Romans Chapter 1

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Romans

Chapter 1

The gospel, and the indictment

32 verses

Key verse — Romans 1:16

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

Greeting

¹Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,

²which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures,

³concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh,

⁴and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead;

⁵through whom we have received grace and apostleship for obedience of faith among all nations, for his name,

⁶among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ:

⁷to all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul’s desire to come to Rome

⁸First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.

⁹For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers,

¹⁰asking if now at last I may have a way, by the will of God, to come to you.

¹¹For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established.

¹²that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith of both you and me.

¹³I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I have often planned to come to you (but have been hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, as among the other Gentiles.

¹⁴I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the unwise.

¹⁵So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.

The gospel of Christ

¹⁶For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

¹⁷For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written: “The just shall live by faith.”

The wrath of God revealed

¹⁸For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.¹

¹⁹because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.

²⁰For since the creation of the world his invisible things are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,

²¹because, although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God, nor were thankful, but became vain in their thoughts, and their foolish heart was darkened.

²²Professing to be wise, they became fools,

²³and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man, and birds, and four-footed animals, and creeping things.

²⁴Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,

²⁵who exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

²⁶For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions; for even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.

²⁷And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their desire for one another, men with men working what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the due penalty of their error.

²⁸And as they did not see fit to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a rejected mind, to do things that are not fitting,

²⁹being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, malice; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil character; whisperers,

³⁰slanderers, haters of God, insolent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

³¹without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, unforgiving, unmerciful;

³²who, knowing the judgment of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, not only do them, but also approve those who practice them.

Word Study — χρῆσις (chrēsis), “use”

Word Study — ἀλλάσσω / μεταλλάσσω, the three swaps

Reading Key — Romans as a legal case

1 vv. 18–32, Paul’s opening case. Verse 18 opens the indictment and it runs to v. 32. The line is clear: the wrath of God is revealed (v. 18) because the truth was already available in creation (vv. 19–20), so they are without excuse (v. 20). What follows is one chain of consequence, not a pile of separate charges. They knew God (v. 21) and would not glorify him, so they were given over to empty thinking (v. 21), then to idolatry (vv. 22–23), then given up to uncleanness (v. 24), then given up to dishonorable passions (vv. 26–27), then given over to a rejected mind and its fruit (vv. 28–31). Verse 32 is the sharpest point: they know God’s judgment, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, and they not only do them but approve those who practice them.

This is the world apart from the law, judged by what creation already made known. ↑

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