Romans 1:1
Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,... [ Continue Reading ]
Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,... [ Continue Reading ]
which he promised afore through his prophets in the holy scriptures,... [ Continue Reading ]
concerning his Son, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh,... [ Continue Reading ]
who was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead; even Jesus Christ our Lord... [ Continue Reading ]
through whom we received grace and apostleship, unto obedience of faith among all the nations, for his name's sake;... [ Continue Reading ]
among whom are ye also, called to be Jesus Christ's :... [ Continue Reading ]
to all that are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. [The apostle opens his Epistle with one of his characteristic sentences: long and intricate, yet wonderful in its condensation and comprehensiveness, his style of expre... [ Continue Reading ]
First [i. e., before I proceed to other matters, I wish you to know that], _I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is proclaimed throughout the whole world_. [Through the mediation of Christ (comp. Hebrews 13:15; 1 Peter 2:5; Colossians 3:17; Ephesians 5:20) Paul offers tha... [ Continue Reading ]
For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of his Son, how unceasingly I make mention of you, always in my prayers... [ Continue Reading ]
making request, if by any means now at length I may be prospered by the will of God to come unto you. [Since he could call no other witness as to the substance or contents of his secret prayers, he reverently appeals to God to verify his words, that he had continually remembered the Romans in his pe... [ Continue Reading ]
For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established;... [ Continue Reading ]
that is, that I with you may be comforted in you, each of us by the other's faith, both yours and mine. [Paul here sets forth the reason why he so earnestly desired to visit the church at Rome; it was because he wished to enjoy the blessedness both of giving and receiving. Spiritual gifts are those... [ Continue Reading ]
And I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you (and was hindered hitherto), that I might have some fruit in you also, even as in the rest of the Gentiles. [He had desired to visit Rome that he might glorify Christ by making many converts in Rome (John 15:8;... [ Continue Reading ]
I am debtor both to Greeks and to Barbarians [foreigners, those who did not speak the Greek language]_, both to the wise and to the foolish_.... [ Continue Reading ]
So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you also that are in Rome. [Paul's knowledge of the good news, and his apostleship as to it, laid upon him the sacred obligation to tell it to all who had not heard it (1 Corinthians 9:16-19). His commission as apostle to the Gentiles sent... [ Continue Reading ]
For I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.... [ Continue Reading ]
For therein is revealed a righteousness of God from faith unto faith: as it is written [Habakkuk 2:4], _But the righteous shall live by faith_. [This paragraph has been rightly called the "Theme" of the Epistle, for all from Romans 1:19 to Romans 11:36 is but an expansion of this section. Since, the... [ Continue Reading ]
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hinder the truth in unrighteousness ["For" is intended to introduce a direct proof as to the statement in Romans 1:17; thus: The righteousness of God of which the apostle has been speaking is reveale... [ Continue Reading ]
because that which is known of God is manifest in them; for God manifested it unto them.... [ Continue Reading ]
For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity; that they may be without excuse [and God reveals his wrath against them, because that which is known of God, i. e., the general... [ Continue Reading ]
because that, knowing God, they glorified him not as God, neither gave thanks; but became vain in their reasonings, and their senseless heart was darkened. [And they were without excuse, for when they knew God they did not worship him according to the knowledge which they had, nor did they praise hi... [ Continue Reading ]
Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,... [ Continue Reading ]
and changed the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. [Vaunting their wisdom, these wicked ones made fools of themselves, so that they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for the likeness of an i... [ Continue Reading ]
Wherefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts unto uncleanness, that their bodies should be dishonored among themselves :... [ Continue Reading ]
for that they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. [Wherefore, finding them living in lust, God ceased to restrain or protect them from evil (Genesis 6:3), and abandoned them to the uncleanness toward whi... [ Continue Reading ]
For this cause God gave them up unto vile passions: for their women changed the natural use into that which is against nature :... [ Continue Reading ]
and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another, men with men working unseemliness, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was due. [In this horrible picture Paul shows in what way they dishonored themselves among the... [ Continue Reading ]
And even as they refused [did not deem it worthy of their mind] _to have God in their knowledge, God gave them up unto a reprobate mind_ [i. e., minds rejected in turn by God as unworthy], _to do those things which are not fitting_ [indecent, immoral];... [ Continue Reading ]
being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness [inordinate desire to accumulate property regardless of the rights of others: a sin which is not condemned by the laws of any country on the globe, and which is the source of unrest in all nations], _maliciousness_ [a readiness to commi... [ Continue Reading ]
backbiters [outspoken slanderers], _hateful to God_ [many contend that this should read "haters of God," since Paul is enumerating the vices of men, and not God's attitude toward them. Others, following the reading in the text, see in these words what Meyer calls "a resting-point in the disgraceful... [ Continue Reading ]
without understanding [those who have so long seared their consciences as to be unable to determine between right and wrong even in plain cases. The loss of moral understanding is very apparent among habitual liars, whose minds have become so accustomed to falsehood that they are no longer able to d... [ Continue Reading ]
who, knowing the ordinance of God, that they that practice such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but also consent with them that practise them. [All were not guilty of all these sins, but each was guilty of some of them. Though many of these evils still exist in Christian lands, the... [ Continue Reading ]