Roma 1:16-17

The Power of the Gospel

1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. ¹  1:17 For the righteousness ²  of God is revealed in the gospel ³  from faith to faith, ⁴  just as it is written, “The righteous by faith will live.” ⁵ 

Roma 1:20

1:20 For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, because they are understood through what has been made. So people ⁶  are without excuse.

Roma 1:24

1:24 Therefore God gave them over ⁷  in the desires of their hearts to impurity, to dishonor ⁸  their bodies among themselves. ⁹ 

Roma 1:28

1:28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, ¹⁰  God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what should not be done. ¹¹ 

Roma 2:4

2:4 Or do you have contempt for the wealth of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, and yet do not know ¹²  that God’s kindness leads you to repentance?

Roma 3:7

3:7 For if by my lie the truth of God enhances ¹³  his glory, why am I still actually being judged as a sinner?

Roma 3:25

3:25 God publicly displayed ¹⁴  him ¹⁵  at his death ¹⁶  as the mercy seat ¹⁷  accessible through faith. ¹⁸  This was to demonstrate ¹⁹  his righteousness, because God in his forbearance had passed over the sins previously committed. ²⁰ 

Roma 4:5

4:5 But to the one who does not work, but believes in the one who declares the ungodly righteous, ²¹  his faith is credited as righteousness.

Roma 4:9

4:9 Is this blessedness ²²  then for ²³  the circumcision ²⁴  or also for ²⁵  the uncircumcision? For we say, “faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness.” ²⁶ 

Roma 4:18

4:18 Against hope Abraham ²⁷  believed ²⁸  in hope with the result that he became the father of many nations ²⁹  according to the pronouncement, ³⁰  “so will your descendants be.” ³¹ 

Roma 4:20

4:20 He ³²  did not waver in unbelief about the promise of God but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God.

Roma 5:2

5:2 through whom we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice ³³  in the hope of God’s glory.

Roma 5:8

5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Roma 5:21

5:21 so that just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Roma 6:17

6:17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves to sin, you obeyed ³⁴  from the heart that pattern ³⁵  of teaching you were entrusted to,

Roma 6:22

6:22 But now, freed ³⁶  from sin and enslaved to God, you have your benefit ³⁷  leading to sanctification, and the end is eternal life.

Roma 8:7

8:7 because the outlook of the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to the law of God, nor is it able to do so.

Roma 8:15

8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery leading again to fear, ³⁸  but you received the Spirit of adoption, ³⁹  by whom ⁴⁰  we cry, “Abba, Father.”

Roma 8:21

8:21 that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage of decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children.

Roma 8:28-29

8:28 And we know that all things work together ⁴¹  for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose, 8:29 because those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that his Son ⁴²  would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. ⁴³ 

Roma 9:5

9:5 To them belong the patriarchs, ⁴⁴  and from them, ⁴⁵  by human descent, ⁴⁶  came the Christ, ⁴⁷  who is God over all, blessed forever! ⁴⁸  Amen.

Roma 9:8

9:8 This means ⁴⁹  it is not the children of the flesh ⁵⁰  who are the children of God; rather, the children of promise are counted as descendants.

Roma 9:22

9:22 But what if God, willing to demonstrate his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience the objects ⁵¹  of wrath ⁵²  prepared for destruction? ⁵³ 

Roma 10:6

10:6 But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ⁵⁴  ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” ⁵⁵  (that is, to bring Christ down)

Roma 10:12

10:12 For there is no distinction between the Jew and the Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all, who richly blesses all who call on him.

Roma 10:14

10:14 How are they to call on one they have not believed in? And how are they to believe in one they have not heard of? And how are they to hear without someone preaching to them ⁵⁶ ?

Roma 11:11

11:11 I ask then, they did not stumble into an irrevocable fall, ⁵⁷  did they? Absolutely not! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make Israel ⁵⁸  jealous.

Roma 12:16

12:16 Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly. ⁵⁹  Do not be conceited. ⁶⁰ 

Roma 15:4

15:4 For everything that was written in former times was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and through encouragement of the scriptures we may have hope.

Roma 15:18

15:18 For I will not dare to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in order to bring about the obedience ⁶¹  of the Gentiles, by word and deed,

Roma 15:24

15:24 when I go to Spain. For I hope to visit you when I pass through and that you will help me ⁶²  on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while.

Roma 15:31

15:31 Pray ⁶³  that I may be rescued from those who are disobedient in Judea and that my ministry in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints,

Roma 16:5

16:5 Also greet the church in their house. Greet my dear friend Epenetus, ⁶⁴  who was the first convert ⁶⁵  to Christ in the province of Asia. ⁶⁶ 

[1:16]  ¹ sn Here the Greek refers to anyone who is not Jewish.

[1:17]  ² tn The nature of the “righteousness” described here and the force of the genitive θεοῦ (“of God”) which follows have been much debated. (1) Some (e.g. C. E. B. Cranfield, Romans [ICC], 1:98) understand “righteousness” to refer to the righteous status given to believers as a result of God’s justifying activity, and see the genitive “of God” as a genitive of source (= “from God”). (2) Others see the “righteousness” as God’s act or declaration that makes righteous (i.e., justifies) those who turn to him in faith, taking the genitive “of God” as a subjective genitive (see E. Käsemann, Romans, 25-30). (3) Still others see the “righteousness of God” mentioned here as the attribute of God himself, understanding the genitive “of God” as a possessive genitive (“God’s righteousness”).

[1:17]  ³ tn Grk “in it”; the referent (the gospel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:17]  ⁴ tn Or “by faith for faith,” or “by faith to faith.” There are many interpretations of the phrase ἐκ πίστεως εἰς πίστιν (ek pistew" ei" pistin). It may have the idea that this righteousness is obtained by faith (ἐκ πίστεως) because it was designed for faith (εἰς πίστιν). For a summary see J. Murray, Romans (NICNT), 1:363-74.

[1:17]  ⁵ sn A quotation from Hab 2:4.

[1:20]  ⁶ tn Grk “they”; the referent (people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:24]  ⁷ sn Possibly an allusion to Ps 81:12.

[1:24]  ⁸ tn The genitive articular infinitive τοῦ ἀτιμάζεσθαι (tou atimazesqai, “to dishonor”) has been taken as (1) an infinitive of purpose; (2) an infinitive of result; or (3) an epexegetical (i.e., explanatory) infinitive, expanding the previous clause.

[1:24]  ⁹ tn Grk “among them.”

[1:28]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “and just as they did not approve to have God in knowledge.”

[1:28]  ¹¹ tn Grk “the things that are improper.”

[2:4]  ¹² tn Grk “being unaware.”

[3:7]  ¹³ tn Grk “abounded unto.”

[3:25]  ¹⁴ tn Or “purposed, intended.”

[3:25]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “whom God publicly displayed.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[3:25]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “in his blood.” The prepositional phrase ἐν τῷ αὐτοῦ αἵματι (ejn tw aujtou {aimati) is difficult to interpret. It is traditionally understood to refer to the atoning sacrifice Jesus made when he shed his blood on the cross, and as a modifier of ἱλαστήριον (Jilasthrion). This interpretation fits if ἱλαστήριον is taken to refer to a sacrifice. But if ἱλαστήριον is taken to refer to the place where atonement is made as this translation has done (see note on the phrase “mercy seat”), this interpretation of ἐν τῷ αὐτοῦ αἵματι creates a violent mixed metaphor. Within a few words Paul would switch from referring to Jesus as the place where atonement was made to referring to Jesus as the atoning sacrifice itself. A viable option which resolves this problem is to see ἐν τῷ αὐτοῦ αἵματι as modifying the verb προέθετο (proeqeto). If it modifies the verb, it would explain the time or place in which God publicly displayed Jesus as the mercy seat; the reference to blood would be a metaphorical way of speaking of Jesus’ death. This is supported by the placement of ἐν τῷ αὐτοῦ αἵματι in the Greek text (it follows the noun, separated from it by another prepositional phrase) and by stylistic parallels with Rom 1:4. This is the interpretation the translation has followed, although it is recognized that many interpreters favor different options and translations. The prepositional phrase has been moved forward in the sentence to emphasize its connection with the verb, and the referent of the metaphorical language has been specified in the translation. For a detailed discussion of this interpretation, see D. P. Bailey, “Jesus As the Mercy Seat: The Semantics and Theology of Paul’s Use of Hilasterion in Romans 3:25” (Ph.D. diss., University of Cambridge, 1999).

[3:25]  ¹⁷ tn The word ἱλαστήριον (Jilasthrion) may carry the general sense “place of satisfaction,” referring to the place where God’s wrath toward sin is satisfied. More likely, though, it refers specifically to the “mercy seat,” i.e., the covering of the ark where the blood was sprinkled in the OT ritual on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). This term is used only one other time in the NT: Heb 9:5, where it is rendered “mercy seat.” There it describes the altar in the most holy place (holy of holies). Thus Paul is saying that God displayed Jesus as the “mercy seat,” the place where propitiation was accomplished. See N. S. L. Fryer, “The Meaning and Translation of Hilasterion in Romans 3:25,” EvQ 59 (1987): 99-116, who concludes the term is a neuter accusative substantive best translated “mercy seat” or “propitiatory covering,” and D. P. Bailey, “Jesus As the Mercy Seat: The Semantics and Theology of Paul’s Use of Hilasterion in Romans 3:25” (Ph.D. diss., University of Cambridge, 1999), who argues that this is a direct reference to the mercy seat which covered the ark of the covenant.

[3:25]  ¹⁸ tn The prepositional phrase διὰ πίστεως (dia pistew") here modifies the noun ἱλαστήριον (Jilasthrion). As such it forms a complete noun phrase and could be written as “mercy-seat-accessible-through-faith” to emphasize the singular idea. See Rom 1:4 for a similar construction. The word “accessible” is not in the Greek text but has been supplied to clarify the idea expressed by the prepositional phrase (cf. NRSV: “effective through faith”).

[3:25]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “for a demonstration,” giving the purpose of God’s action in v. 25a. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[3:25]  ²⁰ tn Grk “because of the passing over of sins previously committed in the forbearance of God.”

[4:5]  ²¹ tn Or “who justifies the ungodly.”

[4:9]  ²² tn Or “happiness.”

[4:9]  ²³ tn Grk “upon.”

[4:9]  ²⁴ sn See the note on “circumcision” in 2:25.

[4:9]  ²⁵ tn Grk “upon.”

[4:9]  ²⁶ sn A quotation from Gen 15:6.

[4:18]  ²⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:18]  ²⁸ tn Grk “who against hope believed,” referring to Abraham. The relative pronoun was converted to a personal pronoun and, because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[4:18]  ²⁹ sn A quotation from Gen 17:5.

[4:18]  ³⁰ tn Grk “according to that which had been spoken.”

[4:18]  ³¹ sn A quotation from Gen 15:5.

[4:20]  ³² tn Grk “And he.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, δέ (de) has not been translated here.

[5:2]  ³³ tn Or “exult, boast.”

[6:17]  ³⁴ tn Grk “you were slaves of sin but you obeyed.”

[6:17]  ³⁵ tn Or “type, form.”

[6:22]  ³⁶ tn The two aorist participles translated “freed” and “enslaved” are causal in force; their full force is something like “But now, since you have become freed from sin and since you have become enslaved to God….”

[6:22]  ³⁷ tn Grk “fruit.”

[8:15]  ³⁸ tn Grk “slavery again to fear.”

[8:15]  ³⁹ tn The Greek term υἱοθεσία (Juioqesia) was originally a legal technical term for adoption as a son with full rights of inheritance. BDAG 1024 s.v. notes, “a legal t.t. of ‘adoption’ of children, in our lit., i.e. in Paul, only in a transferred sense of a transcendent filial relationship between God and humans (with the legal aspect, not gender specificity, as major semantic component).”

[8:15]  ⁴⁰ tn Or “in that.”

[8:28]  ⁴¹ tc ὁ θεός (Jo qeos, “God”) is found after the verb συνεργεῖ (sunergei, “work”) in v. 28 by Ì⁴⁶ A B 81 sa; the shorter reading is found in א C D F G Ψ 33 1739 1881 Ï latt sy bo. Although the inclusion is supported by a significant early papyrus, the alliance of significant Alexandrian and Western witnesses favors the shorter reading. As well, the longer reading is evidently motivated by a need for clarification. Since ὁ θεός is textually suspect, it is better to read the text without it. This leaves two good translational options: either “he works all things together for good” or “all things work together for good.” In the first instance the subject is embedded in the verb and “God” is clearly implied (as in v. 29). In the second instance, πάντα (panta) becomes the subject of an intransitive verb. In either case, “What is expressed is a truly biblical confidence in the sovereignty of God” (C. E. B. Cranfield, Romans [ICC], 1:427).

[8:29]  ⁴² tn Grk “he”; the referent (God’s Son) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:29]  ⁴³ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.

[9:5]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “of whom are the fathers.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[9:5]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “from whom.” Here the relative pronoun has been replaced by a personal pronoun.

[9:5]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “according to the flesh.”

[9:5]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “Messiah.” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed.”)

[9:5]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “the Christ, who is over all, God blessed forever,” or “the Messiah. God who is over all be blessed forever!” or “the Messiah who is over all. God be blessed forever!” The translational difficulty here is not text-critical in nature, but is a problem of punctuation. Since the genre of these opening verses of Romans 9 is a lament, it is probably best to take this as an affirmation of Christ’s deity (as the text renders it). Although the other renderings are possible, to see a note of praise to God at the end of this section seems strangely out of place. But for Paul to bring his lament to a crescendo (that is to say, his kinsmen had rejected God come in the flesh), thereby deepening his anguish, is wholly appropriate. This is also supported grammatically and stylistically: The phrase ὁ ὢν (Jo wn, “the one who is”) is most naturally taken as a phrase which modifies something in the preceding context, and Paul’s doxologies are always closely tied to the preceding context. For a detailed examination of this verse, see B. M. Metzger, “The Punctuation of Rom. 9:5,” Christ and the Spirit in the New Testament, 95-112; and M. J. Harris, Jesus as God, 144-72.

[9:8]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “That is,” or “That is to say.”

[9:8]  ⁵⁰ tn Because it forms the counterpoint to “the children of promise” the expression “children of the flesh” has been retained in the translation.

[9:8]  sn The expression the children of the flesh refers to the natural offspring.

[9:22]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “vessels.” This is the same Greek word used in v. 21.

[9:22]  ⁵² tn Or “vessels destined for wrath.” The genitive ὀργῆς (orghs) could be taken as a genitive of destination.

[9:22]  ⁵³ tn Or possibly “objects of wrath that have fit themselves for destruction.” The form of the participle could be taken either as a passive or middle (reflexive). ExSyn 417-18 argues strongly for the passive sense (which is followed in the translation), stating that “the middle view has little to commend it.” First, καταρτίζω (katartizw) is nowhere else used in the NT as a direct or reflexive middle (a usage which, in any event, is quite rare in the NT). Second, the lexical force of this verb, coupled with the perfect tense, suggests something of a “done deal” (against some commentaries that see these vessels as ready for destruction yet still able to avert disaster). Third, the potter-clay motif seems to have one point: The potter prepares the clay.

[10:6]  ⁵⁴ sn A quotation from Deut 9:4.

[10:6]  ⁵⁵ sn A quotation from Deut 30:12.

[10:14]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “preaching”; the words “to them” are supplied for clarification.

[11:11]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “that they might fall.”

[11:11]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “them”; the referent (Israel, cf. 11:7) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:16]  ⁵⁹ tn Or “but give yourselves to menial tasks.” The translation depends on whether one takes the adjective “lowly” as masculine or neuter.

[12:16]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “Do not be wise in your thinking.”

[15:18]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “unto obedience.”

[15:24]  ⁶² tn Grk “and to be helped by you.” The passive construction was changed to an active one in the translation.

[15:31]  ⁶³ tn Verses 30-31 form one long sentence in the Greek but have been divided into two distinct sentences for clarity in English.

[16:5]  ⁶⁴ sn The spelling Epenetus is also used by NIV, NLT; the name is alternately spelled Epaenetus (NASB, NKJV, NRSV).

[16:5]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “first fruit.” This is a figurative use referring to Epenetus as the first Christian convert in the region.

[16:5]  ⁶⁶ tn Grk “Asia”; in the NT this always refers to the Roman province of Asia, made up of about one-third of the west and southwest end of modern Asia Minor. Asia lay to the west of the region of Phrygia and Galatia. The words “the province of” are supplied to indicate to the modern reader that this does not refer to the continent of Asia.