7 To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, acalled tobe saints: bGrace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Desire to Visit Rome
8 First, aI thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that byour faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.
9 For aGod is my witness, bwhom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that cwithout ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers,
10 making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you.
11 For I long to see you, that aI may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established—
12 that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by athe mutual faith both of you and me.
13 Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but awas hindered until now), that I might have some bfruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles.
14 I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise.
15 So, as much as is in me, Iam ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.
The Just Live by Faith
16 For aI am not ashamed of the gospel1 of Christ, for bit is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, cfor the Jew first and also for the Greek.
17 For ain it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, b“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 suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
Whom I serve with my spirit - Whom I worship with the profoundest religious reverence; for so the original certainly means: I not only employ all the powers of my body in this service, but all those of my soul; being thoroughly convinced of the absolute truth of the religion I preach. Probably St. Paul opposes, in this place, the spiritual worship of the Gospel to the external, or what some call the carnal, worship of the Jews. Mine is not a religion of ceremonies, but one in which the life and power of the eternal Spirit are acknowledged and experienced.
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