Greeting the Saints in Rome

1Paul, servant of Jesus Christ, a called apostle having been set apart for the gospel of God, 2which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, 3concerning His Son, having come of the seed of David according to flesh, 4having been declared the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness, by resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord, 5through whom we have received grace and apostleship unto obedience of faith among all the Gentiles on behalf of His name, 6among whom are you also, called of Jesus Christ.

7To all those being 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 Visit Rome
(1 Thessalonians 2:17-20)

8First indeed, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being proclaimed in all the world. 9For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of His Son, is my witness how unceasingly I make mention of you, 10always upon my prayers imploring, if perhaps now at last by the will of God I will make a prosperous journey to come to you. 11For I long to see you, that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, to your strengthening, 12and, that is, to be encouraged together among you through the faith among one another, both of you and of me.

13Now I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, that many times I purposed to come to you, and was hindered until the present, that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among the other Gentiles. 14I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and the foolish. 15Thus as to me there is readiness to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.

Unashamed of the Gospel

16For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone believing—both to Jewish first, and to Greek. 17For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it has been written: “And the righteous will live by faith.”a

God's Wrath against Sin
(Jeremiah 6:10-21; Jeremiah 25:15-33; Jonah 1:4-10; Acts 27:13-26)

18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven upon all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, suppressing the truth by unrighteousness, 19because the known of God is manifest among them, for God has revealed it to them. 20For from the creation of the world His invisible qualities, both His eternal power and divinity, are clearly seen, being understood by the things made, for them to be without excuse.

21For having known God, they glorified Him not as God, or were thankful; but they became futile in their thinking and their foolish heart was darkened. 22Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23and they changed the glory of the immortal God into a likeness of an image of mortal man and birds and quadrupeds and creeping things.

24Therefore God gave them up in the desires of their hearts to impurity to dishonor their bodies between themselves, 25who changed the truth of God into falsehood, and reverenced and served the created thing beyond the One having created it, who is blessed to the ages! Amen.

26Because of this, God gave up them to passions of dishonor. For even their females changed the natural use into that contrary to nature. 27And likewise also the males, having left the natural use of the female, were inflamed in their desire toward one another, males with males, working out shame and receiving in themselves the recompense which was fitting of their error.

28And as they did not see fit to have God in their knowledge, God gave them up to a depraved mind, to do things not being proper; 29being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, malice; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness; gossips, 30slanderers, hateful to God, insolent, arrogant, boastful; inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents; 31foolish, untrustworthy, heartless, unmerciful; 32who having known the righteous judgment of God, that those doing such things are worthy of death, not only are practicing them, but are also approving of those practicing them.