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

For ever since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through His workmanship [all His creation, the wonderful things that He has made], so that they [who fail to believe and trust in Him] are without excuse and without defense.

And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper,

they do not have any sense; they do not keep their promises; they fail to show natural affection; and they are merciless.

They know God's decree that those who act in this way deserve to die, yet they not only do it, but applaud any who do.

So, whoever you are, you people do not have any excuse for judging people [Note: At this point Paul begins addressing the Jews. See verse 17]. For in a matter where you judge someone else [to be wrong] you [actually] condemn yourselves, because you are practicing the same things [you condemn them for doing].

But, if, the truth of God, by my falsehood, hath the more abounded unto his glory, why, any longer, am, even I, as a sinner, to be judged?

What then? Are we any better? Not at all! For we have previously charged that both Jews and Gentiles are all under sin,

They have all gone out of the way, there is no profit in any of them; there is not one who does good, not so much as one:

Therefore, God will not justify any human being by means of the actions prescribed by the Law, for through the Law comes the full knowledge of sin.

But now a righteousness coming from God has been brought to light apart from any Law, both Law and Prophets bearing witness to it--

Where then is the [basis for] boasting [i.e., over being right with God]? There is not any. Is it by [obedience to] a law? Is it by doing certain deeds? Not at all, but by a law of faith.

So David himself says of the happiness of those to whom God credits uprightness without any reference to their actions,

for the Law produces wrath. Now where there is no Law, neither can there be any violation of it.

for scarcely for a righteous man will any one die, for for the good man perhaps some one also doth dare to die;

Nor is there any comparison between the gift and the effects of that one man's sin. That sentence arose from the act of one man, and was for condemnation; but God's gift arose out of many offenses and results in acquittal.

God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

We know that our old self was [figuratively] crucified with Christ, in order that the body of sin [i.e., our whole life of sin] might be destroyed [i.e., become powerless to control our actions and thoughts], so that we should not be enslaved to the practice of sin any longer.

We know that Christ was raised from the dead, never to die again, because death does not have control over Him any longer.

Death has no longer any power over Him. For by the death which He died He became, once for all, dead in relation to sin; but by the life which He now lives He is alive in relation to God.

And do not offer any parts of it to sin as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God, and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness.

For sin will no longer be a master over you, since you are not under Law [as slaves], but under [unmerited] grace [as recipients of God’s favor and mercy].

Do you not know that if you surrender yourselves as bondservants to obey any one, you become the bondservants of him whom you obey, whether the bondservants of Sin (with death as the result)

What, then, shall we say? Is the law sin? It can not be. Indeed, I had not known sin, except through law. For I had not known evil desire, unless the law had said: You shall not have any evil desire.

At one time I was alive without any connection to the Law. But when the rule was revealed, sin sprang to life,

So the Law at any rate is holy, the command is holy, just, and for our good.

For I know that there dwelleth not in me, that is, in my flesh, any good thing; for to desire is present with me, but not to perform that which is good.

So there is no condemnation any more for those who are in union with Christ Jesus.

But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

For we have been saved in hope; but hope seen is not hope; for what any one sees, why does he also hope?

Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.

No, [suffering any one of these things is not proof that Christ does not love us], for in spite of all these things we have a decisive victory [over life's difficulties] through [the care shown us by] Christ who loved us.

For I am persuaded that neither Death, nor Life, nor Angels, nor Archangels, nor the Present, nor the Future, nor any Powers,

Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

And not only this, but Rebecca also being with child by one, by our father Isaac??11 for the children not yet being born, nor having done any thing good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might continue, not of works but of him that calls,??12 it was said to her that the older shall serve the younger;

(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)

What shall we say then? Is there any unrighteousness with God? God forbid.

For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on any man that I choose to have mercy on, and take pity on any man that I choose to take pity on."

So He has mercy on any man that He chooses to, and He hardens any man that He chooses to harden.

Perhaps you will say to me-'How can any one still be blamed? For who withstands his purpose?'

As the passage of Scripture says--'No one who believes in him shall have any cause for shame.'

If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them.

who hath given any thing to him, and he will repay it?

Seeing that we have divers gifts according to the grace that is given unto us: if any man have the gift of prophecy, let him have it that it be agreeing unto the faith;

or, if we have a ministry, let us be active in our ministry; if any one teaches, let him attend to his teaching;

Let him that teacheth take heed to his doctrine; Let him that exhorteth give attendance to his exhortation; If any man give, let him do it with singleness; Let him that ruleth do it with diligence; If any man show mercy let him do it with cheerfulness.

Do not give evil for evil to any man. Let all your business be well ordered in the eyes of all men.

rulers are not a terror to virtue, but to vice. would you then live without any dread of the civil power? do what is right, and you shall have his commendation.

Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Love avoids doing any wrong to one's fellow man, and is therefore complete obedience to Law.

But clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ and do not make any plans for satisfying the strong desires of your flesh [i.e., your appetites for sinful pleasures].

A weak convert receive as a friend without regard to any difference of opinion.

While one man has enough confidence to eat any food, the man of weak faith only eats vegetables.

The person who eats any kind of food must not ridicule the person who does not eat them, and the person who does not eat certain foods must not criticize the person who eats them, for God has accepted him.

For none of us liveth his own servant: and also neither doth any of us die his own servant.

Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.

I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.

If your brother is continually pained because of your food, you are not conducting yourself any longer in love. Do not, by what you eat, persist in destroying a man for whom Christ died.

It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.

keep the persuasion you have, to your own conscience. blessed is he that approves himself to God, without making any difference about meats:

But if anyone has doubts about eating and then eats, that condemns him at once; it was not faith that induced him to eat, and any action that is not based on faith is a sin.

For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed,

but now, having no more any place in these regions, and having these many years a longing to come unto you,

that you may receive her as a fellow Christian in a manner worthy of God's people, and may assist her in any matter in which she may need help. For she has indeed been a kind friend to many, including myself.