Romans 1

Greetings from Paul

1This letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News.G3972G1401G2424G5547G2822G652G873G1519G2098G23162God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets in the holy Scriptures.G3739G4279G1223G846G4396G1722G40G11243The Good News is about his Son. In his earthly life he was born into King David's family line,G4012G846G5207G2424G5547G2257G2962G3588G1096G1537G4690G1138G2596G45614and he was shown to be

the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord.G3724G5207G2316G1722G1411G2596G4151G42G1537G386G34985Through Christ, God has given us the privilege

and authority as apostles to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name.G1223G3739G2983G5485G2532G651G1519G5218G4102G1722G3956G1484G5228G846G36866And you are included among those Gentiles who have been called to belong to Jesus Christ.G1722G3739G2075G5210G2532G2822G2424G55477I am writing to all of you in Rome who are loved by God and are called to be his own holy people. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.G3956G5607G1722G4516G27G2316G2822G40G5485G5213G2532G1515G575G2316G2257G3962G2532G2962G2424G5547

God’s Good News

8Let me say first that I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith in him is being talked about all over the world.G4412G3303G2168G3450G2316G1223G2424G5547G5228G5216G3956G3754G5216G4102G2605G1722G3650G28899God knows how often I pray for you. Day and night I bring you and your needs in prayer to God, whom I serve with all my heart

by spreading the Good News about his Son.G1063G2316G2076G3450G3144G3739G3000G1722G3450G4151G1722G2098G846G5207G5613G89G4160G3417G5216G3842G1909G3450G433510One of the things I always pray for is the opportunity, God willing, to come at last to see you.G1189G1513G2235G4218G2137G1722G2307G2316G2064G4314G520911For I long to visit you so I can bring you some spiritual gift that will help you grow strong in the Lord.G1063G1971G1492G5209G2443G3330G5213G5100G4152G5486G1519G5209G474112When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours.G1161G5124G2076G4837G1722G5213G1223G1722G240G4102G5037G5216G2532G170013I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters

, that I planned many times to visit you, but I was prevented until now. I want to work among you and see spiritual fruit, just as I have seen among other Gentiles.G1161G2309G3756G50G5209G50G80G3754G4178G4388G2064G4314G5209G2532G2967G891G1204G2443G2192G5100G2590G1722G5213G2532G2531G2532G1722G3062G148414For I have a great sense of obligation to people in both the civilized world and the rest of the world

, to the educated and uneducated alike.G1510G3781G5037G1672G2532G915G5037G4680G2532G45315So I am eager to come to you in Rome, too, to preach the Good News.G3779G2596G1691G4289G2097G5213G1722G4516G253216For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes-the Jew first and also the Gentile

.G1063G1870G3756G1870G2098G5547G1063G2076G1411G2316G1519G4991G3956G4100G2453G4412G5037G2532G167217This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, "It is through faith that a righteous person has life."

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God’s Anger at Sin

18But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness

.G1063G3709G2316G601G575G3772G1909G3956G763G2532G93G444G2722G225G1722G9319They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them.G1360G1110G2316G2076G5318G1722G846G1063G2316G5319G84620For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.G1063G517G846G575G2937G2889G2529G3539G4161G5037G846G126G1411G2532G2305G1519G846G1511G37921Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn't worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused.G1360G1097G2316G1392G3756G5613G2316G2228G2168G235G3154G1722G846G1261G2532G846G801G2588G465422Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools.G5335G1511G4680G347123And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.G2532G236G1391G862G2316G1722G1504G3667G5349G444G2532G4071G2532G5074G2532G206224So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other's bodies.G1352G2316G2532G3860G846G3860G1519G167G1722G1939G846G2588G818G846G4983G1722G143825They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.G3748G3337G225G2316G1722G5579G2532G4573G2532G3000G2937G3844G2936G3739G2076G2128G1519G165G28126That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other.G1223G5124G2316G3860G846G3860G1519G819G3806G1063G5037G846G2338G3337G5446G5540G1519G3844G544927And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved.G5037G3668G2532G730G863G5446G5540G2338G1572G1722G846G3715G1519G240G730G1722G730G2716G808G2532G618G1722G1438G489G846G4106G3739G116328Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done.G2532G2531G1381G3756G1381G2192G2316G1722G1922G2316G3860G846G3860G1519G96G3563G4160G2520G3361G252029Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip.G4137G3956G93G4202G4189G4124G2549G3324G5355G5408G2054G1388G2550G558830They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents.G2637G2319G5197G5244G213G2182G2556G545G111831They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy.G801G802G794G786G41532They know God's justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.G3748G1921G1345G2316G3754G4238G5108G1526G514G2288G3756G3440G4160G846G235G2532G4909G4238