Romans 1-4

Lexham English Bible

Greeting

1 Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, ² which he promised previously through his prophets in the holy scriptures, ³ concerning his Son, who was born a descendant^[a] of David according to the flesh, ⁴ who was declared Son of God in power according to the Holy Spirit^[b] by the resurrection from the dead of Jesus Christ our Lord, ⁵ through whom we have received grace and apostleship for the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles^[c] on behalf of his name, ⁶ among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ. ⁷ To all those in Rome who are loved by God, called to be saints. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul Wants to Visit Rome

⁸ First, I give thanks to my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being proclaimed in the whole world. ⁹ For God, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, is my witness, how constantly I make mention of you, ¹⁰ always asking in my prayers if somehow now at last I may succeed to come to you in the will of God. ¹¹ For I desire to see you, in order that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, in order to strengthen you, ¹² that is, to be encouraged together with you through our mutual faith^[d], both yours and mine. ¹³ Now I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, that often I intended to come to you, and was prevented until now, in order that I might have some fruit among you also, just as also among the rest of the Gentiles.^{[e] 14} I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. ¹⁵ Thus I am eager^[f] to proclaim the gospel also to you who are in Rome.

The Gospel’s Power for Salvation

¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. ¹⁷ For the righteousness of God is revealed in it from faith to faith, just as it is written, “But the one who is righteous by faith will live.”^[g]

God’s Wrath Revealed Against Sinful Humanity

¹⁸ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all impiety and unrighteousness of people, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, ¹⁹ because what can be known about God is evident among^[h] them, for God made it clear to them. ²⁰ For from the creation of the world, his invisible attributes, both his eternal power and deity, are discerned clearly, being understood in the things created, so that they are without excuse. ²¹ For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their reasoning, and their senseless hearts were darkened. ²² Claiming to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and exchanged the glory of the immortal God with the likeness of an image of mortal human beings and birds and quadrupeds and reptiles.

²⁴ Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to immorality, that their bodies would be dishonored among themselves, ²⁵ who exchanged the truth of God with a lie, and worshiped and served the creation rather than the Creator, who is blessed for eternity. Amen.

God Hands Sinful Humanity over to Depravity

²⁶ Because of this, God gave them over to degrading passions, for their females exchanged the natural relations for those contrary to nature, ²⁷ and likewise also the males, abandoning the natural relations with the female, were inflamed in their desire toward one another, males with males committing the shameless deed, and receiving in themselves the penalty that was necessary for their error. ²⁸ And just as they did not see fit to recognize God^[i], God gave them over to a debased mind, to do the things that are not proper, ²⁹ being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greediness, malice, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malevolence. They are gossipers, ³⁰ slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boasters, contrivers of evil, disobedient to parents, ³¹ senseless, faithless, unfeeling, unmerciful, ³² who, although they^[j] know the requirements of God, that those who do such things are worthy of death, not only do they do the same things, but also they approve of those who do them.

The Righteous and Impartial Judgment of God

2 Therefore you are without excuse, O man, every one of you who passes judgment. For in that which you pass judgment on someone else, you condemn yourself, for you who are passing judgment are doing the same things. ² Now we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who do such things. ³ But do you think this, O man who passes judgment on those who do such things, and who does the same things, that you will escape the judgment of God? ⁴ Or do you despise the wealth of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? ⁵ But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart, you are storing up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and of the revelation of the righteous judgment of God, ⁶ who will reward each one according to his works: ⁷ to those who, by perseverance in good work, seek glory and honor and immortality, eternal life, ⁸ but to those who act from selfish ambition and who disobey the truth, but who obey unrighteousness, wrath and anger. ⁹ There will be affliction and distress for every human being^[k] who does evil, of the Jew first and of the Greek, ¹⁰ but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and to the Greek. ¹¹ For there is no partiality with God.

¹² For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. ¹³ For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be declared righteous.^{[l] 14} For whenever the Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature the things of the law, these, although they^[m] do not have the law, are a law to themselves, ¹⁵ who show the work of the law written on their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts one after another accusing or even defending them ¹⁶ on the day when God judges the secret things of people, according to my gospel, through^[n] Christ Jesus.

Jews also Condemned by the Law

¹⁷ But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God ¹⁸ and know his will and approve the things that are superior, because you^[o] are instructed by the law, ¹⁹ and are confident that you yourself are a guide of the blind, a light of those in darkness, ²⁰ an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth in the law. ²¹ Therefore, the one who teaches someone else, do you not teach yourself? The one who preaches not to steal, do you steal? ²² The one who says not to commit adultery, do you commit adultery? The one who abhors idols, do you rob temples? ²³ Who boast in the law, by the transgression of the law you dishonor God!^{[p] 24} For just as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”^[q]

²⁵ For circumcision is of value if you do the law, but if you should be a transgressor of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. ²⁶ Therefore, if the uncircumcised person follows the requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be credited for circumcision? ²⁷ And the uncircumcised person by nature who carries out the law will judge you who, though provided with the precise written code^[r] and circumcision are a transgressor of the law. ²⁸ For the Jew is not one outwardly^[s], nor is circumcision outwardly^[t], in the flesh. ²⁹ But the Jew is one inwardly^[u], and circumcision is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter, whose praise is not from people but from God.

Jews Still Have an Advantage

3 Therefore, what is the advantage of the Jew, or what is the use of circumcision? ² Much in every way. For first, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God. ³ What is the result^[v] if some refused to believe? Their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it? ⁴ May it never be! But let God be true but every human being a liar, just as it is written,

⁵ But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? God, who inflicts wrath, is not unjust, is he? (I am speaking according to a human perspective.) ⁶ May it never be! For otherwise, how will God judge the world? ⁷ But if by my lying, the truth of God abounded to his glory, why am I also still condemned as a sinner? ⁸ And why not (as we are slandered, and as some affirm that we say), “Let us do evil, in order that good may come of it? Their^[y] condemnation is just!

The Entire World Guilty of Sin

⁹ What then? Do we have an advantage? Not at all. For we have already charged both Jews and Greeks are all under sin, ¹⁰ just as it is written,

¹⁹ Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those under the law, in order that every mouth may be closed and the whole world may become accountable to God. ²⁰ For by the works of the law no person will be declared righteous^[ae] before him, for through the law comes knowledge of sin.

Righteousness through Faith Revealed

²¹ But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, being testified about by the law and the prophets— ²² that is, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ^[af] to all who believe. For there is no distinction, ²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ being justified as a gift by his grace, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, ²⁵ whom God made publicly available as the mercy seat^[ag] through faith in his blood, for a demonstration of his righteousness, because of the passing over of previously committed sins, ²⁶ in the forbearance of God, for the demonstration of his righteousness in the present time, so that he should be just and the one who justifies the person by faith^[ah] in Jesus.

²⁷ Therefore, where is boasting? It has been excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law^[ai] of faith. ²⁸ For we consider a person to be justified by faith apart from the works of the law. ²⁹ Or is God the God of the Jews only? Is he not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, also of the Gentiles, ³⁰ since God is one, who will justify those who are circumcised^[aj] by faith and those who are uncircumcised^[ak] through faith. ³¹ Therefore, do we nullify the law through faith? May it never be! But we uphold the law.

Abraham’s Faith Counted as Righteousness

4 What then shall we say that Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh, has found? ² For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. ³ For what does the scripture say? “And Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness.”^{[al] 4} Now to the one who works, his pay is not credited according to grace, but according to his due. ⁵ But to the one who does not work, but who believes in the one who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited for righteousness, ⁶ just as David also speaks about the blessing of the person to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

⁹ Therefore, is this blessing for those who are circumcised^[an], or also for those who are uncircumcised^[ao]? For we say, “Faith was credited to Abraham for righteousness.”^{[ap] 10} How then was it credited? While he^[aq] was circumcised^[ar] or uncircumcised^[as]? Not while circumcised^[at] but while uncircumcised^[au]! ¹¹ And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal^[av] of the righteousness by faith which he had while uncircumcised^[aw], so that he could be the father of all who believe although they are uncircumcised^[ax], so that righteousness could be credited to them,^{[ay] 12} and the father of those who are circumcised^[az] to those who are not only from the circumcision, but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had while uncircumcised^[ba].

The Promise to Abraham Secured through Faith

¹³ For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants, that he would be heir of the world, was not through the law, but through the righteousness by faith. ¹⁴ For if those of the law are heirs, faith is rendered void and the promise is nullified. ¹⁵ For the law produces wrath, but where there is no law, neither is there transgression. ¹⁶ Because of this, it is by faith, in order that it may be according to grace, so that the promise may be secure to all the descendants, not only to those of the law, but also to those of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all ¹⁷ (just as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”)^[bb] before God, in whom he believed, the one who makes the dead alive and who calls the things that are not as though they are, ¹⁸ who against hope believed in hope, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was said, “so will your descendants be.”^{[bc] 19} And not being weak in faith, he considered his own body as good as dead, ^[bd] because he^[be] was approximately a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. ²⁰ And he did not waver in unbelief at the promise of God, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God ²¹ and being fully convinced that what he had promised, he was also able to do. ²² Therefore^[bf] it was credited to him for righteousness. ²³ But it was not written for the sake of him alone that it was credited to him, ²⁴ but also for the sake of us to whom it is going to be credited, to those who believe in the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, ²⁵ who was handed over on account of our trespasses, and was raised up in the interest of our justification.^[bg]