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 ¹  are without excuse.

Roma 8:23

8:23 Not only this, but we ourselves also, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, ²  groan inwardly as we eagerly await our adoption, ³  the redemption of our bodies. ⁴ 

Roma 9:11

9:11 even before they were born or had done anything good or bad (so that God’s purpose in election ⁵  would stand, not by works but by ⁶  his calling) ⁷  –

Roma 12:1

Consecration of the Believer’s Life

12:1 Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, ⁸  by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice – alive, holy, and pleasing to God ⁹  – which is your reasonable service.

Roma 15:9

15:9 and thus the Gentiles glorify God for his mercy. ¹⁰  As it is written, “Because of this I will confess you among the Gentiles, and I will sing praises to your name.” ¹¹ 

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

[8:23]  ² tn Or “who have the Spirit as firstfruits.” The genitive πνεύματος (pneumatos) can be understood here as possessive (“the firstfruits belonging to the Spirit”) although it is much more likely that this is a genitive of apposition (“the firstfruits, namely, the Spirit”); cf. TEV, NLT.

[8:23]  ³ tn See the note on “adoption” in v. 15.

[8:23]  ⁴ tn Grk “body.”

[9:11]  ⁵ tn Grk “God’s purpose according to election.”

[9:11]  ⁶ tn Or “not based on works but based on…”

[9:11]  ⁷ tn Grk “by the one who calls.”

[9:11]  sn The entire clause is something of a parenthetical remark.

[12:1]  ⁸ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.

[12:1]  ⁹ tn The participle and two adjectives “alive, holy, and pleasing to God” are taken as predicates in relation to “sacrifice,” making the exhortation more emphatic. See ExSyn 618-19.

[12:1]  sn Taken as predicate adjectives, the terms alive, holy, and pleasing are showing how unusual is the sacrifice that believers can now offer, for OT sacrifices were dead. As has often been quipped about this text, “The problem with living sacrifices is that they keep crawling off the altar.”

[15:9]  ¹⁰ tn There are two major syntactical alternatives which are both awkward: (1) One could make “glorify” dependent on “Christ has become a minister” and coordinate with “to confirm” and the result would be rendered “Christ has become a minister of circumcision to confirm the promises…and so that the Gentiles might glorify God.” (2) One could make “glorify” dependent on “I tell you” and coordinate with “Christ has become a minister” and the result would be rendered “I tell you that Christ has become a minister of circumcision…and that the Gentiles glorify God.” The second rendering is preferred.

[15:9]  ¹¹ sn A quotation from Ps 18:49.