Romans 8

1 There is therefore now no acondemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.1 2 For the blaw of the Spirit of life has set you2 cfree in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done dwhat the law, eweakened by the flesh, could not do. fBy sending his own Son gin the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin,3 he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the hrighteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who iwalk jnot according to the flesh but kaccording to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh lset their minds on mthe things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on nthe things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 oFor the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God pdwells in you. Anyone who does not have the qSpirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is rin you, although the sbody is dead because of sin, the Spirit is tlife because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of uhim who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus4 from the dead will also vgive life to your mortal bodies wthrough his Spirit who dwells in you.

12 So then, brothers,5 we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For xif you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you yput to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are zled by the Spirit of God are sons6 of God. 15 For you did anot receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of badoption as sons, by whom we cry, c“Abba! Father!” 16 dThe Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then eheirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, fprovided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

18 For I consider that gthe sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with hthe glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For ithe creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that jthe creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits kof the Spirit, lgroan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this mhope we were saved. Now hope nthat is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself ointercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And phe who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because7 the Spirit intercedes for the saints qaccording to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who rlove God sall things work together for good,8 for those who are called according to his tpurpose. 29 For those whom he uforeknew he also vpredestined to be wconformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be xthe firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also ycalled, and those whom he called he also zjustified, and those whom he justified he also aglorified.

31 bWhat then shall we say to these things? cIf God is for us, who can be9 against us? 32 dHe who edid not spare his own Son but gave him up for us fall, ghow will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 hWho shall bring any charge against God’s ielect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is jto condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—kwho is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.10 35 Who shall separate us from the llove of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,

m“For your sake we are being killed nall the day long;

we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 No, in all these things we are more than oconquerors through him who ploved us. 38 For I am sure that qneither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor rheight nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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Romans 1–4

1 Paul, a servant1 of Christ Jesus, acalled to be an apostle, bset apart for the cgospel of God, 2 which he dpromised beforehand ethrough his prophets fin the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was gdescended from David2 according to the flesh 4 and was hdeclared to be the iSon of God jin power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 kthrough whom we have received grace and lapostleship to bring about the mobedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, 6 including you who are ncalled to belong to Jesus Christ,

7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God and ocalled to be psaints:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

8 First, qI thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because ryour faith is proclaimed in all the world. 9 For sGod is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that twithout ceasing I mention you 10 always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. 11 uFor I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual vgift to wstrengthen you— 12 that is, that we may xbe mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. 13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers,3 that I have often intended to come to you (but ythus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some zharvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles. 14 aI am under obligation both to Greeks and to bbarbarians,4 cboth to the wise and to the foolish. 15 So I am eager dto preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

16 For I am not eashamed of the gospel, for it is the fpower of God for salvation to everyone who believes, gto the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the hrighteousness of God is irevealed from faith for faith,5 as it is written, j“The righteous shall live by faith.”6

18 kFor the lwrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and munrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For nwhat can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, ohave been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,7 in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but pthey became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, qthey became fools, 23 and rexchanged the glory of the immortal God for images sresembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

24 Therefore tGod gave them up in the ulusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a vlie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, wmen committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due xpenalty for their error.

28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, yhaughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God’s zrighteous decree that those who practice such things adeserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

1 bTherefore you have cno excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For din passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. 2 We know that the ejudgment of God rightly falls on fthose who practice such things. 3 Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and gforbearance and hpatience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up iwrath for yourself on the jday of wrath when God’s krighteous judgment will be revealed.

6 He will render to each one laccording to his works: 7 to those who by mpatience nin well-doing oseek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 but for those who are self-seeking8 and pdo not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, qthe Jew first and also the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. 11 For God rshows no partiality.

12 For all who have sinned swithout the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned tunder the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is unot the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. 14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse vor even excuse them 16 on that wday when, according to my gospel, xGod judges the secrets of men yby Christ Jesus.

17 But if you call yourself a Jew and zrely aon the law and boast in God 18 and bknow his will and capprove what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; 19 and if you are sure that you yourself are a dguide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21 eyou then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say that one must not commit adultery, fdo you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who gboast in the law dishonor God by hbreaking the law. 24 For, as it is written, i“The name of God is blasphemed jamong the Gentiles because of you.”

25 kFor lcircumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. 26 mSo, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded9 as circumcision? 27 Then he who is physically10 uncircumcised but keeps the law will ncondemn you who have the owritten code11 and circumcision but break the law. 28 For pno one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 29 But a Jew is one inwardly, and qcircumcision is a matter of the heart, rby the Spirit, not by the letter. sHis praise is not from man but from God.

1 Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? 2 Much in every way. To begin with, tthe Jews were entrusted with the uoracles of God. 3 vWhat if some were unfaithful? wDoes their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? 4 By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written,

x“That you may be justified in your words,

and prevail when you are judged.”

5 But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, ywhat shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.) 6 By no means! For then how could zGod judge the world? 7 But if through my lie God’s truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? 8 And awhy not do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just.

9 What then? Are we Jews12 any better off?13 No, not at all. For we have already charged that ball, both cJews and dGreeks, are under sin, 10 as it is written:

e“None is righteous, no, not one;

11  no one understands;

no one seeks for God.

12  All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;

no one does good,

not even one.”

13  f“Their throat is an open grave;

they use their tongues to deceive.”

g“The venom of asps is under their lips.”

14  h“Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”

15  i“Their feet are swift to shed blood;

16  in their paths are ruin and misery,

17  and the way of peace they have not known.”

18  j“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

19 Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are kunder the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For lby works of the law no human being14 will be justified in his sight, since mthrough the law comes knowledge of sin.

21 But now the nrighteousness of God has been omanifested apart from the law, palthough the Law and the Prophets qbear witness to it— 22 the rrighteousness of God through sfaith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is tno distinction: 23 for uall have vsinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are wjustified xby his grace as a ygift, through the zredemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a apropitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine bforbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of cthe one who has faith in Jesus.

27 Then what becomes of our dboasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the elaw of faith. 28 For fwe hold that one is gjustified by faith apart from works of the law. 29 hOr is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30 since iGod is one—jwho will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 kDo we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.

1 lWhat then shall we say was gained by Abraham, mour forefather according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to nboast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? o“Abraham believed God, and it was pcounted to him as righteousness.” 4 Now qto the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but rbelieves in15 him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, 6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:

7  s“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,

and whose sins are covered;

8  blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not tcount his sin.”

9 Is this ublessing then only for the circumcised, vor also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. 10 How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. 11 He received wthe sign of circumcision as a seal of the xrighteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, 12 and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

13 For the ypromise to Abraham and his offspring zthat he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 aFor if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath, but bwhere there is no law cthere is no transgression.

16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to dthe one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17 as it is written, e“I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God fin whom he believed, who ggives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. 18 In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, h“So shall your offspring be.” 19 He did not weaken in faith iwhen he considered his own body, which was jas good as dead (since he was about ka hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness16 of Sarah’s womb. 20 No lunbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22 That is why his faith was m“counted to him as righteousness.” 23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24 but nfor ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in ohim who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up pfor our trespasses and qraised for our rjustification.

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2 View All Leviticus 19:27
ch. 21:5; [Isa. 15:2; Jer. 9:26; 48:37]