The Righteous Shall Live by Faith

¹⁶ For ^(A)I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is ^(B)the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew ^(C)first and also to ^(D)the Greek. ¹⁷ For in it ^(E)the righteousness of God is revealed ^(F)from faith for faith,^{[a] (G)}as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”^[b]

God's Wrath on Unrighteousness

¹⁸ For ^(H)the wrath of God ^(I)is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. ¹⁹ For what can be ^(J)known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. ²⁰ For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, ^(K)have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,^[c] in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. ²¹ For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they ^(L)became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. ^22 (M)Claiming to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and ^(N)exchanged the glory of ^(O)the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

²⁴ Therefore ^(P)God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to ^(Q)the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, ²⁵ because they exchanged the truth about God for ^(R)a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, ^(S)who is blessed forever! Amen.

²⁶ For this reason ^(T)God gave them up to ^(U)dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; ²⁷ and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, ^(V)men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

²⁸ And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, ^(W)God gave them up to ^(X)a debased mind to do ^(Y)what ought not to be done. ²⁹ They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, ³⁰ slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, ³¹ foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. ³² Though they know ^(Z)God's righteous decree that those who practice such things ^(AA)deserve to die, they not only do them but ^(AB)give approval to those who practice them.

A Living Sacrifice

12 ^(A)I appeal to you therefore, brothers,^[a] by the mercies of God, ^(B)to present your bodies ^(C)as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.^{[b] 2 (D)}Do not be conformed to this world,^[c] but be transformed by ^(E)the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may ^(F)discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.^[d]