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Read Romans Chapter 1

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1Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,

2(Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)

3Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;

4And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

5By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:

6Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:

7To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

8First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.

9For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;

10Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you.

11For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established;

12That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.

13Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles.

14I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.

15So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.

16For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

17For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

19Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

20For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

21Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

22Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

23And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

24Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:

25Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

26For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:

27And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

28And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

29Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

30Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

31Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

32Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

You are readingKing James Version

Explanation

Romans 1

In short

Paul writes to Christians in Rome to introduce himself and explain why he wants to visit them. He then argues that people who reject God and worship idols end up trapped in harmful behaviour, and that God's anger against this injustice is fair because creation itself shows God's power to anyone who looks.

What the text says

Verses 1-7 give Paul's opening: he is an apostle chosen to spread the gospel, which God promised long ago about his Son Jesus, and he greets the Roman church as beloved of God.

Verses 8-13 show Paul's personal concern. He thanks God for their faith and prays for them always. He has wanted to visit them many times but has been prevented. He longs to see them so he can share spiritual strength with them.

Verses 14-17 state why Paul is eager: he owes it to all kinds of people, both educated and not, to preach the gospel. He is not ashamed of it, because it is God's power that saves everyone who believes, whether Jewish or Greek. Verse 17 says that in the gospel, God's righteousness is revealed, and the text quotes an old saying: "The just shall live by faith."

Verses 18-20 turn to God's anger. God's anger against godlessness and wrong behaviour is revealed from heaven. The reason people are without excuse is that what can be known of God has been shown to them: creation itself makes clear God's eternal power and nature.

Verses 21-25 describe what people did instead. Although they knew God, they did not glorify or thank him. Their thinking became empty and their hearts darkened. They traded the glory of God for images of things that rot and die, and worshipped the creature rather than the Creator.

Verses 26-32 show the result. God gave them over to harmful desires. Women and men both turned away from natural relationships to act against nature. More broadly, verse 28 says God gave them over to a "reprobate mind" unable to judge rightly. Verses 29-31 list the sins that follow: unrighteousness, envy, murder, deceit, pride, disobedience to parents, and lack of mercy. Verse 32 closes by saying people know such acts deserve death, yet they do them and cheer those who do.

Takeaways

  • God makes his power and nature visible through creation, so no one has an excuse for turning away.
  • When people reject God and worship false things instead, God permits them to fall deeper into harmful ways.
  • Faith in God's power to save, not human achievement, is how the righteous live.

Explanation written with the help of AI. The Bible text above is not changed. Context and interpretation are flagged as such; always come back to the text itself.