Romans 1:1-17

New Life Version

1 This letter is from Paul. I am a servant owned by Jesus Christ and a missionary chosen by God to preach His Good News. ² The Good News was promised long ago by God’s early preachers in His Holy Writings. ³ It tells of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, Who was born as a person in the flesh through the family of King David. ⁴ The Holy Spirit proved by a powerful act that Jesus our Lord is the Son of God because He was raised from the dead. ⁵ Jesus has given us His loving-favor and has made us His missionaries. We are to preach to the people of all nations that they should obey Him and put their trust in Him. ⁶ You have been chosen to belong to Jesus Christ also. ⁷ So I write to all of you in the city of Rome. God loves you and has chosen you to be set apart for Himself. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you His loving-favor and peace.

⁸ First of all, I keep thanking my God, through Jesus Christ, for all of you. This is because the whole world knows of your faith in Christ. ⁹ God knows how I work for Him. He knows how I preach with all my heart the Good News about His Son. He knows how I always pray for you. ¹⁰ I pray that I might be able to visit you, if God wants me to. ¹¹ I want to see you so I can share some special gift of the Holy Spirit with you. It will make you strong. ¹² Both of us need help. I can help make your faith strong and you can do the same for me. We need each other.

¹³ Christian brothers, many times I have wanted to visit you. Something has kept me from going until now. I have wanted to lead some of you to Christ also, as I have done in other places where they did not know God. ¹⁴ I must help the people who have had a chance to hear the Good News and those who have not. I must help those with much learning and those who have never learned from books. ¹⁵ So I want to preach the Good News to you who live in Rome also.

¹⁶ I am not ashamed of the Good News. It is the power of God. It is the way He saves men from the punishment of their sins if they put their trust in Him. It is for the Jew first and for all other people also. ¹⁷ The Good News tells us we are made right with God by faith in Him. Then, by faith we live that new life through Him. The Holy Writings say, “A man right with God lives by faith.” ^(A)