Category: Romans

Israel’s Rejection Not Total

1 I ask, then, has God rejected His people?Absolutely not!For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham,from the tribe of Benjamin.

2 God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew.Or don’t you knowwhat the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah — how he pleads with God against Israel?

3 Lord, they have killed Your prophets

and torn down Your altars.

I am the only one left,

and they are trying to take my life!

4 But what was God’s reply to him? I have left 7,000 men for Myself who have not bowed down to Baal.

5 In the same way, then, there is also at the present time a remnant chosen by grace.

6 Now if by grace,then it is not by works; otherwise grace ceases to be grace.

7 What then? Israel did not find what it was looking for,but the elect did find it. The rest were hardened,

8 as it is written:

God gave them a spirit of insensitivity,

eyes that cannot see

and ears that cannot hear,

to this day.

9 And David says:

Let their feastingbecome a snare and a trap,

a pitfall and a retribution to them.

10 Let their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,

and their backs be bent continually.

Israel’s Rejection Not Final

11 I ask, then, have they stumbled in order to fall? Absolutely not! On the contrary, by their stumbling,salvation has come to the Gentilesto make Israel jealous.

12 Now if their stumblingbrings riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full number bring!

13 Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. In view of the fact that I am an apostle to the Gentiles,I magnify my ministry,

14 if I can somehow make my own peoplejealous and save some of them.

15 For if their rejection brings reconciliationto the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?

16 Now if the firstfruits offered up are holy,so is the whole batch. And if the root is holy, so are the branches.

17 Now if some of the branches were broken off,and you, though a wild olive branch, were grafted in among themand have come to share in the rich rootof the cultivated olive tree,

18 do not brag that you are better than those branches. But if you do brag — you do not sustain the root, but the root sustains you.

19 Then you will say,“Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.”

20 True enough; they were broken off by unbelief, but you stand by faith.Do not be arrogant, but be afraid.

21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you either.

22 Therefore, consider God’s kindness and severity: severity toward those who have fallen but God’s kindnesstoward you — if you remain in His kindness.Otherwise you too will be cut off.

23 And even they, if they do not remain in unbelief,will be grafted in, because God has the power to graft them in again.

24 For if you were cut off from your native wild olive and against nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these — the natural branches — be grafted into their own olive tree?

25 So that you will not be conceited,brothers, I do not want you to be unawareof this mystery:A partial hardening has come to Israeluntil the full number of the Gentiles has come in.

26 And in this way allIsrael will be saved, as it is written:

The Liberator will come from Zion;

He will turn away godlessness from Jacob.

27 And this will be My covenant with them

when I take away their sins.

28 Regarding the gospel, they are enemies for your advantage,but regarding election, they are loved because of the patriarchs,

29 since God’s gracious gifts and callingare irrevocable.

30 As you once disobeyed God, but now have received mercy through their disobedience,

31 so they too have now disobeyed, resulting in mercy to you, so that they also nowmay receive mercy.

32 For God has imprisoned all in disobedience,so that He may have mercy on all.

A Hymn of Praise

33 Oh, the depth of the riches

both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God!

How unsearchable His judgments

and untraceable His ways!

34 For who has known the mind of the Lord?

Or who has been His counselor?

35 Or who has ever first given to Him,

and has to be repaid?

36 For from Him and through Him

and to Him are all things.

To Him be the glory forever. Amen.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/ROM/11-6ed652a5cf0eaa6825838995b56da2d4.mp3?version_id=72—

A Living Sacrifice

1 Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge youto present your bodies as a living sacrifice,holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship.

2 Do not be conformedto this age,but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect willof God.

Many Gifts but One Body

3 For by the gracegiven to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think.Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faithto each one.

4 Now as we have many parts in one body,and all the parts do not have the same function,

5 in the same way we who are manyare one body in Christand individually members of one another.

6 According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts:

If prophecy,

use it according to the standard of one’sfaith;

7 if service,in service;

if teaching,in teaching;

8 if exhorting,in exhortation;

giving, with generosity;

leading,with diligence;

showing mercy, with cheerfulness.

Christian Ethics

9 Love must be without hypocrisy.Detest evil;cling to what is good.

10 Show family affection to one another with brotherly love.Outdo one another in showing honor.

11 Do not lack diligence; be fervent in spirit;serve the Lord.

12 Rejoice in hope;be patient in affliction;be persistent in prayer.

13 Share with the saints in their needs;pursue hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you;bless and do not curse.

15 Rejoice with those who rejoice;weep with those who weep.

16 Be in agreement with one another.Do not be proud;instead, associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation.

17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil.Try to do what is honorablein everyone’s eyes.

18 If possible, on your part, live at peace with everyone.

19 Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for Hiswrath. For it is written: Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay,says the Lord.

20 But

If your enemy is hungry, feed him.

If he is thirsty, give him something to drink.

For in so doing

you will be heaping fiery coals on his head.

21 Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/ROM/12-f3c71a15ecac0d1fd495f6d3bafd2f3f.mp3?version_id=72—

A Christian’s Duties to the State

1 Everyone must submit to the governing authorities,for there is no authority except from God,and those that exist are instituted by God.

2 So then, the one who resists the authority is opposing God’s command, and those who oppose it will bring judgment on themselves.

3 For rulers are not a terrorto good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have its approval.

4 For government is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because it does not carry the sword for no reason. For government is God’s servant, an avengerthat brings wrath on the one who does wrong.

5 Therefore, you must submit, not only because of wrath, but also because of your conscience.

6 And for this reason you pay taxes, since the authorities are God’s public servants, continually attending to these tasks.

7 Pay your obligationsto everyone: taxes to those you owe taxes,tolls to those you owe tolls, respect to those you owe respect,and honor to those you owe honor.

Love, Our Primary Duty

8 Do not owe anyone anything,except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.

9 The commandments:

Do not commit adultery;

do not murder;

do not steal;

do not covet;

and whatever other commandment — all are summed up by this: Love your neighbor as yourself.

10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Love, therefore, is the fulfillment of the law.

Put On Christ

11 Besides this, knowing the time, it is already the hourfor youto wake up from sleep,for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.

12 The night is nearly over, and the daylight is near,so let us discard the deeds of darknessand put on the armor of light.

13 Let us walk with decency,as in the daylight: not in carousing and drunkenness;not in sexual impurity and promiscuity; not in quarreling and jealousy.

14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ,and make no plans to satisfy the fleshly desires.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/ROM/13-30b54dca4fdedef971ad808ecb94d5d7.mp3?version_id=72—

The Law of Liberty

1 Acceptanyone who is weak in faith,but don’t argue about doubtful issues.

2 One person believes he may eat anything,but one who is weak eats only vegetables.

3 One who eats must not look down on one who does not eat,and one who does not eat must not criticize one who does,because God has accepted him.

4 Who are you to criticizeanother’s household slave? Before his own Lord he stands or falls. And he will stand. For the Lord is ableto make him stand.

5 One person considers one day to be above another day.Someone else considers every day to be the same. Each one must be fully convinced in his own mind.

6 Whoever observes the day, observes it for the honor of the Lord.Whoever eats, eats for the Lord, since he gives thanks to God;and whoever does not eat, it is for the Lord that he does not eat it, yet he thanks God.

7 For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.

8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

9 Christ died and came to lifefor this: that He might rule over both the dead and the living.

10 But you, why do you criticize your brother? Or you, why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before the tribunal of God.

11 For it is written:

As I live, says the Lord,

every knee will bow to Me,

and every tongue will give praise to God.

12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.

The Law of Love

13 Therefore, let us no longer criticize one another.Instead decide never to put a stumbling block or pitfall in your brother’s way.

14 (I know and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself.Still, to someone who considers a thing to be unclean, to that one it is unclean.)

15 For if your brother is hurt by what you eat, you are no longer walking according to love.Do not destroy that one Christ died for by what you eat.

16 Therefore, do not let your good be slandered,

17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking,but righteousness, peace, and joyin the Holy Spirit.

18 Whoever serves Christin this way is acceptable to God and approved by men.

19 So then, we must pursue what promotes peaceand what builds up one another.

20 Do not tear down God’s work because of food. Everything is clean, but it is wrong for a man to cause stumbling by what he eats.

21 It is a noble thing not to eat meat, or drink wine, or do anything that makes your brother stumble.

22 Do you have a conviction?Keep it to yourself before God. The man who does not condemn himself by what he approves is blessed.

23 But whoever doubts stands condemned if he eats,because his eating is not from a conviction,and everything that is not from a convictionis sin.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/ROM/14-a7c436f2d7db8eb0ba9f772d813f9ae3.mp3?version_id=72—

Pleasing Others, Not Ourselves

1 Now we who are strong have an obligation to bear the weaknesses of those without strength,and not to please ourselves.

2 Each one of us must please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.

3 For even the Messiah did not please Himself.On the contrary, as it is written, The insults of those who insult You have fallen on Me.

4 For whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction,so that we may have hope through endurance and through the encouragement from the Scriptures.

5 Now may the God who givesendurance and encouragementallow you to live in harmony with one another,according to the command of Christ Jesus,

6 so that you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christwith a united mind and voice.

Glorifying God Together

7 Therefore accept one another,just as the Messiah also accepted you, to the glory of God.

8 For I say that the Messiah became a servant of the circumcisedon behalf of God’s truth,to confirm the promises to the fathers,

9 and so that Gentilesmay glorify God for His mercy.As it is written:

Therefore I will praise You among the Gentiles,

and I will sing psalms to Your name.

10 Again it says: Rejoice, you Gentiles, with His people!

11 And again:

Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles;

all the peoples should praise Him!

12 And again, Isaiah says:

The root of Jessewill appear,

the One who rises to rule the Gentiles;

the Gentiles will hope in Him.

13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Himso that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

From Jerusalem to Illyricum

14 My brothers, I myself am convinced about you that you also are full of goodness,filled with all knowledge,and able to instruct one another.

15 Nevertheless, I have written to remind you more boldly on some pointsbecause of the grace given me by God

16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles,serving as a priest of God’s good news.My purpose is that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable,sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

17 Therefore I have reason to boast in Christ Jesusregarding what pertains to God.

18 For I would not dare say anything except what Christ has accomplished through meto make the Gentiles obedient by word and deed,

19 by the power of miraculous signs and wonders,and by the power of God’s Spirit. As a result, I have fully proclaimed the good news about the Messiah from Jerusalemall the way around to Illyricum.

20 My aim is to evangelize where Christ has not been named,so that I will not build on someone else’s foundation,

21 but, as it is written:

Those who were not told about Him will see,

and those who have not heard will understand.

Paul’s Travel Plans

22 That is why I have been prevented many times from coming to you.

23 But now I no longer have any work to do in these provinces,and I have strongly desired for many years to come to you

24 whenever I travel to Spain.For I hope to see you when I pass through, and to be assisted by you for my journey there,once I have first enjoyed your companyfor a while.

25 Right now I am traveling to Jerusalemto serve the saints,

26 for Macedoniaand Achaiawere pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem.

27 Yes, they were pleased, and indeed are indebted to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual benefits,then they are obligated to minister to Jews in material needs.

28 So when I have finished this and safely delivered the fundsto them,I will visit you on the way to Spain.

29 I know that when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessingof Christ.

30 Now I appeal to you, brothers, through our Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit,to join with me in fervent prayers to God on my behalf.

31 Pray that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea,that the gift I am bringing toJerusalemmay be acceptable to the saints,

32 and that, by God’s will,I may come to you with joyand be refreshed together with you.

33 The God of peace be with all of you.Amen.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/ROM/15-1eae4a16076b462dfc2e3b207a6313be.mp3?version_id=72—

Paul’s Commendation of Phoebe

1 I commend to youour sister Phoebe, who is a servantof the church in Cenchreae.

2 So you should welcome her in the Lordin a manner worthy of the saints and assist her in whatever matter she may require your help. For indeed she has been a benefactor of many — and of me also.

Greeting to Roman Christians

3 Give my greetings to Priscaand Aquila,my coworkers inChrist Jesus,

4 who risked their own necks for my life. Not only do I thank them, but so do all the Gentile churches.

5 Greet also the church that meets in their home.

Greet my dear friend Epaenetus, who is the first convertto Christ from Asia.

6 Greet Mary,who has worked very hard for you.

7 Greet Andronicus and Junia,my fellow countrymenand fellow prisoners.They are noteworthy in the eyes of the apostles,and they were also in Christ before me.

8 Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord.

9 Greet Urbanus, our coworker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys.

10 Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ.

Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus.

11 Greet Herodion, my fellow countryman.

Greet those who belong to the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord.

12 Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who have worked hard in the Lord.

Greet my dear friend Persis, who has worked very hard in the Lord.

13 Greet Rufus,chosen in the Lord; also his mother — and mine.

14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers who are with them.

15 Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them.

16 Greet one another with a holy kiss.

All the churches of Christ send you greetings.

Warning against Divisive People

17 Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause dissensions and obstacles contrary to the doctrine you have learned.Avoid them,

18 for such people do not serve our Lord Christbut their own appetites.They deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting with smooth talk and flattering words.

Paul’s Gracious Conclusion

19 The report of your obedience has reached everyone.Therefore I rejoice over you. But I want you to be wise about what is good, yet innocent about what is evil.

20 The God of peacewill soon crush Satanunder your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

21 Timothy,my coworker, and Lucius,Jason,and Sosipater,my fellow countrymen, greet you.

22 I Tertius, who wrote this letter,greet you in the Lord.

23 Gaius,who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus,the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus greet you.

24 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

Glory to God

25 Now to Him who has power to strengthen youaccording to my gospel and the proclamation about Jesus Christ,according to the revelation of the mystery kept silentfor long ages

26 but now revealed and made known through the prophetic Scriptures,according to the command of the eternal God to advance the obedience of faithamong all nations —

27 to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ — to Him be the glory forever!Amen.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/ROM/16-47861e74d652f82afee9aa830931b4d5.mp3?version_id=72—