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BibleStudyIt Romans 1:18-19 (God's Wrath)

Paul says ‘Hello’

1 This letter is from me, Paul. I am a servant of Christ Jesus. God chose me to be his apostle. He sent me to tell his good news to people. 2 God promised this good news long ago, before it became true. His prophets wrote about it in the Bible. 3-4 This good news is about God's Son, who is Jesus Christ, our Lord. Jesus was born as a human baby from King David's family. [ a ] But after Jesus died on the cross, God's Holy Spirit raised him to make him alive again. In that way God showed clearly that Jesus was his powerful Son. 5 Because of Jesus Christ, God has been very kind to us. He has chosen me to serve him as an apostle. He sent me to tell his message to people from all countries. As a result they would know that Jesus Christ is great. They would trust him and obey him. 6 You Christians in Rome are also among those people! God has chosen you to belong to Jesus Christ.

7 So I am writing to all you Christians who are in Rome. God loves you and he has chosen you to be his own people.

I pray that God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ will continue to help you. I pray that they will give you peace in your minds.

Paul wants to visit Rome

8 First, because of what Jesus Christ has done for us, I thank my God for all of you. Everywhere in the world, people are talking about how you trust in Jesus Christ. 9 God is the one that I serve with all my spirit. I tell people the message about his Son, which is good news. God himself knows that I pray for you all the time. 10 Every time that I pray for you, I ask God for a chance that I might visit you soon. I pray that he will make it possible if that is what he wants.

11 I want very much to come and see you. Then I can give some gift from God's Spirit to you. That will help you to be strong as you serve God. 12 We can help each other to be strong like that, because both you and I trust Christ. 13 My Christian friends, I want you to know that I have tried often to visit you. But until now, something has always stopped me. I want to help you to serve God well, in the way that I have already helped other Gentiles.

14 Because God has been kind to me, I must tell his message to all people. I must tell his good news to people who have learned many things, and to those who have never been to school. I must tell it to people who are wise as well as to those who are not very clever. 15 Because of that, I want very much to tell God's good news also to you people who live in Rome. [ b ]

16 I am not ashamed to tell people the good news. God uses that good news to show his great power. He uses it to save all people who believe in Jesus Christ. First, God saves all Jews who are believers. And he also saves all Gentiles who are believers. 17 The good news explains how God accepts people as right with himself. He does this when they believe in Christ. It is only because of their faith. Nothing else. This is what was written in the Bible long ago:

‘Everyone that God accepts as right will live, because they trust him.’ [ c ]

People are guilty

18 God in heaven shows that he is angry with people. He is angry because they do not respect him and they do bad things. Because they continue to do those bad things, they choose not to accept God's true message. 19 They should understand what God is like, because God himself has shown it to them clearly. 20 Ever since God made the world, he has been showing people clearly about himself. We cannot see God. But the things that he has made show us clearly what he is like. We can understand his great power that continues for ever. We can know that he is the true God. So there is no reason for anyone to say, ‘We could not know about God.’

21 Those people really knew about God. But they did not respect him as a great God, and they did not thank him. They did not even think clearly any more. Their minds became confused and they did not understand God's message. 22 They said that they were wise, but really they became fools. 23 They refused to worship the great God who can never die. Instead, they made false gods for themselves. They worshipped idols that were like people who must die. They also made idols that looked like birds, animals and snakes, and they worshipped them.

24 So God let those people do all the bad things that they wanted to do. God let those disgusting things rule their lives. As a result, they did bad things with each other's bodies. They did things that people should be ashamed to do. 25 They refused to believe the true things about God. Instead, they chose to believe lies. They worshipped things that God has made and they became servants of those things. But they refused to worship God himself who made those things! Everyone should praise him for ever! Amen. This is true.

26 Because those people turned against God, he let those bad things rule their lives. They strongly wanted to do things that they should be ashamed about. Even the women stopped having sex in a way which is proper. Instead, they began to have sex with other women, which is not proper. 27 Also, the men stopped having sex with women. Instead, they strongly wanted to have sex with other men. Men did bad things with other men that they should be ashamed about. Because they did such wrong things, they received in their own bodies the punishment that was right.

28 Those people decided that they did not need to know anything about God. So God let their minds become spoiled. As a result, they do bad things that people ought not to do. 29 They only think about wrong and bad things that they want to do. They want many things for themselves. They want to hurt other people. They are always jealous of other people. They kill people. They quarrel and fight with people. They are not honest or kind. They say silly things about other people. 30 They tell lies about people. They hate God. They insult other people. They are proud and they say how important they are. They think of many ways to do bad things. They do not obey their parents. 31 They do not understand what is right. They do not do what they have promised to do. They do not love anyone and they are not kind to anyone. 32 These people understand God's message about what is right. They know that people who do bad things like this ought to die. But they still continue to do those bad things. They are even happy when other people do those bad things too.

Footnotes

  1. 1:3-4 David was a great king of Israel, about 1,000 years before Jesus lived on earth.
  2. 1:15 At that time, many people who worked in jobs spoke the Greek language. Everyone thought that these people were clever and important. They thought that other people who did not speak Greek were not so important. Paul is saying that he must tell the good news to all kinds of people.
  3. 1:17 These words from Habakkuk 2:4 are also in Galatians 3:11 and Hebrews 10:38 . See also Hebrews 11:6 .

1 Greetings from Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus.

God chose me to be an apostle and gave me the work of telling his Good News. 2 God promised long ago through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures to give this Good News to his people. 3-4 The Good News is about God’s Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. As a human, he was born from the family of David, but through the Holy Spirit [ a ] he was shown to be God’s powerful Son when he was raised from death.

5 Through Christ, God gave me the special work of an apostle—to lead people of all nations to believe and obey him. I do all this to honor Christ. 6 You are some of those who have been chosen to belong to Jesus Christ.

7 This letter is to all of you in Rome. God loves you, and he has chosen you to be his holy people.

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

A Prayer of Thanks

8 First I want to say that I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you. I thank him because people everywhere in the world are talking about your great faith. 9-10 Every time I pray, I always remember you. God knows this is true. He is the one I serve with all my heart by telling people the Good News about his Son. I pray that I will be allowed to come to you. It will happen if God wants it. 11 I want very much to see you and give you some spiritual gift to make your faith stronger. 12 I mean that I want us to help each other with the faith that we have. Your faith will help me, and my faith will help you.

13 Brothers and sisters, I want you to know that I have planned many times to come to you, but something always happens to change my plans. I would like to see the same good result among you that I have had from my work among the other non-Jewish people.

14 I must serve all people—those who share in Greek culture and those who are less civilized, [ b ] the educated as well as the ignorant. 15 That is why I want so much to tell the Good News to you there in Rome.

16 I am proud of the Good News, because it is the power God uses to save everyone who believes—to save the Jews first, and now to save those who are not Jews. 17 The Good News shows how God makes people right with himself. God’s way of making people right begins and ends with faith. As the Scriptures say, “The one who is right with God by faith will live forever.” [ c ]

All People Have Done Wrong

18 God shows his anger from heaven against all the evil and wrong things that people do. Their evil lives hide the truth they have. 19 This makes God angry because they have been shown what he is like. Yes, God has made it clear to them.

20 There are things about God that people cannot see—his eternal power and all that makes him God. But since the beginning of the world, those things have been easy for people to understand. They are made clear in what God has made. So people have no excuse for the evil they do.

21 People knew God, but they did not honor him as God, and they did not thank him. Their ideas were all useless. There was not one good thought left in their foolish minds. 22 They said they were wise, but they became fools. 23 Instead of honoring the divine greatness of God, who lives forever, they traded it for the worship of idols—things made to look like humans, who get sick and die, or like birds, animals, and snakes.

24 People wanted only to do evil. So God left them and let them go their sinful way. And so they became completely immoral and used their bodies in shameful ways with each other. 25 They traded the truth of God for a lie. They bowed down and worshiped the things God made instead of worshiping the God who made those things. He is the one who should be praised forever. Amen.

26 Because people did those things, God left them and let them do the shameful things they wanted to do. Women stopped having natural sex with men and started having sex with other women. 27 In the same way, men stopped having natural sex with women and began wanting each other all the time. Men did shameful things with other men, and in their bodies they received the punishment for those wrongs.

28 People did not think it was important to have a true knowledge of God. So God left them and allowed them to have their own worthless thinking. And so they do what they should not do. 29 They are filled with every kind of sin, evil, greed, and hatred. They are full of jealousy, murder, fighting, lying, and thinking the worst things about each other. They gossip 30 and say evil things about each other. They hate God. They are rude, proud, and brag about themselves. They invent ways of doing evil. They don’t obey their parents, 31 they are foolish, they don’t keep their promises, and they show no kindness or mercy to others. 32 They know God’s law says that anyone who lives like that should die. But they not only continue to do these things themselves, but they also encourage others who do them.

Footnotes

  1. Romans 1:3 Holy Spirit Literally, “spirit of holiness.”
  2. Romans 1:14 those who share … civilized Literally, “Greeks and barbarians.” See “ Greek ” in the Word List.
  3. Romans 1:17 Quote from Hab. 2:4 .

1 Paul, 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,)

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

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

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

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

7 To 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.

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

9 For 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;

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

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

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

13 Now 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.

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

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

16 For 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.

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

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

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

20 For 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:

21 Because 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.

22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

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

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

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

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

27 And 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.

28 And 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;

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

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

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

32 Who 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.

The Gospel Exalted

1 Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, [ a ] ( A ) called as an apostle, ( B ) set apart for ( C ) the gospel of God, 2 which He ( D ) promised beforehand through His ( E ) prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning His Son, who was born ( F ) of a [ b ] descendant of David ( G ) according to the flesh, 4 who was declared ( H ) the Son of God with power according to the [ c ] Spirit of holiness [ d ] by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and ( I ) apostleship [ e ] to bring about the ( J ) obedience of faith among ( K ) all the Gentiles in behalf of His name, 6 among whom you also are the ( L ) called of Jesus Christ;

7 to all who are ( M ) beloved of God in Rome, called as [ f ] ( N ) saints: ( O ) Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

8 First, ( P ) I thank my God through Jesus Christ [ g ] for you all, because ( Q ) your faith is being proclaimed throughout the world. 9 For ( R ) God, whom I ( S ) serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly ( T ) I make mention of you, 10 always in my prayers requesting if perhaps now, at last by ( U ) the will of God, I will succeed in coming to you. 11 For ( V ) I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be [ h ] established; 12 that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine. 13 ( W ) I do not want you to be unaware, ( X ) brothers and sisters , that often I ( Y ) have planned to come to you (and have been prevented so far) so that I may obtain some ( Z ) fruit among you also just as among the rest of the Gentiles. 14 ( AA ) I am [ i ] under obligation both to Greeks and to the [ j ] ( AB ) uncultured, both to the wise and to the foolish. 15 So, for my part, I am eager to ( AC ) preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

16 For I am not ( AD ) ashamed of the gospel, for ( AE ) it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the ( AF ) Jew first and also to ( AG ) the Greek. 17 For in it ( AH ) the righteousness of God is revealed [ k ] from faith to faith; as it is written: “ [ l ] ( AI ) But the righteous one will live by faith .”

Unbelief and Its Consequences

18 For ( AJ ) the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who ( AK ) suppress the truth [ m ] in unrighteousness, 19 because ( AL ) that which is known about God is evident [ n ] within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For ( AM ) since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is , His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ( AN ) being understood by what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21 For even though they knew God, they did not [ o ] honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became ( AO ) futile in their reasonings, and their senseless hearts were darkened. 22 ( AP ) Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and they ( AQ ) exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible mankind, of birds, four-footed animals, and [ p ] crawling creatures.

24 Therefore ( AR ) God gave them up to vile impurity in the lusts of their hearts, so that their bodies would be ( AS ) dishonored among them. 25 For they exchanged the truth of God for [ q ] ( AT ) falsehood, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, ( AU ) who is blessed [ r ] forever. Amen.

26 For this reason ( AV ) God gave them over to ( AW ) degrading passions; for their women exchanged natural relations for that which is contrary to nature, 27 and likewise the men, too, abandoned natural relations [ s ] with women and burned in their desire toward one another, ( AX ) males with males committing [ t ] shameful acts and receiving in [ u ] their own persons the due penalty of their error.

28 And just as they did not see fit [ v ] to acknowledge God, ( AY ) God gave them up to a depraved mind, to do those things that are not proper, 29 people having been filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, and evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice; they are ( AZ ) gossips, 30 slanderers, [ w ] ( BA ) haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, ( BB ) disobedient to parents, 31 without understanding, untrustworthy, ( BC ) unfeeling, and unmerciful; 32 and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of ( BD ) death, they not only do the same, but also ( BE ) approve of those who practice them.

Footnotes

  1. Romans 1:1 Lit a called apostle
  2. Romans 1:3 Lit seed
  3. Romans 1:4 Or spirit
  4. Romans 1:4 Or as a result of
  5. Romans 1:5 Lit for obedience
  6. Romans 1:7 Lit holy ones ; i.e., God’s people
  7. Romans 1:8 Or concerning you all, that...
  8. Romans 1:11 Or strengthened
  9. Romans 1:14 Lit debtor
  10. Romans 1:14 I.e., non-Hellenes
  11. Romans 1:17 Or by
  12. Romans 1:17 Or But the one who is righteous by faith shall live
  13. Romans 1:18 Or by
  14. Romans 1:19 Or among
  15. Romans 1:21 Lit glorify
  16. Romans 1:23 Or reptiles
  17. Romans 1:25 Lit the lie
  18. Romans 1:25 Lit unto the ages
  19. Romans 1:27 Lit of the female
  20. Romans 1:27 Lit shamelessness
  21. Romans 1:27 Lit themselves
  22. Romans 1:28 Lit to have God in knowledge
  23. Romans 1:30 Or hateful to God

1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle ( A ) and set apart ( B ) for the gospel of God ( C ) — 2 the gospel he promised beforehand ( D ) through his prophets ( E ) in the Holy Scriptures ( F ) 3 regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life [ a ] ( G ) was a descendant of David, ( H ) 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power [ b ] ( I ) by his resurrection from the dead: ( J ) Jesus Christ our Lord. ( K ) 5 Through him we received grace ( L ) and apostleship to call all the Gentiles ( M ) to the obedience that comes from [ c ] faith ( N ) for his name’s sake. 6 And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. ( O )

7 To all in Rome who are loved by God ( P ) and called to be his holy people: ( Q )

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. ( R )

Paul’s Longing to Visit Rome

8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, ( S ) because your faith is being reported all over the world. ( T ) 9 God, whom I serve ( U ) in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness ( V ) how constantly I remember you 10 in my prayers at all times; ( W ) and I pray that now at last by God’s will ( X ) the way may be opened for me to come to you. ( Y )

11 I long to see you ( Z ) so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift ( AA ) to make you strong— 12 that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. 13 I do not want you to be unaware, ( AB ) brothers and sisters, [ d ] ( AC ) that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) ( AD ) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.

14 I am obligated ( AE ) both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 15 That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome. ( AF )

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, ( AG ) because it is the power of God ( AH ) that brings salvation to everyone who believes: ( AI ) first to the Jew, ( AJ ) then to the Gentile. ( AK ) 17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed ( AL ) —a righteousness that is by faith ( AM ) from first to last, [ e ] just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” [ f ] ( AN )

God’s Wrath Against Sinful Humanity

18 The wrath of God ( AO ) is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. ( AP ) 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, ( AQ ) so that people are without excuse. ( AR )

21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. ( AS ) 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools ( AT ) 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images ( AU ) made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

24 Therefore God gave them over ( AV ) in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. ( AW ) 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, ( AX ) and worshiped and served created things ( AY ) rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. ( AZ ) Amen. ( BA )

26 Because of this, God gave them over ( BB ) to shameful lusts. ( BC ) Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. ( BD ) 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. ( BE )

28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over ( BF ) to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, ( BG ) 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; ( BH ) 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, ( BI ) no mercy. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, ( BJ ) they not only continue to do these very things but also approve ( BK ) of those who practice them.

Footnotes

  1. Romans 1:3 Or who according to the flesh
  2. Romans 1:4 Or was declared with power to be the Son of God
  3. Romans 1:5 Or that is
  4. Romans 1:13 The Greek word for brothers and sisters ( adelphoi ) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in 7:1, 4; 8:12, 29; 10:1; 11:25; 12:1; 15:14, 30; 16:14, 17.
  5. Romans 1:17 Or is from faith to faith
  6. Romans 1:17 Hab. 2:4
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