Study Desk

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, chosen to declare the gospel dispensation,

which God had promised by his prophets in the holy scriptures,

with relation to his son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was of the lineage of David as to his body,

but as to his holy spirit miraculously declared to be the son of God, by his resurrection from the dead:

by whose favour I have received the office of an apostle to bring the Gentiles every where to the obedience of faith preached in his name:

among whom Jesus Christ has also called you:

to all the beloved of God, the saints by this vocation, who are in Rome, grace to you, and peace from God our father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is celebrated through the whole world.

for God is my witness, to whom I am entirely devoted, in preaching the gospel of his son, that I constantly make mention of you, in my prayers, requesting,

if it be God's will, that I might now at length have the happiness of coming to you.

for I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, in order to establish you:

or indeed that we may have mutual consolation from the faith which is in common to you and to me.

now I would not have you ignorant, my brethren, that I often purposed to come to you, tho' I have been hindered hitherto, that I might be useful among you as well as among other Gentiles.

I owe what service I can do to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians, to the learned, and to the illiterate.

so, that as far as it depends upon me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you also, who are at Rome.

for I am not ashamed of the gospel, since it is divinely effectual to salvation, to everyone that believes, to the Jew first, and then to the Gentile.

There it is that divine justification is revealed to be wholly by faith: as it is written, " the just shall live by faith."

there the divine wrath is revealed from heaven against all impiety, and injustice of men, who wickedly suppress the truth.

because what should be known of God they are acquainted with; for God hath manifested it unto them.

for ever since the creation of the world, his eternal power and divinity, things in themselves invisible, are clearly seen, being perceived by the things that are made; so that they are without excuse:

because when they knew God, they did not with gratitude glorify him as God, but their reasoning became extravagance, and their minds, void of judgment, were involv'd in darkness.

pretending to be wise, they became fools:

the honour due to God, who is immortal, they transferr'd to idols representing men, who are mortal, to birds, and beasts, and insects.

wherefore God abandon'd them to the impure passions of their own hearts, so that they themselves dishonour'd their own bodies;

they changed the true God for an idol, and adored and served the creature more than the creator, who is blessed for ever.

amen. for this cause God gave them up to infamous passions: for even the sex perverted the instinct of nature:

and the men unnaturally leaving the sex, were inflamed with mutual passions, which they shamefully indulged, and received in their own persons, the retribution that was justly due to such enormities.

As they did not seek the favour of God, by worshipping him, God gave them over to a depraved sense, to act unworthy of human nature;

they were full of all injustice, fornication, mischief, covetousness, malice; full of envy, murder, contention, fraud, malignity;

whisperers, backbiters, enemies of God, injurious, proud, vain, inventers of vices, disobedient to parents, void of judgment,

fidelity, and natural affection; implacable, and unmerciful:

who knowing the divine rule of right, did not perceive that they who commit such things are worthy of death, and not only they who do the same, but they who give countenance to those that do them.