不认识圣经，就是不认识基督，不认识基督，就是不认识基督所建立的天主教会。
新约·罗马人书
共16章:
第一章(32)
致候辞
1:1 基督耶稣的仆人保禄，蒙召作宗徒，被选拔为传天主的福音──
1:2 这福音是天主先前借自己的先知在圣经上所预许的，
1:3 是论及他的儿子，我们的主耶稣基督，他按肉身是生于达味的后裔，
1:4 按至圣的神性，由于他从死者中复活，被立为具有大能的天主之子，
1:5 借着他，我们领受了宗徒职务的恩宠，为使万民服从信德，以光荣他的圣名，
1:6 其中也有你们这些蒙召属于耶稣基督的人──
1:7 我保禄致书与一切住在罗马，为天主所钟爱，并蒙召为圣徒的人：愿恩宠与平安由我们的父天主，和我们的主耶稣基督赐与你们。
切愿去罗马的目的
1:8 首先我应借耶稣基督，为你们众人感谢我的天主，因为你们的信德为全世界所共知。
1:9 有天主为我作证，即我在宣传他圣子的福音上，全心所事奉的天主，可证明我是怎样不断在祈祷中，时常纪念着你们，
1:10 恳求天主，如果是他的圣意，赐我终能有一个好机会，到你们那里去。
1:11 因为我切愿见你们，把一些属于神性的恩赐分给你们，为使你们得以坚固，
1:12 也就是说：我在你们中间，借着你们与我彼此所共有的信德，共得安慰。
1:13 弟兄们!我愿告诉你们：我已多次决定要往你们那里去，为在你们中，如在其他外邦人中一样，得到一些效果；然而直到现在，总是被阻延。
1:14 不但对希腊人，也对化外人，不但对有智能的人，也对愚笨的人，我都是一个欠债者。
1:15 所以，只要由得我，我也切愿向你们在罗马的人宣讲福音。
人因信成义方可得救
义人因信德而生活
1:16 我决不以福音为耻，因为福音正是天主的德能，为使一切有信仰的人获得救恩，先使犹太人，后使希腊人。
1:17 因为福音启示了天主所施行的正义，这正义是源于信德，而又归于信德，正如经上所载：『义人因信德而生活。』
外邦人的罪恶是天主的惩罚
1:18 原来天主的忿怒，从天上发显在人们的各种不敬与不义上，是他们以不义抑制了真理，
1:19 因为认识天主为他们是很明显的事，原来天主已将自己显示给他们了。
1:20 其实，自从天主创世以来，他那看不见的美善，即他永远的大能和他为神的本性，都可凭他所造的万物，辨认洞察出来，以致人无可推诿。
1:21 他们虽然认识了天主，却没有以他为天主而予以光荣或感谢，而他们所思所想的，反成了荒谬绝论的；他们冥顽不灵的心陷入了黑暗；
1:22 他们自负为智者，反而成为愚蠢，
1:23 将不可朽坏的天主的光荣，改归为可朽坏的人、飞禽、走兽和爬虫形状的偶像。
1:24 因此，天主任凭他们随从心中的情欲，陷于不洁，以致彼此玷辱自己的身体。
1:25 因为他们将虚妄变作天主的真理，去崇拜事奉受造物，以代替造物主──他是永远可赞美的，阿们!──
1:26 因此，天主任凭他们陷于可耻的情欲中，以致他们的女人，把顺性之用变为逆性之用；
1:27 男人也是如此，放弃了与女人的顺性之用，彼此欲火中烧，男人与男人行了丑事，就在各人身上受到了他们颠倒是非所应得的报应。
1:28 他们既不肯认真地认识天主，天主也就任凭他们陷于邪恶的心思，去行不正当的事，
1:29 充满了各种不义、毒恶、贪婪、凶残，满怀嫉妒、谋杀、斗争、欺诈、乖戾；任凭他们作谗谤的、
1:30 诋毁的、恨天主的、悔辱人的、高傲的、自夸的、挑剔恶事的、忤逆父母的、
1:31 冥顽的、背约的、无情的、不慈的人。
1:32 他们虽然明知天主正义的规例是：凡作这样事的人，应受死刑；但他们不仅自己作这些事，而且还赞同作这些事的人。
人因信成义方可得救
第二章(29)
犹太人也是天主义怒的对象
2:1 所以，人啊!你不论是谁，你判断人，必无可推诿，因为你判断别人，就是定你自己的罪，因为你这判断人的，正作着同样的事。
2:2 我们知道：对于作这样事的人，天主必照真情判断。
2:3 人啊!你判断作这样事的人，你自己却作同样的事，你以为你能逃脱天主的审判吗﹖
2:4 难道你不知道：天主的慈爱是愿引你悔改，而你竟轻视他丰厚的慈爱、宽容与忍耐吗﹖
2:5 你固执而不愿悔改，只是为自己积蓄，在天主忿怒和显示他正义审判的那一天，向你所发的忿怒。
2:6 到那一天，『他要照每人的行为予以报应：』
2:7 凡恒心行善，寻求真荣、尊贵和不朽的人，赐以永生；
2:8 凡固执于恶，不顺从真理，反顺从不义的人，报以忿怒和愤恨。
2:9 患难和困苦必加于一切作恶的人，先是犹太人，后是希腊人；
2:10 光荣、尊贵以及平安，必加于一切行善的人，先是犹太人，后是希腊人，
2:11 因为天主决不顾情面。
异民和选民都要受天主公正的审判
2:12 凡在法律之外犯了罪的人，也必要在法律之外丧亡；凡在法律之内犯了罪的人，也必要按照法律受审判，
2:13 因为在天主前，并不是听法律的算为义人，而是实行法律的才称为义人。
2:14 几时，没有法律的外邦人，顺着本性去行法律上的事，他们虽然没有法律，但自己对自己就是法律。
2:15 如此证明法律的精华已刻在他们的心上，他们的良心也为此作证，因为他们的思想有时在控告，有时在辩护；
2:16 这事必要彰显在天主审判人隐秘行为的那天；依照我的福音，这审判是要借耶稣基督而执行的。
犹太人犯法比异民罪过更重
2:17 你既号称「犹太人」，又依仗法律，且拿天主来自夸；
2:18 你既然认识他的旨意，又从法律中受了教训，能辨别是非，
2:19 又深信自己是瞎子的响导，是黑暗中人的光明，
2:20 是愚昧者的教师，是小孩子的师傅，有法律作知识和真理的标准；
2:21 那么，你这教导别人的，就不教导你自己吗﹖为什么你宣讲不可偷盗，自己却去偷﹖
2:22 说不可行奸淫，自己却去行奸淫﹖憎恶偶像，自己却去劫掠庙宇﹖
2:23 以法律自夸，自己却因违反法律而使天主受侮辱﹖
2:24 正如经上所记载的：『天主的名在异民中因你们而受了亵渎。』
论真正的割损
2:25 如果你遵行法律，割损才有益；但如果你违反法律，你虽受割损，仍等于未受割损。
2:26 反之，如果未受割损的人遵守了法律的规条，他虽未受割损，岂不算是受了割损吗﹖
2:27 并且，那生来未受割损而全守法律的人，必要裁判你这具有法典，并受了割损而违犯法律的人。
2:28 外表上作犹太人的，并不是真犹太人；在外表上，肉身上的割损，也不是真割损；
2:29 惟在内心作犹太人的，才是真犹太人。心中的割损，是出于神，并不是出于文字；这样的人受赞扬，不是来自人，而是来自天主。
第三章(31)
选民的特恩与罪过
3:1 那么，犹太人有什么优点呢﹖割损又有什么好处呢﹖
3:2 从各方面来说，很多：首先，天主的神谕是交托给了他们，
3:3 他们中纵使有些人不信，又有什么关系呢﹖难道他们的不信能使天主的忠信失效吗﹖
3:4 断乎不能!天主总是诚实的!众人虚诈不实，正如经上所载：『在你的言语上，你必显出正义；在你受审判时，你必获得胜利。』
3:5 但如果有人说：我们的不义可彰显天主的正义。那我们可说什么呢﹖难道能说天主发怒惩罚是不义吗﹖──这是我按俗见说的──
3:6 绝对不是!如果天主不义，他将怎样审判世界呢﹖
3:7 如果天主的诚实可因我的虚诈越发彰显出来，为使他获得荣耀；那么，为什么我还要被判为罪人呢﹖
3:8 为什么我们不去作恶，为得到善果呢﹖──有人说我们说过这样的话，为诽谤我们──这样的人被惩罚是理当的。
选民和异民在天主前都是罪人
3:9 那么，我们犹太人比外邦人更好吗﹖决不是的!因为我们早先已说过：不论是犹太人，或是希腊人，都在罪恶权势之下，
3:10 正如经上所载：『没有义人，连一个也没有；
3:11 没有一个明智的人，没有寻觅天主的人；
3:12 人人都离弃了正道，一同败坏了；没有一人行善，实在没有一个；
3:13 他们的咽喉是敞开的坟墓，他们的舌头说出虚诈的言语，他们的双唇下含有蛇毒；
3:14 他们满口是咒言与毒语；
3:15 他们的脚急于倾流人血；
3:16 在他们的行径上只有蹂躏与困苦；
3:17 和平的道路，他们不认识；
3:18 他们的眼中，没有敬畏天主之情。』
3:19 我们知道：凡法律所说的，都是对那些属于法律的人说的，为杜塞众人的口，并使全世界都在天主前承认己罪，
3:20 因为没有一个人能因遵守法律，而在他前成义；因为法律只能使人认识罪过。
人成义是赖耶稣救赎的功劳
3:21 但是如今，天主的正义，在法律之外已显示出来；法律和先知也为此作证；
3:22 就是天主的正义，因对耶稣基督的信德，毫无区别地，赐给了凡信仰的人，
3:23 因为所有的人都犯了罪，都失掉了天主的光荣，
3:24 所以众人都因天主白白施给的恩宠，在耶稣基督内蒙救赎，成为义人。
3:25 这耶稣即是天主公开立定，使他以自己的血，为信仰他的人作赎罪祭的；如此，天主显示了自己的正义，因为以前他因宽容，放过了人的罪，
3:26 为的是在今时显示自己的正义，叫人知道他是正义的，是使信仰耶稣的人成义的天主。
3:27 既是这样，那里还有可自夸之处﹖绝对没有!因了什么制度而没有自夸之处呢﹖是因法律上的功行吗﹖不是的!是因信德的制度，
3:28 因为我们认为人的成义，是借信德，而不在于遵行法律。
3:29 难道天主只是犹太人的天主吗﹖不也是外邦人的天主吗？是的，也是外邦人的天主!
3:30 因为天主只有一个，他使受割损的由于信德而成义，也使未受割损的凭信德而成义。
3:31 那么我们就因信德而废了法律吗﹖绝对不是!我们反使法律坚固。
第四章(25)
亚巴郎因信德成义
4:1 那么，我们对于按照血统作我们祖宗的亚巴郎，可以说什么呢﹖
4:2 如果亚巴郎是由于行为，成为义人，他就可以自夸了；但不是在天主前，
4:3 因为经上说：『亚巴郎信了天主，天主就以此算为他的正义。』
4:4 给工作的人工资，不算是恩惠，而是还债；
4:5 但为那没有工作，而信仰那使不虔敬的人复义之主的，这人的信德为他便算是正义，这才是恩惠。
4:6 正如达味也称那没有功行，而蒙天主恩赐算为正义的人，是有福的一样：
4:7 『罪恶蒙赦免，过犯得遮掩的人，是有福的；
4:8 上主不归咎于他的人，是有福的。』
割损只是因信德而获得成义的标志
4:9 那么，这种福分是仅加于受割损的人呢﹖还是也加于未受割损的人呢﹖我们说过：「亚巴郎的信德为他算为正义。」
4:10 那么，由什么时候算起呢﹖是在他受割损以后呢？还是在他未受割损的时候？
4:11 他后来领受了割损的标记，只是作为他未受割损时，因信德获得正义的印证。如此，亚巴郎作了一切未受割损而相信的人的父亲，使他们也同样因信德而算为正义；
4:12 同时也作受割损者的父亲，就是那些不仅受割损，而且也追随我们的祖宗亚巴郎，在未受割损时所走的信德之路的人。
天主的恩许不是借法律而是借信德得以坚固
4:13 因为许给亚巴郎和他的后裔的恩许，使他作世界的承继者，并不是借着法律，而是借着因信德而获得的正义，
4:14 因为假使属于法律的人才是承继者，那么信德便是空虚的，恩许就失了效力，
4:15 因为法律只能激起天主的义怒：那里没有法律，那里就没有违犯。
4:16 为此，一切都是由于信德，为的是一切本着恩宠，使恩许为亚巴郎所有的一切后裔坚定不移，不仅为那属于法律的后裔，而且也为那有亚巴郎信德的后裔，
因为他是我们众人的父亲，
4:17 正如经上所载：『我已立你为万民之父；』亚巴郎是在他所信的天主面前，就是在叫死者复活，叫那不存在的成为存在的那位面前，作我们众人的父亲。
4:18 他在绝望中仍怀着希望而相信了，因此便成了万民之父，正如向他所预许的：『你的后裔也要这样多。』
4:19 他虽然快一百岁，明知自己的身体已经衰老，撒辣的胎也已绝孕；但他的信心却没有衰弱，
4:20 对于天主的恩许总没有因不信而犹疑，反而信心坚固，归光荣于天主，
4:21 且满心相信天主所应许的，必予完成。
4:22 天主就以此算为他的正义。
因着信德我们获得成义
4:23 『算为他的正义』这句话，不是单为他个人写的，
4:24 而且也是为了我们这些将来得算为正义的人，即我们这些相信天主使我们的主耶稣，由死者中复活的人写的；
4:25 这耶稣曾为了我们的过犯被交付，又为了使我们成义而复活。
第五章(21)
成义的效果
5:1 我们既因信德成义，便是借我们的主耶稣基督，与天主和好了。
5:2 借着耶稣我们得因信德进入了现今所站立的这恩宠中，并因希望分享天主的光荣而欢跃。
5:3 不但如此，我们连在磨难中也欢跃，因为我们知道：磨难生忍耐，
5:4 忍耐生老练，老练生望德，
5:5 望德不叫人蒙羞，因为天主的爱，借着所赐与我们的圣神，已倾注在我们心中了。
5:6 当我们还在软弱的时候，基督就在指定的时期为不虔敬的人死了。
5:7 为义人死，是罕有的事；为善人或许有敢死的；
5:8 但是，基督在我们还是罪人的时候，就为我们死了，这证明了天主怎样爱我们。
5:9 现在，我们既因他的血而成义，我们更要借着他脱免天主的义怒，
5:10 因为，假如我们还在为仇敌的时候，因着他圣子的死得与天主和好了；那么，在和好之后，我们一定更要因着他的生命得救了。
5:11 不但如此，我们现今既借着我们的主耶稣基督获得了和好，也必借着他而欢跃于天主。
亚当为基督的预像
5:12 故此，就如罪恶借着一人进入了世界，死亡借着罪恶也进入了世界；这样死亡就殃及了众人，因为众人都犯了罪：成义也是如此──
5:13 没有法律之前，罪恶已经在世界上；但因没有法律，罪恶本不应算为罪恶。
5:14 但从亚当起，直到梅瑟，死亡却作了王，连那些没有像亚当一样违法犯罪的人，也属它权下；这亚当原是那未来亚当的预像。
基督的恩赐远超过亚当的遗祸
5:15 但恩宠决不是过犯所能比的，因为如果因一人的过犯大众都死了；那么，天主的恩宠和那因耶稣基督一人的恩宠所施与的恩惠，更要丰富地洋溢到大众身上。
5:16 这恩惠的效果，也不是那因一人犯罪的结果所能比的，因为审判固然是由于一人的过犯而来，被判定罪；但恩赐却使人在犯了许多过犯之后，获得成义。
5:17 如果因一人的过犯，死亡就因那一人作了王；那么，那些丰富地蒙受了恩宠和正义恩惠的人，更要借着耶稣基督一人在生命中为王了。
5:18 这样看来：就如因一人的过犯，众人都被定了罪；同样也一人的正义行为，众人也都获得了正义和生命。
5:19 正如因一人的悖逆，大众都成了罪人；同样，因一人的服从，大众都成了义人。
5:20 法律本是后加的，是为增多过犯；但是罪恶在那里越多，恩宠在那里也越格外丰富，
5:21 以致罪恶怎样借死亡为王，恩实也怎样借正义而为王，使人借着我们的主耶稣基督获得永生。
第六章(23)
基督徒已死于罪恶
6:1 那么，我们可说什么呢﹖我们要常留在罪恶中，好叫恩宠洋溢吗﹖
6:2 断乎不可!我们这些死于罪恶的人，如何还能在罪恶中生活呢﹖
6:3 难道你们不知道：我们受过洗归于基督耶稣的人，就是受洗归于他的死亡吗﹖
6:4 我们借着洗礼已归于死亡与他同葬了，为的是基督怎样借着父的光荣，从死者中复活了，我们也要怎样在新生活中度生。
6:5 如果我们借着同他相似的死亡，已与他结合，也要借着同他相似的复活与他结合，
6:6 因为我们知道，我们的旧人已与他同钉在十字架上了，使那属罪恶的自我消逝，好叫我们不再作罪恶的奴隶，
6:7 因为已死的人，便脱离了罪恶。
6:8 所以，如果我们与基督同死，我们相信也要他同生，
6:9 因为我们知道：基督既从死者中复活，就不再死；死亡不再统治他了，
6:10 因为他死，是死于罪恶，仅仅一次；他活，是活于天主。
6:11 你们也要这样看自己是死于罪恶，在基督耶稣内活于天主的人。
6:12 所以不要让罪恶在你们必死的身体上为王，致令你们顺从它的情欲，
6:13 也不要把你们的肢体交与罪恶，作不义的武器；但该将你们自己献于天主，有如从死者中复活的人，将你们的肢体献于天主，当作正义的武器：
6:14 罪恶不应再统治你们，因为你们已不再法律权下，而是在恩宠权下。
应当戒避罪恶而坚持正义
6:15 那么，我们因为不在法律权下，而在恩宠权下，就可以犯罪吗﹖绝对不可!
6:16 难道你们不知道：你们将自己献给谁当奴隶，而服从他，就成了你们所服从者的奴隶，或作罪恶的奴隶，以致死亡；或作顺命的奴隶，以得正义吗﹖
6:17 感谢天主，虽然你们曾作过罪恶的奴隶，现今你们却从心里听从那传给你们的教理规范，
6:18 脱离罪恶，获得了自由，作了正义的奴隶。
6:19 为了你们本性的软弱，我且按常情来说：你们从前怎样将你们的肢体当作奴隶，献于不洁和不法，行不法的事；如今也要怎样将你们的肢体当作奴隶，献于正义，行圣善的事。
6:20 当你们作罪恶的奴隶时，不受正义的束缚；
6:21 但那时你们得了什么效果﹖只是叫你们现在以那些事为可耻，因为其结局就是死亡；
6:22 可是现在，你们脱离了罪恶，获得了自由，作了天主的奴隶，你们所得的效果是使你们成圣，结局就是永生。
6:23 因为罪恶的薪俸是死亡，但是天主的恩赐是在我们的主基督耶稣内的永生。
第七章(25)
基督徒已脱离梅瑟法律
7:1 弟兄们!我现在是对明白法律的人说话：难道你们不知道：法律统治人，只是在人活着的时候吗﹖
7:2 就如有丈夫的女人，当丈夫还活着的时候，是受法律束缚的；如果丈夫死了，她就不再因丈夫而受法律的束缚。
7:3 所以，当丈夫活着的时候，她若依附别的男人，便称为淫妇；但如果丈夫死了，按法律她是自由的；她若依附别的男人，便不是淫妇。
7:4 所以，我的弟兄们!你们借着基督的身体已死于法律了，为使你们属于另一位，就是属于由死者中复活的那一位，为叫我们给天主结果实，
7:5 因为我们还在肉性权下的时候，那借法律而倾向于罪恶的情欲，在我们的肢体内活动，结出死亡的果实。
7:6 但是现在，我们已死于束缚我们的势力，脱离了法律，如此，我们不应再拘泥于旧的条文，而应以新的心神事奉天主。
法律与罪过的关系
7:7 那么，我们能说法律本身有罪吗﹖绝对不能!然而借着法律，我才知道罪是什么。如果不是法律说：「不可贪恋!」我就不知道什么是贪情。
7:8 罪恶遂乘机借着诫命，在我内发动各种贪情；原来若没有法律，罪恶便是死的。
7:9 从前我没有法律时，我是活人；但诫命一来，罪恶便活了起来，
7:10 我反而死了。那本来应叫我生活的诫命，反叫我死了，
7:11 因为罪恶借着诫命乘机诱惑了我，也借着诫命杀害了我。
7:12 所以法律本是圣的，诫命也是圣的，是正义和美善的。
7:13 那么，是善事使我死了吗﹖绝对不是!而是罪恶。罪恶为显示罪恶的本性，借着善事为我产生了死亡，以致罪恶借着诫命成了极端的凶恶。
犯罪的真根苗是私欲
7:14 我们知道：法律是属神的，但我是属血肉的，已被卖给罪恶作奴隶。
7:15 因为我不明白我作的是什么：我所愿意的，我偏不作；我所憎恨的，我反而去作。
7:16 我若去作我所不愿意的，这便是承认法律是善的。
7:17 实际上作那事的已不是我，而是在我内的罪恶。
7:18 我也知道，善不在我内，即不在我的肉性内，因为我有心行善，但实际上却不能行善。
7:19 因此，我所愿意的善，我不去行；而我所不愿意的恶，我却去作。
7:20 但我所不愿意的，我若去作，那么已不是我作那事，而是在我内的罪恶。
7:21 所以我发见这条规律：就是我愿意为善的时候，总有邪恶依附着我。
7:22 因为照我的内心，我是喜悦天主的法律；
7:23 可是，我发觉在我的肢体内，另有一条法律，与我理智所赞同的法律交战，并把我掳去，叫我隶属于那在我肢体内的罪恶的法律。
7:24 我这个人真不幸呀!谁能救我脱离这该死的肉身呢﹖
7:25 感谢天主，借着我们的主耶稣基督。这样看来，我这人是以理智去服从天主的法律，而以肉性去服从罪恶的法律。
第八章(39)
基督徒在圣神内得胜罪恶和肉性
8:1 今后为那些在基督耶稣内的人，已无罪可定，
8:2 因为在基督耶稣内赐与生命之神的法律，已使我获得自由，脱离了罪恶与死亡的法律。
8:3 法律因了肉性的软弱所不能行的，天主却行了：他派遣了自己的儿子，带着罪恶肉身的形状，当作赎罪祭，在这肉身上定了罪恶的罪案，
8:4 为使法律所要求的正义，成全在我们今后不随从肉性，而随从圣神生活的人身上。
8:5 因为随从肉性的人，切望肉性的事；随从圣神的人，切望圣神的事；
8:6 随肉性的切望，导入死亡；随圣神的切望，导入生命与平安。
8:7 因为随肉性的切望，是与天主为敌，决不服从，也决不能服从天主的法律；
8:8 反随从肉性的人，决不能得天主的欢心。
8:9 至于你们，你们已不属于肉性，而是属于圣神，只要天主的圣神住在你们内。谁若没有基督的圣神，谁就不属于基督。
8:10 如果基督在你们内，身体固然因罪恶而死亡，但神魂却赖正义而生活。
8:11 再者，如果那使耶稣从死者中复活者的圣神住在你们内，那么，那使基督从死者中复活的，也必要借那住在你们内的圣神，使你们有死的身体复活。
天主义子的福分
8:12 弟兄们!这样看来，我们并不欠肉性的债，以致该随从肉性生活。
8:13 如果你们随从肉性生活，必要死亡；然而，如果你们依赖圣神，去致死肉性的妄动，必能生活。
8:14 因为凡受天主圣神引导的，都是天主的子女。
8:15 其实你们所领受的圣神，并非使你们作奴隶，以致仍旧恐惧；而是使你们作义子。因此，我们呼号：「阿爸，父呀!」
8:16 圣神亲自和我们的心神一同作证：我们是天主的子女。
8:17 我们既是子女，便是承继者，是天主的承继者，是基督的同承继者；只要我们与基督一同受苦，也必要与他一同受光荣。
现在的苦楚比不上将来的荣耀
8:18 我实在以为现时的苦楚，与将来在我们身上要显示的光荣，是不能较量的。
8:19 凡受造之物都热切地等待天主子女的显扬，
8:20 因为受造之物被屈伏在败坏的状态之下，并不是出于自愿，而是出于使它屈伏的那位的决意；但受造之物仍怀有希望，
8:21 脱离败坏的控制，得享天主子女的光荣自由。
8:22 因为我们知道，直到如今，一切受造之物都一同叹息，同受产痛；
8:23 不但是万物，就是连我们这已蒙受圣神初果的，也在自己心中叹息，等待着义子期望的实现，即我们肉身的救赎。
8:24 因为我们得救，还是在于希望。所希望的若已看见，就不是希望了；那有人还希望所见的事物呢﹖
8:25 但我们若希望那未看见的，必须坚忍等待。
8:26 同时，圣神也扶助我们的软弱，因为我们不知道我们如何祈求才对，而圣神却亲自以无可言喻的叹息，代我们转求。
8:27 那洞悉心灵的天主知道圣神的意愿是什么，因为他是按照天主的旨意代圣徒转求。
8:28 而且我们也知道：天主使一切协助那些爱他的人，就是那些按他的旨意蒙召的人，获得益处，
8:29 因为他所预选的人，也预定他们与自己儿子的肖像相同，好使他在众多弟兄中作长子。
8:30 天主不但召叫了他所预定的人，而且也使他所召叫的人成义，并使成义的人分享他的光荣。
基督徒的凯歌
8:31 面对这一切，我们可说什么呢﹖若是天主偕同我们，谁能反对我们呢﹖
8:32 他既然没有怜惜自己的儿子，反而为我们众人把他交出来了，岂不也把一切与他一同赐给我们吗﹖
8:33 谁能控告天主所拣选的人呢﹖是使人成义的天主吗﹖
8:34 谁能定他们的罪﹖是那已死或更好说已复活，现今在天主右边，代我们转求的基督耶稣吗﹖
8:35 那么，谁能使我们与基督的爱隔绝﹖是困苦吗﹖是窘迫吗﹖是迫害吗﹖是饥饿吗﹖是赤贫吗﹖是危险吗﹖是刀剑吗﹖
8:36 正如经上所载：『为了你，我们整日被置于死地，人将我们视作待宰的群羊。』
8:37 然而，靠着那爱我们的主，我们在这一切事上，大获全胜，
8:38 因为我深信：无论是死亡，是生活，是天使，是掌权者，是现存的或将来的事物，是有权能者，
8:39 是崇高或深远的势力，或其他任何受造之物，都不能使我们与天主的爱相隔绝，即是与我们的主基督耶稣之内的爱相隔绝。
第九章(33)
保禄的忧苦
9:1 我在基督内说实话，并不说谎，有我的良心在圣神内与我一同作证：
9:2 我的忧愁极大，我心中不断的痛苦；
9:3 为救我的弟兄，我血统的同胞，就是被诅咒，与基督隔绝，我也甘心情愿。
9:4 他们是以色列人：义子的名份、光荣、盟约、法律、礼仪以及恩许，都是他们的；
9:5 圣神也是他们的，并且基督按血统说，也是从他们来的，他是在万有之上，世世代代应受赞美的天主!阿们。
9:天主的忠信常存不替
9:6 这并不是说天主的话落了空，因为不是凡从以色列生的，都是真以色列人；
9:7 也不是凡是亚巴郎的后裔，就都是他的真子女，而是『由依撒格所生的，才称为你的后裔，』
9:8 即是说：不是血统上的子女，算是天主的子女，而是借恩许所生的子女，才算为真后裔。
9:9 原来恩许是这样说的：『到明年这时候我要来，撒辣必有一个儿子。』
9:10 并且关于黎贝加也有相似的事。她从我们的先祖依撒格一人怀了孕；
9:11 当时双胎还没有出生，也没有行善或作恶；但为使天主预简的计划坚定不移，
9:12 且为显示这计划并不凭人的行为，而只凭天主的召选，遂有话给她说：『年长的要服事年幼的。』
9:13 正如经上记载：『我爱了雅各伯，而恨了厄撒乌。』
天主有召选的自由
9:14 那么，我们可说什么呢﹖难道天主不公道吗﹖绝对不是!
9:15 因为他对梅瑟说过：『我要恩待的，就恩待；我要怜悯的，就怜悯。』
9:16 这样看来，蒙召并不在乎人愿意，也不在乎人努力，而是由于天主的仁慈，
9:17 因为经上有话对法郎说：『我特兴起了你，是为在你身上彰显我的大能，并为使我的名传遍全世界。』
9:18 这样看来，他愿意恩待谁，就恩待谁；他愿意使谁心硬，就使谁心硬。
9:19 或者，你要问我说：既是这样，为什么他还要责怪人呢﹖有谁能抗拒他的意志呢﹖
9:20 人呀!你是谁，竟敢向天主抗辩﹖制造品岂能对制造者说：你为什么这样制造了我﹖
9:21 难道陶工不能随意用一团泥，把这一个作成贵重的器皿，把那一个作成卑贱的器皿吗﹖
9:22 如果天主愿意显示自己的义怒，并彰显自己的威能，曾以宽宏大量，容忍了那些惹他发怒而应受毁灭的器皿；
9:23 他如此作，是为把他那丰富的光荣，在那些他早已准备好，为进入光荣而蒙怜悯的器皿身上彰显出来，又有什么不可呢﹖
9:24 这些器皿就是我们这些不但从犹太人中，而且也从外邦人中被天主所宠召的人。
9:25 这正如天主在欧瑟亚书中所说的：『我要叫「非我人民」为「我的人民」，又叫「不蒙爱怜者」为「蒙爱怜者」；
9:26 人在那里对他们说：你们不是我的人民，在同样的地方，他们要被称为永生天主的子女。』
9:27 论到以色列，依撒意亚却呼喊说：『以色列子民的数目虽然多如海沙，唯有残存者要蒙受救恩，
9:28 因为上主在大地上，要彻底迅速完成他的判决。』
9:29 依撒意亚又预言过：『若非万军的上主给我们留下苖裔，我们早已如同索多玛，相似哈摩辣了。』
以色列的过犯
9:30 那么，我们可说什么呢﹖外邦人没有追求正义，却获得了正义，即由信仰而得的正义；
9:31 以色列人追求使人成义的法律，却没有得到这种法律，
9:32 这是为什么呢﹖是因为他们不凭信仰，只凭着行为追求。他们正碰在那块绊脚石上，
9:33 正如经上所载：『看，我在熙雍按放了一块绊脚石，一块使人绊跌的盘石；相信他的人，不至蒙羞。』
第十章(21)
10:1 弟兄们!我心里所怀的切望，向天主所恳求的，就是为使我的同胞获得救恩。
10:2 我可以为他们作证：他们对天主有热心，但不合乎真知超见，
10:3 因为他们不认识由天主而来的正义，企图建立自己的正义，而不顺从天主的正义：
10:4 因为法律的终向是基督，使凡信他的人获得正义。
正义由于信德
10:5 关于出自法律的正义，梅瑟曾写过：『遵守法律的人，必因法律而生活。』
10:6 但是，出自信仰的正义却这样说：『你心里不要说：谁能升到天上去﹖』意思是说：使基督从那里下来；
10:7 也不要说：『谁能下到深渊里去﹖』意思是说：把基督从死者中领上来。
10:8 正义到底说了什么﹖她说：『天主的话离你很近，就在你的口里，就在你的心中。』这就是指我们关于信仰的宣讲。
10:9 如果你口里承认耶稣为主，心里相信天主使他从死者中复活起来了，你便可获得救恩，
10:10 因为心里相信，可使人成义；口里承认，可使人获得救恩。
10:11 经上又说：『凡相信他的人，不至于蒙羞。』
10:12 其实，并没有犹太人与希腊人的区别，因为众人都有同一的主，他对一切呼号他的人都是富有慈惠的。
10:13 的确，『凡呼号上主名号的人，必然获救。』
犹太人拒绝福音
10:14 但是，人若不信他，又怎能呼号他呢﹖从未听到他，又怎能信他呢﹖没有宣讲者，又怎能听到呢﹖
10:15 若没有奉派遣，人又怎能去宣讲呢﹖正如所记载的：『传布福音者的脚步是多么美丽啊!』
10:16 然而并不是所有的人都服从了福音。依撒意亚曾说过：『上主，有谁相信了我们的报道呢﹖』
10:17 所以信仰是出于报道，报道是出于基督的命令。
10:18 但我要问：难道他们没有听过吗﹖一定听过了。『他们的声音传遍普世，他们的言语达于地极。』
10:19 但是我再问：难道以色列人不明白吗﹖首先梅瑟说过：『我要以那不成子民的人，激起你们的妒火；以愚昧的民族，惹起你们的怒气。』
10:20 继而依撒意亚也放胆说：『未曾寻找我的人，找到了我；对未曾访问我的人，我显现了。』
第十一章(36)
犹太人不是全体被弃
11:1 我再问：莫非天主摈弃了自己的人民吗﹖断然不是!我自己就是个以色列人，出于亚巴郎的后裔，本雅明支派。
11:2 天主并没有摈弃他所预选的人民。难道你们不知道圣经在厄里亚篇上说了什么，他怎样向天主抱怨以色列﹖
11:3 『上主呀!他们杀了你的先知，毁坏了你的祭坛，只剩下了我一个，他们还在谋害我的性命。』
11:4 然而神谕告诉了他什么﹖『我为我自己留下了七千人，他们没有向巴耳屈过膝。』
11:5 同样，现在也留下了一些残余，即天主以恩宠所选拔的人。
11:6 既是出于恩宠，就不是出于作为，不然，恩宠就不算为恩宠了。
11:7 那么还说什么呢﹖以色列全体所寻求的，没有得到，只有那些蒙选的人得到了；其余的都顽梗不化了。
11:8 正如所记载的：『天主赋予了他们沉睡的神，有眼看不见，有耳听不见，直到今日，仍是如此。』
11:9 达味也说过：『愿他们的筵席成为他们的陷阱、罗网、绊脚石和应得的报应。
11:10 愿他们的眼睛昏迷，不得看见。愿你使他们的脊背常常弯曲。』
犹太人被弃不是永久的
11:11 那么我再问：他们失足，是要他们永久跌倒吗﹖绝对不是!而是借着他们的过犯，使救恩临到外邦人，为刺激他们发愤。
11:12 如果因他们的过犯，世界得以致富，因他们的堕落，外邦人得以致富；他们全体归正，更将怎样呢﹖
11:13 我对你们外邦人说：我既然是外邦人的宗徒，我必要光荣我的职务；
11:14 这样，或许可激动我的同胞发愤，因而能拯救他们几个人。
11:15 如果因他们被遗弃，世界与天主和好了；那么，他们如果蒙收纳，岂不是死而复生吗﹖
11:16 如果所献的初熟的麦面是圣的，全面团也成为圣的；如果树根是圣的，树枝也是圣的。
11:17 假如有几条橄榄树枝被折下来，而你这枝野橄榄树枝被接上去，同沾橄榄树根的肥脂，
11:18 就不可向旧树枝自夸。如果你想自夸，就该想不是你托着树根，而是树根托着你。
11:19 或者你要说：树枝被折下来，正是为叫我接上去。
11:20 不错，他们因了不信而被折下来，你要因着信，才站得住。你决不可心高气傲，反应恐惧，
11:21 因为天主既然没有怜惜了那些原有的树枝，将来也许不怜惜你。
11:22 可见天主又慈善又严厉：天主对于跌倒了的人是严厉的，对于你却是慈善的，只要你存留在他的慈善上；不然你也必要被砍去。
11:23 至于他们，如果他们不固执于无信之中，必会再被接上去，因为天主有能力重新把他们接上去。
11:24 其实，如果你这由本生的野橄榄树上被砍下来的，逆着性被接在好橄榄树上，何况他们那些原生的树枝，岂不更容易接在自己原来的橄榄树上么﹖
犹太人终要归化
11:25 弟兄们!免得你们自作聪明，我不愿意你们不知道这项奥秘的事，就是只有一部分是执迷不悟的，直到外邦人全数进入天国为止：
11:26 那时，全以色列必也获救，正如经上所载：『拯救者必要来自熙雍，从雅各伯中消除不敬之罪；
11:27 这是我与他们所订立的盟约：那时我要赦免他们的罪恶。』
11:28 照福音来说，他们由于你们的缘故，成了天主的仇人；但照召选来说，由于他们祖先的缘故，他们仍是可爱的，
11:29 因为天主的恩赐和召选是决不会撤回的。
11:30 就如你们以前背叛了天主，如今却因了他们的背叛而蒙受了怜悯；
11:31 同样，因了你们所受的怜悯，他们如今背叛，这是为叫他们今后也蒙受怜悯，
11:32 因为天主把众人都禁锢在背叛之中，是为要怜悯众人。
赞美全知的天主
11:33 啊!，天主的富饶，上智和知识，是多么高深!他的决断是多么不可测量！他的道路是多么不可探察！
11:34 有谁曾知道上主的心意﹖或者，有谁曾当过他的顾问﹖
11:35 或者，有谁曾先施恩于他，而望他还报呢﹖
11:36 因为万物都出于他，依赖他，而归于他。愿光荣归于他至于永世!阿们!。
基督徒应有的生活
第十二章(21)
向天主的新敬礼
12:1 所以弟兄们!我以天主的仁慈请求你们，献上你们的身体当作生活、圣洁和悦乐天主的祭品：这才是你们合理的敬礼。
12:2 你们不可与此世同化，反而应以更新的心思变化自己，为使你们能辨别什么是天主的旨意，什么是善事，什么是悦乐天主的事，什么是成全的事。
基督妙身的每个肢体应尽己职
12:3 我因所赐给我的圣宠，告诉你们每一位：不可把自己估计得太高，而过了份；但应按照天主所分与各人的信德尺度，估计得适中。
12:4 就如我们在一个身体上有许多肢体，但每个肢体，都有不同的作用；
12:5 同样，我们众人在基督内，也都是一个身体，彼此之间，每个都是肢体。
12:6 按我们各人所受的圣宠，各有不同的恩赐：如果是说预言，就应与信德相符合；
12:7 如果是服务，就应用在服务上；如果是教导，就应用在教导上；
12:8 如果是劝勉，就应用在劝勉上；施与的，应该大方；监督的，应该殷勤；行慈善的，应该和颜悦色。
应以善胜恶
12:9 爱情不可是虚伪的。你们当厌恶恶事，附和善事。
12:10 论兄弟之爱，要彼此相亲相爱；论尊敬，要彼此争先。
12:11 论关怀，不可疏忽；论心神，要热切；对于主，要衷心事奉。
12:12 论望德，要喜乐；在困苦中，要忍耐；在祈祷上，要恒心；
12:13 对圣者的急需，要分担；对客人，要款待。
12:14 迫害你们的，要祝福；只可祝福，不可诅咒。
12:15 应与喜乐的一同喜乐，与哭泣的一同哭泣。
12:16 彼此要同心合意，不可心高妄想，却要俯就卑微的人。不可自作聪明。
12:17 对人不可以恶报恶，对众人要勉励行善；
12:18 如若可能，应尽力与众人和睦相处。
12:19 诸位亲爱的，你们不可为自己复仇，但应给天主的忿怒留有余地，因为经上记载：『上主说：复仇是我的事，我必报复。』
12:20 所以：『如果你的仇人饿了，你要给他饭吃；渴了，应给他水喝，因为你这样做，是将炭火堆在他头上。』
12:21 你不可为恶所胜，反应以善胜恶。
第十三章(14)
应服从官长
13:1 每人要服从上级有权柄的人，因为没有权柄不是从天主来的，所有的权柄都是由天主规定的。
13:2 所以谁反抗权柄，就是反抗天主的规定，而反抗的人就是自取处罚。
13:3 因为长官为行善的人，不是可怕的；为行恶的人，才是可怕的。你愿意不怕掌权的吗﹖你行善罢!那就可由他得到称赞，
13:4 因为他是天主的仆役，是为相帮你行善；你若作恶，你就该害怕，因为他不是无故带剑；他既是天主的仆役，就负责惩罚作恶的人；
13:5 所以必须服从，不只是为怕惩罚，而也是为了良心。
13:6 为此，你们也该完粮，因为他们是天主的差役，是专为尽这义务的。
13:7 凡人应得的，你们要付清；该给谁完粮，就完粮；该给谁纳税，就纳税；该敬畏的，就敬畏；该尊敬的，就尊敬。
法律的满全是爱德
13:8 除了彼此相爱外，你们不可再欠人什么，因为谁爱别人，就满全了法律。
13:9 其实『不可奸淫，不可杀人，不可偷盗，不可贪恋，』以及其他任何诫命，都包含在这句话里：就是『爱你的近人如你自己。』
13:10 爱不加害于人，所以爱就是法律的满全。
应时常醒寤
13:11 再者，你们该认清这个时期，现在已经是由睡梦中醒来的时辰了，因为我们的救恩，现今比我们当初信的时候更临近了。
13:12 黑夜深了，白日已近，所以我们该脱去黑暗的行为，佩戴光明的武器；
13:13 行动要端庄，好象在白天一样，不可狂宴豪饮，不可淫乱放荡，不可争斗嫉妒；
13:14 但该穿上主耶稣基督；不应只挂念肉性的事，以满足私欲。
第十四章(23)
强者弱者同属一主
14:1 对信德软弱的人，你们该容纳，不要为意见而争论。
14:2 有人以为什么都可吃，但那软弱的人只吃蔬菜。
14:3 那吃的，不要轻视不吃的；不吃的，也不要判断吃的，因为天主已接纳了他。
14:4 你是谁，你竟敢判断别人的家仆﹖他或站立，或跌倒，都由他自己的主人管；但他必站得住，因为主能够使他站得住。
14:5 有人以为这日比那日强，但也有人以为日日都一样；各人对自己的心思应坚信不移才好!
14:6 那遵守日子的，是为主而遵守；那吃的，是为主而吃，因为他感谢天主；那不吃的，也是为主而不吃，他也感谢天主。
14:7 因为我们中没有一人是为自己而生的，也没有一人是为自己而死的；
14:8 因为我们或者生，是为主而生，或者死，是为主而死；所以我们或生或死，都是属于主。
14:9 因为基督死而复生了，正是为作生者和死者的主。
14:10 你为什么判断你的弟兄﹖或者，你为什么轻视你的弟兄﹖我们众人都要站在天主的审判台前，
14:11 因为经上记载说：『我指着我自己起誓──上主的誓语：众膝都要向我跪拜，众舌都要赞颂天主。』
14:12 这样看起来，我们每人都要向天主交自己的账。
应以爱德行事
14:13 因此，我们不可再彼此判断了，反之，你们应拿定主意：总不可使弟兄失足或跌倒。
14:14 在耶稣基督内，我知道，并深信：没有什么本身是不洁的；除非有人想什么是不洁的，那东西为他才是不洁的。
14:15 如果你因着食物使你的兄弟心乱，你便不是按照爱德行事。基督为他死了，你不可因着你的食物使他丧亡，
14:16 所以你们不可使你们的优点受到诽谤。
14:17 其实天主的国并不在于吃喝，而在于义德、平安以及在圣神内的喜乐：
14:18 凡是按这原则事奉基督的，才为天主所喜悦，为众人所称许；
14:19 所以我们该追求平安的事，以及彼此建立的事，
14:20 不可为了食物的缘故，而摧毁天主的工程。一切固然都是洁净的，但若人吃了，能使人失足，这为他便是恶事了。
14:21 更好是不吃肉，不喝酒，不作什么能使你的弟兄跌倒的事。
14:22 你有信心，就在天主前为你自己保有罢!那在自己认为可行的事上，问心无愧，才是有福的。
14:23 但谁若怀着疑心吃了，便被判有罪，因为这不是出于信心做的：凡不出于信心做的，就是罪。
第十五章(33)
应效法耶稣
15:1 我们强壮者，该担待不强壮者的软弱，不可只求自己的喜悦。
15:2 我们每人都该求近人的喜悦，使他受益，得以建立，
15:3 因为连基督也没有寻求自己的喜悦，如所记载的：『辱骂你者的辱骂，都落在我身上。』
15:4 其实，凡经上所写的，都是为教训我们而写的，为叫我们因着经典上所教训的忍耐和安慰，获得希望。
15:5 愿赐忍耐和安慰的天主，赏赐你们仿效耶稣基督的榜样，彼此同心合意，
15:6 好一心一口光荣我们的主耶稣基督的天主和父。
15:7 为此，你们要为光荣天主而彼此接纳，犹如基督也接纳了你们一样。
15:8 我是要说：基督为了彰显天主的真实，成了[割损]的仆役，为实践向先祖们所赐的恩许，
15:9 而也使外邦人因天主的怜悯而去光荣天主，正如所记载的：『为此，我要在异民中称赞你，歌颂你的圣名。』
15:10 又说：『异民!你们要和他的百姓一同欢乐!』
15:11 又说：『列国万民，请赞美上主!一切民族，请歌颂他!』
15:12 依撒意亚又说：『叶瑟的根苗将要出现，要起来统治外邦人；外邦人都要寄望于他。』
15:13 愿赐望德的天主，因着你们的信心，使你们充满各种喜乐和平安，使你们因着圣神的德能，富于望德。
结 论
宗徒的计划
15:14 我的弟兄们，我本人深信你们是充满善意，满备各种知识的，并能彼此劝勉。
15:15 我给你们写信未免有些大胆，不过我只想唤起你们的回忆，因为天主赐给了我恩宠，
15:16 使我为外邦人成了耶稣基督的使臣，天主福音的司祭，好使外邦人经圣神的祝圣，成为可悦纳的祭品。
15:17 所以对于事奉天主的事，我可以在耶稣基督内夸口，
15:18 因为我不敢提及别的，只说基督借我，以言语，以行动，借着奇迹、异事的能力和天主圣神的德能，所作的使外邦人归顺的事，
15:19 以致我从耶路撒冷及其四周，直到依里黎苛，传遍了基督的福音；
15:20 并且专在没有认识基督的地方传布福音，引以为荣，免得我在别人的基础上建筑，
15:21 如经上记载的：『那些关于他没有得到传报的人，必要看见；那些没有听说过的人，必要明了。』
15:22 这就是我屡次被阻延，不能到你们那里去的缘故。
15:23 但如今在这一带再没有可传的地方了，而且多年以来，我就有到你们那里去的心愿，
15:24 所以当我往西班牙去的时候，我希望中途能见到你们，得以稍微满足我见你们的心愿，然后由你们送我上道。
15:25 不过，现在我要起身往耶路撒冷去，为供应圣徒，
15:26 因为马其顿和阿哈雅人，甘心乐意为耶路撒冷的贫苦圣徒捐了一笔款项；
15:27 说他们甘心乐意，其实他们是欠他们的债。因为外邦人既分沾了他们的神恩，也就该在物质上扶助他们。
15:28 所以我一办妥了这事，向他们交代了这项捐款以后，便要路过你们那里，往西班牙去。
15:29 我知道，我去你们那里，必要满带基督的降福而去。
15:30 弟兄们!我因我们的主耶稣基督，并因圣神的爱，请求你们，以你们为我在天主前的祈祷，与我一起奋斗，
15:31 使我脱免在犹太地不信者的手，并使我带到耶路撒冷的款项，得蒙圣徒悦纳。
15:32 这样，可使我照天主的旨意，高兴地到你们那里去，同你们一起稍微休息。
15:33 愿赐平安的天主与你们众人同在!阿们。
结 论
第十六章(27)
推荐问候及警戒
16:1 我把我们的姊妹福依贝托给你们，她是耕格勒教会的女执事，
16:2 你们要在主内以相宜于圣者的态度，接待她，如果她在什么事上需要你们的帮助，你们就帮助她，因为她帮助了许多人，也帮助过我。
16:3 请问候普黎斯加和阿桂拉，他们是我在基督耶稣内的助手；
16:4 他们为救我，置自己的颈项于度外；不但我应感谢他们，而且连外邦人的众教会也应感谢他们。
16:5 还请问候在他们家中的教会。请问候我可爱的厄派乃托，他是亚细亚归依基督的初果。
16:6 请问候玛利亚，她为你们受了许多劳苦。
16:7 请问候我的同族和我的同囚者安得洛尼科和犹尼雅，他们在使徒中是有声望的人，并且在我以先归依了基督。
16:8 请问候在主内我可爱的安仆里雅。
16:9 请问候我们在基督内的助手吴尔巴诺，和我可爱的斯塔辉。
16:10 请问候为基督受磨难的阿培肋。
16:11 请问候阿黎斯托步罗家中的人。请问候我的同族人黑落狄雍；请问候纳尔基索家中归依主的人。
16:12 请问候在主内劳苦的特黎费纳和特黎佛撒。请问候可爱的培尔息，她在主内受了许多劳苦。
16:13 请问候蒙主拣选的鲁富和他的母亲，她也是我的母亲。
16:14 请问候阿松黎托、弗肋贡、赫尔默斯、帕特洛巴、赫尔玛，和与他们在一起的弟兄们。
16:15 请问候非罗罗哥与犹里雅，乃勒乌和他的姊妹，还有敖林帕和与他们在一起的众圣徒。
16:16 你们要以圣吻彼此请安。基督的众教会都问候你们。
16:17 弟兄们，我请求你们提防那些反对你们所学习的教理，而制造纷争和绊脚石的人，你们要远离他们，
16:18 因为这些人不是服事我们的主基督，而是服事自己的肚腹，他们以甜言蜜语，迷惑那些诚实人的心灵。
16:19 你们的服从已传到各处，所以我为你们十分庆幸；但我切愿你们对善事要明智，对于恶事要纯洁无瑕。
16:20 赐平安的天主就要迅速地，把撒殚踏碎在你们的脚下。愿我们主耶稣基督的恩宠与你们同在!
16:21 我的助手弟茂德和我的同族路基约，雅松与索息帕特问候你们。
16:22 我这执笔写信的特尔爵也在主内问候你们。
16:23 我的东主，也是全教会的东主加约，也问候你们；本城的司库厄辣斯托和夸尔托兄弟也问候你们。
16:24 【但愿我们的主耶稣基督的恩宠常与你们同在!阿们。】
结语 赞颂词
16:25 愿光荣归于天主，他有能力坚固你们，使你们合乎我所传布的福音，和所宣讲的耶稣基督，并合乎所启示的奥秘──这奥秘从永远以来，就是秘而不宣的，
16:26 现今却彰显了，且按照永恒天主的命令，借着先知的经书，晓谕万民，使他们服从信德。
16:27 愿光荣赖耶稣基督归于唯一全智的天主，至于无穷之世。阿们。
BOOK ENDS. Seraphim, April 2009.
JB ROMANS Chapter 1
THE LETTER OF PAUL
TO THE CHURCH IN ROME
Address
1:1 From Paul, a servant of
Christ Jesus who has been called to be an apostle, and specially chosen to
preach the Good News that God
1:2 promised long ago through
his prophets in the scriptures.
1:3 This
news is about the Son of God who, according to the human nature he took was a
descendant of David:
1:4 it is about Jesus Christ
our Lord who, in the order of the spirit, the spirit of holiness that was in
him, was proclaimed Son of God in all his power through his resurrection from
the dead.
1:5 Through
him we received grace and our apostolic mission to preach the obedience of
faith to all pagan nations in honour of his name.
1:6 You
are one of these nations, and by his call belong to Jesus Christ.
1:7 To you all, then, who are
God's beloved in Rome, called to be saints, may God our Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ send grace and peace.
Thanksgiving and
prayer
1:8 First I thank my God
through Jesus Christ for all of you and for the way in which your faith is
spoken of all over the world.
1:9 The God I worship
spiritually by preaching the Good News of his Son knows that I never fail to
mention you in my prayers,
1:10 and to ask to be allowed
at long last the opportunity to visit you, if he so wills.
1:11 For I am longing to see
you either to strengthen you by sharing a spiritual gift with you,
1:12 or what is better, to
find encouragement among you from our common faith.
1:13 I want you to know, brothers, that I have often planned to visit you - though
until now I have always been prevented - in the hope that I might work as
fruitfully among you as I have done among the other pagans.
1:14 I owe a duty to Greeks[*a] just as much as to barbarians, to the educated
just as much as to the uneducated,
1:15 and it is this that makes
me want to bring the Good News to you too in Rome.
SALVATION BY FAITH
I. JUSTIFICATION
The theme stated
1:16 For I
am not ashamed of the Good News: it is the power of God saving all who have
faith - Jews first, but Greeks as well -
1:17 since this is what
reveals the justice of God to us: it shows how faith leads to faith, or as
scripture says: The upright man finds life through faith.[*b]
A. GOD'S ANGER
AGAINST PAGAN AND JEW
God's anger against
the pagans
1:18 The
anger of God is being revealed from heaven against all the impiety and
depravity of men who keep truth imprisoned in their wickedness.
1:19 For
what can be known about God is perfectly plain to them since God himself has made
it plain.
1:20 Ever since God created
the world his everlasting power and deity - however invisible - have been there
for the mind to see in the things he has made. That is why such people are
without excuse:
1:21 they knew God and yet
refused to honour him as God or to thank him;
instead, they made nonsense out of logic and their empty minds were darkened.
1:22 The
more they called themselves philosophers, the more stupid they grew,
1:23 until they exchanged the glory[*c] of the immortal God for a worthless imitation, for
the image of mortal man, of birds, of quadrupeds and reptiles.
1:24 That
is why God left them to their filthy enjoyments and the practices with which
they dishonour their own bodies,
1:25 since they have given up
divine truth for a lie and have worshipped and served creatures instead of the
creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen!
1:26 That
is why God has abandoned them to degrading passions: why their women have
turned from natural intercourse to unnatural practices
1:27 and why their menfolk have given up natural intercourse to be consumed
with passion for each other, men doing shameless things with men and getting an
appropriate reward for their perversion.
1:28 In other words, since
they refused to see it was rational to acknowledge God, God has left them to
their own irrational ideas and to their monstrous behaviour.
1:29 And
so they are steeped in all sorts of depravity, rottenness, greed and malice,
and addicted to envy, murder, wrangling, treachery and spite.
1:30 Libellers,
slanderers, enemies of God, rude, arrogant and boastful; enterprising in sin,
rebellious to parents,
1:32 without brains, honour, love or pity.
1:33 They
know what God's verdict is: that those who behave like this deserve to die -
and yet they do it; and what is worse, encourage others to do the same.
JB ROMANS Chapter 2
The Jews are not
exempt from God's anger
2:1 So
no matter who you are, if you pass judgement you have
no excuse. In judging others you condemn yourself, since you behave no
differently from those you judge.
2:2 We
know that God condemns that sort of behaviour
impartially:
2:3 and when you judge those
who behave like this while you are doing exactly the same, do you think you
will escape God's judgement?
2:4 Or
are you abusing his abundant goodness, patience and toleration, not realising that this goodness of God is meant to lead you to
repentance?
2:5 Your
stubborn refusal to repent is only adding to the anger God will have towards
you on that day of anger when his just judgements
will be made known.
2:6 He will repay each one as
his works deserve.[*a]
2:7 For
those who sought renown and honour and immortality by
always doing good there will be eternal life;
2:8 for the unsubmissive who refused to take truth for their guide and
took depravity instead, there will be anger and fury.
2:9 Pain and suffering will
come to every human being who employs himself in evil - Jews first, but Greeks
as well;
2:10 renown, honour and peace will come to everyone who does good - Jews first, but Greeks as well.
2:11 God has no favourites.
The Law will not
save them
2:12 Sinners who were not
subject to the Law will perish all the same, without that Law; sinners who were
under the Law will have that Law to judge them.
2:13 It
is not listening to the Law but keeping it that will make people holy in the
sight of God.
2:14 For instance, pagans who
never heard of the Law but are led by reason to do what the Law commands, may
not actually 'possess' the Law, but they can be said to 'be' the Law.
2:15 They can point to the
substance of the Law engraved on their hearts - they can call a witness, that
is, their own conscience - they have accusation and defence,
that is, their own inner mental dialogue.[*b]
2:16 ...on the day when, according to the Good News I preach, God, through
Jesus Christ, judges the secrets of mankind.
2:17 If
you call yourself a Jew, if you really trust in the Law and are proud of your
God,
2:18 if you know God's will
through the Law and can tell what is right,
2:19 if you are convinced you
can guide the blind and be a beacon to those in the dark,
2:20 if you can teach the
ignorant and instruct the unlearned because your Law
embodies all knowledge and truth,
2:21 then why not teach
yourself as well as the others? You preach against stealing, yet you steal;
2:22 you forbid adultery, yet
you commit adultery; you despise idols, yet you rob their temples.
2:23 By
boasting about the Law and then disobeying it, you bring God into contempt.
2:24 As
scripture says: It is your fault that the name of God is blasphemed among the
pagans.
Circumcision will
not save them
2:25 It is a good thing to be
circumcised if you keep the Law; but if you break the Law, you might as well
have stayed uncircumcised.
2:26 If
a man who is not circumcised obeys the commandments of the Law, surely that
makes up for not being circumcised?
2:27 More than that, the man
who keeps the Law, even though he has not been physically circumcised, is a
living condemnation of the way you disobey the Law in spite of being
circumcised and having it all written down.
2:28 To
be a Jew is not just to look like a Jew, and circumcision is more than a
physical operation.
2:29 The
real Jew is the one who is inwardly a Jew, and the real circumcision is in the
heart - something not of the letter but of the spirit. A Jew like that may not
be praised by man, but he will be praised by God.
JB ROMANS Chapter 3
God's promises will
not save them
3:1 Well
then, is a Jew any better off? Is there any advantage in being circumcised?
3:2 A
great advantage in every way. First, the Jews are the people to whom God's
message was entrusted.
3:3 What
if some of them were unfaithful? Will their lack of fidelity cancel God's
fidelity?
3:4 That
would be absurd. God will always be true even though everyone proves to be false[*a]; so scripture says: In all you say your justice
shows, and when you are judged you win your case.[*b]
3:5 But if our lack of
holiness makes God demonstrate his integrity, how can we say God is unjust when
- to use a human analogy - he gets angry with us in return?
3:6 That
would be absurd, it would mean God could never judge the world.
3:7 You
might as well say that since my untruthfulness makes God demonstrate his
truthfulness and thus gives him glory, I should not be judged to be a sinner at
all.
3:8 That
would be the same as saying: Do evil as a means to good. Some slanderers have
accused us of teaching this, but they are justly condemned.
All are guilty
3:9 Well: are we any better
off? Not at all: as we said before, Jews and Greeks are all under sin's
dominion.
3:10 As
scripture says: There is not a good man left, no, not one:
3:11 there is not one who
understands, not one who looks for God.
3:12 All have turned aside,
tainted all alike; there is not one good man left, not a single one.
3:13 Their
throats are yawning graves; their tongues are full of deceit. Vipers' venom is
on their lips,
3:14 bitter curses fill their
mouths.
3:15 Their
feet are swift when blood is to be shed,
3:16 wherever they go there is
havoc and ruin.
3:17 They
know nothing of the way of peace,
3:18 there is no fear of God
before their eyes.[*c]
3:19 Now
all this that the Law says is said, as we know, for the benefit of those who
are subject to the Law, but it is meant to silence everyone and to lay the
whole world open to God's judgement;
3:20 and this is because no
one can be justified in the sight of[*d] God by
keeping the Law: all that law does is to tell us what is sinful.
B. FAITH AND THE
JUSTICE OF GOD
The revelation of
God's justice
3:21 God's justice that was
made known through the Law and the Prophets has now been revealed outside the
Law,
3:22 since it is the same
justice of God that comes through faith to everyone, Jew and pagan alike, who
believes in Jesus Christ.
3:23 Both Jew and pagan sinned
and forfeited God's glory,
3:24 and both are justified
through the free gift of his grace by being redeemed in Christ Jesus
3:25 who was appointed by God
to sacrifice his life so as to win reconciliation through faith. In this way
God makes his justice known; first, for the past, when sins went unpunished
because he held his hand,
3:26 then, for the present
age, by showing positively that he is just, and that he justifies everyone who
believes in Jesus.
What faith does
3:27 So
what becomes of our boasts? There is no room for them. What sort of law
excludes them? The sort of law that tells us what to do?
On the contrary, it is the law of faith,
3:28 since, as we
see it, a man is justified by faith and not by doing something the Law tells
him to do.
3:29 Is
God the God of Jews alone and not of the pagans too? Of the pagans too, most
certainly,
3:30 since there is only one
God, and he is the one who will justify the circumcised because of their faith
and justify the uncircumcised through their faith.
3:31 Do we mean that faith
makes the Law pointless? Not at all: we are giving the Law its true value.
JB ROMANS Chapter 4
C. THE EXAMPLE OF
ABRAHAM
Abraham justified
by faith
4:1 Apply
this to Abraham, the ancestor from whom we are all descended.
4:2 If Abraham was justified
as a reward for doing something, he would really have had something to boast
about, though not in God's sight
4:3 because scripture says:
Abraham put his faith in God, and this faith was considered as justifying him.[*a]
4:4 If
a man has work to show, his wages are not considered as a favour
but as his due;
4:5 but when a man has nothing
to show except faith in the one who justifies sinners, then his faith is
considered as justifying him.
4:6 And David says the same: a
man is happy if God considers him righteous, irrespective of good deeds:
4:7 Happy those whose crimes
are forgiven, whose sins are blotted out;
4:8 happy the man whom the
Lord considers sinless.[*b]
Justified before
circumcision
4:9 Is
this happiness meant only for the circumcised, or is it meant for others as
well? Think of Abraham again: his faith, we say, was considered as justifying
him,
4:10 but when was this done?
When he was already circumcised or before he had been circumcised? It was
before he had been circumcised, not after;
4:11 and when he was
circumcised later it was only as a sign and guarantee that the faith he had
before his circumcision justified him. In this way Abraham became the ancestor
of all uncircumcised believers, so that they too might be considered righteous;
4:12 and ancestor, also, of
those who though circumcised do not rely on that fact alone, but follow our
ancestor Abraham along the path of faith he trod before he had been
circumcised.
Not justified by
obedience to the Law
4:13 The
promise of inheriting the world was not made to Abraham and his descendants on
account of any law but on account of the righteousness which consists in faith.
4:14 If
the world is only to be inherited by those who submit to the Law, then faith is
pointless and the promise worth nothing.
4:15 Law involves the
possibility of punishment for breaking the law - only where there is no law can
that be avoided.
4:16 That is why what fulfils
the promise depends on faith, so that it may be a free gift and be available to
all of Abraham's descendants, not only those who belong to the Law but also
those who belong to the faith of Abraham who is the father of all of us.
4:17 As scripture says: I have
made you the ancestor of many nations[*c] Abraham is our father in the eyes of
God, in whom he put his faith, and who brings the dead to life and calls into
being what does not exist.
Abraham's faith, a
model of Christian faith
4:18 Though it seemed
Abraham's hope could not be fulfilled, he hoped and he believed, and through
doing so he did become the father of many nations exactly as he had been
promised: Your descendants will be as many as the stars.[*d]
4:19 Even the thought that his
body was past fatherhood - he was about a hundred years old - and Sarah too old
to become a mother, did not shake his belief.
4:20 Since God had promised
it, Abraham refused either to deny it or even to doubt it, but drew strength
from faith and gave glory to God,
4:21 convinced that God had
power to do what he had promised.
4:22 This
is the faith that was 'considered as justifying him'.
4:23 Scripture however does
not refer only to him but to us as well when it says that his faith was thus
'considered';
4:24 our faith too will be
'considered' if we believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,
4:25 Jesus who was put to
death for our sins[*e] and raised to life to justify
us.
JB ROMANS Chapter 5
II. SALVATION
Faith guarantees
salvation
5:1 So far then we have seen
that, through our Lord Jesus Christ, by faith we are judged righteous and at
peace with God,
5:2 since it is by faith and
through Jesus that we have entered this state of grace in which we can boast
about looking forward to God's glory.
5:3 But that is not all we can
boast about; we can boast about our sufferings. These sufferings bring
patience, as we know,
5:4 and patience brings
perseverance, and perseverance brings hope,
5:5 and this hope is not deceptive, because the love of God has been poured
into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given us.
5:6 We
were still helpless when at his appointed moment Christ died for sinful men.
5:7 It
is not easy to die even for a good man - though of course for someone really
worthy, a man might be prepared to die -
5:8 but what proves that God
loves us is that Christ died for us while we were still sinners.
5:9 Having
died to make us righteous, is it likely that he would now fail to save us from
God's anger?
5:10 When we were reconciled
to God by the death of his Son, we were still enemies; now that we have been
reconciled, surely we may count on being saved by the life of his Son?
5:11 Not
merely because we have been reconciled but because we are filled with joyful
trust in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have already
gained our reconciliation.
A. DELIVERANCE FROM
SIN AND DEATH AND LAW
Adam and Jesus
Christ
5:12 Well then, sin entered
the world through one man, and through sin death, and thus death has spread
through the whole human race because everyone has sinned.
5:13 Sin existed in the world
long before the Law was given. There was no law and so no one could be accused
of the sin of 'law-breaking',
5:14 yet death reigned over
all from Adam to Moses, even though their sin, unlike that of Adam, was not a
matter of breaking a law. Adam prefigured the One to come,
5:15 but the gift itself
considerably outweighed the fall. If it is certain that through one man's fall
so many died, it is even more certain that divine grace, coming through the one
man, Jesus Christ, came to so many as an abundant free gift.
5:16 The
results of the gift also outweigh the results of one man's sin: for after one
single fall came judgement with a verdict of
condemnation, now after many falls comes grace with its verdict of acquittal.
5:17 If it is certain that
death reigned over everyone as the consequence of one man's fall, it is even
more certain that one man, Jesus Christ, will cause everyone to reign in life
who receives the free gift that he does not deserve, of being made righteous.
5:18 Again, as one man's fall
brought condemnation on everyone, so the good act of one man brings everyone
life and makes them justified.
5:19 As
by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man's obedience
many will be made righteous.
5:20 When law came, it was to
multiply the opportunities of failing, but however great the number of sins
committed, grace was even greater;
5:21 and so, just as sin
reigned wherever there was death, so grace will reign to bring eternal life
thanks to the righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ our Lord.
JB ROMANS Chapter 6
Baptism
6:1 Does
it follow that we should remain in sin so as to let grace have greater scope?
6:2 Of
course not. We are dead to sin, so how can we continue to live in it?
6:3 You
have been taught that when we were baptised in Christ
Jesus we were baptised in his death;
6:4 in other words, when we
were baptised we went into the tomb with him and
joined him in death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the Father's
glory, we too might live a new life.
6:5 If
in union with Christ we have imitated his death, we shall also imitate him in
his resurrection.
6:6 We
must realise that our former selves have been
crucified with him to destroy this sinful body and to free us from the slavery
of sin.
6:7 When a Christian dies, of
course, he has finished with sin.
6:8 But we believe that having
died with Christ we shall return to life with him:
6:9 Christ, as we know, having
been raised from the dead will never die again. Death has no power over him any
more.
6:10 When he died, he died,
once for all, to sin, so his life now is life with God;
6:11 and in that
way, you too must consider yourselves to be dead to sin but alive for God in
Christ Jesus.
Holiness, not sin,
to be the master
6:12 That
is why you must not let sin reign in your mortal bodies or command your
obedience to bodily passions,
6:13 why you must not let any
part of your body turn into an unholy weapon fighting on the side of sin; you
should, instead, offer yourselves to God, and consider yourselves dead men
brought back to life; you should make every part of your body into a weapon
fighting on the side of God;
6:14 and then sin will no
longer dominate your life, since you are living by grace and not by law.
The Christian is
freed from the slavery of sin
6:15 Does
the fact that we are living by grace and not by law mean that we are free to
sin? Of course not.
6:16 You
know that if you agree to serve and obey a master you become his slaves. You
cannot be slaves of sin that leads to death and at the same time slaves of
obedience that leads to righteousness.
6:17 You
were once slaves of sin, but thank God you submitted without reservation to the
creed you were taught.
6:18 You
may have been freed from the slavery of sin, but only to become 'slaves' of
righteousness.
6:19 If
I may use human terms to help your natural weakness: as once you put your
bodies at the service of vice and immorality, so now you must put them at the
service of righteousness for your sanctification.
The reward of sin
and the reward of holiness
6:20 When you were slaves of
sin, you felt no obligation to righteousness,
6:21 and what did you get from
this? Nothing but experiences that now make you blush,
since that sort of behaviour ends in death.
6:22 Now, however, you have
been set free from sin, you have been made slaves of God, and you get a reward
leading to your sanctification and ending in eternal life.
6:23 For
the wage paid by sin is death; the present given by God is eternal life in
Christ Jesus our Lord.
JB ROMANS Chapter 7
The Christian is
not bound by the Law
7:1 Brothers, those of you who
have studied law will know that laws affect a person only during his lifetime.
7:2 A
married woman, for instance, has legal obligations to her husband while he is
alive, but all these obligations come to an end if the husband dies.
7:3 So
if she gives herself to another man while her husband is still alive, she is
legally an adulteress; but after her husband is dead her legal obligations come
to an end, and she can marry someone else without becoming an adulteress.
7:4 That is why you, my
brothers, who through the body of Christ are now dead to the Law, can now give
yourselves to another husband, to him who rose from the dead to make us
productive for God.
7:5 Before our conversion[*a] our sinful passions, quite unsubdued by the Law, fertilised
our bodies to make them give birth to death.
7:6 But now we are rid of the
Law, freed by death from our imprisonment, free to serve in the new spiritual
way and not the old way of a written law.
The function of the
Law
7:7 Does it follow that the
Law itself is sin? Of course not. What I mean is that
I should not have known what sin was except for the Law. I should not for
instance have known what it means to covet if the Law had not said You shall not covet.
7:8 But it was this
commandment that sin took advantage of to produce all kinds of covetousness in
me, for when there is no Law, sin is dead.
7:9 Once, when there was no
Law, I[*b] was alive; but when the commandment came,
sin came to life
7:10 and I died: the
commandment was meant to lead me to life but it turned out to mean death for
me,
7:11 because sin took
advantage of the commandment to mislead me, and so sin, through that
commandment, killed me.
7:12 The Law is sacred, and
what it commands is sacred, just and good.
7:13 Does that mean that
something good killed me? Of course not. But sin, to
show itself in its true colours, used that good thing
to kill me; and thus sin, thanks to the commandment, was able to exercise all
its sinful power.
The inward struggle
7:14 The Law, of course, as we
all know, is spiritual; but I am unspiritual; I have been sold as a slave to
sin.
7:15 I cannot understand my
own behaviour. I fail to carry out the things I want
to do, and I find myself doing the very things I hate.
7:16 When
I act against my own will, that means I have a self that acknowledges that the
Law is good,
7:17 and so the thing behaving
in that way is not my self but sin living in me.
7:18 The fact is, I know of
nothing good living in me - living, that is, in my unspiritual self - for
though the will to do what is good is in me, the performance is not,
7:19 with the result that
instead of doing the good things I want to do, I carry out the sinful things I
do not want.
7:20 When I act
against my will, then, it is not my true self doing it, but sin which lives in
me.
7:21 In fact, this seems to be
the rule, that every single time I want to do good it is something evil that
comes to hand.
7:22 In
my inmost self I dearly love God's Law, but
7:23 I can see that my body
follows a different law that battles against the law which my reason dictates.
This is what makes me a prisoner of that law of sin which lives inside my body.
7:24 What
a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body doomed to death?
7:25 Thanks be to God through
Jesus Christ our Lord! In short, it is I who with my reason serve the Law of
God, and no less I who serve in my unspiritual self the law of sin'.
JB ROMANS Chapter 8
B. THE CHRISTIAN'S
SPIRITUAL LIFE
The life of the
spirit
8:1 The
reason, therefore, why those who are in Christ Jesus are not condemned,
8:2 is that the law of the
spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.
8:3 God has done what the Law,
because of our unspiritual nature,[*a] was unable to
do. God dealt with sin by sending his own Son in a body as physical as any sinful
body, and in that body God condemned sin.
8:4 He did this in order that
the Law's just demands might be satisfied in us, who behave not as our
unspiritual nature but as the spirit dictates.
8:5 The
unspiritual are interested only in what is unspiritual, but the spiritual are
interested in spiritual things.
8:6 It
is death to limit oneself to what is unspiritual; life and peace can only come
with concern for the spiritual.
8:7 That
is because to limit oneself to what is unspiritual is to be at enmity with God:
such a limitation never could and never does submit to God's law.
8:8 People who are interested
only in unspiritual things can never be pleasing to God.
8:9 Your
interests, however, are not in the unspiritual, but in the spiritual, since the
Spirit of God has made his home in you. In fact, unless you possessed the
Spirit of Christ you would not belong to him.
8:10 Though
your body may be dead it is because of sin, but if Christ is in you then your
spirit is life itself because you have been justified;
8:11 and if the Spirit of him
who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, then he who raised Jesus from
the dead will give life to your own mortal bodies through his Spirit living in
you.
8:12 So
then, my brothers, there is no necessity for us to obey our unspiritual selves
or to live unspiritual lives.
8:13 If you do live in that
way, you are doomed to die; but if by the Spirit you put an end to the misdeeds
of the body you will live.
Children of God
8:14 Everyone
moved by the Spirit is a son of God.
8:15 The
spirit you received is not the spirit of slaves bringing fear into your lives
again; it is the spirit of sons, and it makes us cry out, 'Abba, Father!'[*b]
8:16 The Spirit himself and
our spirit bear united witness that we are children of God.
8:17 And
if we are children we are heirs as well: heirs of God and coheirs with Christ,
sharing his sufferings so as to share his glory.
Glory as our
destiny
8:18 I think that what we
suffer in this life can never be compared to the glory, as yet unrevealed,
which is waiting for us.
8:19 The
whole creation is eagerly waiting for God to reveal his sons.
8:20 It
was not for any fault on the part of creation that it was made unable to attain
its purpose, it was made so by God; but creation still retains the hope
8:21 of being freed, like us,
from its slavery to decadence, to enjoy the same freedom and glory as the
children of God.
8:22 From
the beginning till now the entire creation, as we know, has been groaning in
one great act of giving birth;
8:23 and not only creation,
but all of us who possess the first-fruits of the Spirit, we too groan inwardly
as we wait for our bodies to be set free.
8:24 For
we must be content to hope that we shall be saved - our salvation is not in
sight, we should not have to be hoping for it if it were -
8:25 but, as I say, we must
hope to be saved since we are not saved yet - it is something we must wait for
with patience.
8:26 The Spirit too comes to
help us in our weakness. For when we cannot choose words in order to pray
properly, the Spirit himself expresses our plea in a way that could never be
put into words,
8:27 and God who knows
everything in our hearts knows perfectly well what he means, and that the pleas
of the saints expressed by the Spirit are according to the mind of God.
God has called us
to share his glory
8:28 We know that by turning
everything to their good God co-operates with all those who love him, with all
those that he has ,called according to his purpose.
8:29 They
are the ones he chose specially long ago and intended to become true images of
his Son, so that his Son might be the eldest of many brothers.
8:30 He called those he
intended for this; those he called he justified, and with those he justified he
shared his glory.
A hymn to God's
love
8:31 After
saying this, what can we add? With God on our side who can be against us?
8:32 'Since God did not spare
his own Son, but gave him up to benefit us all, we may be certain, after such a
gift, that he will not refuse anything he can give.
8:33 Could
anyone accuse those that God has chosen? When God acquits,
8:34 could anyone condemn?
Could Christ Jesus? No! He not only died for us - he rose from the dead, and
there at God's right hand he stands and pleads for us.
8:35 Nothing
therefore can come between us and the love of Christ, even if we are troubled
or worried, or being persecuted, or lacking food or clothes, or being
threatened or even attacked.
8:36 As scripture promised:
For your sake we are being massacred daily, and reckoned as sheep for the
slaughter.[*c]
8:37 These
are the trials through which we triumph, by the power of him who loved us.
8:38 For I
am certain of this: neither death nor life, no angel, no prince, nothing that
exists, nothing still to come, not any power,
8:39 or height or depth,[*d] nor any created thing, can ever come between us and
the love of God made visible in Christ Jesus our Lord.
JB ROMANS Chapter 9
C. THE PLACE OF
ISRAEL
The privileges of
Israel
9:1 What
I want to say now is no pretence; I say it in union with Christ - it is the
truth - my conscience in union with the Holy Spirit assures me of it too.
9:2 What
I want to say is this: my sorrow is so great, my mental anguish so endless,
9:3 I would willingly be condemned[*a] and be cut off from Christ if it could help my
brothers of Israel, my own flesh and blood.
9:4 They
were adopted as sons, they were given the glory and the covenants; the Law and
the ritual were drawn up for them, and the promises were made to them.
9:5 They
are descended from the patriarchs and from their flesh and blood came Christ
who is above all, God for ever blessed! Amen.
God has kept his
promise
9:6 Does
this mean that God has failed to keep his promise? Of course
not. Not all those who descend from Israel are Israel;
9:7 not all the descendants of
Abraham are his true children. Remember: It is through Isaac that your name
will be carried on,[*b]
9:8 which means that it is not
physical descent that decides who are the children of God; it is only the
children of the promise who will count as the true descendants.
9:9 The actual words in which
the promise was made were: I shall visit you at such and such a time, and Sarah
will have a son.[*c]
9:10 Even
more to the point is what was said to Rebecca when she was pregnant by our
ancestor Isaac,
9:11 but before her
twin children were born and before either had done good or evil. In order to stress
that God's choice is free,
9:12 since it depends on the
one who calls, not on human merit, Rebecca was told: the elder shall serve the
younger,[*d]
9:13 or as scripture says
elsewhere: I showed my love for Jacob and my hatred for Esau.[*e]
God is not unjust
9:14 Does it follow that God
is unjust? Of course not.
9:15 Take what God said to
Moses: I have mercy on whom I will, and I show pity to whom I please.[*f]
9:16 In other words, the only
thing that counts is not what human beings want or try to do, but the mercy of
God.
9:17 For in scripture he says
to Pharaoh: It was for this I raised you up, to use you as a means of showing
my power and to make my name known throughout the world.[*g]
9:18 In other words, when God
wants to show mercy he does, and when he wants to harden someone's heart he
does so.
9:19 You
will ask me, 'In that case, how can God ever blame anyone, since no one can
oppose his will?'
9:20 But what right have you,
a human being, to cross-examine God? The pot has no right to say to the potter:
Why did you make me this shape?[*h]
9:21 Surely
a potter can do what he likes with the clay? It is surely for him to decide
whether he will use a particular lump of clay to make a special pot or an
ordinary one?
9:22 Or else imagine that
although God is ready to show his anger and display his power, yet he patiently
puts up with the people who make him angry, however much they deserve to be
destroyed.
9:23 He puts up with them for
the sake of those other people, to whom he wants to be merciful, to whom he
wants to reveal the richness of his glory, people he had prepared for this
glory long ago.
9:24 Well, we are those
people; whether we were Jews or pagans we are the ones he has called.
All has been
foretold in the Old Testament
9:25 That
is exactly what God says in Hosea: I shall say to a people that was not mine,
'You are my people', and to a nation I never loved, 'I love you'.
9:26 Instead of being told,
'You are no people of mine', they will now be called the sons of the living God.[*i]
9:27 Referring
to Israel Isaiah had this to say: Though Israel should have many descendants as
there are grains of sand on the seashore, only a remnant will be saved,
9:28 for without hesitation or
delay the Lord will execute his sentence on the earth.[*j]
9:29 As Isaiah foretold: had
the Lord of hosts not left us some descendants we should now be like Sodom, we
should be like Gomorrah.[*k]
9:30 From
this it follows that the pagans who were not looking for righteousness found it
all the same, a righteousness that comes of faith,
9:31 while Israel, looking for
a righteousness derived from law failed to do what
that law required.
9:32 Why
did they fail? Because they relied on good deeds instead of
trusting in faith. In other words, they stumbled over the stumbling-stone[*l]
9:33 mentioned in scripture:
See how I lay in Zion a stone to stumble over, a rock to trip men up - only
those who believe in him will have no cause for shame.[*m]
JB ROMANS Chapter 10
Israel fails to see
that it is God who makes us holy
10:1 Brothers, I have the very
warmest love for the Jews, and I pray to God for them to be saved.
10:2 I can swear to their fervour for God, but their zeal is misguided.
10:3 Failing to recognise the righteousness that comes from God, they try
to promote their own idea of it, instead of submitting to the righteousness of
God.
10:4 But
now the Law has come to an end with Christ, and everyone who has faith may be
justified.
The testimony of
Moses
10:5 When Moses refers to
being justified by the Law, he writes: those who keep the Law will draw life
from it.[*a]
10:6 But the righteousness
that comes from faith says this: Do not tell yourself you have to bring Christ
down - as in the text: Who will go up to heaven?[*b]
10:7 or that you have to bring
Christ back from the dead - as in the text: Who will go down to the underworld?
10:8 On
the positive side it says: The word, that is the faith we proclaim, is very
near to you, it is on your lips and in your heart.
10:9 If
your lips confess that Jesus is Lord and if you believe in your heart that God
raised him from the dead, then you will be saved.
10:10 By
believing from the heart you are made righteous; by confessing with your lips
you are saved.
10:11 When scripture says:
those who believe in him will have no cause for shame,[*c]
10:12 it makes no distinction
between Jew and Greek: all belong to the same Lord who is rich enough, however
many ask his help,
10:13 for everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.[*d]
Israel has no
excuse
10:14 But they will not ask
his help unless they believe in him, and they will not believe in him unless
they have heard of him, and they will not hear of him unless they get a
preacher,
10:15 and they will never have
a preacher unless one is sent, but as scripture says: The footsteps of those
who bring good news is a welcome sound.[*e]
10:16 Not everyone, of course,
listens to the Good News. As Isaiah says: Lord, how many believed what we
proclaimed?[*f]
10:17 So
faith comes from what is preached, and what is preached comes from the word of
Christ.
10:18 Let
me put the question: is it possible that they did not hear? Indeed they did; in
the words of the psalm, their voice has gone out through all the earth, and
their message to the ends of the world.[*g]
10:19 A
second question: is it possible that Israel did not understand? Moses answered
this long ago: I will make you jealous of people who are not even a nation; I
will make you angry with an irreligious people.[*h]
10:20 Isaiah said more
clearly: I have been found by those who did not seek me, and have revealed
myself to those who did not consult me;[*i]
10:21 and referring to Israel
he goes on: Each day I stretched out my hand to a disobedient and rebellious
people.
JB ROMANS Chapter 11
The remnant of
Israel
11:1 Let me put a further
question then: is it possible that God has rejected his people?[*a] Of course not. I, an Israelite, descended from Abraham
through the tribe of Benjamin,
11:2 could never agree that
God had rejected his people, the people he chose specially
long ago. Do you remember what scripture says of Elijah - how he complained to
God about Israel's behaviour?
11:3 Lord, they
have killed your prophets and broken down your altars. I, and I only,
remain, and they want to kill me[*b]
11:4 What
did God say to that? I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not
bent the knee to Baal[*c]
11:5 Today
the same thing has happened: there is a remnant, chosen by grace.
11:6 By
grace, you notice, nothing therefore to do with good deeds, or grace would not
be grace at all!
11:7 What
follows? It was not Israel as a whole that found what it was seeking, but only
the chosen few. The rest were not allowed to see the truth;
11:8 as scripture says: God
has given them a sluggish spirit, unseeing eyes and inattentive ears, and they
are still like that today.[*d]
11:9 And David says: May their
own table prove a trap for them, a snare and a pitfall
- let that be their punishment;
11:10 may their eyes be struck
incurably blind, their backs bend for ever.[*e]
The Jews to be
restored in the future
11:11 Let
me put another question then: have the Jews fallen for ever, or have they just
stumbled? Obviously they have not fallen for ever: their fall, though, has
saved the pagans in a way the Jews may now well emulate.
11:12 Think of the extent to
which the world, the pagan world, has benefited from their fall and defection -
then think how much more it will benefit from the conversion of them all.
11:13 Let me tell you pagans[*f] this: I have been sent to the pagans as their
apostle, and I am proud of being sent,
11:14 but the purpose of it is
to make my own people envious of you, and in this way save some of them.
11:15 Since
their rejection meant the reconciliation of the world, do you know what their
admission will mean? Nothing less than a resurrection from the dead!
The Jews are still
the chosen people
11:16 A
whole batch of bread is made holy if the first handful of dough is made holy;
all the branches are holy if the root is holy.
11:17 No doubt some of the
branches have been cut off, and, like shoots of wild olive,
you have been grafted among the rest to share with them the rich sap provided
by the olive tree itself,
11:18 but still, even if you
think yourself superior to the other branches, remember that you do not support
the root; it is the root that supports you.
11:19 You
will say, 'Those branches were cut off on purpose to let me be grafted in!'
True,
11:20 they were cut off, but
through their unbelief; if you still hold firm, it is only thanks to your
faith. Rather than making you proud, that should make you afraid.
11:21 God did not spare the
natural branches, and he is not likely to spare you.
11:22 Do
not forget that God can be severe as well as kind: he is severe to those who
fell, and he is kind to you, but only for as long as he chooses to be,
otherwise you will find yourself cut off too,
11:23 and the Jews, if they
give up their unbelief, grafted back in your place. God is perfectly able to
graft them back again;
11:24 after all, if you were
cut from your natural wild olive to be grafted unnaturally on to a cultivated
olive, it will be much easier for them, the natural branches, to be grafted
back on the tree they came from.
The conversion of
the Jews
11:25 There
is a hidden reason for all this, brothers, of which I do not want you to be
ignorant, in case you think you know more than you do. One section of Israel
has become blind, but this will last only until the whole pagan world has
entered,
11:26 and then after this the
rest of Israel will be saved as well. As scripture says: The
liberator will come from Zion, he will banish godlessness from Jacob.
11:27 And this is the covenant
I will make with them when I take their sins away.[*g]
11:28 The Jews are enemies of
God only with regard to the Good News, and enemies only for your sake; but as
the chosen people, they are still loved by God, loved for the sake of their
ancestors.
11:29 God never takes back his
gifts or revokes his choice.
11:30 Just
as you changed from being disobedient to God, and now enjoy mercy because of
their disobedience,
11:31 so those who are
disobedient now - and only because of the mercy shown to you - will also enjoy
mercy eventually.
11:32 God has imprisoned all
men in their own disobedience only to show mercy to all mankind.
A hymn to God's
mercy and wisdom
11:33 How rich are the depths
of God - how deep his wisdom and knowledge - and how impossible to penetrate
his motives or understand his methods!
11:34 Who
could ever know the mind of the Lord? Who could ever be his counsellor?
11:35 Who could ever give him
anything or lend him anything?[*h]
11:36 All
that exists comes from him; all is by him and for him. To him be glory for ever! Amen.
JB ROMANS Chapter 12
EXHORTATION
Spiritual worship
12:1 Think of God's mercy, my
brothers, and worship him, I beg you, in a way that is worthy of thinking
beings, by offering your living bodies as a holy sacrifice, truly pleasing to
God.
12:2 Do not model yourselves
on the behaviour of the world around you, but let
your behaviour change, modelled
by your new mind. This is the only way to discover the will of God and know
what is good, what it is that God wants, what is the perfect thing to do.
Humility and
charity
12:3 In the light of the grace
I have received I want to urge each one among you not to exaggerate his real
importance. Each of you must judge himself soberly by the standard of the faith
God has given him.
12:4 Just
as each of our bodies has several parts and each part has a separate function,
12:5 so all of us, in union
with Christ, form one body, and as parts of it we belong to each other.
12:6 Our
gifts differ according to the grace given us. If your gift is prophecy, then
use it as your faith suggests;
12:7 if
administration, then use it for administration; if teaching, then use it for
teaching.
12:8 Let
the preachers deliver sermons, the almsgivers give freely, the officials be
diligent, and those who do works of mercy do them cheerfully.
12:9 Do
not let your love be a pretence, but sincerely prefer good to evil.
12:10 Love each other as much
as brothers should, and have a profound respect for each other.
12:11 Work for the
Lord with untiring effort and with great earnestness of spirit.
12:12 If
you have hope, this will make you cheerful. Do not give up if trials come; and
keep on praying.
12:13 If
any of the saints are in need you must share with them; and you should make
hospitality your special care.
Charity to
everyone, including enemies
12:14 Bless those who
persecute you: never curse them, bless them.
12:15 Rejoice with
those who rejoice and be sad with those in sorrow.
12:16 Treat everyone with
equal kindness; never be condescending but make real friends with the poor. Do
not allow yourself to become self-satisfied.
12:17 Never
repay evil with evil but let everyone see that you are interested only in the
highest ideals.
12:18 Do
all you can to live at peace with everyone.
12:19 Never
try to get revenge; leave that, my friends, to God's anger. As scripture says:
vengeance is mine - I will pay them back,[*a] the Lord
promises.
12:20 But
there is more: If your enemy is hungry, you should give him food, and if he is
thirsty, let him drink. Thus you heap red-hot coals on his head.[*b]
12:21 Resist evil and conquer
it with good.
JB ROMANS Chapter 13
Submission to civil
authority
13:1 You
must all obey the governing authorities. Since all government comes from God,
the civil authorities were appointed by God,
13:2 and so anyone who resists
authority is rebelling against God's decision, and such an act is bound to be
punished.
13:3 Good behaviour is not afraid of magistrates; only criminals
have anything to fear. If you want to live without being afraid of authority,
you must live honestly and authority may even honour
you.
13:4 The
state is there to serve God for your benefit. If you break the law, however,
you may well have fear: the bearing of the sword has its significance. The
authorities are there to serve God: they carry out God's revenge by punishing
wrongdoers.
13:5 You
must obey, therefore, not only because you are afraid of being punished, but
also for conscience' sake.
13:6 This
is also the reason why you must pay taxes, since all government officials are
God's officers. They serve God by collecting taxes.
13:7 Pay every government
official what he has a right to ask - whether it be direct tax or indirect,
fear or honour.
Love and law
13:8 Avoid getting into debt,
except the debt of mutual love. If you love your fellow men you have carried
out your obligations.
13:9 All the commandments: You
shall not commit adultery, you shall not kill, you shall not steal, you shall
not covet,[*a] and so on, are summed up in this single
command: You must love your neighbour as yourself[*b]
13:10 Love is the one thing
that cannot hurt your neighbour; that is why it is
the answer to every one of the commandments.
Children of the
light
13:11 Besides,
you know 'the time' has come: you must wake up now: our salvation is even
nearer than it was when we were converted.
13:12 The night is almost
over, it will be daylight soon - let us give up all the things we prefer to do
under cover of the dark; let us arm ourselves and appear in the light.
13:13 Let us live decently as
people do in the daytime: no drunken orgies, no promiscuity or licentiousness,
and no wrangling or jealousy.
13:14 Let your armour be the Lord Jesus Christ; forget about satisfying
your bodies with all their cravings.
JB ROMANS Chapter 14
Charity towards the
scrupulous
14:1 If
a person's faith is not strong enough, welcome him all the same without
starting an argument.
14:2 People range from those
who believe they may eat any sort of meat to those whose faith is so weak they
dare not eat anything except vegetables.
14:3 Meat-eaters must not
despise the scrupulous. On the other hand, the scrupulous must not condemn
those who feel free to eat anything they choose, since God has welcomed them.
14:4 It
is not for you to condemn someone else's servant: whether he stands or falls it
is his own master's business; he will stand, you may be sure, because the Lord
has power to make him stand.
14:5 If
one man keeps certain days as holier than others, and another considers all
days to be equally holy, each must be left free to hold his own opinion.
14:6 The
one who observes special days does so in honour of
the Lord. The one who eats meat also does so in honour
of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God; but then the man who abstains does
that too in honour of the Lord, and so he also gives
God thanks.
14:7 The
life and death of each of us has its influence on others;
14:8 if we live, we live for
the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord, so that alive or dead we belong
to the Lord.
14:9 This
explains why Christ both died and came to life, it was so that he might be Lord
both of the dead and of the living.
14:10 This
is also why you should never pass judgement on a
brother or treat him with contempt, as some of you have done. We shall all have
to stand before the judgement seat of God;
14:11 as scripture says: By my
life - it is the Lord who speaks - every knee shall bend before me, and every
tongue shall praise God.[*a]
14:12 It
is to God, therefore, that each of us must give an account of himself.
14:13 Far from passing judgement on each other, therefore, you should make up your
mind never to be the cause of your brother tripping or falling.
14:14 Now
I am perfectly well aware, of course, and I speak for the Lord Jesus, that no food
is unclean in itself; however, if someone thinks that a particular food is
unclean, then it is unclean for him.
14:15 And
indeed if your attitude to food is upsetting your brother, then you are hardly
being guided by charity. You are certainly not free to eat what you like if
that means the downfall of someone for whom Christ died.
14:16 In short, you must not
compromise your privilege,
14:17 because the kingdom of
God does not mean eating or drinking this or that, it means righteousness and
peace and joy brought by the Holy Spirit.
14:18 If
you serve Christ in this way you will please God and be respected by men.
14:19 So
let us adopt any custom that leads to peace and our mutual improvement;
14:20 do not wreck God's work
over a question of food. Of course all food is clean, but it becomes evil if by
eating it you make somebody else fall away.
14:21 In
such cases the best course is to abstain from meat and wine and anything else
that would make your brother trip or fall or weaken in any way.
14:22 Hold on to your own
belief, as between yourself and God-and consider the man fortunate who can make
his decision without going against his conscience.
14:23 But anybody who eats in
a state of doubt is condemned, because he is not in good faith; and every act
done in bad faith is a sin.
JB ROMANS Chapter 15
15:1 We
who are strong have a duty to put up with the qualms of the weak without
thinking of ourselves.
15:2 Each
of us should think of his neighbours and help them to
become stronger Christians.
15:3 Christ did not think of
himself: the words of scripture - the insults of those who insult you fall on me[*a] - apply to him.
15:4 And indeed everything
that was written long ago in the scriptures was meant to teach us something
about hope from the examples scripture gives of how people who did not give up
were helped by God.
15:5 And may he who helps us
when we refuse to give up, help you all to be tolerant with each other,
following the example of Christ Jesus,
15:6 so that united in mind
and voice you may give glory to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
An appeal for unity
15:7 It
can only be to God's glory, then, for you to treat each other in the same
friendly way as Christ treated you.
15:8 The
reason Christ became the servant of circumcised Jews was not only so that God
could faithfully carry out the promises made to the patriarchs,
15:9 it was also to get the
pagans to give glory to God for his mercy, as scripture says in one place: For
this I shall praise you among the pagans and sing to your name.[*b]
15:10 And in another place:
Rejoice, pagans, with his people,[*c]
15:11 and in a third place:
Let all the pagans praise the Lord, let all the peoples sing his praises.[*d]
15:12 Isaiah too has this to
say: The root of Jesse will appear, rising up to rule the pagans and in him the
pagans will put their hope.[*e]
15:13 May the God of hope
bring you such joy and peace in your faith that the power of the Holy Spirit
will remove all bounds to hope.
EPILOGUE
Paul's ministry
15:14 It
is not because I have any doubts about you, my brothers; on the contrary I am
quite certain that you are full of good intentions, perfectly well instructed
and able to advise each other.
15:15 The
reason why I have written to you, and put some things rather strongly, is to
refresh your memories, since God has given me this special position.
15:16 He has appointed me as a
priest of Jesus Christ, and I am to carry out my priestly duty by bringing the
Good News from God to the pagans, and so make them acceptable as an offering,
made holy by the Holy Spirit.
15:17 I think I have some
reason to be proud of what I, in union with Christ Jesus, have been able to do
for God.
15:18 What
I am presuming to speak of, of course, is only what Christ himself has done to
win the allegiance of the pagans, using what I have said and done
15:19 by the power of signs
and wonders, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thus all the way along, from
Jerusalem to Illyricum,[*f] I have preached Christ's
Good News to the utmost of my capacity.
15:20 I have always, however,
made it an unbroken rule never to preach where Christ's name has already been
heard. The reason for that was that I had no wish to build on other men's
foundations;
15:21 on the contrary, my
chief concern has been to fulfil the text: Those who
have never been told about him will see him, and those who have never heard
about him will understand.[*g]
Paul's plans
15:22 That
is the reason why I have been kept from visiting you so long,
15:23 though for many years I
have been longing to pay you a visit. Now, however, having no more work to do
here,
15:24 I hope to see you on my
way to Spain and, after enjoying a little of your company, to complete the rest
of the journey with your good wishes.
15:25 First, however, I must
take a present of money to the saints in Jerusalem,
15:26 since Macedonia and
Achaia have decided to send a generous contribution to the poor among the
saints at Jerusalem.
15:27 A
generous contribution as it should be, since it is really repaying a debt: the
pagans who share the spiritual possessions of these poor people have a duty to
help them with temporal possessions.
15:28 So
when I have done this and officially handed over what has been raised, I shall
set out for Spain and visit you on the way.
15:29 I know that when I reach
you I shall arrive with rich blessings from Christ.
15:30 But I beg you, brothers,
by our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of the Spirit, to help me through my
dangers by praying to God for me.
15:31 Pray that I may escape the
unbelievers in Judaea, and that the aid I carry to Jerusalem may be accepted by
the saints.
15:32 Then, if God wills, I
shall be feeling very happy when I come to enjoy a period of rest among you.
15:33 May the God of peace be
with you all! Amen.
JB ROMANS Chapter 16
Greetings and good
wishes
16:1 I commend to you our
sister Phoebe,[*a] a deaconess of the church at Cenchreae.
16:2 Give her, in union with
the Lord, a welcome worthy of saints, and help her with anything she needs: she
has looked after a great many people, myself included.
16:3 My
greetings to Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in
Christ Jesus,
16:4 who risked death to save
my life:[*b] I am not the only one to owe them a debt
of gratitude, all the churches among the pagans do as well.
16:5 My
greetings also to the church that meets at their house.
16:6 Greetings to my friend Epaenetus, the first of Asia's gifts to Christ; greetings
to Mary who worked so hard for you;
16:7 to those outstanding
apostles Andronicus and Junias, my compatriots and
fellow prisoners who became Christians before me;
16:8 to Ampliatus,
my friend in the Lord;
16:9 to Urban, my fellow
worker in Christ; to my friend Stachys;
16:10 to Apelles who has gone
through so much for Christ; to everyone who belongs to the household of Aristobulus;
16:11 to my compatriot Herodion; to those in the household of Narcissus who belong
to the Lord;
16:12 to Tryphaena
and Tryphosa, who work hard for the Lord; to my
friend Persis who has done so much for the Lord;
16:13 to Rufus, a chosen
servant of the Lord, and to his mother who has been a mother to me too.
16:14 Greetings to Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and all the
brothers who are with them;
16:15 to Philologus
and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas and all the saints who are with them.
16:16 Greet
each other with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send greetings.
A warning and first
postscript
16:17 I implore you, brothers,
be on your guard against anybody who encourages trouble or puts difficulties in
the way of the doctrine you have been taught. Avoid them.
16:18 People like that are not
slaves of Jesus Christ; they are slaves of their own appetites, confusing the
simple-minded with their pious and persuasive arguments.
16:19 Your
fidelity to Christ, anyway, is famous everywhere, and that makes me very happy
about you. I only hope that you are also wise in what is good, and innocent of
what is bad.
16:20 The God of peace will
soon crush Satan beneath your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
Last greetings and
second postscript
16:21 Timothy, who is working
with me, sends his greetings; so do my compatriots, Jason and Sosipater.
16:22 I, Tertius,
who wrote out this letter, greet you in the Lord.
16:23 Greetings
from Gaius, who is entertaining me and from the whole church that meets in his
house. Erastus, the city treasurer, sends his greetings; so does our brother Quartus.
Doxology
16:25 Glory to him who is able
to give you the strength to live according to the Good News I preach, and in
which I proclaim Jesus Christ, the revelation of a mystery kept secret for
endless ages,
16:26 but now so clear that it
must be broadcast to pagans everywhere to bring them to the obedience of faith.
This is only what scripture has predicted, and it is all part of the way the
eternal God wants things to be.
16:27 He alone is wisdom; give
glory therefore to him through Jesus Christ for ever and ever. Amen.
END OF JB
ROMANS [16 Chapters].