New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Romans 1
1
I, Paul, am writing this letter. I serve Christ Jesus. I have been appointed to be an apostle. God set me apart to tell others his good news.
Reference
Parallel theme
Acts 9:15
Jeremiah 1:5
References God
Romans 1:9
References Jesus
Romans 15:16
1 Corinthians 1:1
Colossians 1:1
Titus 1:1
2 Corinthians 1:1
1 Corinthians 9:1
Galatians 1:1
2
He promised the good news long ago. He announced it through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures.
Reference
Covenant
Titus 1:2
Acts 26:6
Holy
Luke 1:70
Parallel theme
Romans 3:2
Prophecy
Acts 10:43
Word
Romans 16:26
Romans 3:21
3
The good news is about God's Son. As a human being, the Son of God belonged to King David's family line.
Reference
Creation
Galatians 4:4
John 1:14
Parallel theme
John 1:49
John 10:30
Genesis 3:15
References David
Amos 9:11
References Jesus
Matthew 1:1
1 Thessalonians 1:10
References Lord
Psalm 2:7
John 20:28
4
By the power of the Holy Spirit, he was appointed to be the mighty Son of God because he rose from the dead. He is Jesus Christ our Lord.
Reference
Holy
2 Peter 1:21
Parallel theme
Romans 1:3
Revelation 1:18
References God
2 Corinthians 13:4
Resurrection
Acts 3:15
Acts 2:32
Acts 2:24
Spirit
Hebrews 9:14
1 Peter 1:11
Revelation 19:10
5
I received God's grace because of what Jesus did so that I could bring glory to him. He made me an apostle to all those who aren't Jews. I must invite them to have faith in God and obey him.
Reference
Faith
Acts 6:7
Romans 16:26
Romans 12:3
Grace
1 Corinthians 15:10
Parallel theme
Acts 9:15
Malachi 1:11
Hebrews 5:9
Acts 1:25
Romans 3:29
1 Corinthians 9:2
6
You also are among those who are appointed to belong to Jesus Christ.
Reference
Parallel theme
Revelation 17:14
1 Peter 2:9
2 Peter 1:10
Ephesians 1:11
References Christ
1 Peter 2:21
References Jesus
Hebrews 3:1
1 Corinthians 1:9
2 Timothy 1:9
7
I am sending this letter to all of you in Rome who are loved by God and appointed to be his people. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.
Reference
8
First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you. People all over the world are talking about your faith.
Reference
Faith
Ephesians 1:15
Parallel theme
Romans 16:19
References God
Romans 6:17
Hebrews 13:15
Philippians 1:3
References Jesus
1 Corinthians 1:4
1 Peter 2:5
1 Peter 4:11
Colossians 1:3
Ephesians 5:20
9
I serve God with my whole heart. I preach the good news about his Son. God knows that I always remember you
Reference
Prayer
2 Timothy 1:3
1 Thessalonians 5:17
1 Thessalonians 1:2
1 Thessalonians 3:10
References God
2 Corinthians 1:23
Acts 27:23
Spirit
Ephesians 6:18
Romans 9:1
Acts 19:21
Philippians 3:3
10
in my prayers. I pray that now at last it may be God's plan to open the way for me to visit you.
Reference
Parallel theme
James 4:15
Philemon 1:22
1 Thessalonians 2:18
Hebrews 13:19
Acts 19:21
References God
Acts 18:21
Philippians 4:6
11
I long to see you. I want to make you strong by giving you a gift from the Holy Spirit.
Reference
12
I want us to cheer each other up by sharing our faith.
13
Brothers and sisters, I want you to know that I planned many times to visit you. But until now I have been kept from coming. My work has produced results among others who are not Jews. In the same way, I want to see results among you.
Reference
14
I have a duty both to Greeks and to non-Greeks. I have a duty both to wise people and to foolish people.
Reference
16
I am not ashamed of the good news. It is God's power. And it will save everyone who believes. It is meant first for the Jews. It is meant also for those who aren't Jews.
Reference
Faith
2 Timothy 1:12
2 Corinthians 4:4
Romans 10:17
Parallel theme
Mark 8:38
Luke 9:26
1 Corinthians 2:4
References Christ
1 Peter 4:16
References God
2 Timothy 1:8
Hebrews 4:12
Salvation
1 Corinthians 2:2
17
The good news shows how God makes people right with himself. From beginning to end, becoming right with God depends on a person's faith. It is written, "Those who are right with God will live by faith."--(Habakkuk 2:4)
Reference
Faith
Habakkuk 2:4
Galatians 3:11
Hebrews 10:38
Philippians 3:9
Romans 9:30
Romans 3:3
John 3:36
Righteousness
Romans 3:21
18
God shows his anger from heaven. It is against all the godless and evil things people do. They are so evil that they say no to the truth.
Reference
Judgment
Ephesians 5:6
Romans 1:32
Colossians 3:6
Romans 4:15
Romans 2:3
References God
Romans 1:28
Romans 1:19
Righteousness
2 Thessalonians 2:10
Romans 5:9
Romans 6:13
20
Ever since the world was created it has been possible to see the qualities of God that are not seen. I'm talking about his eternal power and about the fact that he is God. Those things can be seen in what he has made. So people have no excuse for what they do.
Reference
Creation
Isaiah 40:26
Eternal Life
1 Timothy 1:17
Parallel theme
Psalm 8:3
Romans 2:15
Psalm 104:5
Psalm 119:90
John 15:22
References God
Romans 1:19
John 1:18
Colossians 2:9
21
They knew God. But they didn't honor him as God. They didn't thank him. Their thinking became worthless. Their foolish hearts became dark.
Reference
Darkness
1 Peter 2:9
John 3:19
Glory
Revelation 14:7
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 2:5
2 Kings 17:15
2 Timothy 3:2
Revelation 15:4
Psalm 81:12
Jeremiah 16:19
References God
Psalm 50:23
23
They would rather have statues of gods than the glorious God who lives forever. Their statues of gods are made to look like people, birds, animals and reptiles.
Reference
Creation
Isaiah 40:26
Glory
Psalm 106:20
Jeremiah 2:11
Parallel theme
Ezekiel 8:10
1 Peter 4:3
Deuteronomy 5:8
Isaiah 44:13
References God
Acts 17:29
Romans 1:25
Isaiah 40:18
24
So God let them go. He allowed them to do what their sinful hearts wanted to. He let them commit sexual sins. They polluted one another's bodies by what they did.
Reference
Parallel theme
Acts 14:16
Matthew 15:14
Leviticus 18:22
1 Corinthians 6:18
1 Thessalonians 4:4
Romans 6:12
References God
Acts 7:42
1 Corinthians 6:13
25
They chose a lie instead of God's truth. They worshiped and served created things. They didn't worship the Creator. But he must be praised forever. Amen.
Reference
Blessing
Romans 9:5
2 Corinthians 11:31
Parallel theme
Habakkuk 2:18
Jeremiah 13:25
Isaiah 44:20
Amos 2:4
References God
Romans 1:23
2 Timothy 3:4
Truth
1 John 5:20
Romans 1:18
26
So God let them go. They were filled with shameful longings. Their women committed sexual acts that were not natural.
Reference
Parallel theme
Jude 1:7
1 Timothy 1:10
Ephesians 4:19
Genesis 19:5
Judges 19:22
Ephesians 5:12
References God
Romans 1:24
1 Corinthians 6:9
Romans 1:28
1 Thessalonians 4:5
27
In the same way, the men turned away from their natural love for women. They burned with sexual longing for each other. Men did shameful things with other men. They suffered in their bodies for all the twisted things they did.
Reference
28
They didn't think it was important to know God. So God let them go. He allowed them to have dirty minds. They did things they shouldn't do.
Reference
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 9:6
2 Timothy 3:8
Jeremiah 6:30
Proverbs 1:29
Proverbs 1:22
Proverbs 1:7
References God
Romans 1:21
Titus 1:16
Romans 1:24
2 Thessalonians 1:8
29
They are full of every kind of sin, evil and ungodliness. They want more than they need. They commit murder. They want what belongs to other people. They fight and cheat. They hate others. They say mean things about other people.
Reference
30
They tell lies about them. They hate God. They are rude and proud. They brag. They think of new ways to do evil. They don't obey their parents.
Reference
32
They know that God's commands are right. They know that those who do evil things should die. But they continue to do those very things. They also approve of others who do them.
Reference
Judgment
Romans 1:18
Parallel theme
Romans 6:21
Psalm 50:18
Luke 11:48
Acts 22:20
Hosea 7:3
Acts 8:1
References God
Romans 1:21
Chapter Summary
Romans 1 begins with Paul introducing himself and explaining his calling to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which he presents as the fulfillment of promises God had already given through the Scriptures and as God's plan to bring salvation to people from every nation.
Paul explains that Jesus is God's Son, descended from David according to His human family line, and powerfully shown to be God's Son through His resurrection from the dead.
He describes his own calling as an apostle who has been given the responsibility of bringing people from all nations to faith and obedience, and he warmly addresses the Christians in Rome, telling them that their faith is already known widely.
Although Paul has not yet visited Rome, he repeatedly prays for the believers there and hopes to visit them so that they can encourage one another and strengthen each other's faith.
Paul explains that he feels responsible to preach to everyone, whether educated or uneducated, Greek or non-Greek, because the Gospel is not meant for one social group or culture.
He then gives one of the most important statements in Romans: he says that he is not ashamed of the Gospel because it is God's power for salvation to everyone who believes, beginning with the Jew and extending also to the Gentile.
Paul then begins explaining why humanity needs this salvation, arguing that people have received enough evidence of God's existence and power through creation that they cannot simply claim that they have no knowledge of Him.
The problem, Paul says, is not merely that people lack information about God but that they often suppress the truth, refuse to honor God, and replace worship of the Creator with worship of created things.
Instead of giving thanks to God, people become proud of their own wisdom, and Paul describes this as a movement from supposed wisdom into foolishness.
He uses the worship of images as an example, explaining that people exchange the glory of the eternal Creator for representations of humans, animals, birds, and reptiles.
Paul then describes a repeated pattern in which God allows people to experience the consequences of their rejection of Him, as sinful desires increasingly shape their thinking, relationships, and actions.
His list of wrongdoing includes sexual immorality, greed, jealousy, murder, deception, arrogance, disobedience to parents, broken promises, lack of compassion, and many other forms of evil.
This is important because Paul's argument is not limited to one particular kind of sin; instead, he describes a much larger human problem in which people reject God and then allow that rejection to influence the way they think, treat others, and live.
Paul ends the chapter by saying that people can know that these actions are wrong and still choose to practice them or approve of others who do them, showing the depth of humanity's moral problem.
The central message of Romans 1 is that humanity has turned away from its Creator and therefore needs God's saving grace.
Paul begins by presenting the Gospel as God's answer to this problem, explaining that salvation is available through faith rather than through human pride or achievement.
The chapter therefore moves from the Gospel ? God's righteousness ? humanity's rejection of God ? the consequences of sin.
Historically, Paul writes to Christians living in Rome, the capital of the Roman Empire, probably around AD 56–58, during the later part of his missionary work.
Rome was one of the largest and most powerful cities in the ancient world, filled with people from many nations, religions, social classes, and cultural backgrounds.
The Roman religious world contained temples, statues, sacrifices, household gods, and many different forms of worship, making Paul's discussion of people exchanging worship of the Creator for created things especially relevant to his audience.
The Christian community in Rome appears to have contained both Jewish and Gentile believers, which helps explain why Paul repeatedly emphasizes that the Gospel is for everyone and that salvation is available to both Jews and Gentiles.
Romans 1 also prepares the reader for the rest of the letter because Paul will later show that Gentiles cannot claim moral superiority over others, Jews cannot depend simply on possessing God's Law, and everyone ultimately needs God's grace.
One of the most important ideas in the chapter is that human beings can know something about God through creation, yet knowledge alone does not guarantee obedience or worship.
Paul's concern is that people can recognize truth but still choose to reject it, and that rejection can gradually affect their thinking, desires, relationships, and moral choices.
The chapter therefore begins Paul's larger argument that salvation cannot be earned by human goodness because every person needs the righteousness that God provides through faith.
Paul explains that Jesus is God's Son, descended from David according to His human family line, and powerfully shown to be God's Son through His resurrection from the dead.
He describes his own calling as an apostle who has been given the responsibility of bringing people from all nations to faith and obedience, and he warmly addresses the Christians in Rome, telling them that their faith is already known widely.
Although Paul has not yet visited Rome, he repeatedly prays for the believers there and hopes to visit them so that they can encourage one another and strengthen each other's faith.
Paul explains that he feels responsible to preach to everyone, whether educated or uneducated, Greek or non-Greek, because the Gospel is not meant for one social group or culture.
He then gives one of the most important statements in Romans: he says that he is not ashamed of the Gospel because it is God's power for salvation to everyone who believes, beginning with the Jew and extending also to the Gentile.
Paul then begins explaining why humanity needs this salvation, arguing that people have received enough evidence of God's existence and power through creation that they cannot simply claim that they have no knowledge of Him.
The problem, Paul says, is not merely that people lack information about God but that they often suppress the truth, refuse to honor God, and replace worship of the Creator with worship of created things.
Instead of giving thanks to God, people become proud of their own wisdom, and Paul describes this as a movement from supposed wisdom into foolishness.
He uses the worship of images as an example, explaining that people exchange the glory of the eternal Creator for representations of humans, animals, birds, and reptiles.
Paul then describes a repeated pattern in which God allows people to experience the consequences of their rejection of Him, as sinful desires increasingly shape their thinking, relationships, and actions.
His list of wrongdoing includes sexual immorality, greed, jealousy, murder, deception, arrogance, disobedience to parents, broken promises, lack of compassion, and many other forms of evil.
This is important because Paul's argument is not limited to one particular kind of sin; instead, he describes a much larger human problem in which people reject God and then allow that rejection to influence the way they think, treat others, and live.
Paul ends the chapter by saying that people can know that these actions are wrong and still choose to practice them or approve of others who do them, showing the depth of humanity's moral problem.
The central message of Romans 1 is that humanity has turned away from its Creator and therefore needs God's saving grace.
Paul begins by presenting the Gospel as God's answer to this problem, explaining that salvation is available through faith rather than through human pride or achievement.
The chapter therefore moves from the Gospel ? God's righteousness ? humanity's rejection of God ? the consequences of sin.
Historically, Paul writes to Christians living in Rome, the capital of the Roman Empire, probably around AD 56–58, during the later part of his missionary work.
Rome was one of the largest and most powerful cities in the ancient world, filled with people from many nations, religions, social classes, and cultural backgrounds.
The Roman religious world contained temples, statues, sacrifices, household gods, and many different forms of worship, making Paul's discussion of people exchanging worship of the Creator for created things especially relevant to his audience.
The Christian community in Rome appears to have contained both Jewish and Gentile believers, which helps explain why Paul repeatedly emphasizes that the Gospel is for everyone and that salvation is available to both Jews and Gentiles.
Romans 1 also prepares the reader for the rest of the letter because Paul will later show that Gentiles cannot claim moral superiority over others, Jews cannot depend simply on possessing God's Law, and everyone ultimately needs God's grace.
One of the most important ideas in the chapter is that human beings can know something about God through creation, yet knowledge alone does not guarantee obedience or worship.
Paul's concern is that people can recognize truth but still choose to reject it, and that rejection can gradually affect their thinking, desires, relationships, and moral choices.
The chapter therefore begins Paul's larger argument that salvation cannot be earned by human goodness because every person needs the righteousness that God provides through faith.