Romans 1

Greeting

1 Listen, it is Paul here, God’s servant and Christ’s chosen rep. I am out here spreading God’s Good News.

2 This is not new stuff; God been talking about this through His OGs, the prophets, back in the day.

3 This Good News is all about His Son, Jesus, who came down, related to King David and all that.

4 But check it, through His resurrection, God showed He is not just some regular dude. He is the real deal, Son of God with crazy power, straight up!

5 Through Jesus, I got this mission to pull people from all walks to follow Him, all for His name’s rep.

6 And guess what, You all in Rome are part of that crew too.

7 To everyone in Rome who is part of God’s fam, you all loved and picked by Him. Grace and peace, fam, straight from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.

8 First off, let me give props to God for all of you through Jesus, because your faith is blowing up worldwide.

9 God knows I stay praying for you all every time I get down, because I am out here hustling for this Good News ‘round the clock.

10 And I am always asking if He would let me come kick it with you all, because that is on my heart heavy.

11 I am tryna come bless you all with some spiritual gifts so you all can be even stronger out here.

12 But it is not just me blessing you all, I am tryna get some encouragement too, so we can lift each other up in faith.

13 I do not want you all thinking I am not trying, but so far, I have been held up. I want to come through and get some people saved in Rome, just like in all the other spots I hit.

14 I got a duty, man, whether they are educated or not, whether they are street or not, I owe it to them to bring the truth.

15 So, yeah, I am hyped to come to Rome and preach this Good News to you all.

The Power of the Gospel

16 See, I am not ashamed of this gospel, because it is God’s power to save anyone who believes, first to the Jews, then to everybody else too.

17 Through it, God shows His righteousness, and it is all about faith from start to finish. Like it says, “The ones who live by faith are the real ones.”

God’s Wrath Against Sin

18 But check it, God’s anger is also out here against all the people who are tryna play Him by living wicked and holding back the truth.

19 Everybody deep down knows what is real about God, because He made it clear to them.

20 Since day one, God’s invisible qualities, His power and divine nature, been obvious. You just must look at the world He made. So no one has got excuses.

21 They knew God, but they did not give Him props or thanks. Instead, they started thinking dumb stuff, and their hearts got straight dark.

22 They thought they were smart, but they were playing themselves, acting all foolish.

23 They traded God’s glory for wack idols that look like humans, birds, animals, or reptiles.

24 So, God let them wild out, doing what they wanted, and that led them straight to dirtiness, with their bodies being disrespected.

25 They swapped God’s truth for lies and started worshipping created stuff instead of the Creator, who has blessed forever. Real talk!

26 That is why God let them run off with their lusts. Women started going against the natural order, messing with each other.

27 Same with the dudes, leaving women behind, they burned with lust for each other. They did things that brought shame and paid the price for their own bad choices.

28 And since they did not want to rock with God’s knowledge, God let them fall into messed up minds, doing whatever nasty stuff they wanted.

29 They got filled with all kinds of grime, evil, jealousy, hatred, and greed. They were liars, haters, backstabbers, and violent troublemakers.

30 They were straight-up snakes, talking trash about others, hating on God, and being full of pride. Always thinking up new ways to do dirt, they do not even respect their parents.

31 No sense of honor, no loyalty, cold-hearted, and no forgiveness in them.

32 They know God’s rules and know the penalty’s death, but they still do this stuff. And on top of that, they give props to others who do the same dirt.