8 I’ll start by thanking my God through Yeshua Messiah for all of you, because the story about your faith has been told in many countries. 9 Yes, the God that I serve in my spirit in the good message about his son, is my witness about how I never stop mentioning all of you 10 in my prayers—asking that somehow God will favour me by allowing me to come to visit you 11 because I’m longing to see you all so that I can share a particular spiritual gift with you so that you’ll all be strengthened. 12 I want us to all be encouraged together by each other’s faith—both me and all of you.

13 [ref]Brothers and sisters, I don’t want you to be unaware that I had planned several times to come to you but I was vetoed until recently so that I’d also have a harvest among you similar to those among the other non-Jews. 14 Whether it’s Greeks or other foreigners, wise people or foolish, I have an obligation 15 and so I’m eager to also preach the good message to all of you there in Rome.

16 [ref]I’m not ashamed to preach the good message because it conveys God’s power to save everyone who believes it—to Jews first and then non-Jews. 17 [ref]It explains how God makes us guiltless—by faith leading to more faith—as it’s been written: Godly people will live by faith.

18 God’s severe anger is being revealed from heaven on the ungodliness and disobedience of people who limit the truth by their disobedience 19 because the fact that there is a God has been shown to them because God himself has revealed it. 20 Ever since the creation of the world, the invisible attributes of God have been clearly seen through his workmanship—both his eternal power and his divinity—so people have no excuse. 21 [ref]Even though they know about God, they didn’t honour or thank him, but their theories made them incompetent and their minds turned from perception towards darkness. 22 They claimed to be scientific but instead they believed foolishness 23 [ref]and so they changed the greatness of the eternal God into the likeness of an image of a mortal human, or birds or animals or reptiles.

24 Therefore God reluctantly let their lusts lead to impurity and the dishonouring of their bodies among themselves 25 as they exchanged God’s truth for a lie and now worshipped and served the creation, instead of the creator who should be praised throughout the ages. May it be so.

26 Because of that, God reluctantly let them exercise their dishonourable passions and their women exchanged natural acts for those against nature, 27 and similarly their men deserted the natural acts towards women and stoked their lusts towards each other—man with man and the shame that it produces, and then received back in themselves the payment which is appropriate for such deception.

28 They didn’t want to know about God and so he reluctantly let their depraved minds be filled with unhelpful thoughts 29 and so they were filled with disobedience, wickedness, greediness, and malice, and full of envy, murder, strife, and deceit, becoming malicious, gossips, 30 slanderers, god-haters, abusers, proud, braggers, inventors of evil, unable to be persuaded by their parents, 31 unintelligent, untrustworthy, unloving, and unmerciful. 32 They know that God must exercise justice towards those doing such things, yet they not only practice those things which will lead to a death sentence, but they also approve when others do them.

2 [ref]So there’s no excuse for anyone who judges others because you’re condemning yourselves if you’re doing those same things that you’re judging other for 2 because we know that God’s judgement is based on the factual accounts of what each person is doing. 3 But maybe you’re thinking that you can judge others doing these things and yet somehow escape God’s judgement when you do them yourself? 4 Or maybe you’re taking advantage of God’s kindness and patience without realising that his kindness was meant to lead you towards repentance? 5 But it’s your hardness and failure to repent that causing severe anger to be stored up for the day of God’s judgement when all will be revealed including his severe anger 6 [ref]as each person will be judged by their actions. 7 Those who’ve endured to do good expecting praise and honour and to escape destruction, will be given eternal life, 8 but those who’ve lived out their selfish ambition and refused to believe the truth but let themselves get persuaded by disobedience, will meet with severe anger and rage. 9 For every person doing evil, there will be tribulation and distress—to Jews first and then to non-Jews, 10 but to those who do good, there’ll be praise and honour and peace—to Jews first and then to non-Jews 11 [ref]because God doesn’t indulge in favouritism.

12 Those not under the Jewish laws and yet sinned, they’ll be judged without the law, and those who knew the laws and sinned, will be judged by the law, 13 because listening to the law doesn’t make people right with God, but rather it’s those who obey the law who will be declared guiltless. 14 Whenever other nations don’t have Jewish law but naturally obey what’s in the laws, then even those that don’t have our laws have their own law. 15 They demonstrate that they effectively have God’s law written in their minds and which matches their consciences, and between the two they’ll be either accused or defended 16 on the day when God through Messiah Yeshua, judges people’s private lives as I’ve shared as part of the good message.

17 But if you’re a Jew and trusting in the law and boasting about being chosen by God 18 and knowing his will and knowing what’s important because of familiarity with the law, 19 and if you’ve persuaded yourself that you’re a guide for the blind and a light to those who’re in darkness, 20 and that you’re an instructor to foolish people and a teacher of children, and that you appear to be knowledgeable about the truth of the law, 21 then why do you teach others when you haven’t even taught yourself? You announce that stealing is wrong, but you’re a thief. 22 You teach about not messing with other people’s spouses, yet you do it yourself. You detest idols, but you sneak money out of the temple. 23 You boast about being a student of the law, but you dishonour God by breaking the laws. 24 [ref]Yes, it’s been written: ‘God’s name is slandered among the nations because of you all.’

25 Circumcision is of value if you’re keeping the law, but if you’re breaking the laws, then your circumcision is just the same as if you’re uncircumcised, 26 so if uncircumcised peoples act justly according to the law, even though they’re not physically circumcised, God will consider them as his people. 27 Yes, those peoples who’re not circumcised but keep the law, will be judging you who were given the law in writing and are circumcised, yet break those laws. 28 A true Jew is not just a Jew on the outside, and circumcision isn’t just on the outside of the body, 29 [ref]but is a Jew even in their private life and through circumcision of their heart—by the spirit and not by the letter of the law—earning praise not from people, but from God.

3 So what advantage is it in being a Jew and what’s the benefit of circumcision? 2 A lot in every way. Firstly, Jews were entrusted with the writing down of God’s messages. 3 But what if some didn’t believe? Wouldn’t the unbelief of Jews make faith that comes from God worthless? 4 [ref]Absolutely not. Even if every person was a liar, God is true just like it’s been written about him:

‘You will be proved right about what you say,

and you’ll prevail when you’re judged in court.’

5 But if our sinfulness highlights God’s sinlessness, what can we say about that? So isn’t God, the one inflicting the severe anger, wrong to punish us. (Of course this is reasoning from a human perspective.) 6 Of course not, otherwise how could God be able to judge the world?

7 But if my lie exposes God’s truth and so brings him honour, why would he still judge me as a sinner? 8 Some people falsely accuse us of saying, ‘Let’s do evil things so that good might follow.’ Those who say that deserve their punishment.

9 What then? Do Jews have any advantage? Definitely not, because we showed earlier that both Jews and other nationalities are all under sin’s shadow 10 [ref]just like it was written long ago:

‘No one is guiltless,

not even one person.

11 No one understands,

there’s not even one person trying to find God.

12 Everyone has turned away,

it was a waste of time.

No one is being kind,

Not even one person.’

13 [ref]‘Their words lead to death,

their tongues are deceptive.’

‘Their lips spray out poison.’

14 [ref]‘Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.’

15 [ref]‘They rush off to go and shed blood.

16 They leave trails of destruction and misery—

17 they don’t know the path that leads to peace.’

18 [ref]Revering God isn’t at the front of their minds.

19 We know that whatever the law says, it’s for everyone that the law applies to, so that no one can speak against it, and the whole world will be bound by God’s judgement. 20 [ref]No human will be declared guiltless in front of God by their keeping the law, because it’s the law that teaches what sin is.

21 But now God has revealed a way to remove guilt that’s not by rules—a way that Moses and the prophets wrote about. 22 [ref]We can be made right with God through faith in Yeshua Messiah. This is for everyone who believes because there’s no distinction between Jews and others 23 because everyone has sinned and is unable to be honoured by God. 24 But even without deserving it, we can be declared guiltless by God’s grace by being bought out of slavery to sin by Messiah Yeshua 25 who God placed on the altar as a sacrifice for sin. This happens through faith in his blood which was a sign of his sinlessness.

(God hasn’t yet judged those who sinned in the past 26 because of his patience, waiting for the present time to show his righteousness and to be fair, and to remove the guilt of those with faith in Yeshua.)

27 So where does that leave boasting? It’s not in the picture. How come? Through obeying the Moses’ laws? No, through a law about faith. 28 So now we should expect that a person will be made guiltless by faith—not by obeying Moses’ laws. 29 Or is God only god of the Jews? Isn’t he also the god of others? Yes, he is the God of others. 30 [ref]Indeed, there’s only one God and he declares people guiltless by faith whether they’re circumcised Jews, or non-Jews. 31 So does this ‘faith’ cancel the law? Not on your life. In fact, it upholds the law.

4 So what did our physical ancestor, Abraham discover about all this? 2 Because if Abraham was declared guiltless because of his actions, maybe he could boast? But not towards God 3 [ref]because the scriptures say: ‘Abraham believed in God so he was considered guiltless.’ 4 Now for someone who’s working, their wages are considered ‘owed’, not a gift. 5 However someone who’s not working but having faith that God will declare disobedient people as guiltless, then that person’s faith is considered to make them guiltless. 6 It’s just like what David said about blessing a person who God declares as guiltless despite their actions:

7 [ref]‘Those who’ve been forgiven for their lawlessness will be happy,

and whose sins have been covered over.

8 Anyone who the master declares to have no sin will be happy.’

9 Is this favour shown to circumcised Jews or is it also for non-Jews? Because we were saying that Abraham was considered guiltless because of his faith. 10 So how did that happen? Because he was circumcised or when he was still uncircumcised? No, it was before he was circumcised. 11 [ref]He received circumcision as a sign—proof of the righteousness that he gained from his faith while he was still uncircumcised—becoming the father of everyone who’s uncircumcised but believes so that they’ll be declared guiltless. 12 So our ancestor Abraham is the ancestor of us as a circumcised people, not just because we’re circumcised, but also as we follow his steps of faith while uncircumcised.

13 [ref]It wasn’t because of his obeying the law that it was promised that Abraham or his descendants would inherit the world, but because of his righteousness that came from his faith, 14 [ref]because if the ones obeying the law can become heirs, then faith would be declared as useless and the promise would be invalidated, 15 because the law produces severe anger, and where there’s no law, then there’s nothing to break.

16 [ref]Because of this, the promise to the descendants is by faith—given not only to the ‘descendants of the law’ but also to the ‘descendants of Abraham’s faith’. This promise is given by grace and has been confirmed, 17 [ref]as it’s been written, ‘I’ve appointed you as a father of many nations.’ He was appointed in front of the God he believed in—the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates by speaking things into being that didn’t previously exist. 18 [ref]Without any other evidence, he believed in hope itself and thus he became the father of many nations according to what he had been told: ‘Your descendants will be like the sand and the stars.’ 19 [ref]He didn’t falter in his faith, seeing that his body was already infertile being about a hundred years old and with Sarah being past menopause, 20 but he didn’t show unbelief and doubt God’s promise when it was given, but rather he was strengthened in his faith and praised God, 21 being quite certain that what God promises, he’s also able to do. 22 Therefore his faith was credited to him and he was declared guiltless. 23 However that statement wasn’t written about Abraham only, 24 but for us also who are also going to receive the same credit because of our faith in the God who brought our master Yeshua back to life from the dead 25 [ref]after he was handed over to the executioners because of our sins, and he was brought back to life to make us guiltless.

5 So now because we’ve been declared guiltless by our faith, we can have peace with God through our master Yeshua Messiah. 2 Through him we also have access by faith into this grace that we depend on and we are boasting in hope of God’s glory. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? 3 Not only that, but we are also boasting even though we’re still being persecuted, because we know that difficulties produce endurance 4 and endurance shows who we really are, and knowing that produces hope, 5 and we’re not disgraced by that hope because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the holy spirit who has been given to us.

6 While we were still weak and at the right time for ungodly people, the messiah died for us. 7 Now it’s rare for someone to offer to die to save a guiltless person, although perhaps someone might offer for the greater good, 8 but God demonstrated his love towards us in that the messiah died for us while we were still sinners!

9 So now that we’ve been declared guiltless because of his blood, we’ll certainly be spared from his severe anger, 10 because if we were reconciled to God through the death of his son while we were still enemies, now that we’ve been reconciled how much more certain that we’ll be saved by Yeshua’s life! 11 And not only that, because of what our master Yeshua Messiah has done so that we might receive that reconciliation, we can now boast in God about it.

12 [ref]Sin came into the world through one man, and death came as a result of sin, so death spread to everyone because everyone has disobeyed God. 13 Sin was in the world before Moses’ law, but it wasn’t being charged against them, because the law had not yet been given. 14 But death reigned from the time of Adam until the time of Moses, even over those who didn’t sin in the way that Adam did—Adam[fn] who was a pattern of the messiah who would eventually come.

15 But the gift is not like the disobedience, because if the disobedience of one man introduced death for many, God’s grace and the gift that comes from that grace is much more. That gift is the one man Yeshua Messiah who has been given to very many people. 16 It only took one man who disobeyed to lead to condemnation, and one act of disobedience to lead to judgement, but the gift is to bring guiltlessness despite many acts of disobedience. 17 Because if the disobedience of one man led to death reigning over us through that one man, how much more will the ones receiving an abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness be reigning in life through the one man Yeshua Messiah.

18 So just as one act of disobedience led all people to condemnation, so also one action brought all people to guiltlessness and hence to life. 19 The disobedience of one man caused many people to be made sinners, so also the obedience of one man caused many people to be made guiltless.

20 The law was inserted so that acts of disobedience would be plentiful, but where sin has been plentiful, grace has overflowed 21 so that just as sin reigned in death, so also grace now reigns through righteousness, leading to eternal life through our master Yeshua Messiah.

6 So should we continuing disobeying so that more of God’s grace will be displayed? 2 Not on your life! We who died to sin, how could we go back to living in it? 3 Or didn’t you all realise that when we were immersed into Messiah Yeshua, we were immersed into his death? 4 [ref]Therefore we were buried with him through the immersion into death, so that just as Messiah was brought back to life by the father’s power, so too we can walk in newness of life. 5 If we have joined together in the likeness of his death, then we will also be joined in the resurrection, 6 knowing that the old personality was executed with him so that sin would have no more power over our bodies and hence we no longer need to serve it 7 because the personality that’s died has been declared free from sin. 8 So if we died with Messiah, we also believe that we will live with him, 9 knowing that now that Messiah has come back to life from the dead, he won’t die again—death has no more power over him. 10 When he died, he died to sin once and for all, but now that he lives, he lives to please God. 11 So too, you should be considering yourselves dead to sin, and at the same time, alive to God in Messiah Yeshua.

12 So therefore don’t let sin be reigning in your mortal bodies in such a way that you’re submitting to its lusts. 13 Don’t be using any parts of your bodies to sin as if they’re weapons of disobedience, but instead present yourselves to God as if you came back to life from the dead, and use all your body parts for God as if they’re weapons of righteousness 14 so that sin won’t be taking control of you—because you’re not under law but under grace.

15 What could that mean? That we can sin freely because we’re not under law but under grace? Not on your life! 16 Don’t you know who you are presenting yourselves to as obedient slaves? Yes, whoever you all submit to, you are their slave—either a slave of sin that leads to death, or a slave of obedience that leads to righteousness. 17 But be thankful to God that although you were all slaves to sin, your hearts submitted to what was taught, 18 and so having been freed from sin, you all were enslaved to righteousness. 19 I’m speaking from a human perspective because of your human weakness. Just as you all previously used parts of your bodies as slaves to impurity and lawlessness leading to down to further lawlessness, so now present all your body parts as slaves to righteousness leading up to holiness.

20 When you were all slaves of sin, you were immune to righteousness 21 and so what was the fruit you had back then which you are now ashamed of? The end result of that lifestyle is death. 22 But now that you’re all free from the bondage of sin and enslaved to God instead, you bear the fruit of holiness and the end result of that is living forever, 23 because the wages of sin is death, but God gives eternal life as a gift through our master Yeshua Messiah.

7 Brothers and sisters, you know the Law well that I’m talking about, so surely you realise that the law acts as a person’s master for as long as they live? 2 For example, a woman who is married to her husband is bound by the law, but if her husband dies then she’s released from the law concerning her husband. 3 So while her husband was still living, he’d call her an adulteress if she slept with another man, but after her husband is deceased, she’s free from the law and doesn’t become an adulteress if she marries another man. 4 So my brothers and sisters, you also were made dead to the law through the body of the messiah so that you could join to another—to the one who came back to life from the dead—so that we may bear fruit for God. 5 When we were still focused on the physical, the passions aroused by sinning against the law were working in our body parts so that the fruit would be death, 6 but now that we’re released from the law which held us—released by dying to it—we can serve in new ways guided by the spirit instead of by the letter of the law.