Romans 1
The chapter in full, then the passages inside it that are worth stopping on — what each one claims, what the Greek or Hebrew shows, and how the reading is arrived at.
Romans 1 WEB
- 1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the Good News of God,
- 2 which he promised before through his prophets in the holy Scriptures,
- 3 concerning his Son, who was born of the offspring of David according to the flesh,
- 4 who was declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,
- 5 through whom we received grace and apostleship for obedience of faith among all the nations for his name's sake;
- 6 among whom you are also called to belong to Jesus Christ;
- 7 to all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
- 8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, that your faith is proclaimed throughout the whole world.
- 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the Good News of his Son, how unceasingly I make mention of you always in my prayers,
- 10 requesting, if by any means now at last I may be prospered by the will of God to come to you.
- 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, to the end that you may be established;
- 12 that is, that I with you may be encouraged in you, each of us by the other's faith, both yours and mine.
- 13 Now I don't desire to have you unaware, brothers, that I often planned to come to you (and was hindered so far), that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles.
- 14 I am debtor both to Greeks and to foreigners, both to the wise and to the foolish.
- 15 So as much as is in me, I am eager to preach the Good News to you also who are in Rome.
- 16 For I am not ashamed of the Good News of Christ, because it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first, and also for the Greek.
- 17 For in it is revealed God's righteousness from faith to faith. As it is written, "But the righteous shall live by faith."
- 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
- 19 because that which is known of God is revealed in them, for God revealed it to them.
- 20 For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity, that they may be without excuse.
- 21 Because knowing God, they didn't glorify him as God, and didn't give thanks, but became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless heart was darkened.
- 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
- 23 and traded the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, four-footed animals, and creeping things.
- 24 Therefore God also gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to uncleanness, that their bodies should be dishonored among themselves;
- 25 who exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
- 26 For this reason, God gave them up to vile passions. For their women changed the natural function into that which is against nature.
- 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural function of the woman, burned in their lust toward one another, men doing what is inappropriate with men, and receiving in themselves the due penalty of their error.
- 28 Even as they refused to have God in their knowledge, God gave them up to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting;
- 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, malice; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil habits, secret slanderers,
- 30 backbiters, hateful to God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
- 31 without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, unforgiving, unmerciful;
- 32 who, knowing the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but also approve of those who practice them.
Romans opens Paul's longest and most systematic letter, written probably from Corinth around AD 57 to a church he did not found, in the capital of the empire he had not yet visited. There is no local controversy to referee here, as in Corinth or Galatia; instead the chapter lays foundations — who Paul is, what the gospel is, and why it is needed — before the letter's central argument about righteousness, law, and faith gets underway.
1:1 A servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle
Paul's opening word about himself is δοῦλος, "slave" (Romans 1:1). English translations often soften this to "servant," but the term is deliberately stark — it is the word for a person owned by another, not an employee. Paul places that self-description before "apostle," his title of office. The self-designation matters because everything that follows in the letter — grace, calling, gospel — comes from someone who has surrendered the right to define his own terms. He is also "set apart" (ἀφωρισμένος) for the gospel, language that recalls a prophet or priest marked out for a task before he does anything to earn it — a theme Paul develops explicitly of his Gentile mission elsewhere (Acts 9:15, Romans 15:16).
1:3-4 Concerning his Son... declared to be the Son of God
These two verses compress what later creeds spend paragraphs unpacking. Christ is described two ways: "born of the offspring of David according to the flesh" (Romans 1:3) and "declared to be the Son of God with power... by the resurrection from the dead" (Romans 1:4). The Greek verb behind "declared" is ὁρίζω — the root of English "horizon," meaning to mark out a boundary, to fix or determine. The question this word raises is whether Paul means Christ was made Son of God at the resurrection (an adoptionist reading some have proposed) or shown, publicly marked out to be what he already was. The grammar and the letter's own later argument both favor the second: Paul has just called him "his Son" in verse 3, prior to any mention of the resurrection, so sonship is not created by the resurrection but vindicated, put on public display by it. The resurrection is the Father's verdict on who Jesus already was — David's heir by flesh, God's Son by power. Irenaeus, in Against Heresies, frames the stakes of such claims about God taking on human life this way: "The glory of God is a living man; and the life of man consists in beholding God" — the sort of claim this chapter's compressed christology is building toward.
1:16-17 Not ashamed of the Good News... the righteous shall live by faith
This is the thesis of the entire letter. "I am not ashamed of the Good News of Christ, because it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes" (Romans 1:16), and then, "in it is revealed God's righteousness from faith to faith. As it is written, 'But the righteous shall live by faith'" (Romans 1:17). Two words carry the weight of the rest of Romans. δικαιοσύνη, "righteousness," is not merely an attribute of God's character in this verse but something "revealed" — an event, an action, God's own righteousness being disclosed and given, not just displayed. And ἐκ πίστεως εἰς πίστιν, "from faith to faith," has been read multiple ways across the tradition: from the faithfulness of God to the faith of man; from a beginning faith to a maturing one; or simply an emphatic Hebraic repetition meaning "entirely by faith, faith all the way through." What is not in dispute, whatever the precise sense of the phrase, is that righteousness before God is obtained by faith rather than achieved by performance — the verse Paul quotes, from the prophets, is doing structural work for the whole letter, not decorative work.
1:18-25 The wrath of God... they exchanged the truth of God for a lie
Having stated the gospel's terms, Paul turns to explain why they are needed. "The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness" (Romans 1:18). The argument that follows is not that people never knew God, but that they did know and refused to honor what they knew: "that which is known of God is revealed in them... his everlasting power and divinity, that they may be without excuse" (Romans 1:19-20). This is Paul's claim about general revelation — that creation itself communicates enough of God's reality that rejecting him is not ignorance but suppression. The sequence that follows is deliberately mirrored: humanity exchanged God's glory for images of creatures (1:23), exchanged the truth of God for a lie (1:25), and — as the chapter goes on to specify — exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones (1:26-27). The refrain "God gave them up" (παρέδωκεν, three times: 1:24, 26, 28) does not describe God inventing new punishments; it describes God releasing people to the trajectory of what they already chose, letting disordered worship produce disordered life. The list that closes the chapter (1:29-31) is not a ranking of especially wicked people somewhere else; it is presented as the generic shape of humanity in revolt, which is precisely the premise Romans 2:1 turns immediately against the reader: "Therefore you are without excuse, O man, whoever you are who judge... you who judge practice the same things" (Romans 2:1). The catalogue in chapter 1 is not written so a reader can locate someone else in it and feel superior; the very next verses make sure no reader can do that.
What the chapter asks
Romans 1 asks whether the reader will receive the gospel as Paul frames it — a message about a real Son of God, vindicated by resurrection, that reveals a righteousness given by faith rather than earned by achievement — or whether the reader stands, like the humanity described in the chapter's second half, suppressing what is plainly known and exchanging truth for something more manageable. The chapter gives no room for a middle position of neutral curiosity: it names wrath as already revealed, not merely threatened, and names faith as the sole means Paul is prepared to call righteousness. Whether that verdict is welcome or not, the chapter states it as fact, not as one live option among several.
The verses this turns on
Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the Good News of God,discussed above
Greek Nestle 1904
Παῦλος δοῦλος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ, κλητὸς ἀπόστολος ἀφωρισμένος εἰς εὐαγγέλιον Θεοῦ,
- Παῦλος Παῦλος noun · nominative singular masculine G3972
- δοῦλος δοῦλος (II) noun · nominative singular masculine G1401
- Χριστοῦ Χριστός noun · genitive singular masculine G5547
- Ἰησοῦ, Ἰησοῦς noun · genitive singular masculine G2424
- κλητὸς κλητός adjective · nominative singular masculine G2822
- ἀπόστολος ἀπόστολος noun · nominative singular masculine G652
- ἀφωρισμένος ἀφορίζω verb · perfect passive participle, nominative singular masculine G873
- εἰς εἰς preposition G1519
- εὐαγγέλιον εὐαγγέλιον noun · accusative singular neuter G2098
- Θεοῦ, θεός noun · genitive singular masculine G2316
Punctuation is editorial — the manuscripts carry none.
See also 5
- Acts 9:15 But the Lord said to him, "Go your way, for he is my chosen vessel to bear my name before the nations and kings, and the children of Israel.
- Romans 15:16 that I should be a servant of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, serving as a priest of the Good News of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be made acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
- 1 Corinthians 1:1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,
- Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I sanctified you. I have appointed you a prophet to the nations."
- Colossians 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
concerning his Son, who was born of the offspring of David according to the flesh,discussed above
Greek Nestle 1904
περὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ τοῦ γενομένου ἐκ σπέρματος Δαυεὶδ κατὰ σάρκα,
- περὶ περί preposition G4012
- τοῦ ὁ article · genitive singular masculine G3588
- Υἱοῦ υἱός noun · genitive singular masculine G5207
- αὐτοῦ αὐτός personal pronoun · genitive singular masculine G846
- τοῦ ὁ article · genitive singular masculine G3588
- γενομένου γίνομαι verb · aorist middle deponent participle, genitive singular masculine G1096
- ἐκ ἐκ preposition G1537
- σπέρματος σπέρμα noun · genitive singular neuter G4690
- Δαυεὶδ Δαυίδ proper noun (indeclinable) G1138
- κατὰ κατά preposition G2596
- σάρκα, σάρξ noun · accusative singular feminine G4561
Punctuation is editorial — the manuscripts carry none.
See also 5
- Galatians 4:4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent out his Son, born to a woman, born under the law,
- Matthew 1:1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
- Jeremiah 23:5 "Behold, the days come," says Yahweh, "that I will raise to David a righteous Branch; and he will reign as king and deal wisely, and will execute justice and righteousness in the land.
- John 1:14 The Word became flesh and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the only born Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.
- Luke 1:31 Behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and shall name him 'Jesus.'
who was declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,discussed above
Greek Nestle 1904
τοῦ ὁρισθέντος Υἱοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν δυνάμει κατὰ πνεῦμα ἁγιωσύνης ἐξ ἀναστάσεως νεκρῶν, Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν,
- τοῦ ὁ article · genitive singular masculine G3588
- ὁρισθέντος ὁρίζω verb · aorist passive participle, genitive singular masculine G3724
- Υἱοῦ υἱός noun · genitive singular masculine G5207
- Θεοῦ θεός noun · genitive singular masculine G2316
- ἐν ἐν preposition G1722
- δυνάμει δύναμις noun · dative singular feminine G1411
- κατὰ κατά preposition G2596
- πνεῦμα πνεῦμα noun · accusative singular neuter G4151
- ἁγιωσύνης ἁγιωσύνη noun · genitive singular feminine G42
- ἐξ ἐκ preposition G1537
- ἀναστάσεως ἀνάστασις noun · genitive singular feminine G386
- νεκρῶν, νεκρός adjective · genitive plural masculine G3498
Punctuation is editorial — the manuscripts carry none.
See also 5
- Hebrews 9:14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without defect to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
- Hebrews 5:5 So also Christ didn't glorify himself to be made a high priest, but it was he who said to him, "You are my Son. Today I have become your father."
- Ephesians 1:19 and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to that working of the strength of his might
- 2 Corinthians 13:4 For he was crucified through weakness, yet he lives through the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we will live with him through the power of God toward you.
- Acts 13:33 that God has fulfilled this to us, their children, in that he raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second psalm, 'You are my Son. Today I have become your father.'
For I am not ashamed of the Good News of Christ, because it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first, and also for the Greek.discussed above
Greek Nestle 1904
οὐ γὰρ ἐπαισχύνομαι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον· δύναμις γὰρ Θεοῦ ἐστιν εἰς σωτηρίαν παντὶ τῷ πιστεύοντι, Ἰουδαίῳ τε πρῶτον καὶ Ἕλληνι.
- οὐ οὐ particle · nominative G3756
- γὰρ γάρ conjunction G1063
- ἐπαισχύνομαι ἐπαισχύνομαι verb · present middle or passive deponent indicative, 1st person singular G1870
- τὸ ὁ article · accusative singular neuter G3588
- εὐαγγέλιον· εὐαγγέλιον noun · accusative singular neuter G2098
- δύναμις δύναμις noun · nominative singular feminine G1411
- γὰρ γάρ conjunction G1063
- Θεοῦ θεός noun · genitive singular masculine G2316
- ἐστιν εἰμί verb · present active indicative, 3rd person singular G1510
- εἰς εἰς preposition G1519
- σωτηρίαν σωτηρία noun · accusative singular feminine G4991
- παντὶ πᾶς adjective · dative singular masculine G3956
Punctuation is editorial — the manuscripts carry none.
See also 5
- Mark 8:38 For whoever will be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man also will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."
- 2 Timothy 1:8 Therefore don't be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner; but endure hardship for the Good News according to the power of God,
- 1 Peter 4:16 But if one of you suffers for being a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God in this matter.
- 2 Timothy 1:12 For this cause I also suffer these things. Yet I am not ashamed, for I know him whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to guard that which I have committed to him against that day.
- Psalm 40:9 I have proclaimed glad news of righteousness in the great assembly. Behold, I will not seal my lips, Yahweh, you know.
For in it is revealed God's righteousness from faith to faith. As it is written, "But the righteous shall live by faith."discussed above
Greek Nestle 1904
δικαιοσύνη γὰρ Θεοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ ἀποκαλύπτεται ἐκ πίστεως εἰς πίστιν, καθὼς γέγραπται Ὁ δὲ δίκαιος ἐκ πίστεως ζήσεται.
- δικαιοσύνη δικαιοσύνη noun · nominative singular feminine G1343
- γὰρ γάρ conjunction G1063
- Θεοῦ θεός noun · genitive singular masculine G2316
- ἐν ἐν preposition G1722
- αὐτῷ αὐτός personal pronoun · dative singular neuter G846
- ἀποκαλύπτεται ἀποκαλύπτω verb · present middle or passive indicative, 3rd person singular G601
- ἐκ ἐκ preposition G1537
- πίστεως πίστις noun · genitive singular feminine G4102
- εἰς εἰς preposition G1519
- πίστιν, πίστις noun · accusative singular feminine G4102
- καθὼς καθώς adverb G2531
- γέγραπται γράφω verb · perfect passive indicative, 3rd person singular G1125
Punctuation is editorial — the manuscripts carry none.
See also 5
- Habakkuk 2:4 Behold, his soul is puffed up. It is not upright in him, but the righteous will live by his faith.
- Galatians 3:11 Now that no man is justified by the law before God is evident, for, "The righteous will live by faith."
- Hebrews 10:38 But the righteous one will live by faith. If he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him."
- Philippians 3:9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith,
- Hebrews 11:6 Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him, for he who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him.
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,discussed above
Greek Nestle 1904
Ἀποκαλύπτεται γὰρ ὀργὴ Θεοῦ ἀπ’ οὐρανοῦ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν ἀσέβειαν καὶ ἀδικίαν ἀνθρώπων τῶν τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐν ἀδικίᾳ κατεχόντων,
- Ἀποκαλύπτεται ἀποκαλύπτω verb · present middle or passive indicative, 3rd person singular G601
- γὰρ γάρ conjunction G1063
- ὀργὴ ὀργή noun · nominative singular feminine G3709
- Θεοῦ θεός noun · genitive singular masculine G2316
- ἀπ’ ἀπό preposition G575
- οὐρανοῦ οὐρανός noun · genitive singular masculine G3772
- ἐπὶ ἐπί preposition G1909
- πᾶσαν πᾶς adjective · accusative singular feminine G3956
- ἀσέβειαν ἀσέβεια noun · accusative singular feminine G763
- καὶ καί conjunction G2532
- ἀδικίαν ἀδικία noun · accusative singular feminine G93
- ἀνθρώπων ἄνθρωπος noun · genitive plural masculine G444
Punctuation is editorial — the manuscripts carry none.
See also 5
- Ephesians 5:6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience.
- 1 Timothy 4:1 But the Spirit says expressly that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons,
- Romans 1:32 who, knowing the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but also approve of those who practice them.
- Colossians 3:6 For these things' sake the wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:10 and with all deception of wickedness for those who are being lost, because they didn't receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
because that which is known of God is revealed in them, for God revealed it to them.discussed above
Greek Nestle 1904
διότι τὸ γνωστὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ φανερόν ἐστιν ἐν αὐτοῖς· ὁ Θεὸς γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἐφανέρωσεν.
- διότι διότι conjunction G1360
- τὸ ὁ article · nominative singular neuter G3588
- γνωστὸν γνωστός adjective · nominative singular neuter G1110
- τοῦ ὁ article · genitive singular masculine G3588
- Θεοῦ θεός noun · genitive singular masculine G2316
- φανερόν φανερός adjective · nominative singular neuter G5318
- ἐστιν εἰμί verb · present active indicative, 3rd person singular G1510
- ἐν ἐν preposition G1722
- αὐτοῖς· αὐτός personal pronoun · dative plural masculine G846
- ὁ ὁ article · nominative singular masculine G3588
- Θεὸς θεός noun · nominative singular masculine G2316
- γὰρ γάρ conjunction G1063
Punctuation is editorial — the manuscripts carry none.
See also 5
- Acts 14:16 who in the generations gone by allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways.
- Romans 1:20 For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity, that they may be without excuse.
- Psalm 19:1 For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David. The heavens declare the glory of God. The expanse shows his handiwork.
- Acts 17:23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription: 'TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.' What therefore you worship in ignorance, I announce to you.
- Isaiah 40:26 Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these, who brings out their army by number. He calls them all by name. By the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power, not one is lacking.
and traded the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, four-footed animals, and creeping things.discussed above
Greek Nestle 1904
καὶ ἤλλαξαν τὴν δόξαν τοῦ ἀφθάρτου Θεοῦ ἐν ὁμοιώματι εἰκόνος φθαρτοῦ ἀνθρώπου καὶ πετεινῶν καὶ τετραπόδων καὶ ἑρπετῶν.
- καὶ καί conjunction G2532
- ἤλλαξαν ἀλλάσσω verb · aorist active indicative, 3rd person plural G236
- τὴν ὁ article · accusative singular feminine G3588
- δόξαν δόξα noun · accusative singular feminine G1391
- τοῦ ὁ article · genitive singular masculine G3588
- ἀφθάρτου ἄφθαρτος adjective · genitive singular masculine G862
- Θεοῦ θεός noun · genitive singular masculine G2316
- ἐν ἐν preposition G1722
- ὁμοιώματι ὁμοίωμα noun · dative singular neuter G3667
- εἰκόνος εἰκών noun · genitive singular feminine G1504
- φθαρτοῦ φθαρτός adjective · genitive singular masculine G5349
- ἀνθρώπου ἄνθρωπος noun · genitive singular masculine G444
Punctuation is editorial — the manuscripts carry none.
See also 5
- Psalm 106:20 Thus they exchanged their glory for an image of a bull that eats grass.
- Jeremiah 2:11 Has a nation changed its gods, which really are no gods? But my people have changed their glory for that which doesn't profit.
- Acts 17:29 Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold, or silver, or stone, engraved by art and design of man.
- 1 Peter 4:3 For we have spent enough of our past time doing the desire of the Gentiles, and having walked in lewdness, lusts, drunken binges, orgies, carousings, and abominable idolatries.
- Psalm 115:5 They have mouths, but they don't speak. They have eyes, but they don't see.
From the interpretive tradition
The glory of God is a living man; and the life of man consists in beholding God.
We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.