Romans 1:18-3:20

New American Standard Bible

Unbelief and Its Consequences

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

²⁴ Therefore ^(I)God gave them up to vile impurity in the lusts of their hearts, so that their bodies would be ^(J)dishonored among them. ²⁵ For they exchanged the truth of God for ^[e](K)falsehood, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, ^(L)who is blessed ^[f]forever. Amen.

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

²⁸ And just as they did not see fit ^[j]to acknowledge God, ^(P)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 ^(Q)gossips, ³⁰ slanderers, ^[k](R)haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, ^(S)disobedient to parents, ³¹ without understanding, untrustworthy, ^(T)unfeeling, and unmerciful; ³² and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of ^(U)death, they not only do the same, but also ^(V)approve of those who practice them.

The Impartiality of God

2 Therefore you have ^(W)no excuse, ^[l]you foolish person, ^(X)everyone of you who passes judgment; for ^[m]in that matter in which ^(Y)you judge someone else, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. ² And we know that the judgment of God ^[n]rightly falls upon those who practice such things. ³ But do you suppose this, ^[o](Z)you foolish person who passes judgment on those who practice such things, and yet does them as well, that you will escape the judgment of God? ⁴ Or do you think lightly of ^(AA)the riches of His ^(AB)kindness and ^[p](AC)restraint and ^(AD)patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? ⁵ But ^[q]because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart ^(AE)you are storing up wrath for yourself ^(AF)on the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, ^6 (AG)who will repay each person according to his deeds: ⁷ to those who by ^(AH)perseverance in doing good seek ^(AI)glory, honor, and ^(AJ)immortality, He will give ^(AK)eternal life; ⁸ but to those who are ^(AL)self-serving and ^(AM)do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, He will give wrath and indignation. ⁹ There will be ^(AN)tribulation and distress ^[r]for every soul of mankind who does evil, ^[s]for the Jew ^(AO)first and also ^[t]for the Greek, ¹⁰ but ^(AP)glory, honor, and peace to everyone who does what is good, to the Jew ^(AQ)first and also to the Greek. ¹¹ For ^(AR)there is no partiality with God.

¹² For all who have sinned ^[u](AS)without the Law will also perish ^[v]without the Law, and all who have sinned ^[w]under the Law will be judged ^[x]by the Law; ¹³ for it is ^(AT)not the hearers ^[y]of the Law who are ^[z]righteous before God, but the doers ^[aa]of the Law who will be justified. ¹⁴ For when Gentiles who do not have ^[ab]the Law ^[ac](AU)instinctively perform the requirements of the Law, these, though not having ^[ad]the Law, are a law to themselves, ¹⁵ in that they show ^(AV)the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience testifying and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, ¹⁶ on the day when, ^(AW)according to my gospel, ^(AX)God will judge the secrets of mankind through Christ Jesus.

The Jews under the Law

¹⁷ But if you call yourself a ^[ae]Jew and ^(AY)rely ^[af]upon the Law and boast in God, ¹⁸ and know His will and ^[ag](AZ)distinguish the things that matter, being instructed from the Law, ¹⁹ and are confident that you yourself are a guide to people who are blind, a light to those in darkness, ²⁰ a ^[ah]corrector of the foolish, a teacher of ^[ai]the immature, possessing in the Law ^(BA)the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth— ²¹ you, therefore, ^(BB)who teach someone else, do you not teach yourself? You who ^[aj]preach that one is not to steal, do you steal? ²² You who say that one is not to commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who loathe idols, do you ^(BC)rob temples? ²³ You who ^(BD)boast ^[ak]in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? ²⁴ For “^(BE)the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles ^(BF)because of you,” just as it is written.

²⁵ For indeed circumcision is of value if you ^(BG)practice ^[al]the Law; but if you are a violator ^[am]of the Law, ^(BH)your circumcision has turned into uncircumcision. ^26 (BI)So if ^(BJ)the ^[an]uncircumcised man ^(BK)keeps the requirements of the Law, will his uncircumcision not be regarded as circumcision? ²⁷ And ^(BL)he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the Law, will he not ^(BM)judge you who ^[ao]though having the letter of the Law and circumcision are a violator ^[ap]of the Law? ²⁸ For ^(BN)he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. ²⁹ But ^(BO)he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and ^(BP)circumcision is of the heart, by the ^(BQ)Spirit, not by the letter; ^(BR)and his praise is not from people, but from God.

All the World Guilty

3 Then what ^[aq]advantage does the Jew have? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? ² Great in every respect. First, that ^(BS)they were entrusted with the ^(BT)actual words of God. ³ What then? If ^(BU)some ^[ar]did not believe, their ^[as]unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it? ^4 [at](BV)Far from it! Rather, God must prove to be true, though every person be found ^(BW)a liar, as it is written:

⁵ But if our unrighteousness ^[av](BY)demonstrates the righteousness of God, ^(BZ)what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is He? (^(CA)I am speaking from a human viewpoint.) ^6 (CB)Far from it! For otherwise, how will ^(CC)God judge the world? ⁷ But if through my lie ^(CD)the truth of God abounded to His glory, ^(CE)why am I also still being judged as a sinner? ⁸ And why not say (just as we are slanderously reported and as some claim that we say), “^(CF)Let’s do evil that good may come of it”? ^[aw]Their condemnation is deserved.

⁹ What then? ^[ax](CG)Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both ^(CH)Jews and ^(CI)Greeks are ^(CJ)all under sin; ¹⁰ as it is written:

¹⁹ Now we know that whatever the ^(CQ)Law says, it speaks to ^(CR)those who are ^[ba]under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and ^(CS)all the world may become accountable to God; ²⁰ because ^(CT)by the works ^[bb]of the Law ^[bc]none of mankind will be justified in His sight; for ^[bd](CU)through the Law comes ^[be]knowledge of sin.