Outline
VIII. Conclusion (15:14-33)
- Commendation, Greetings and Doxology (ch. 16)
Romans 12
1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I
plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you.
Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This
is truly the way to worship him.
2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of
this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you
think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and
pleasing and perfect.
3 Because of the privilege and authority
God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better
than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring
yourselves by the faith God has given us.
4 Just as our bodies have many parts and
each part has a special function,
5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many
parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.
6 In his grace, God has given us different
gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to
prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you.
7 If your gift is serving others, serve
them well. If you are a teacher, teach well.
8 If your gift is to encourage others, be
encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership
ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing
kindness to others, do it gladly.
9 Don’t just pretend to love others.
Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.
10 Love each other with genuine affection,
and take delight in honoring each other.
11Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the
Lord enthusiastically.
12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be
patient in trouble, and keep on praying.
13 When God’s people are in need, be ready
to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t
curse them; pray that God will bless them.
15 Be happy with those who are happy, and
weep with those who weep.
16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t
be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know
it all!
17Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things
in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable.
18 Do all that you can to live in peace
with everyone.
19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave
that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take
revenge; I will pay them back,” says the LORD .
20 Instead, “If your enemies are hungry,
feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this,
you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.”
21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer
evil by doing good.
Romans 13
1 Everyone must submit to governing
authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of
authority have been placed there by God.
2 So anyone who rebels against authority
is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished.
3 For the authorities do not strike fear
in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like
to live without fear of the authorities? Do what is right, and they will honor
you.
4 The authorities are God’s servants, sent
for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for
they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very
purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong.
5 So you must submit to them, not only to
avoid punishment, but also to keep a clear conscience.
6 Pay your taxes, too, for these same
reasons. For government workers need to be paid. They are serving God in what
they do.
7 Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay
your taxes and government fees to those who collect them, and give respect and
honor to those who are in authority.
8 Owe nothing to anyone—except for your
obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the
requirements of God’s law.
9 For the commandments say, “You must not
commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.”
These—and other such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: “Love
your neighbor as yourself.”
10 Love does no wrong to others, so love
fulfills the requirements of God’s law.
11 This is all the more urgent, for you
know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer
now than when we first believed.
12 The night is almost gone; the day of
salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and
put on the shining armor of right living.
13 Because we belong to the day, we must
live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild
parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in
quarreling and jealousy.
14 Instead, clothe yourself with the
presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to
indulge your evil desires.
Romans 14
1 Accept other believers who are weak in
faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong.
2 For instance, one person believes it’s
all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience
will eat only vegetables.
3 Those who feel free to eat anything must
not look down on those who don’t. And those who don’t eat certain foods must
not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them.
4 Who are you to condemn someone else’s
servants? Their own master will judge whether they stand or fall. And with the
Lord’s help, they will stand and receive his approval.
5 In the same way, some think one day is
more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should
each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable.
6 Those who worship the Lord on a special
day do it to honor him. Those who eat any kind of food do so to honor the Lord,
since they give thanks to God before eating. And those who refuse to eat
certain foods also want to please the Lord and give thanks to God.
7 For we don’t live for ourselves or die
for ourselves.
8 If we live, it’s to honor the Lord. And
if we die, it’s to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the
Lord.
9 Christ died and rose again for this very
purpose—to be Lord both of the living and of the dead.
10 So why do you condemn another believer ?
Why do you look down on another believer? Remember, we will all stand before
the judgment seat of God.
11 For the Scriptures say, “‘As surely as I
live,’ says the LORD, ‘every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will
declare allegiance to God. ’”
12 Yes, each of us will give a personal
account to God.
13 So let’s stop condemning each other.
Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer
to stumble and fall.
14 I know and am convinced on the authority
of the Lord Jesus that no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat. But if
someone believes it is wrong, then for that person it is wrong.
15 And if another believer is distressed by
what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it. Don’t let your eating
ruin someone for whom Christ died.
16 Then you will not be criticized for
doing something you believe is good.
17 For the Kingdom of God is not a matter
of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in
the Holy Spirit.
18 If you serve Christ with this attitude,
you will please God, and others will approve of you, too.
19 So then, let us aim for harmony in the
church and try to build each other up.
20 Don’t tear apart the work of God over
what you eat. Remember, all foods are acceptable, but it is wrong to eat
something if it makes another person stumble.
21 It is better not to eat meat or drink
wine or do anything else if it might cause another believer to stumble.
22 You may believe there’s nothing wrong
with what you are doing, but keep it between yourself and God. Blessed are
those who don’t feel guilty for doing something they have decided is
right.
23 But if you have doubts about whether or
not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it. For
you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not
right, you are sinning.
Romans 15
1 We who are strong must be considerate of
those who are sensitive about things like this. We must not just please
ourselves.
2 We should help others do what is right
and build them up in the Lord.
3 For even Christ didn’t live to please
himself. As the Scriptures say, “The insults of those who insult you,
O God, have fallen on me.”
4 Such things were written in the
Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and
encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.
5 May God, who gives this patience and
encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting
for followers of Christ Jesus.
6 Then all of you can join together with
one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
7 Therefore, accept each other just as
Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory.
8 Remember that Christ came as a servant
to the Jews to show that God is true to the promises he made to their
ancestors.
9 He also came so that the Gentiles might
give glory to God for his mercies to them. That is what the psalmist meant when
he wrote: “For this, I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing praises
to your name.”
10 And in another place it is written,
“Rejoice with his people, you Gentiles.”
11 And yet again, “Praise the LORD, all you
Gentiles. Praise him, all you people of the earth.”
12 And in another place Isaiah said, “The
heir to David’s throne will come, and he will rule over the Gentiles. They will
place their hope on him.”
13 I pray that God, the source of hope,
will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you
will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
14 I am fully convinced, my dear brothers
and sisters, that you are full of goodness. You know these things so well you
can teach each other all about them.
15 Even so, I have been bold enough to
write about some of these points, knowing that all you need is this reminder.
For by God’s grace,
16 I am a special messenger from Christ
Jesus to you Gentiles. I bring you the Good News so that I might present you as
an acceptable offering to God, made holy by the Holy Spirit.
17 So I have reason to be enthusiastic
about all Christ Jesus has done through me in my service to God.
18 Yet I dare not boast about anything
except what Christ has done through me, bringing the Gentiles to God by my
message and by the way I worked among them.
19 They were convinced by the power of
miraculous signs and wonders and by the power of God’s Spirit. In this way, I
have fully presented the Good News of Christ from Jerusalem all the way to
Illyricum.
20 My ambition has always been to preach
the Good News where the name of Christ has never been heard, rather than where
a church has already been started by someone else.
21 I have been following the plan spoken of
in the Scriptures, where it says, “Those who have never been told about him
will see, and those who have never heard of him will understand.”
22 In fact, my visit to you has been
delayed so long because I have been preaching in these places.
23 But now I have finished my work in these
regions, and after all these long years of waiting, I am eager to visit
you.
24 I am planning to go to Spain, and when I
do, I will stop off in Rome. And after I have enjoyed your fellowship for a
little while, you can provide for my journey.
25 But before I come, I must go to
Jerusalem to take a gift to the believers there.
26 For you see, the believers in Macedonia
and Achaia have eagerly taken up an offering for the poor among the believers
in Jerusalem.
27 They were glad to do this because they
feel they owe a real debt to them. Since the Gentiles received the spiritual
blessings of the Good News from the believers in Jerusalem, they feel the least
they can do in return is to help them financially.
28 As soon as I have delivered this money
and completed this good deed of theirs, I will come to see you on my way to
Spain.
29 And I am sure that when I come, Christ
will richly bless our time together.
30 Dear brothers and sisters, I urge you in
the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to join in my struggle by praying to God for
me. Do this because of your love for me, given to you by the Holy Spirit.
31 Pray that I will be rescued from those
in Judea who refuse to obey God. Pray also that the believers there will be
willing to accept the donation I am taking to Jerusalem.
32 Then, by the will of God, I will be able
to come to you with a joyful heart, and we will be an encouragement to each
other.
33 And now may God, who gives us his peace,
be with you all. Amen.
Romans 16
1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who
is a deacon in the church in Cenchrea.
2 Welcome her in the Lord as one who is
worthy of honor among God’s people. Help her in whatever she needs, for she has
been helpful to many, and especially to me.
3 Give my greetings to Priscilla and
Aquila, my co-workers in the ministry of Christ Jesus.
4 In fact, they once risked their lives
for me. I am thankful to them, and so are all the Gentile churches.
5Also give my greetings to the church that
meets in their home. Greet my dear friend Epenetus. He was the first person
from the province of Asia to become a follower of Christ.
6 Give my greetings to Mary, who has
worked so hard for your benefit.
7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow
Jews, who were in prison with me. They are highly respected among the apostles
and became followers of Christ before I did.
8 Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the
Lord.
9 Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ,
and my dear friend Stachys.
10Greet Apelles, a good man whom Christ
approves. And give my greetings to the believers from the household of
Aristobulus.
11 Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew. Greet the
Lord’s people from the household of Narcissus.
12 Give my greetings to Tryphena and
Tryphosa, the Lord’s workers, and to dear Persis, who has worked so hard for
the Lord.
13 Greet Rufus, whom the Lord picked out to
be his very own; and also his dear mother, who has been a mother to me.
14 Give my greetings to Asyncritus,
Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters who meet with
them.
15 Give my greetings to Philologus, Julia,
Nereus and his sister, and to Olympas and all the believers who meet with
them.
16 Greet each other with a sacred kiss. All
the churches of Christ send you their greetings.
17 And now I make one more appeal, my dear
brothers and sisters. Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s
faith by teaching things contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from
them.
18 Such people are not serving Christ our
Lord; they are serving their own personal interests. By smooth talk and glowing
words they deceive innocent people.
19 But everyone knows that you are obedient
to the Lord. This makes me very happy. I want you to be wise in doing right and
to stay innocent of any wrong.
20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan
under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
21 Timothy, my fellow worker, sends you his
greetings, as do Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my fellow Jews.
22 I, Tertius, the one writing this letter
for Paul, send my greetings, too, as one of the Lord’s followers.
23Gaius says hello to you. He is my host and
also serves as host to the whole church. Erastus, the city treasurer, sends you
his greetings, and so does our brother Quartus.
24
25 Now all glory to God, who is able to
make you strong, just as my Good News says. This message about Jesus Christ has
revealed his plan for you Gentiles, a plan kept secret from the beginning of
time.
26 But now as the prophets foretold and as
the eternal God has commanded, this message is made known to all Gentiles
everywhere, so that they too might believe and obey him.
27 All glory to the only wise God, through
Jesus Christ, forever. Amen.
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