C. The Blessings of Righteousness (5:1-11)
D. The Imputation of Righteousness (5:12-21)
V. Sanctification: The Demonstration of God’s Righteousness (6:1-8:39)
VI. Restoration: Israel’s Reception of God’s Righteousness (9:1-11:36)
VII. Application: The Behavior of God’s Righteousness (12:1-15:13)
VIII. Conclusion, Greetings, and Benediction (15:14-16:27)
The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the
ROMANS
Romans 1
Greeting
1Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, acalled to be an apostle, bseparated to the gospel of God
2cwhich He promised before dthrough His prophets in the Holy Scriptures,
3concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who 1was eborn of the seed of David according to the flesh,
4and fdeclared to be the Son of God with power according gto the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.
5Through Him hwe have received grace and apostleship for iobedience to the faith among all nations jfor His name,
6among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;
7To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, kcalled to be saints:
lGrace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Desire to Visit Rome
8First, mI thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that nyour faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.
9For oGod is my witness, pwhom I serve 2with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that qwithout ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers,
10making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you.
11For I long to see you, that rI may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established—
12that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by sthe mutual faith both of you and me.
13Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but twas hindered until now), that I might have some ufruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles.
14I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise.
15So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.
The Just Live by Faith
16For vI am not ashamed of the gospel 3of Christ, for wit is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, xfor the Jew first and also for the Greek.
17For yin it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, z“The just shall live by faith.”
God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness
18aFor the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and bunrighteousness of men, who 4suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
19because cwhat may be known of God is 5manifest 6in them, for dGod has shown it to them.
20For since the creation of the world eHis invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and 7Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
21because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but fbecame futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
22gProfessing to be wise, they became fools,
23and changed the glory of the hincorruptible iGod into an image made like 8corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
24jTherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, kto dishonor their bodies lamong themselves,
25who exchanged mthe truth of God nfor the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
26For this reason God gave them up to ovile passions. For even their 9women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.
27Likewise also the 10men, leaving the natural use of the 11woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
28And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things pwhich are not fitting;
29being filled with all unrighteousness, 12sexual immorality, wickedness, 13covetousness, 14maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,
30backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
3115undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, 16unforgiving, unmerciful;
32who, qknowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things rare deserving of death, not only do the same but also sapprove of those who practice them.
Romans 2
God’s Righteous Judgment
1Therefore you are ainexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, bfor in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.
2But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things.
3And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God?
4Or do you despise cthe riches of His goodness, dforbearance, and elongsuffering, fnot knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
5But in accordance with your hardness and your 1impenitent heart gyou are 2treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,
6who h“will render to each one according to his deeds”:
7eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality;
8but to those who are self-seeking and ido not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath,
9tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew jfirst and also of the 3Greek;
10kbut glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
11For lthere is no partiality with God.
12For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law
13(for mnot the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified;
14for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves,
15who show the nwork of the law written in their hearts, their oconscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them)
16pin the day when God will judge the secrets of men qby Jesus Christ, raccording to my gospel.
The Jews Guilty as the Gentiles
174Indeed syou are called a Jew, and trest5 on the law, uand make your boast in God,
18and vknow His will, and wapprove the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the law,
19and xare confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness,
20an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, yhaving the form of knowledge and truth in the law.
21zYou, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal?
22You who say, “Do not commit adultery,” do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, ado you rob temples?
23You who bmake your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law?
24For c“the name of God is dblasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,” as it is written.
Circumcision of No Avail
25eFor circumcision is indeed profitable if you keep the law; but if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.
26Therefore, fif an uncircumcised man keeps the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcisio
n be counted as circumcision?
27And will not the physically uncircumcised, if he fulfills the law, gjudge you who, even with your 6written code and circumcision, are a transgressor of the law?
28For hhe is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh;
29but he is a Jew iwho is one inwardly; and jcircumcision is that of the heart, kin the Spirit, not in the letter; lwhose 7praise is not from men but from God.
Romans 3
God’s Judgment Defended
1What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision?
2Much in every way! Chiefly because ato them were committed the 1oracles of God.
3For what if bsome did not believe? cWill their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect?
4dCertainly not! Indeed, let eGod be 2true but fevery man a liar. As it is written:
g“That You may be justified in Your words,
And may overcome when You are judged.”
5But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust who inflicts wrath? h(I speak as a man.)
6Certainly not! For then ihow will God judge the world?
7For if the truth of God has increased through my lie to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner?
8And why not say, j“Let us do evil that good may come”?—as we are slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say. Their 3condemnation is just.
All Have Sinned
(Ps. 14:1–3; 53:1–4)
9What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that kthey are all under sin.
10As it is written:
l“There is none righteous, no, not one;
11There is none who understands;
There is none who seeks after God.
12They have all turned aside;
They have together become unprofitable;
There is none who does good, no, not one.”
13“Theirm throat is an open 4tomb;
With their tongues they have practiced deceit”;
n“The poison of asps is under their lips”;
14“Whoseo mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.”
15“Theirp feet are swift to shed blood;
16Destruction and misery are in their ways;
17And the way of peace they have not known.”
18“Thereq is no fear of God before their eyes.”
19Now we know that whatever rthe law says, it says to those who are under the law, that severy mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become 5guilty before God.
20Therefore tby the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
God’s Righteousness Through Faith
21But now uthe righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, vbeing witnessed by the Law wand the Prophets,
22even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all 6and on all who believe. For xthere is no difference;
23for yall have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24being justified 7freely zby His grace athrough the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
25whom God set forth bas a 8propitiation cby His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over dthe sins that were previously committed,
26to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Boasting Excluded
27eWhere is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith.
28Therefore we conclude fthat a man is 9justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.
29Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also,
30since gthere is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.
31Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.
Romans 4
Abraham Justified by Faith
(Gen. 17:10)
1What then shall we say that aAbraham our bfather1 has found according to the flesh?
2For if Abraham was cjustified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.
3For what does the Scripture say? d“Abraham believed God, and it was 2accounted to him for righteousness.”
4Now eto him who works, the wages are not counted 3as grace but as debt.
David Celebrates the Same Truth
5But to him who fdoes not work but believes on Him who justifies gthe ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,
6just as David also hdescribes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works:
7“Blessedi are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
And whose sins are covered;
8Blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin.”
Abraham Justified Before Circumcision
9Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness.
10How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised.
11And jhe received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that khe might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also,
12and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father lAbraham had while still uncircumcised.
The Promise Granted Through Faith
13For the promise that he would be the mheir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
14For nif those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect,
15because othe law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression.
16Therefore it is of faith that it might be paccording to grace, qso that the promise might be 4sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, rwho is the father of us all
17(as it is written, s“I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, twho gives life to the dead and calls those uthings which do not exist as though they did;
18who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, v“So shall your descendants be.”
19And not being weak in faith, whe did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), xand the deadness of Sarah’s womb.
20He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God,
21and being fully convinced that what He had promised yHe was also able to perform.
22And therefore z“it was accounted to him for righteousness.”
23Now ait was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him,
24but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe bin Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead,
25cwho was delivered up because of our offenses, and dwas raised because of our justification.
Romans 5
Faith Triumphs in Trouble
1Therefore, ahaving been justified by faith, 1we have bpeace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2cthrough whom also we have access by faith into this grace din which we stand, and erejoice in hope of the glory of God.
3And not only that, but fwe also glory in tribulations, gknowing that tribulation produces 2perseverance;
4hand perseverance, 3character; and
character, hope.
5iNow hope does not disappoint, jbecause the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Christ in Our Place
6For when we were still without strength, 4in due time kChrist died for the ungodly.
7For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.
8But lGod demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9Much more then, having now been justified mby His blood, we shall be saved nfrom wrath through Him.
10For oif when we were enemies pwe were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved qby His life.
11And not only that, but we also rrejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
Death in Adam, Life in Christ
(Gen. 3:1–19)
12Therefore, just as sthrough one man sin entered the world, and tdeath through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—
13(For until the law sin was in the world, but usin is not imputed when there is no law.
14Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, vwho is a type of Him who was to come.
15But the free gift is not like the 5offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded wto many.
16And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many 6offenses resulted in justification.
17For if by the one man’s 7offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)
18Therefore, as through 8one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through xone9 Man’s righteous act the free gift came yto all men, resulting in justification of life.
The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV Page 560
