be put, if we have faith in him who made Jesus our Lord come back again from the dead,

Who was put to death for our evil-doing, and came to life again so that we might have righteousness.

Chapter 5

For which reason, because we have righteousness through faith, let us be at peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ;

Through whom, in the same way, we have been able by faith to come to this grace in which we now are; and let us have joy in hope of the glory of God.

And not only so, but let us have joy in our troubles: in the knowledge that trouble gives us the power of waiting;

And waiting gives experience; and experience, hope:

And hope does not put to shame; because our hearts are full of the love of God through the Holy Spirit which is given to us.

For when we were still without strength, at the right time Christ gave his life for evil-doers.

Now it is hard for anyone to give his life even for an upright man, though it might be that for a good man someone would give his life.

But God has made clear his love to us, in that, when we were still sinners, Christ gave his life for us.

Much more, if we now have righteousness by his blood, will salvation from the wrath of God come to us through him.

For if, when we were haters of God, the death of his Son made us at peace with him, much more, now that we are his friends, will we have salvation through his life;

And not only so, but we have joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we are now at peace with God.

For this reason, as through one man sin came into the world, and death because of sin, and so death came to all men, because all have done evil:

Because, till the law came, sin was in existence, but sin is not put to the account of anyone when there is no law to be broken.

But still death had power from Adam till Moses, even over those who had not done wrong like Adam, who is a picture of him who was to come.

But the free giving of God is not like the wrongdoing of man. For if, by the wrongdoing of one man death came to numbers of men, much more did the grace of God, and the free giving by the grace of one man, Jesus Christ, come to men.

And the free giving has not the same effect as the sin of one: for the effect of one man’s sin was punishment by the decision of God, but the free giving had power to give righteousness to wrongdoers in great number.

For, if by the wrongdoing of one, death was ruling through the one, much more will those to whom has come the wealth of grace and the giving of righteousness, be ruling in life through the one, even Jesus Christ.

So then, as the effect of one act of wrongdoing was that punishment came on all men, even so the effect of one act of righteousness was righteousness of life for all men.

Because, as numbers of men became sinners through the wrongdoing of one man, even so will great numbers get righteousness through the keeping of the word of God by one man.

And the law came in addition, to make wrongdoing worse; but where there was much sin, there was much more grace:

That, as sin had power in death, so grace might have power through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Chapter 6

What may we say, then? are we to go on in sin so that there may be more grace?

In no way. How may we, who are dead to sin, be living in it any longer?

Or are you without the knowledge that all we who had baptism into Christ Jesus, had baptism into his death?

We have been placed with him among the dead through baptism into death: so that as Christ came again from the dead by the glory of the Father, we, in the same way, might be living in new life.

For, if we have been made like him in his death, we will, in the same way, be like him in his coming to life again;

Being conscious that our old man was put to death on the cross with him, so that the body of sin might be put away, and we might no longer be servants to sin.

Because he who is dead is free from sin.

But if we are dead with Christ, we have faith that we will be living with him;

Having knowledge that because Christ has come back from the dead, he will never again go down to the dead; death has no more power over him.

For his death was a death to sin, but his life now is a life which he is living to God.

Even so see yourselves as dead to sin, but living to God in Christ Jesus.

For this cause do not let sin be ruling in your body which is under the power of death, so that you give way to its desires;

And do not give your bodies to sin as the instruments of wrongdoing, but give yourselves to God, as those who are living from the dead, and your bodies as instruments of righteousness to God.

For sin may not have rule over you: because you are not under law, but under grace.

What then? are we to go on in sin because we are not under law but under grace? Let it not be so.

Are you not conscious that you are the servants of him to whom you give yourselves to do his desire? if to sin, the end being death, or if to do the desire of God, the end being righteousness.

But praise be to God that though you were the servants of sin, you have now given yourselves freely to that form of teaching under which you were placed;

And being made free from sin you have been made the servants of righteousness.

I am using words in the way of men, because your flesh is feeble: as you gave your bodies as servants to what is unclean, and to evil to do evil, so now give them as servants to righteousness to do what is holy.

When you were servants of sin you were free from righteousness.

What fruit had you at that time in the things which are now a shame to you? for the end of such things is death.

But now, being free from sin, and having been made servants to God, you have your fruit in that which is holy, and the end is eternal life.

For the reward of sin is death; but what God freely gives is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans Chapter 7

Is it not clear, my brothers (I am using an argument to those who have knowledge of the law), that the law has power over a man as long as he is living?

For the woman who has a husband is placed by the law under the power of her husband as long as he is living; but if her husband is dead, she is free from the law of the husband.

So if, while the husband is living, she is joined to another man, she will get the name of one who is untrue to her husband: but if the husband is dead, she is free from the law, so that she is not untrue, even if she takes another man.

In the same way, my brothers, you were made dead to the law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, even to him who came again from the dead, so that we might give fruit to God.

For when we were in the flesh, the evil passions which came into being through the law were working in our bodies to give the fruit of death.

But now we are free from the law, having been made dead to that which had power over us; so that we are servants in the new way of the spirit, not in the old way of the letter.

What then is to be said? is the law sin? in no way. But I would not have had knowledge of sin but for the law: for I would not have been conscious of desire if the law had not said, You may not have a desire for what is another’s.

But sin, taking its chance through that which was ordered by the law, was working in me every form of desire: because without the law sin is dead.

And there was a time when I was living without the law: but when the law gave its orders, sin came to life and put me to death;

And I made the discovery that the law whose purpose was to give life had become a cause of death:

For I was tricked and put to death by sin, which took its chance through the law.

But the law is holy, and its orders are holy, upright, and good.

Was then that which is good, death to me? In no way. But the purpose was that sin might be seen to be sin by working death to me through that which is good; so that through the orders of the law sin might seem much more evil.

For we are conscious that the law is of the spirit; but I am of the flesh, given into the power of sin.

And I have no clear knowledge of what I am doing, for that which I have a mind to do, I do not, but what I have hate for, that I do.

But, if I do that which I have no mind to do, I am in agreement with the law that the law is good.

So it is no longer I who do it, but the sin living in me.

For I am conscious that in me, that is, in my flesh, there is nothing good: I have the mind but not the power to do what is right.

For the good which I have a mind to do, I do not: but the evil which I have no mind to do, that I do.

But if I do what I have no mind to do, it is no longer I who do it, but the sin living in me.

So I see a law that, though I have a mind to do good, evil is present in me.

In my heart I take pleasure in the law of God,

But I see another law in my body, working against the law of my mind, and making me the servant of the law of sin which is in my flesh.

How unhappy am I! who will make me free from the body of this death?

I give praise to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So with my mind I am a servant to the law of God, but with my flesh to the law of sin.

Chapter 8

For this cause those who are in Christ Jesus will not be judged as sinners.

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

For what the law was not able to do because it was feeble through the flesh, God, sending his Son in the image of the evil flesh, and as an offering for sin, gave his decision against sin in the flesh:

So that what was ordered by the law might be done in us, who are living, not in the way of the flesh, but in the way of the Spirit.

For those who are living in the way of the flesh give their minds to the things of the flesh, but those who go in the way of the Spirit, to the things of the Spirit.

For the mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace:

Because the mind of the flesh is opposite to God; it is not under the law of God, and is not able to be:

So that those who are in the flesh are not able to give pleasure to God.

You are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God is in you. But if any man has not the Spirit of Christ he is not one of his.

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

But if the Spirit of him who made Jesus come again from the dead is in you, he who made Christ Jesus come again from the dead will in the same way, through his Spirit which is in you, give life to your bodies which now are under the power of death.

So then, my brothers, we are in debt, not to the flesh to be living in the way of the flesh:

For if you go in the way of the flesh, death will come on you; but if by the Spirit you put to death the works of the body, you will have life.

And all those who are guided by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

For you did not get the spirit of servants again to put you in fear, but the spirit of sons was given to you, by which we say, Abba, Father.

The Spirit is witness with our spirit that we are children of God:

And if we are children, we have a right to a part in the heritage; a part in the things of God, together with Christ; so that if we have a part in his pain, we will in the same way have a part in his glory.

I am of the opinion that there is no comparison between the pain of this present time and the glory which we will see in the future.

For the strong desire of every living thing is waiting for the revelation of the sons of God.

For every living thing was put under the power of change, not by its desire, but by him who made it so, in hope

That all living things will be made free from the power of death and will have a part with the free children of God in glory.

For we are conscious that all living things are weeping and sorrowing in pain together till now.

And not only so, but we who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we have sorrow in our minds, waiting for the time when we will take our place as sons, that is, the salvation of our bodies.

For our salvation is by hope: but hope which is seen is not hope: for who is hoping for what he sees?

But if we have hope for that which we see not, then we will be able to go on waiting for it.

And in the same way the Spirit is a help to our feeble hearts: for we are not able to make prayer to God in the right way; but the Spirit puts our desires into words which are not in our power to say;

And he who is the searcher of hearts has knowledge of the mind of the Spirit, because he is making prayers for the saints in agreement with the mind of God.

And we are conscious that all things are working together for good to those who have love for God, and have been marked out by his purpose.

Because those of whom he had knowledge before they came into existence, were marked out by him to be made like his Son, so that he might be the first among a band of brothers:

And those who were marked out by him were named; and those who were named were given righteousness; and to those to whom he gave righteousness, in the same way he gave glory.

What may we say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us?

He who did not keep back his only Son, but gave him up for us all, will he not with him freely give us all things?

Who will say anything against the saints of God? It is God who makes us clear from evil;

Who will give a decision against us? It is Christ Jesus who not only was put to death, but came again from the dead, who is now at the right hand of God, taking our part.

Who will come between us and the love of Christ? Will trouble, or pain, or cruel acts, or the need of food or of clothing, or danger, or the sword?

As it is said in the holy Writings, Because of you we are put to death every day; we are like sheep ready for destruction.

But we are able to overcome all these things and more through his love.

For I am certain that not death, or life, or angels, or rulers, or things present, or things to come, or powers,

Or things on high, or things under the earth, or anything which is made, will be able to come between us and the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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