Romans    Salvation for the Jew and Gentile     The Revealed Translation

 

                                      Romans 1 “Faith in Jesus”                              

 

Romans 1:1  God chose me, Paul, to be a servant of Jesus Christ and apostle. And God appointed me to preach His good news

 

Romans 1:2  that He promised long ago, through His prophets, in the holy Scriptures.

 

Romans 1:3  This good news is about His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. As a human, He was from the family of King David.

 

Romans 1:4  But the Holy Spirit proved that Jesus is the Son of God, because He mightily raised Jesus from the dead.

 

Romans 1:5  Jesus has given us the privilege and authority to tell non Jews what God has done for them so that people of all nations would believe in him, obey him, and bring him glory.

 

Romans 1:6  You are some of these people chosen by Jesus Christ.

 

Romans 1:7  This letter is to all of you in Rome. God loves you and has chosen you to be His very own people. I pray that God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you and will bless you with peace.

 

Romans 1:8  First, I thank God in the name of Jesus Christ for all of you. I do this because people everywhere in the world are talking about your faith.

 

Romans 1:9  God sees how I never stop praying for your needs, while I serve him with all my Heart and tell the good news about His Son.

 

Romans 1:10  I ask God to make it possible for me to visit you.

 

Romans 1:11  I want to see you and share the same blessings that God's Spirit has given to me. Then you will grow stronger in your faith.

 

Romans 1:12  And we can encourage each other by the faith that is ours.

 

Romans 1:13  My friends, I want you to know that I have often planned to visit you but something always prevented it. I want to win followers to Christ in Rome, as I have done in many other non Jewish places.

 

Romans 1:14  I am obligated to tell the good news to the civilized and educated, as well as the uncivilized and uneducated.

 

Romans 1:15  That's why I am eager to visit all of you in Rome.

 

Romans 1:16  I am not ashamed of the good news of Jesus Christ. It is God's powerful way of saving all who will believe it, whether they are Jews or Gentiles.

 

Romans 1:17  This righteousness from God reveals how God accepts those who have faith in Him, just as the Habakkuk 2:4 says, "The people God accepts will live by faith."

 

Romans 1:18  God reveals His anger from Heaven against all wickedness and evil that sinful people do to push the truth away from themselves.

 

Romans 1:19  For they know everything that can be known about God, because God reveals it to them through their conscience.

 

Romans 1:20  God's eternal power and character cannot be observed. But from the evidence of creation, God has shown what these are like by all He has made. That's why those people don't have any excuse for not knowing God.

 

Romans 1:21  They knew about God but didn't honor him or even thank him. They began foolish ideas of what God is like and by causing confusion, they live in darkness.

 

Romans 1:22  Claiming to be scientific and wise, they became fools.

 

Romans 1:23  They wont worship the glorious and eternal God but worship idols made to look like humans, birds, animals, and reptiles.

 

Romans 1:24  So God let these people go their own way. They did what they wanted to and their filthy thoughts made them do shameful things with their bodies.

 

Romans 1:25  They give up the truth about God for a lie and worshipped God's creation instead of God, who will be praised forever. Amen.

 

Romans 1:26  God lets them follow their own shameful evil desires and they practice unnatural acts with each other. Even the women no longer desire sex in a natural way, and prefer same sex with each other.

 

Romans 1:27  And the men behave in the same way. They stopped wanting to have sex with women and had strong desires for sex with other men. They did shameful things with each other, and what has happened to them is punishment for their foolish deeds.

 

Romans 1:28  Since these people refused even to think about God, He let their useless minds rule over them. That's why they do all sorts of indecent things.

 

Romans 1:29  They are evil, wicked, sensual, greedy, and mean in every possible way. They desire what others have, and they murder, argue, cheat, very uncooperative, and even gossip,

 

Romans 1:30  saying cruel things about others.  They hate God. They are proud, conceited, boastful, and always thinking up new ways to do evil. These people don't even respect their parents.

 

Romans 1:31  They refuse to have understanding, they are unreliable and don't have any love or pity for others.

 

Romans 1:32  They know God has said that anyone who acts this way deserves to die. But they keep on doing evil things, and take pleasure in others that practice evil.

 

                             Romans 2     “God’s Judgment”

 

Romans 2:1  Some of you accuse others of doing wrong. But there is no excuse for what you do. When you judge others, you condemn yourselves, because you are guilty of doing the very same things.

 

Romans 2:2  We know that God is right to judge everyone who behaves this way.

 

Romans 2:3  Do you really think God won't punish you when you behave exactly like the people you accuse?

 

Romans 2:4  Don’t you care about God's wonderful kindness, patience, and willingness to put up with you?  Don't you know that the reason God is tolerant of you is because, in His kindness, He wants you to turn from sin to Him?

 

Romans 2:5  But you are stubborn and refuse turning to God. So you are making things worse for yourselves for the judgment day when God will display His anger and judge the world in His fairness.

 

Romans 2:6  God will judge each of us for what we have done.

 

Romans 2:7  He will give eternal life to everyone who has patiently done what is good in the hope of receiving glory, honor, and the life that lasts forever.

 

Romans 2:8  But He will pour out His anger upon every selfish person who rejects the truth and wants to do evil.

 

Romans 2:9  All who are wicked will be punished with trouble and suffering. It doesn't matter if they are Jews or Gentiles.

 

Romans 2:10  But all who do right will be rewarded with glory, honor, and peace, whether they are Jews or Gentiles.

 

Romans 2:11  For God doesn't have any favorites!

 

Romans 2:12  Even the people who don't know God's written Law will still be punished for doing wrong. And the Law will be used to judge everyone who knows what it says.

 

Romans 2:13  God accepts those who know and obey His Law, but not those who simply hear it.

 

Romans 2:14  Some people naturally obey the Law's commands of right and wrong, though they don't even have the Law.

 

Romans 2:15  This proves that their conscience is like a law written within their hearts and it shows whether they are forgiven or condemned,

 

Romans 2:16  when God appoints Jesus Christ to judge everyone's secret thoughts, just as my message declares.

 

Romans 2:17  Some of you call yourselves Jews. You trust in the Law and take pride in God’s covenantal agreement with you.

 

Romans 2:18  By reading the Scriptures you learn how God wants you to behave, and you discover what is right and wrong.

 

Romans 2:19  You are sure that you are a guide for the blind and a light for all who are lost in darkness without God.

 

Romans 2:20  And since there is knowledge and truth in God's Law, you think you can instruct the ignorant and teach the young.

 

Romans 2:21  But how can you teach others when you refuse to learn? You preach that it is wrong to steal. But do you steal?

 

Romans 2:22  You say people should be faithful in marriage. But are you faithful? You hate idolatry, but you rob their pagan temples.

 

Romans 2:23  You take pride in knowing the Law, but you disobey it bringing dishonor to God.

 

Romans 2:24  Just as Isaiah 52:5 says, "Your actions make foreigners say insulting things about God."

 

Romans 2:25  Being circumcised is worthwhile, if you obey the Law. But if you don't obey the Law, you are no better off than people who are not circumcised.

 

Romans 2:26  And if they obey the Law, they are as good as anyone who is circumcised.

 

Romans 2:27  So everyone who obeys the Law, but has not been circumcised, will be better off than the Jews who are circumcised and have the Law, but don't obey its teachings.

 

Romans 2:28  Just because you are born of Jewish parents, live like a Jew, and are circumcised, doesn't make you a real Jew.

 

Romans 2:29  A real Jew obeys God’s Law. True circumcision happens in your spiritual heart, by the power of the Holy Spirit, not by the cutting away of your body. And you should want praise from God, not people.

 

                             Romans 3    “God’s Faithfulness”

 

Romans 3:1  What good is there to be Jewish or be circumcised?

 

Romans 3:2  It is good in a lot of ways. First of all, God's spoken word was entrusted to the Jews.

 

Romans 3:3  It is true that some were unfaithful and broke their promises. But does this mean God will break His promises?

 

Romans 3:4  No, indeed! God tells the truth, even if everyone else is a liar. Psalm 51:4 says, "Your words will be proven true, and in court you will win your case."

 

Romans 3:5  How can we foolishly think our evil deeds magnify how good God’s forgiveness is?

 

Romans 3:6  This is wrong thinking, Otherwise, how could God bring judgment  upon the sins of the world?

 

Romans 3:7  If you believe your lies bring great honor to God by showing how truthful He is, then ask yourself why God still says you are a sinner.

 

Romans 3:8  You might as well say, "Let's do something evil, so that the goodness of God will be exposed." Some people claim that I teach this. But God is fair and will judge them as well.

 

Romans 3:9  What does all this mean? Does it mean that we Jews are better off than the Gentiles? No, it doesn't! Jews, as well as Gentiles, are ruled by the power of Sin.

 

Romans 3:10  Psalms 14:1-3 and Psalms 53:1-3 says, "No one is good before God. Not one person.

 

Romans 3:11  No one understands or searches for God.

 

Romans 3:12  All have turned away from God and go the wrong direction.

                              No one does anything good or right.

 

Romans 3:13  Their words are like a smelly pit, telling lies as deadly as snake poison,

 

Romans 3:14  their mouths are full of bitter curses.

 

Romans 3:15  They are quick to murder.

 

Romans 3:16  they leave ruin and destruction.

 

Romans 3:17  They don't know how to live in true peace.

 

Romans 3:18  They don't even have the fear of God holding them back."

 

Romans 3:19  We know that everything in the Law was given to stop anyone from making excuses and to let God show that the whole world is guilty.

 

Romans 3:20  God does not declare anyone obedient to the Law as righteous. The Law magnifies our sinfulness.

 

Romans 3:21  God has shown us a different way to be right in His sight, and it isn't by obeying the Laws of Moses.

 

Romans 3:22  God treats everyone alike and accepts all people that trust in Jesus Christ to take away their Sin.

 

Romans 3:23  All of us have sinned and fall short of God's glorious standard.

 

Romans 3:24  But God kindly accepts us and declares us “not guilty” because of Jesus Christ, who purchased us.

 

Romans 3:25  God sent Jesus to be the punishment for our Sin and relieve God’s anger upon us. Jesus offered His life's blood, so that by faith in His sacrifice we could turn to God. God did this to show that in the past He was right to be patient and forgive sinners.

 

Romans 3:26  This shows us that God is right when He accepts people today who have faith in Jesus.

 

Romans 3:27  Is there anything we can brag about in obedience to the law? No! It is because of our faith in Jesus, not in good deeds or works.

 

Romans 3:28  We are made acceptable to God because of our faith in Jesus and not by obedience to the Law.

 

Romans 3:29  Does God belong only to the Jews or is He also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, He is!

 

Romans 3:30  There is only one God, and only one way to His righteousness.  He accepts Gentiles as well as Jews, simply because of their faith in Jesus.

 

Romans 3:31  Do we forget the Law by replacing it with our faith in Jesus? Not at all! This fulfills the law’s purpose.

 

 

                             Romans 4       “Abraham’s Faith in God”

 

Romans 4:1  What can we say about our Jewish founder Abraham experiencing salvation through faith?

 

Romans 4:2  If He became acceptable to God by works, then He would have something to brag about. But He would never be able to brag to God.

 

Romans 4:3  Genesis 15:6 says, "God accepted Abraham because Abraham believed and had faith in God."

 

Romans 4:4  Money paid to workers is not a gift, it is a wage earned by working.

 

Romans 4:5  You cannot make God accept you by something you do. God accepts sinners because of their faith alone in Him.

 

Romans 4:6  David wrote in Psalm 32:1-2 about the blessing that comes to undeserving sinners declared acceptable to God.

 

Romans 4:7  "God blesses those whose sins are forgiven and evil deeds are forgotten.

 

Romans 4:8  The Lord blesses those whose sins are erased from His book."

 

Romans 4:9  Are these blessings meant for the Jews only or for Gentiles also? God declared Abraham good because Abraham had faith in Him.

 

Romans 4:10  But when did his faith help him? Was Abraham declared righteous before or after His circumcision? His faith was before circumcision.

 

Romans 4:11 Abraham’s circumcision displayed He had already been accepted because of His faith in God. This makes Abraham the father of all who are acceptable to God, in righteousness, because of their faith in Him, even without circumcision.

 

Romans 4:12  This also makes Abraham the spiritual father of everyone who is circumcised and has faith in God, as Abraham did before He was circumcised.

 

Romans 4:13  God promised Abraham, in Genesis 12:3, that He would give him the world. This promise wasn't made because Abraham had obeyed the Law. It was because of his new relationship of faith in God that made him acceptable.

 

Romans 4:14  If Abraham and his descendants were given God’s promise because they obeyed the Law to be declared worthy, then faith would mean nothing, and the promise would be worthless.

 

Romans 4:15  God brings punishment upon those who break His Law.  Only where there is no law, it cannot be broken.

 

Romans 4:16  Everything depends upon faith in God as God's free promise is assured to us by His great kindness. This promise isn't only for Abraham's descendants who try to keep the Law. Abraham is the ancestor of all who display this same kind of faith in God.

 

Romans 4:17  God told Abraham, in Genesis 17:5, he would become the ancestor of many nations. This promise was made to Abraham because He had faith in God, who raises the dead to life and creates new things from nothing.

 

Romans 4:18  God promised Abraham, in Genesis 15:5, that He would be given a lot of descendants. And when it all seemed hopeless, Abraham still had faith in God and became the ancestor of many nations.

 

Romans 4:19  Abraham's faith never became weak, even when He was nearly a hundred years too old to produce and His wife Sarah could not bear children.

 

Romans 4:20  But Abraham never doubted or questioned God's promise. His faith made him stronger and brought glory to God.

 

Romans 4:21  Abraham was convinced God would do what He promised.

 

Romans 4:22  God credited Abraham’s faith with righteousness.

 

Romans 4:23  But God’s righteousness was not only for Abraham.

 

Romans 4:24  But also for us, since we are accepted because of our faith in God raising our Lord Jesus Christ from death to life.

 

Romans 4:25  God provided Jesus Christ to die for our sins, and He raised Jesus to new life, so that we would be made acceptable to God.

 

                             Romans 5    “True Faith in Jesus"

 

Romans 5:1  By faith we have been made right with God. And because of what our Lord Jesus Christ did for us, we live in peace with God.

 

Romans 5:2  Through faith, Christ has brought us to God's undeserved kindness upon which we take our stand. So we are confident and joyful as we look forward to sharing in the glory of God.

 

Romans 5:3  And we gladly tolerate problems and sufferings, because we know that these trials help us endure.

 

Romans 5:4  Endurance builds strength of character and confidence, which gives us the hope of salvation

 

Romans 5:5  that will never disappoint us because God’s love has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love.

 

Romans 5:6  Jesus Christ died for us at the time we were helpless and sinful.

 

Romans 5:7  No one is really willing to die for an honest person, though someone might be willing to die for a truly good person.

 

Romans 5:8  But God shows His great love for us by having Jesus Christ die for us, even though we were sinful.

 

Romans 5:9  And now that God has accepted us because Jesus Christ sacrificed His life's blood for us, we will also be kept safe from God's judgment.

 

Romans 5:10  Even while we were God's enemies, He restored friendship with us, and because His Son died for us, we will be saved from eternal punishment by His Son's life.

 

Romans 5:11  And we are happy because God sent our Lord Jesus Christ to make friends with us in our new relationship of peace with God.

 

Romans 5:12  Adam’s sin of disobedience spread Sin and Death into the human race. So now everyone has sinned and must die.

 

Romans 5:13  Sin was present in the world even before the Law was given. But no record of sin was kept, because there was no Law.

 

Romans 5:14  Yet death still had power over all who lived from the time of Adam to the time of Moses. This happened, though not everyone disobeyed a direct command from God, as Adam did. In some ways Adam is like Jesus Christ who came later.

 

Romans 5:15  For God’s gift of forgiveness is very different from Adam's sin. Adam’s sin brought death to all. But, Jesus Christ, alone, brought God's gift of forgiveness to others.

 

Romans 5:16  There is a big difference between Adam's sin and God's gift. Adam’s sin brought punishment. But God's gift made it possible for us to become acceptable to him though we have sinned many times.

 

Romans 5:17  Death ruled over us like a king because Adam sinned. But God has been so kind and has accepted us because of the man, Jesus Christ, so that we will live in triumph over sin and death.

 

Romans 5:18  Everyone deserves punishment because of Adam’s sin. But because of the righteousness Jesus Christ has done, God accepts us and gives us the gift of life.

 

Romans 5:19  Adam disobeyed God and caused others to be sinners. But Jesus obeyed God to make many people acceptable to God.

 

Romans 5:20  The Law was given to reveal the full power of sin. But where sin is powerful, God's kindness is even more powerful.

 

Romans 5:21  Sin ruled over all and brought death. But God's kindness now rules, and God has accepted us, and given us eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

      Adam (First Man)        |         Jesus (Second Man, Last Adam)

 

Death                    |         Life

Punishment            |         Reward

Rejection                |         Acceptance

Disobedience           |         Obedience

Judgment               |         Kindness

Separated              |         United

Slaves                    |         Servants

Sin                        |         Salvation

Buried                             |         Raised

Bondage                 |         Liberation

Guilty                    |         Righteous

Law                       |         Liberty

Evil                       |         Goodness

Shame                             |         Glory

Conflict                  |         Peace

Orphaned               |         Adopted

Rules                     |         Relationship

Commandments      |         Holy Spirit

Selfish                             |         Giving

 

 

 

 

Romans 6    “Freedom From Sin”

 

Romans 6:1  So what do we do now? Should we keep on sinning so that God will increase His wonderful kindness and forgiveness?

 

Romans 6:2  Certainly not! If we are dead to sin, how can we continue to live in sin?

 

Romans 6:3  Don't you know that all who share in Christ’s baptism were also baptized into His death?

 

Romans 6:4  For we died and were buried with Christ in His baptism, to live a new life, as Christ was raised from death to life by the glory of God the Father.

 

Romans 6:5  If we are united in Jesus Christ's death, we will also be raised to new life with Him.

 

Romans 6:6  Our sinful selves were nailed to the cross with Jesus Christ so that sin would lose it’s power in our lives, and we would no longer be slaves to sin.

 

Romans 6:7  We were set free from the power of Sin when we died with Jesus Christ.

 

Romans 6:8  And since we died with Jesus Christ, we will also live with Him.

 

Romans 6:9  And we know that death no longer has any power over Jesus Christ. He died and was raised to new life, never to die again.

 

Romans 6:10  Jesus Christ died to defeat Sin, once and for all. And He lives for God’s glory.

 

Romans 6:11  So you must think of yourselves as dead to the power of Sin. For Jesus Christ our Lord has given life to you to live for God.

 

Romans 6:12  Do not let Sin rule the desires of your body that is destined for death.

 

Romans 6:13  or let any part of it become a slave of evil. Give yourselves to God, as people who have been raised from death to new life. Make every part of your body a servant that pleases God.

 

Romans 6:14  Sin is no longer your master for you are no longer under the Law which holds you to Sin. You are now under God's kindness.

 

Romans 6:15  Does this mean we are free to sin because we are set free by God's wonderful kindness and not under the Law? Of course not!

 

Romans 6:16  Don't you know that you are slaves to anything you obey? You can be slaves of Sin and die, or you can be servants of God, acceptable to Him.

 

Romans 6:17  You used to be slaves to sin, but I thank God that, with all your heart, you now obey the new guidelines God has given you.

 

Romans 6:18  Now you are set free from Sin, your old master, and become servants of righteousness.

 

Romans 6:19  I use these simple illustrations of slave and master so that you will understand. You used to let parts of your body be slaves of evil and lawless thoughts. But now you must make every part of your body serve God and belong completely to Him.

 

Romans 6:20  When you were slaves of Sin, you didn't care about pleasing God.

 

Romans 6:21  And what good did you receive from those deeds that lead to death? Nothing but shame.

 

Romans 6:22  Now you have been set free from the power of Sin to become servants of God. This will make you holy and lead you to eternal life.

 

Romans 6:23  Sin’s payoff is death. But the free gift of God is eternal life provided by Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

                             Romans 7     “Faith Over Law”

 

Romans 7:1  My friends, Laws only have power over living people.

 

Romans 7:2  For example, the Law of marriage says a man's wife is bound to the man as long as He lives, and is free to marry someone else if He dies.

 

Romans 7:3  But she is unfaithful if she goes off with another man while Her husband is still alive.

 

Romans 7:4  That is how it is with you, since you were crucified, in Jesus Christ, on the cross, and are dead to the power of the Law. You are free and united with Jesus Christ, who was raised from death to life, so that we could serve in good deeds for God.

 

Romans 7:5  When we were controlled by our old nature of sinful desires, the Law enticed us to evil acts, resulting in death.

 

Romans 7:6  But since we died in Jesus Christ, we have been released from the Law, and it can no longer rule or have power over us. Now we can serve God in a new way by obeying His Spirit, and not in the old way by obeying the written Law.

 

Romans 7:7  Does this mean that the Law itself is sinful? Certainly not!  For the Law reveals what Sin is really like. For example, I would not have known it is wrong to desire something that belongs to someone else unless the Law had told me not to do that.

 

Romans 7:8  It was Sin, exposed by the Law, that raised up forbidden desires within me.  But Sin loses its power without the Law.

 

Romans 7:9  I was fine before I knew about the Law’s demands. But when I learned the truth that I had broken the Law, I realized I was a sinner, already dead.

 

Romans 7:10  Therefore, the good Law was supposed to show the way of life to me, but instead revealed my death.

 

Romans 7:11  Sin used the good Law to trick me and make me guilty of death.

 

Romans 7:12  But the good Law, and its commands, are holy and correct.

 

Romans 7:13  Am I saying that something good caused my spiritual death? Certainly not! It was Sin that killed me by using something good. Now we can see how terrible and evil Sin really is. Sin uses God’s commandments for its own evil purposes.

 

Romans 7:14  We know the Law is good and the problem is myself. For I have been sold into slavery with Sin as my master.

 

Romans 7:15  In fact, I don't understand why I act the way I do. I don't do what I know is right. I do the things I hate.

 

Romans 7:16  I know I do wrong, and my bad conscience agrees that the Law is good.

 

Romans 7:17  So I am not the one doing these evil things. It is Sin, living within me, making me do wrong.

 

Romans 7:18  I know that my old Sin nature of selfish desires won't let me do anything good. I want to do right, but I can not.

 

Romans 7:19  I don’t do what I know is right, and when I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway.

 

Romans 7:20  Even though I don't do what I know is right, I am no longer the one doing it. It is the Sin nature living within me that does these evil things.

 

Romans 7:21  The Law exposes that something evil within me keeps me from doing what I know is right.

 

Romans 7:22  For within my whole heart, I am delighted to agree with the Law of God.

 

Romans 7:23  But I discover another law within me winning the fight against my mind,  it makes me a prisoner to the law of Sin, controlling everything I do.

 

Romans 7:24  What a miserable person I am. Who will rescue me from this body of death dominated by Sin?

 

Romans 7:25  Thank God that Jesus Christ rescues me! So with my spiritual mind I serve the Law of God, but with my sinful nature, the law of Sin.

 

                                               

Romans 8     “Freedom Through Jesus”

                                               

Romans 8:1  So there is no condemnation of eternal punishment for those who are in Jesus Christ and live according to the Holy Spirit, and not of the sinful nature.

 

Romans 8:2  For the Law of the Spirit of Life, which is faith in Jesus Christ, has set me free from the powerful law of Sin and death.

                                           

Romans 8:3  The Law of Moses cannot save us because our selfish desires break it down. But God set you free by His plan of sending His own Son, to live in human flesh, like us, but without Sin, and substitute Jesus Christ’s body for ours, as a condemned sacrifice, to destroy the power of Sin.

 

Romans 8:4  He did this so that we would obey the Law’s commands through the Spirit instead of following our own sinful desires.

 

Romans 8:5  Those who are ruled by their sinful nature think only of their selfish desires. And everyone ruled by the Holy Spirit thinks about what pleases God.

 

Romans 8:6  If our minds are controlled by our sinful desires, we die. But if our minds are ruled by the Holy Spirit, we will have life and peace.

 

Romans 8:7  Our sinful nature fights against God and cannot obey God's laws.

 

Romans 8:8  That is why those remaining controlled by their sinful nature can never please God.

 

Romans 8:9  But you are no longer ruled by your sinful nature if God's Holy Spirit lives within you. People who don't have the Spirit of Jesus Christ within them do not belong to God.

 

Romans 8:10  Your body is dead because of your Sin but your spirit is alive because Jesus Christ lives within you and God has accepted you.

 

Romans 8:11  God raised Jesus from death to life and God's same Spirit now lives within you, and He will raise your mortal body from death to new life.

 

Romans 8:12  So there is no more compulsion to satisfy the urges of our old nature of sinful selfish desires.

 

Romans 8:13  For if you do, you will die. But if you turn from Sin’s evil, by the help and power of God's Holy Spirit, you will live.

 

Romans 8:14  Only those led by God's Holy Spirit are truly His people.

 

Romans 8:15  For God's Holy Spirit does not turn us into fearful slaves of Him. Instead, we are adopted as His children and call God our Father.

 

Romans 8:16 And God's Holy Spirit assures us we are His children.

 

Romans 8:17  God’s Holy Spirit reveals God’s promise that as God’s children, we will share in the treasures God promised to His Son, Jesus Christ, but we must also share in His suffering before sharing His glory.

 

Romans 8:18  But what we are suffering now cannot compare with the glory He will give us.

 

Romans 8:19  For all creation is eagerly awaiting for that future day when God will reveal who His real children are.

 

Romans 8:20  For creation was unwillingly subjected to God’s curse and anticipates the hope

 

Romans 8:21  that it will soon share in the glorious freedom of His children and also be set free from death and decay.

 

Romans 8:22  We know that all creation is still groaning in pain, like a woman giving birth.

 

Romans 8:23  And we also groan silently waiting for God to reveal we are His children. We have the Holy Spirit within us foreshadowing our future glory and we anxiously await the day God grants us our full rights as His adopted children including the promise of a new body.

 

Romans 8:24  Salvation brings our hope for freedom, so there is no need to keep hoping for salvation.

 

Romans 8:25  And we patiently hope for the promises we have not yet seen.

 

Romans 8:26  The Holy Spirit helps us in our weaknesses. And though we don't even know what to pray for or how we should pray, the Holy Spirit prays for us with a groaning that cannot be expressed into words.

 

Romans 8:27  All of our thoughts are known to God and He understands the Holy Spirit’s prayers for us, prayers in harmony with God’s will.

 

Romans 8:28  And we know that God causes everything to work out for the best for those who love Him and are chosen for His purpose.

 

Romans 8:29  For God always knew who His chosen ones would be and decided to let them become like His own Son, and that His Son would be the firstborn of many brothers and sisters.

 

Romans 8:30  God accepted the people He decided to choose, and promised to share His glory with them.

 

Romans 8:31  What can we say about this wonderful news? If God is on our side, who can be against us?

 

Romans 8:32  Since God did not even spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, won't He freely give us everything else?

 

Romans 8:33  If God says we are His chosen ones, acceptable to him, can anyone bring charges against us?

 

Romans 8:34  Will Jesus Christ condemn us? Certainly not! For Jesus Christ died and was raised up to new life for us, and now sits in highest honors at God's right side, pleading with God for us.

 

Romans 8:35  Can anything separate us from the love of Jesus Christ even though we experience troubles, sufferings, hunger, nakedness, and even death?

 

Romans 8:36  Psalms 44:22 says, "We face death all day long like sheep on their way to be slaughtered."

 

Romans 8:37  In spite of everything, we are more than victorious because of Jesus Christ who loves us.

 

Romans 8:38  Nothing can separate us from God's love, not life or death, not angels or demons, not the problems of the present or the fears of the future, no powers of Hell can block God’s love for us.

 

Romans 8:39  Nothing highest in the sky, deepest in the ocean, nor anything in all creation can separate us from God's love for us displayed through Christ Jesus our Lord!

 

                   Romans 9     “God’s Promise to Everyone”

 

Romans 9:1  I am a follower of Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit bears witness to my truthful conscience. I tell the truth and not lying when I say

 

Romans 9:2  my heart is broken and I am in great sorrow

 

Romans 9:3  for my Jewish people. I would gladly be placed under God's curse and be separated from Christ if this would save my Jewish people.

 

Romans 9:4  They are the descendants of Israel, and they are also God's chosen people. God showed them His glory. He made agreements with them and gave them His Law. Their temple worship is theirs and so are the wonderful promises God made to them.

 

Romans 9:5  Their great ancestors were the descendants of Jesus Christ. And He is God, who rules over all, worthy of eternal praise forever! Amen.

 

Romans 9:6  God did not break or withdraw His promises to them because not all the people of Israel truly belong to God.

 

Romans 9:7  When God made His promise to Abraham in Genesis 21:12, He was referring to Abraham's descendants through His son Isaac, even though Abraham had other children.

 

Romans 9:8 Not all of Abraham’s physical descendants belong to God. Only the children of God’s Promise belong to God.

 

Romans 9:9  For God declared to Sarah in Genesis 18:10,14, "At this time next year I will return, and you will have a son."

 

Romans 9:10 And this son was Isaac, who later married Rebecca, and she gave birth to twin boys.

 

Romans 9:11 Even before their birth or had done anything good or bad, the Lord told Rebecca His plan proving that God makes His own choices,

 

Romans 9:12  and not according to our good or bad deeds. Rebecca was told in Genesis 25:23, “The descendants of your older son will serve the descendants of your younger son”.

 

Romans 9:13  And that is why God says in Malachi 1:2-3, “I have love for Jacob but reject Esau”.

 

Romans 9:14  Are we saying that God is unfair? Certainly not!

 

Romans 9:15  For God told Moses in Exodus 33:19, that He will show mercy and compassion upon anyone He chooses.

 

Romans 9:16  Therefore, receiving God’s promise depends upon God's choosing of mercy and not of our choice or working hard to obtain it.

 

Romans 9:17  For God told Pharaoh of Egypt, in Exodus 9:16, "I let you become king in order to display My power and become well known before all the people upon the earth."

 

Romans 9:18  Everything depends upon what God decides to do, and He can either have pity on people or make them stubborn.

 

Romans 9:19  Someone may ask, "How can God blame us, if He makes us act in the way He wants us to behave?"

 

Romans 9:20  But who do you think you are to question God? Do you have the right to question the creator why He shaped you the way He did?

 

Romans 9:21  Doesn't a potter have the right to make one bowl for honor and another bowl for garbage out of the same lump of clay?

 

Romans 9:22  God has His own right to show His anger and reveal His power against everyone who deserves to be destroyed. But He also reveals that He patiently puts up with them.

 

Romans 9:23  He also has the right to display His mercy upon the people He has chosen to share in His riches of glory.

 

Romans 9:24  And He has selected chosen ones from among both the Jews and the Gentiles.

 

Romans 9:25  Just as God reveals about the Gentiles in the prophecy of Hosea 2:23, "Although they were not my people, I will make them my people and love those nations I never loved before.”

 

Romans 9:26  and "Once they were told, 'You are not my people.' But now God calls them the children of the living God."

 

Romans 9:27  And the prophet Isaiah declared about the people of Israel, in Isaiah 10:22-23,  "Though the people of Israel are as numerous as the grains of sand along the seashore, Only a few who are left will be saved.

 

Romans 9:28  For the Lord will be quick and final in carrying out His sentence upon the earth."

 

Romans 9:29  Isaiah 1:9 says, "If the Lord All-Powerful had not spared some of our descendants, we all would have been destroyed just like the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah."

 

Romans 9:30  What does all of this mean? It means that the Gentiles were not even trying to be acceptable to God, but they discovered He would accept them if they had faith.

 

Romans 9:31  It also means that the people of Israel never succeeded with trying so hard to be acceptable to God

 

Romans 9:32  because they sought salvation by obedience to the works of the Law and being good instead of by having faith in God. The people of Israel fell over the stumbling stone in their path.

 

Romans 9:33  For God declared in Isaiah 8:14, "Look! I am placing in Zion a stumbling stone to make people fall. But those who believe upon Him will not be ashamed."

 

 

                   Romans 10   “True Faith for Everyone”

 

Romans 10:1  Dear family, my greatest wish and prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved.

 

Romans 10:2  They have a zeal and enthusiasm for God but lack understanding.

 

Romans 10:3  They don’t understand God’s way of making people acceptable to Him. They refuse to trust God, and keep trying to be acceptable by obeying the Law.

 

Romans 10:4  But Jesus Christ fulfilled the purpose of the Law by making it no longer part of the way for those to become acceptable to God. For now we believe in Him through faith.

 

Romans 10:5  For Moses wrote in Leviticus 18:5, “a person can find life and be right with God by keeping obedience to all the Law’s commands."

 

Romans 10:6  But people whose faith makes them right with God don’t say, "Who will go up to heaven and bring Jesus Christ down to help you?"

 

Romans 10:7  Neither will they say, "Who will go to the world of the dead to raise Jesus Christ to new life?"

 

Romans 10:8  All who are right with God because of their faith say, "Salvation that comes through trusting Jesus Christ is readily available." This is an easy reachable message that we preach about our faith in Jesus Christ.

 

Romans 10:9   So, if you honestly confess that, "Jesus is your Lord," and if you believe in your heart that God raised Him from death to new life, you will be saved.

 

Romans 10:10  And if you truly believe and agree with this faith, you are made right with God.

 

Romans 10:11  Isaiah 28:16 and Isaiah 49:23 says that anyone who bases their faith upon the Lord will never be ashamed or disappointed,

 

Romans 10:12  no matter if that person is a Jew or Gentile. There is only one Lord, and he is generous to anyone who calls upon Him.

 

Romans 10:13  For anyone who calls upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved.

 

Romans 10:14  How can people have faith in the Lord and ask him to save them if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about salvation and believe in the Lord unless someone tells them?

 

Romans 10:15  And how can anyone tell them without being sent by the Lord? Isaiah 52:7 says, ” it is a beautiful sight to see the feet of someone coming to preach the good news of peace and salvation.”

 

Romans 10:16  But not everyone will believe this good message. Even the prophet Isaiah asked in 53:1, "Lord, has anyone believed our message?"

 

Romans 10:17   Faith comes by hearing the good message about Jesus Christ through the Word of God.

 

Romans 10:18  Even the Jews heard this message for Psalms 19:4 says, "The message was told everywhere upon earth. It was announced all over the world."

 

Romans 10:19  Did the people of Israel understand God’s message? Moses answered “Yes” when he revealed the Lord said in Deuteronomy 32:21, "I will make Israel jealous and angry by blessing the foolish Gentiles of other nations."

 

Romans 10:20  Isaiah 65:1 boldly proclaims the Lord’s response, "I was found by people who were not even looking for me. I appeared to those who were not even asking about me."

 

Romans 10:21  And God spoke of Israel in Isaiah 65:2 saying, "All day long I have reached out to my people but they rebel and argue for their own evil ways."

 

 

                   Romans 11   “Faith Offered to Everyone”

 

Romans 11:1  Am I saying God turned his back on the Jews? Certainly not! I am one of the people of Israel, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin.

 

Romans 11:2  God did not reject his chosen people. Remember in I Kings 19:10 how Elijah the prophet complained to God about the people of Israel?

 

Romans 11:3  "Lord, they killed your prophets and destroyed your altars. I am the only one left, and now they want to kill me too."

 

Romans 11:4  And the Lord told Elijah in I Kings 19:18, "I have reserved seven thousand followers who have not worshiped Baal."

 

Romans 11:5  It is the same way today. God is kind to the people of Israel and a few of them are still elected His followers through His grace.

 

Romans 11:6  They are saved because of God's free and undeserved kindness and not because of any good works they have done, otherwise, if work was accepted, there would be no need for grace.

 

Romans 11:7  Therefore, only a chosen few of Israel find the favor of God even though they zealously seek it but by their own blind stubborn way.

 

Romans 11:8 Deuteronomy 29:4 and Isaiah 29:10 says, "God has given them minds without understanding, their eyes are blind and their ears are deaf to belief."

 

Romans 11:9  David spoke of this in Psalms 69:22-23, "Turn their safety into a trap and they will stumble and be given what they deserve.

 

Romans 11:10  Let their eyes become blind and their bodies grow weak."

 

Romans 11:11  Did the people of Israel fall, never to recover again? Of course not! Their failure made it possible for the Gentiles to be saved, and this will make the people of Israel desire the same.

 

Romans 11:12  Now if the rest of the world was blessed by Israel's rejection of God’s plan of salvation, the world will be blessed even more by their full return to God.

 

Romans 11:13  And now I work hard as God’s appointed apostle to the Gentiles.

 

Romans 11:14  And I hope this makes my own people desire salvation as well.

 

Romans 11:15  When Israel rejected God, God offered the rest of the world the chance to turn to His salvation. So when Israel returns to God again, it will be like bringing the dead back to life.

 

Romans 11:16  Since Abraham and their forefathers were made holy, their children should also be holy. Just like when the roots of a tree are holy, the rest of the tree is also holy.

 

Romans 11:17  You Gentiles are like branches of a wild tree grafted into a cultivated Olive tree. You have taken the place of some branches of Abraham’s descendants that were cut away. So now you enjoy God’s blessings and the promises that come from being part of that cultivated Olive tree.

 

Romans 11:18  But don't think you are better than the branches that were cut away. For you are not supporting the roots of that tree, it’s roots are supporting you.

 

Romans 11:19  Maybe you think those branches were cut away so that you could replace them?

 

Romans 11:20  This is true, but they were cut away because they did not believe in God’s plan of salvation and you are accepted because you do have faith in God’s plan of salvation. So don't be arrogant, be humble and fearful.

 

Romans 11:21  God cut away those natural branches, and could also do the same to you!

 

Romans 11:22  Now you see how God is both kind and severe. He is hard on disobedience, but kind if you keep on trusting in his kindness. Otherwise, you will also be cut off.

 

Romans 11:23  If the Jews return and start having faith in God, they will be grafted into the tree again because God has the power to put them back.

 

Romans 11:24  Since it wasn't natural for wild Gentiles to be made part of the cultivated olive tree, God also desires to join the natural Jews back to the cultivated olive tree.

 

Romans 11:25   I will explain the mystery of what has happened to the people of Israel so that you wont become arrogant. Some of the Jews are stubborn, with hardened hearts, and will stay that way until the complete number of Gentiles has come to Jesus Christ.

 

Romans 11:26  In this way all of Israel will finally be saved, as Isaiah 59:20-21 says, "A deliverer will come from Jerusalem (Zion) to turn Israel away from evil.

 

Romans 11:27  And I will keep my covenant with them and take away their sins."

 

Romans 11:28  Many Jews are enemies of the good news so that God’s blessings could reach you Gentiles. But they are still God’s chosen ones and He loves them because of His love for Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

 

Romans 11:29  God doesn't withdraw the gifts He has given or forget the people He has chosen.

 

Romans 11:30  At one time you Gentiles rebelled against God, but now Israel rejects God, and you have been shown mercy.

 

Romans 11:31  And now that the Jews are the rebels, the mercy shown to you will also be shown unto them.

 

Romans 11:32  Everyone has disobeyed God, and God commits all as prisoners so that He can show mercy upon all.

 

Romans 11:33  Who can measure the wealth, wisdom, and knowledge of our great and wonderful God? Who can understand His decisions or explain His actions?

 

Romans 11:34  Who can reveal the thoughts of the Lord or give Him advice?

 

Romans 11:35  Who has loaned something to God and must be repaid?

 

Romans 11:36  Everything comes from the Lord, exists by his power, and intended for His glory. Glory be to God forever! Amen.

 

                                                 

                   Romans 12   “A New Lifestyle in Faith”

 

Romans 12:1  Dear friends, offer your bodies to God as living sacrifices, pure and pleasing to Him. That's the most sensible way to serve God.

 

Romans 12:2  Don't copy the ways of the people of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to Him.

 

Romans 12:3  As God’s messenger, I warn you not to think you are better than you really are. Use honesty and measure yourself by the amount of faith God has given you.

 

Romans 12:4  A body is made up of many parts, and each part has it’s special function.

 

Romans 12:5  for we all belong as parts of the body of Christ, with different functions, and we need one another.

 

Romans 12:6  God has given each of us different gifts. So if we can proclaim the truth of God, let’s do it according to the amount of faith we have.

 

Romans 12:7  If we can serve others, we should serve. If we can teach, then teach well.

 

Romans 12:8  If we can encourage others, then do it. If we can give, give generously. If we are leaders, lead responsibly. If we can show kindness, show it cheerfully.

 

Romans 12:9  Love others sincerely. Despise evil and stay close to what is good.

  

Romans 12:10  Show kindness and love for each other as family members honoring others more than yourself.

 

Romans 12:11  Follow the Holy Spirit eagerly and serve the Lord without ever quitting.

 

Romans 12:12  Be happy with God’s future plans for you. Keep patient during troubled times and never stop praying.

 

Romans 12:13  Take care of God's people in need with food and lodging.

 

Romans 12:14  Bless those who mistreat you and do not curse them.

 

Romans 12:15  Be happy when others are happy, and be sad when they are sad.

 

Romans 12:16  Be friendly and humble with everyone. Don't be proud or act smarter than others. Make friends with the common people.

 

Romans 12:17  Don't mistreat anyone who mistreats you. Earn the respect of others.

 

Romans 12:18  Work hard to live peacefully with everyone.

 

Romans 12:19  Don't try to get even with others. Let God take revenge. For God says in Deuteronomy 32:35, "Vengeance is mine and I am the one to repay those who deserve it."

 

Romans 12:20  So "Feed your hungry enemies, and give them something to drink, and this will bring shame upon their actions."

 

Romans 12:21  Do not let evil overcome you, defeat evil with goodness.

 

                        Romans 13        “Freedom To Obey”

 

Romans 13:1  Obey those in authority over you.  God can give authority to anyone, and He placed them in their positions.

 

Romans 13:2  Those in opposition to authority oppose what God is doing and they will be punished.

 

Romans 13:3  Rulers are not a threat to good people, but to evil people. There is no need to be afraid of the authorities. Do right and they will praise you for it.

 

Romans 13:4  The authorities are God's servants and their duty is to help you.  You should be afraid if you do something wrong because these rulers have the right to punish you. They are God's servants and punish criminals to show God’s anger.

 

Romans 13:5  Obey rulers to keep a clear conscience and avoid punishment.

 

Romans 13:6  Pay your taxes for the authorities are God's servants, and they need payment to take care of these matters.

 

Romans 13:7  Pay all that you owe, whether it is taxes and fees or respect and honor.

 

Romans 13:8  Let love be your only debt. If you love others, you have done all that the Law commands.

 

Romans 13:9  In the Law there are many commands, such as, "Be faithful in marriage. Do not murder. Do not steal. Do not lie about others. Do not want what belongs to others." But all of these are summed up in the command that says, "Love others as much as you love yourself."

 

Romans 13:10  No one who loves others will harm them. So love is all that the Law demands.

 

Romans 13:11  You know the kind of days we live in so live your life properly. Be alert for the day of our salvation is closer now than when we first put our faith in the Lord.

 

Romans 13:12  The night is almost over and soon day will appear so we must stop behaving like people do in the dark and put on the armor of light.

 

Romans 13:13  Behave properly as people do in daytime. Don't attend wild parties and get drunk or act vulgar and indecent. Don't argue or be jealous of one another.

 

Romans 13:14  Let the Lord Jesus Christ be as near to you as your clothing. Then you won't try to satisfy your selfish desires.

 

 

                             Romans 14   “Protect Weak Faith”

 

Romans 14:1  Accept believers weak in their faith and don't argue with them about beliefs different from yours.

 

Romans 14:2  Some believe it is right to eat all things while those with weak faith eat only vegetables.

 

Romans 14:3  Don’t criticize others for what they eat or won’t eat for God receives them.

 

Romans 14:4  What right do you have to criticize someone else's servants? Only their Lord can decide if they are doing right, and the Lord will make sure that they do right.

 

Romans 14:5  Some of the Lord's followers think one day is more important than another. Others think all days are the same. But each of you should make up your own mind.

 

Romans 14:6  Any followers who count one day more important than another day do it to honor the Lord. And any followers who eat meat give thanks to God, just like the ones who don't eat meat.

 

Romans 14:7  We are not to live and die for ourselves.

 

Romans 14:8  We are to live and die for the Lord. Alive or dead, we still belong to the Lord.

 

Romans 14:9  Jesus Christ died and rose to life to be the Lord of the dead and the living.

 

Romans 14:10  Why do you criticize other followers of the Lord and look down upon them? The day is coming when we will all stand before the judgment seat of Jesus Christ.

 

Romans 14:11  For God says in Isaiah 45:23, "As I live, every knee will bow down before me and confess to God"

 

Romans 14:12  And so, each of us must give an account to God for what we do.

 

Romans 14:13  We must stop judging others and be careful not to let our actions upset anyone's faith.

 

Romans 14:14  The Lord Jesus Christ has made it clear to me that God considers all food as fit to eat. But if you think there is food unfit to eat, then for you it is unfit.

 

Romans 14:15  And if you hurt others by the food you eat, then you are not guided by love. Don't let your appetite destroy someone that Jesus Christ died for.

 

Romans 14:16  Do not let your right to eat appear as evil.

 

Romans 14:17  The  kingdom of God isn't about eating and drinking anyway. It is about pleasing God and living in peace, happiness, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

 

Romans 14:18  Serve Jesus Christ with this attitude and you will please God and be respected by others.

 

Romans 14:19  So live at peace with one another and help each other strengthen their faith.

 

Romans 14:20  Don't let your appetite destroy what God has done. All foods are fit to eat but it is wrong to cause problems for others by what you eat.

 

Romans 14:21  It is best not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else that causes offense or weakness for other followers of the Lord.

 

Romans 14:22  Keep your personal beliefs between yourself and God. And make sure your actions don't cause you any doubts.

 

Romans 14:23  But if you do have doubts about what you are eating, you are going against your beliefs. And you know that is wrong, because anything you do against your values is sin.

 

Romans 15   “The Family of Faith”

 

Romans 15:1  If we have strong faith then be patient with the Lord's followers with weak faith and please them instead of ourselves.

 

Romans 15:2  We should consider their good and help them by doing what pleases them for this will build them up in the Lord.

 

Romans 15:3  Even Jesus Christ did not try to please himself. For Psalm 69:9 says, "Those that insult you also insult me."

 

Romans 15:4   The Scriptures were written to teach, encourage, and give us hope as we wait patiently for God’s Promises.

 

Romans 15:5   I pray the God of patience and encouragement will help you live in agreement and harmony with each other, and with the attitude of Jesus Christ.

 

Romans 15:6  Then all of you together will praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Romans 15:7  Bring glory and honor to God by accepting each other, as Jesus Christ accepts us.

 

Romans 15:8  Jesus Christ came as a servant to the Jews confirming that God keeps the promises he made to their ancestors.

 

Romans 15:9  and the Gentiles praise God for being kind to them, as Psalm 18:49  says, "I will tell the Gentile nations about you, and sing praises to your name."

 

Romans 15:10  Deuteronomy 32:43  says, "Rejoice, you Gentiles, and celebrate with God's people."

 

Romans 15:11  Psalms 117:1 says, "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles and nations, come and worship Him."

 

Romans 15:12  Isaiah 11:1,10 says, "The heir to David's throne will come to rule the Gentile nations, and they will put their hope in Him."

 

Romans 15:13  I pray the God of hope will fill you with joy and peace because of your faith and you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

Romans 15:14  I am confident you are good and contain all the knowledge of these things so you can teach one another.

 

Romans 15:15  I have written boldly to you of certain things because God is so kind to me

 

Romans 15:16  to choose me as a messenger of Jesus Christ to you Gentiles and minister the service of His good news so that the Holy Spirit can offer up the Gentiles as a fragrant sacrifice, set aside for Him.

 

Romans 15:17  Because of Jesus Christ, I am enthusiastic about my service for God.

 

Romans 15:18  I will only talk about how Jesus Christ let me speak and live my life so that the Gentiles will obey Him.

 

Romans 15:19  And how Jesus Christ worked signs and wonders through me by the power of the Holy Spirit of God. I have preached the good news about Him all the way from Jerusalem to Illyricum.

 

Romans 15:20  My ambition is to preach where people have never heard about Jesus Christ. I am like a builder who doesn't build upon anyone else's foundation.

 

Romans 15:21  I follow Isaiah 52:15, "Those who haven't been told about Him will see Him, and those who haven't heard about Him will understand."

 

Romans 15:22  This mission has always delayed my visiting you.

 

Romans 15:23  Now I am finished in this part of the world and excited to see you.

 

Romans 15:24  As I go through to Spain I will stop off in Rome to see you for fellowship and then you can quickly send me on.

 

Romans 15:25  I am now on my way to Jerusalem to deliver gifts to the Lord's followers that

 

Romans 15:26  believers  in Macedonia and Achaia eagerly collected for God's needy people.

 

Romans 15:27  They really want to share their money with the Jews, like paying back a debt, because the Jews had already shared their spiritual blessings with the Gentiles.

 

Romans 15:28  After I have safely delivered this financial gift, I will visit you, and then go on to Spain.

 

Romans 15:29  And when I  arrive, I  will bring full blessings of the good news of Jesus Christ.

 

Romans 15:30  My friends, by the power of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the love that comes from the Holy Spirit, I beg you to pray for my troubles with me and for me.

 

Romans 15:31  Pray that God will protect me from the unbelievers of Judea who refuse to obey God, and that his people in Jerusalem will be pleased with my gifts.

 

Romans 15:32  Then through God’s  will, I will experience a pleasant visit and we will encourage one another.

 

Romans 15:33  I pray that God, who gives peace, will be with all of you. Amen.

 

                             Romans 16   “Friends of the Faith”

 

Romans 16:1  Phoebe, a leader in the church at Cenchrea, will come to see you soon.

 

Romans 16:2  Welcome her in high honor as someone who has faith in the Lord and is one of God's own people. Help her in any way you can for she has helped many in need, including myself.

 

Romans 16:3  Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila. They have not only served Christ Jesus together with me,

 

Romans 16:4  but they have even risked their lives for me. I am grateful for them and so are all the Gentile churches.

 

Romans 16:5  Greet the church that meets in their home. Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first person in Asia to have faith in Christ.

 

Romans 16:6  Greet Mary, who has worked so hard for your benefit.

 

Romans 16:7  Greet my relatives Andronicus and Junias, who were in prison with me. They are highly respected by the apostles and were followers of Jesus Christ before I was.

 

Romans 16:8  Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend whose faith is in the Lord.

 

Romans 16:9  Greet Urbanus, who serves Jesus Christ along with us, and Stachys.

 

Romans 16:10  Greet Apelles, a faithful servant of Jesus Christ. Greet Aristobulus and his family.

 

Romans 16:11  Greet Herodion, who is a relative of mine. Greet Narcissus and the others in his family, who have faith in the Lord.

 

Romans 16:12  Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who work hard for the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis. She also works hard for the Lord.

 

Romans 16:13  Greet Rufus, whom the Lord picked out as His own, and greet his mother, who has been like a mother to me.

 

Romans 16:14  Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, and Hermas, and our friends who are with them.

 

Romans 16:15  Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all of God's people who are with them.

 

Romans 16:16  Greet each other in Christian love as all of Christ's churches greet you.

 

Romans 16:17  My friends, I beg you to watch out for anyone who causes trouble and divides the church by refusing to do what all of you were taught. Stay away from them!

 

Romans 16:18  They want to serve their own selfish desires and not our Lord Jesus Christ. Their flattery and fancy talk fool innocent people.

 

Romans 16:19  I am glad that everyone knows how well you obey the Lord. But still, I want you to understand what is good and not have anything to do with evil.

 

Romans 16:20  The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. I pray that our Lord Jesus will be kind to you.

 

Romans 16:21  Timothy, who works with me, sends his greetings, and so do my relatives, Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater.

 

Romans 16:22  I, Tertius, a Christian brother writing this letter for Paul, also send my greetings.

 

Romans 16:23  Gaius says hello to you. I am his guest along with the church that meets in his home. Erastus, the city treasurer, along with our Christian brother Quartus send their greetings too.

 

Romans 16:24  May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you.

 

Romans 16:25  God makes you strong through the good news of His message about Jesus Christ and His plan for the Gentiles that were kept secret since the beginning of time

 

Romans 16:26  and finally revealed as the eternal God commanded his prophets to write about the good news, so that all nations would obey and have faith.

 

Romans 16:27  And now, because of Jesus Christ, we can praise the only wise God forever! Amen.