1From Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle and appointed to spread the Good News of God. 2(God had already promised this Good News through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures. 3This Good News is about his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. In his human nature he was a descendant of David. 4In his spiritual, holy nature he was declared the Son of God. This was shown in a powerful way when he came back to life. 5Through him we have received God's kindness and the privilege of being apostles who bring people from every nation to the obedience that is associated with faith. This is for the honor of his name. 6You are among those who have been called to belong to Jesus Christ.)

7To everyone in Rome whom God loves and has called to be his holy people. Good will and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ are yours!

8First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for every one of you because the news of your faith is spreading throughout the whole world. 9I serve God by spreading the Good News about his Son. God is my witness that I always mention you 10every time I pray. I ask that somehow God will now at last make it possible for me to visit you. 11I long to see you to share a spiritual blessing with you so that you will be strengthened. 12What I mean is that we may be encouraged by each other's faith. 13I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that I often planned to visit you. However, until now I have been kept from doing so. What I want is to enjoy some of the results of working among you as I have also enjoyed the results of working among the rest of the nations. 14I have an obligation to those who are civilized and those who aren't, to those who are wise and those who aren't. 15That's why I'm eager to tell you who live in Rome the Good News also.

16I'm not ashamed of the Good News. It is God's power to save everyone who believes, Jews first and Greeks as well. 17God's approval is revealed in this Good News. This approval begins and ends with faith as Scripture says, "The person who has God's approval will live by faith."

18God's anger is revealed from heaven against every ungodly and immoral thing people do as they try to suppress the truth by their immoral living. 19What can be known about God is clear to them because he has made it clear to them. 20From the creation of the world, God's invisible qualities, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly observed in what he made. As a result, people have no excuse. 21They knew God but did not praise and thank him for being God. Instead, their thoughts were pointless, and their misguided minds were plunged into darkness. 22While claiming to be wise, they became fools. 23They exchanged the glory of the immortal God for statues that looked like mortal humans, birds, animals, and snakes.

24For this reason God allowed their lusts to control them. As a result, they dishonor their bodies by sexual perversion with each other. 25These people have exchanged God's truth for a lie. So they have become ungodly and serve what is created rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen!

26For this reason God allowed their shameful passions to control them. Their women have exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27Likewise, their men have given up natural sexual relations with women and burn with lust for each other. Men commit indecent acts with men, so they experience among themselves the punishment they deserve for their perversion.

28And because they thought it was worthless to acknowledge God, God allowed their own immoral minds to control them. So they do these indecent things. 29Their lives are filled with all kinds of sexual sins, wickedness, and greed. They are mean. They are filled with envy, murder, quarreling, deceit, and viciousness. They are gossips, 30slanderers, haters of God, haughty, arrogant, and boastful. They think up new ways to be cruel. They don't obey their parents, 31don't have any sense, don't keep promises, and don't show love to their own families or mercy to others. 32Although they know God's judgment that those who do such things deserve to die, they not only do these things but also approve of others who do them.