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Prologue

Chapter 1

Set Apart for the Gospel. Paul,[a] a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the service of the gospel that God promised beforehand through his Prophets[b] in the holy Scriptures, [c]the gospel concerning his Son who according to the flesh was descended from David, and who according to the Spirit of holiness was proclaimed to be the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.

Through him we have received grace and our apostolic commission to proclaim the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name. And you are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

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Footnotes

  1. Romans 1:1 Paul: in accord with ancient custom, Paul puts his name at the beginning of the Letter; for information about Paul, see Acts 9:1ff; Phil 3:4-14; and the Introduction to his Letters. Servant: literally, (1) a “slave,” who belongs wholly to his master and is not free to leave, or (2) a “servant,” who chooses to serve his master (see Ex 14:31; Ps 18; Isa 41:8-9; 42:1). Apostle: one especially commissioned by Christ (see note on Mk 6:30). Gospel: see note on Mk 1:1-8. The word Gospel occurs with special frequency in the collection of Paul’s Letters (40 times).
  2. Romans 1:2 Prophets: not just the writers of the Prophetic Books of the Bible but the whole Old Testament, which prophesied about Jesus (see Lk 24:27, 44). Holy Scriptures: the Old Testament.
  3. Romans 1:3 An early Christian profession of faith that proclaims Jesus’ sonship as the Messianic descendant of David (see Mt 22:42; 2 Tim 2:8; Rev 22:16) and as the Son of God, as indicated by the Resurrection. Since Jesus is a “life-giving spirit” (1 Cor 15:45), he is able to give the Spirit to those who believe in him.