Forest Deal's edits through Romans

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TomWarren 2018-07-11 15:00:51 -04:00
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\v 16 I very confidently proclaim the good news about what Christ has done, because this good news is the powerful way in which God saves those who trust in what Christ has done for them. Specifically, God first saves the Jews who believe the good news, and then he saves non-Jews.
\v 16 I very confidently proclaim the good news about what Christ has done because this good news is the powerful way in which God saves those who trust in what Christ has done for them. Specifically, God first saves the Jews who believe the good news, and then he saves non-Jews.
\v 17 By means of this good news God reveals how he puts people right with himself. This is like what a prophet wrote long ago in the scriptures: "Those whom God puts right with himself will live because they trust him."
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\v 26 So God allowed the non-Jews to do shameful sexual things that they strongly desired. As a result, many women began sleeping with other women—something that goes against nature.
\v 27 Similarly, many men abandoned their natural relationships with women. Instead, they developed strong sexual desire for each other. They committed homosexual acts with other men, acts that were shameful. As a result, God has punished them by sicknesses in their bodies, which is the direct consequence of that kind of sin.
\v 27 Similarly, many men abandoned their natural relationships with women. Instead, they developed strong sexual desires for each other. They committed homosexual acts with other men, acts that were shameful. As a result, God has punished them by sicknesses in their bodies, which is the direct consequence of that kind of sin.
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\v 28 Furthermore, because they decided that it was not worthwhile to know God, he allowed their own worthless thoughts to completely control them. As a result, they began doing evil things that no one should do.
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\v 29 They strongly desire to do all kinds of unrighteous deeds and evil things to others and take things that belong to others and harm others in various ways. Many constantly envy other people and desire to murder people and to cause arguments and quarrels between people and deceive others and speak hatefully about others.
\v 30 Many say evil things about others and slander others. Many act especially hatefully toward God and violently toward others and treat others contemptuously and boast about themselves to others and invent new ways to do evil deeds. Many children disobey their parents.
\v 31 Many act in other foolish ways that offend God and do not do what they promised others that they would do and do not even love their own family members and do not act mercifully toward other people.
\v 29 They strongly desire to do all kinds of unrighteous deeds and evil things. They take what belongs to others and harm them in various ways. They always have envy toward other people; they desire to murder people. They cause arguments and quarrels with others, also they deceive people and speak with hate about them.
\v 30 Many say evil things about others. They slander others and do hateful things toward God and they are violent and treat people contemptuously. They boast about themselves to others and invent new ways to do evil deeds. Children disobey their parents.
\v 31 Many act in other foolish ways that offend God. They do not do what they promised. They do not even love their own family members and they do not show mercy toward people who need mercy.
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\v 32 Although they know that God has declared that those who do such things deserve to be killed, they not only do these kinds of evil things, but they also approve of others who do them.
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\v 6 God will pay back everyone according to what they deserve for what they have done.
\v 7 Specifically, some people keep doing good deeds, because they want God to honor them, and they want to live forever with him. God will reward them in this way.
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\v 8 But some people act in a selfish way and refuse to believe that what God says is true, and they do the things that God says are wrong. God will be very angry and will punish them severely.
\v 9 He will cause everyone who habitually does evil deeds to suffer greatly and to have many troubles. This certainly will happen to the Jews who refuse to accept God's message, because God gave them the privilege to be his special people, but it will also happen to the non-Jews.
\v 8 But some people act in selfish ways and refuse to believe that what God says is true, and they do the things that God says are wrong. God will be very angry and will punish them severely.
\v 9 He will cause everyone who habitually does evil deeds to suffer greatly and to have many troubles. This certainly will happen to the Jews who refuse to accept God's message, because God gave them the privilege of being his special people, but it will also happen to the non-Jews.
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\v 10 But God will praise, honor, and give peace to every person who habitually does good deeds. He will certainly do this for the Jews because he chose them as his special people, but he will also do it for the non-Jews.
\v 11 God will do this fairly, because he pays no attention to how important anyone is.
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\v 12 Although non-Jews do not have the laws that God gave to Moses and still sin without having a law, God will bring them to ruin forever. And he will also punish all the Jews who have disobeyed his law, because he will judge them according to what the law says.
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\v 13 It is right for God to punish them because it is not those who know about God's laws that he makes righteous. Only those who have obeyed all of God's law, they are the only ones God makes righteous.
\v 13 Those who have only heard about God's law are not righteous before God. No, it is those who have followed the law and obey its commands, they are the ones who will be righteous when they stand before God. Only those who have obeyed God's law are the ones that God makes righteous.
\v 14 Whenever the non-Jews, who do not have the law of God, follow those laws because they obeyed them by the light of nature, they prove that they have a law within themselves, even though they never had the laws that God gave to Moses.
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\v 15 They show that they know in their own minds what God commands in his law, for each person in his very own conscience either accuses himself of bad behavior or defends himself.
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\v 17 Now I have something to say to anyone of you Jews to whom I am writing: You trust that God will save you because you know the laws that he gave to Moses. You boast that you belong to God.
\v 17 Now I have something to say to anyone to whom I am writing who is a Jew: You trust that God will save you because you know the laws that he gave to Moses. You boast that you belong to God.
\v 18 You know what God desires. Because you have been taught God's laws, you are able to know which things are right and to choose to do them.
\v 19 You are certain that you are able to show God's truth to non-Jews, and that you can instruct those who know nothing about God.
\v 20 You are certain that you can instruct those who believe foolish things about God and those who are like children because they know nothing about him at all. You are certain about all this because you have the law that teaches you truly about God.
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\v 22 You who command people not to sleep with someone to whom they are not married, it is disgusting that you commit adultery yourself! You who command others not to worship idols, it is disgusting that you do not avoid disgusting things.
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\v 23 You who boast saying, "I have God's laws," it is disgusting that you disobey those same laws! As a result you are insulting God!
\v 23 You who boast, saying, "I have God's laws," it is disgusting that you disobey those same laws! As a result you are insulting God!
\v 24 It is just as the scriptures tell us, "Because of the evil things that you Jews do, the non-Jews say insulting things about God."
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\v 25 Any one of you who is circumcised to show that he belongs to God can benefit from that if he obeys the law that he gave to Moses. But if you, a circumcised person, disobey the law, God will consider you to be no better in God's sight than someone who is not circumcised.
\v 25 Any one of you who is circumcised to show that he belongs to God can benefit from that if he obeys the law that he gave to Moses. But if you, a circumcised person, disobey the law, God will consider you to be no better in his sight than someone who is not circumcised.
\v 26 This means that God will certainly consider that even non-Jews who are not circumcised can become his people if they obey the things that he commanded in his laws.
\v 27 These people, who are not circumcised but who still obey God's laws, will declare that God is right when he punishes you, for you are circumcised but still break the law.
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\v 1 Someone might say then, "If that is true, then it appears that there is no advantage to be a Jew over a non-Jew, and being circumcised does not benefit us Jews at all."
\v 1 Someone might say then, "If that is true, then it appears that there is no advantage in being Jewish over not being Jewish, and being circumcised does not benefit us Jews at all."
\v 2 But I tell you that being Jews has many benefits. First of all because it was to their ancestors that God spoke his words, words that show us who he is.
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\v 3 Does the Jews not being faithful mean that God will not bless as he promised that he would?
\v 3 Does the faithlessness of the Jews mean that God will not bless as he promised that he would?
\v 4 No, it certainly does not mean that! God always does what he has promised, even though people do not. All those who accuse God of not keeping his promises to us Jews are very mistaken. King David wrote about this:
"So everyone must acknowledge that what you have said about them is true, and that you will always win the case when anyone accuses you of doing wrong."
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\v 5 So if God did not bless because we were wicked, can we say that he acted unfairly? That he was wrong to punish us out of anger? (I am speaking as ordinary humans speak.)
\v 5 So if God did not bless us because we were wicked, can we say that he acted unfairly? That he was wrong to punish us out of anger? (I am speaking as ordinary humans speak.)
\v 6 We should certainly not conclude that God should not judge, because if God did not judge, it could not possibly be right for him to judge the world!
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\v 7 But someone might answer, "The fact that God truly keeps his promises becomes very clear because for example, I told a lie and the result is that people praise God because he has mercy! So God should no longer say that I should be punished on account of my having sinned, since people are praising him because of it!
\v 7 But someone might answer, "The fact that God truly keeps his promises becomes very clear because, for example, I told a lie and the result is that people praise God because he has mercy! So God should no longer say that I should be punished on account of my having sinned, since people are praising him because of it!
\v 8 If what you, Paul, say is true, then we might as well do evil things in order that good things like that will result!" Some people speak evil about me because they accuse me of speaking like this. God will punish people who say such things about me, and they will deserve for him to punish them!
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\v 10 The following words that are written in the scriptures support this,
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\p No person is righteous. There is not even one righteous person!
\p "No person is righteous. There is not even one righteous person!
\v 11 There is no one who understands how to live properly. There is no one who seeks to know God!
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\v 12 Absolutely everyone has turned away from God. God considers them depraved. There is no one who acts righteously; no, there is not even one!
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\v 13 What people say is foul, like the smell that comes from a grave that has been opened. By what people say, they deceive people.
\v 13 What people say is foul; like the smell that comes from a grave that has been opened. By what people say, they deceive people.
\q By what they say they injure people, just like the poison of snakes injures people.
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\v 14 They are continually cursing others and saying cruel things.
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\v 17 They have not known how to live peacefully with other people.
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\v 18 They absolutely refuse to honor God!
\v 18 They absolutely refuse to honor God!"
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\v 19 We know that whatever these laws command is to those who are required to obey. This means that Jews or non-Jews are not able to say anything contrary when God demands an answer for having sinned.
\v 19 We know that whatever these laws command, they are for the ones who are required to obey them. This means that Jews or non-Jews are not able to say anything contrary when God demands an answer for having sinned.
\v 20 It is not because people have done the things that God's laws require that God will erase the record of their sins because no one has done those things completely. In fact, the result of our knowing God's laws is that we know clearly that we have sinned.
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\v 21 When God declares us right with him it does not depend on our obeying the law that he gave Moses. It was written about in the laws and by the prophets that God forgives our sins by a different way.
\v 22 God erases the record of our sins because we trust in what Jesus Christ has done for us. God does this for every person who trusts in Christ, because he considers that there is no difference between Jews and non-Jews.
\v 21 When God declares us right with him it does not depend on our obeying the law that he gave Moses. It was written about in the laws and by the prophets that God forgives our sins in a different way.
\v 22 God erases the record of our sins because we trust in what Jesus Christ has done for us. God does this for every person who trusts in Christ because he considers that there is no difference between Jews and non-Jews.
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\v 23 All people have done evil, and everyone has failed to accomplish the glorious goals that God set for them.
\v 24 Our record of sins has been erased by his acting kindly to forgive our sins, without our doing anything to earn it. Christ Jesus accomplished this by redeeming us.
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\v 25 God showed that Christ turned away his anger by shedding his blood when he died, and we must believe in what he did for us. The sacrifice of Christ shows that God acted in a just manner. Otherwise, one might not have thought he was just, because he had overlooked sins that people had previously committed, for he is patient.
\v 26 God appointed Christ to die for us. By doing that, he now shows that he is just, and he shows that he is justly able to erase the record of sins for everyone who trusts in Jesus.
\v 25 God showed that Christ, by shedding his blood for us, made it so we could come to God. The forgiveness he bought for us by his death becomes our forgiveness when we put our trust in what he did. The sacrifice of Christ shows that God acted in a just manner. Otherwise, one might not have thought he was just, because he did not punish us for the sins we had committed before.
\v 26 But God was just because he appointed Christ to die in our place. By doing that, he now shows that he is just, and he shows that he is justly able to erase the record of sins for everyone who trusts in Jesus.
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\v 28 So it is clear that God makes someone right with himself if that person trusts in Christ—not if that person obeys the law.
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\v 29 You who are Jews certainly should not think that you are the only ones whom God will accept! You certainly should realize that he will accept non-Jews, too. Of course, he will accept non-Jews,
\v 29 You who are Jews certainly should not think that you are the only ones whom God will accept! You certainly should realize that he will accept non-Jews too. Of course, he will accept non-Jews,
\v 30 because, as you firmly believe, there is only one God. It is this same God who will make Jews—who have been circumcised—right with himself because they trust in Christ, and it is also God who will make non-Jews—who have not been circumcised—right with himself, because they also trust in Christ.
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\v 3 Remember that in the scriptures it is written that Abraham believed what God promised to do for him, and that for this reason, God considered Abraham to be right with himself.
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\v 4 Now if we receive wages for work that we do, those wages are not considered to be a gift. Instead, they are considered to be what we have earned. Similarly, if we could do something to obligate God to be kind to us, then that would not be a gift.
\v 4 Now if we receive wages for work that we do, those wages are not considered to be a gift. Instead, they are considered to be what we have earned. Similarly, if we could do something to obligate God to be kind to us, then his kindness would not be a gift.
\v 5 But in reality, God makes right with himself people who did not honor him previously. Instead, they now trust in him, and God therefore considers them to be right with himself.
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\v 6 Similarly, it is as David wrote in the Psalms about anyone whom God considers to be right with himself without earning it:
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\v 7 "How fortunate are the people whose sins God has forgiven, whose sins he no longer looks at.
\v 8 How fortunate are the people whose sins he no longer keeps a record of.
\v 8 How fortunate are the people whose sins he no longer keeps a record of."
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\v 9 Being fortunate like this is not something that only we Jews can experience. No, it is also something that non-Jews can experience. We know this, because it is written in the scriptures that Abraham trusted in God, so God considered him to be right with himself.
\v 9 Being fortunate like this is not something that only we Jews can experience. No, it is also something that non-Jews can experience. We know this because it is written in the scriptures that Abraham trusted in God, so God considered him to be right with himself.
\v 10 Think about when God did this for Abraham. He did it before Abraham was circumcised, not after.
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\v 16 So it is because we trust in God that we will receive the things that he has promised to us as a gift, because he is very kind. He gives these things to everyone whom he regards as a true descendant of Abraham—us Jewish believers, who have God's law and trust him, and also those non-Jews who do not have God's laws but who trust in him as Abraham did. For God regards Abraham as the true ancestor of all of us believers.
\v 17 This is what God said to Abraham in the scriptures: "I will make you the ancestor of many ethnic groups." Abraham received this directly from God who raises dead people to life and creates things out of nothing.
\v 17 This is what God said to Abraham in the scriptures: "I will make you the ancestor of many ethnic groups." Abraham received this directly from God, who raises dead people to life and creates things out of nothing.
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\v 18 He trusted firmly in this promise of God, even though there was no physical reason for him to expect that he would have descendants because he and his wife were too old to bear children. God had promised Abraham that he would become the ancestor of many ethnic groups by saying, "Your descendents will be like the stars in the sky."
\v 19 He did not doubt that God would do what he promised, even though he knew that his body was not able to father a child (he was, after all, about one hundred years old), and he knew that Sarah had never had children, especially now, because she was so old.
\v 18 He trusted firmly in this promise of God, even though there was no physical reason for him to expect that he would have descendants because he and his wife were too old to bear children. God had promised Abraham that he would become the ancestor of many ethnic groups by saying, "Your descendants will be like the stars in the sky."
\v 19 He did not doubt that God would do what he promised, even though he knew that his body was not able to father a child (he was, after all, about one hundred years old), and he knew that Sarah could never become pregnant before.
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\v 20 He did not doubt at all that God would do what he had promised. Instead, he trusted in God more strongly, and he thanked God for what God was going to do.
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\v 24 They were also written about us, whom God would consider to be right with himself because we trust in him, the one who caused our Lord Jesus to become alive again after he died.
\v 25 God allowed men to execute Jesus because of our evil deeds. And God caused Jesus to live again because God wanted to put us right with him.
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\v 1 God has put us right with himself because we trust in our Lord Jesus Christ. So we are now at peace with God.
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\v 4 And we know that when we endure suffering patiently, God approves of us. And when we know that God approves of us, we confidently expect that he will do great things for us.
\v 5 And we are very confident that we will receive the things that we wait for, because God loves us very much. His Holy Spirit, whom he gave to us, causes us to understand how much God loves us.
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\v 6 When we were unable to save ourselves, it was Christ who, at the time that God chose, died for us people, although we were not honoring God at all.
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\v 9 So it is even more certain that Christ will save us from God's anger about sin since we are right with God because Christ died for us and shed his blood for our sins.
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\v 10 Even when we were his enemies God made us to be his friends with because his Son died for us. Since Christ is alive again, it is even more certain that Christ will save us.
\v 11 And that is not all! Now we also rejoice because we have been made friends with God, because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us.
\v 10 Even when we were his enemies, God made peace with us by of the death of his Son. And now that we have peace with God, it is even more certain that Christ will save us by the fact that he is now alive, when he had been dead.
\v 11 And that is not all! Now we also rejoice because God has made peace between us and him through the death of his Son.
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\v 20 God gave his law to Moses in order that people might realize how greatly they had sinned; but as people sinned more, God continued to act even more kindly toward them in a way that they did not deserve.
\v 21 He did that in order that, unlike people die because they sin, his kind gift might put them right with himself. Then they can live forever because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for them.
\v 21 Since people die physically because sin had power over their bodies, bringing death, in the same way, his kind gift now has power to make them right before God and that power gives them eternal life because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for them.
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\v 5 Since God views us as joining with Christ when he died, he will also make us rise with him from the dead.
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\v 6 God views us sinners as having died on the cross with Christ, in order to put an end to our sinful nature. As a result, we no longer have to sin.
\v 6 God views us sinners as having died on the cross with Christ in order to put an end to our sinful nature. As a result, we no longer have to sin.
\v 7 For whoever has died no longer has to sin.
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\v 4 In the same way, my brothers and sisters, when you died with Christ on his cross, the law of God could no longer control you. You were free to join Christ, so that you might honor God. You can do this because you are alive again. God has joined you to Christ, and he has raised Christ from the dead.
\v 5 When we were doing what our evil thoughts told us to do, the more we learned God's law, the more we wanted to sin. So we did evil things that would break the relationship that we could have had with God, and it would separate us from him forever.
\v 5 When we were doing what our evil thoughts told us to do, when we learned God's law, we wanted to sin more and more. So we did evil things that would lead God to separate us from him forever.
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\v 6 But now God has freed us from having to obey law of Moses—it is as though we have died, and the law can no longer tell us what to do. God has done this for us so that we may worship him in a new way that the Spirit shows us, rather than in the old way that the law required.
\v 6 But now God has freed us from having to obey the law of Moses—it is as though we have died, and the law can no longer tell us what to do. God has done this for us so that we may worship him in a new way that the Spirit shows us, rather than in the old way that the law required.
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\v 7 Could we say that people want to sin more if they know God's laws? Then those laws themselves must be evil. No, of course not! The law is not evil! But it is true that I did not really know what sin was until I learned about it in the law. For example, I did not realize that it is evil to desire what is not yours until I learned that the law says, "You must not desire what is not yours."
\v 7 Since people want to sin more if they know God's laws, does that mean that those laws themselves are evil? No, of course not! The law is not evil! But it is true that I did not really know what sin was until I learned about it in the law. For example, I did not realize that it is evil to desire what is not yours until I learned that the law says, "You must not desire what is not yours."
\v 8 And because of what that commandment stated, my sinful desire to have things that belong to others caused me to covet in many ways. But where there is no law, there is no sin.
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\v 13 Could we say then that the law that God gave Moses, which is good, drove us away from God! Certainly it did not do that! But instead, the law, which is good, made me want to sin. I knew that as a result, I was far away from God. And also, because I learned what God had commanded, I knew that what I was doing was truly sinful.
\v 13 Could we say then that the law that God gave Moses, which is good, drove us away from God? Certainly it did not do that! But instead, the law, which is good, made me want to sin. I knew that I was far away from God, but the more I learned what God had commanded me to do, the more I learned that what I was doing was sinful.
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\v 14 We know that the law came from God and changes our attitude. But I am a person whose attitude tends toward sin. It is as though I had been forced to become a slave of my desire to sin I had to do whatever my desires told me to do.
\v 14 We know that the law came from God and changes our attitude. But I am a person whose attitude tends toward sin. It is as though I had been forced to become a slave of my desire to sin—had to do whatever my desires told me to do.
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\v 15 The things that I do, I often do not understand. That is, sometimes it is the good things that I want to do that I do not do. And sometimes it is the evil things that I detest that I do.
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\v 19 I do not do the good things that I want to do. Instead, it is evil things that I do not want to do that I do.
\v 20 When I do evil things that I do not want to do, it is not that really I that do those things. Instead, my attitude that favors sin is making me sin.
\v 21 I find, then, that what always happens is that when I want to do what is good, there is an evil desire present within me that prevents me from doing good.
\v 20 When I do evil things that I do not want to do, it is not that I really want do those things. It is my attitude that favors sin, that makes me do what is sinful.
\v 21 I find, then, that when I want to do what is good, there is an evil desire present within me that prevents me from doing good.
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\v 22 In my new attitude I am very happy about the law of God.
\v 23 Nevertheless, I sense that there is a different power that is in my body. It is opposed to what with my mind I desire to do, and it makes me do what my old sinful attitude wants me to do.
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\v 24 When I consider this, I feel that I am a very wretched person. I want someone to set me free from the control of what my body desires, in order that I might not be separated from God.
\v 25 I thank God that it is by Jesus Christ our Lord that he sets us free from the control of what our bodies desire. So with our minds, I on the one hand want to obey God's law. But also, I often let our sinful desires control me because of my old sinful attitude.
\v 24 When I consider this, I feel that I am a very wretched person. I want someone to set me free from the control of what my body desires in order that I might not be separated from God.
\v 25 I thank God that it is by Jesus Christ our Lord that he sets me free from the control of what my body desires. So with my mind, I on the one hand want to obey God's law. But also, I often let my sinful desires control me because of my old sinful attitude.
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\v 3 We tried to obey God's law in order to live with God, but it was useless to think that we could—we could not stop sinning. So God helped us instead: He sent his own Son into the world in order that his Son might atone for our sin. His Son came having a body that was like the body of us who sin. His Son came to offer himself as a sacrifice for our sin. When he did this, he also showed that our sins are truly wicked, and that anyone who sins deserves to be punished.
\v 4 So we can now fulfill all that God required in his law. We do this, not by our acting the way our old evil attitude desires, but instead by living as God's Spirit desires us to live.
\v 5 People who live by their evil attitudes think about pay attention to those attitudes. But people who live by what God's Spirit wants think about the things of the Spirit instead.
\v 5 People who live by their evil attitudes think about those attitudes. But people who live by what God's Spirit wants think about the things of the Spirit instead.
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\v 6 Those who think about and are concerned about what their evil attitude desires will not live forever. But those who want what God's Spirit desires will live forever and have peace.
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\v 8 The people who do what their evil attitude tells them cannot please God.
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\v 9 But we do not have to let our old evil nature control us. Instead, we can let God's Spirit control us, because he lives within us. If the Spirit who comes from Christ does not live in people, they do not belong to Christ.
\v 9 But we do not have to let our old evil nature control us. Instead, we can let God's Spirit control us, because he lives within us. If the Spirit who comes from Christ does not live in a person, that person does not belong to Christ.
\v 10 But since Christ is living in you by his Spirit, God views your bodies as dead, so you no longer have to sin. And he views your spirits as alive, because he has put you right with himself.
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\v 14 We who obey the Spirit of God are God's children.
\v 15 This is because you have not received a spirit who makes you live in fear. You are not like slaves who fear their masters. On the contrary, God has give you his Spirit, and his Spirit has made us God's children. The Spirit now enables us to cry out to God, "You are my Father!"
\v 15 This is because you have not received a spirit who makes you live in fear. You are not like slaves who fear their masters. On the contrary, God has given you his Spirit, and his Spirit has made us God's children. The Spirit now enables us to cry out to God, "You are my Father!"
\s5
\v 16 The Spirit himself confirms what our spirits say, that we are God's children.
\v 17 Because we are God's children, we also will one day receive what God has promised us. And we will receive this together with Christ. But we must suffer for doing good as Christ did, in order that God may honor us.
\v 17 Because we are God's children, we also will one day receive what God has promised us. And we will receive this together with Christ. But we must suffer for doing good as Christ did in order that God may honor us.
\s5
\p
@ -489,16 +482,14 @@
\s5
\v 20 God caused the things that he created to be unable to achieve what he had intended. That was not because they wanted to fail. On the contrary, God made them that way because he was certain
\v 21 that the things he created will one day no longer die, decay, and fall apart. He will free these things from that, in order that he can do the same wonderful things for these things that he will do for his children.
\v 21 that the things he created will one day no longer die, decay, and fall apart. He will free these things from that in order that he can do the same wonderful things for these things that he will do for his children.
\v 22 We know that until now it is as though all things that God created have been groaning together, and they want him to do those same wonderful things for them. But now it is just like a woman who is having the pains that come before she gives birth to a child.
\s5
\v 23 Not only do those things groan, but we ourselves also groan inwardly. We who have God's Spirit, who is like a partial gift we have received as we wait for everything that God will give us, we groan inwardly. We groan while we wait eagerly for the time when we will receive our full rights as God's adopted children. That will include his freeing our bodies from the things that hinder us on earth. He will do this by giving us new bodies.
\v 23 Not only does all of creation groan, but we also groan inwardly. We who have God's Spirit—and he is the first of God's many gifts to us—groan while we wait eagerly for the time when we will receive our full rights as God's adopted children, that is when he will give us the gift of our new bodies.
\v 24 For God saved us because we had confidence in him. If we had now the things for which we have been waiting, we would not need to wait for them any longer. After all, if you possess something that you have been expecting to get, you certainly do not need to wait for it any longer.
\v 25 But because we keep waiting expectantly to receive what we do not yet have, we wait for it eagerly and patiently.
\s5
\p
\v 26 Similarly, God's Spirit helps us when we are weak. We do not know what is proper for us to pray. But God's Spirit knows; as he prays for us, he groans in a way that cannot be expressed in words.
@ -528,8 +519,7 @@
\s5
\v 37 But even though all these bad things happen to us, we win completely over these things because Christ, who loves us, helps us.
\v 38 I am completely convinced that neither anything from the realm of the dead, nor what happens to us while we live, nor angels, nor demons, nor present events, nor future events, nor powerful beings,
\v 39 nor powerful beings in the sky or below it, nor anything else that God has created can cause God to stop loving us. God showed us that he loves us by sending Jesus Christ our Lord to die for us.
\v 39 nor the places high above, nor the places in the deepest ocean, nor anything else that God has created can pull us apart from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord.
\s5
\c 9
@ -538,9 +528,9 @@
\v 2 I tell you that I grieve very greatly and deeply about my fellow Israelites.
\s5
\v 3 I personally would be willing to let God curse me and, keep me apart from Christ forever if that would help my fellow Israelites, my natural kinsmen, to believe in Christ.
\v 3 I personally would be willing to let God curse me and keep me apart from Christ forever if that would help my fellow Israelites, my natural kinsmen, to believe in Christ.
\v 4 They, like me, are Israelites. God chose them to be his children. It is to them that he showed how wonderful he is. It is with them that he made the covenants. It is to them that he gave the law. They are the ones who have the worship of God. They are the ones to whom God promised many things.
\v 5 It was our ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, whom God chose to begin our nation. And, most importantly, it was from us Israelites that the Christ was born as a human being. He is God, the one who is worthy that we praise him forever! This is true!
\v 5 It was our ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, whom God chose to begin our nation. And, most importantly, it was from us Israelites that the Christ was born as a human being. He is God, the one who is worthy for us to praise him forever! This is true!
\s5
\p
@ -554,7 +544,7 @@
\s5
\v 10 It was similar with Rebecca, the wife of Isaac, Abraham's son, when Rebecca conceived twins.
\v 11 Before the twins, Jacob and Esau, were born,
\v 12 the children had not yet done anything good or bad, God said to Rebecca, "The older one will serve the younger one, contrary to normal custom." God said this in order that we might know this: That when he plans to do something, he chooses the people because he wants to choose them, not because they have done anything for him.
\v 12 and the children had not yet done anything good or bad, God said to Rebecca, "The older one will serve the younger one, contrary to normal custom." God said this in order that we might know this: That when he plans to do something, he chooses the people because he wants to choose them, not because they have done anything for him.
\v 13 It is just what God said in the scriptures: "I chose Jacob, the younger son. I rejected Esau, the older son."
\s5
@ -565,7 +555,7 @@
\s5
\v 17 Moses recorded that God had told Pharaoh, "This is why I made you king of Egypt: It was so I might fight against you and everyone in the world will help others respect my reputation."
\v 18 So we know that God kindly helps the ones he wants to act kindly toward. And we also know that he makes stubborn anyone who he wants to be stubborn, such as Pharaoh.
\v 18 So we know that God can act kindly toward anyone he chooses. And we also know that God can make a person act stubbornly, like he did with Pharaoh.
\s5
\p
@ -576,13 +566,13 @@
\s5
\v 22 Although God desires to show that he is angry about sin, and although he desires to make clear that he can powerfully punish people who have sinned, he tolerated very patiently the people who caused him to be angry and who deserved to be destroyed.
\v 23 God has been patient in order that he might make clear how very wonderfully he acts toward those upon whom he has mercy, whom he prepared ahead of time in order that they might live with him.
\v 24 That means us whom he chose—not only us Jews, but also non-Jews.
\v 23 God has been patient in order that he might make clear how very wonderfully he acts toward those upon whom he has mercy, those people he prepared ahead of time in order they might experience the glory of God—
\v 24 that includes even us whom he chose. We were chosen not only from among the Jews, but also from among the non-Jews.
\s5
\v 25 God has the right to choose from among both Jews and non-Jews, as the prophet Hosea wrote:
\q "Many people who were not my people—I will say they are my people.
\q Many people whom I did not love before, I will say that I now love them."
\q "Many people who had not been my people, now I will say they are my people.
\q Many people whom I did not love before, now I will love them."
\p
\v 26 And another prophet wrote:
"Where God told them before, 'You are not my people,'
@ -604,23 +594,20 @@ in those same places they are told that they will become children of the true Go
\v 31 But the people of Israel did indeed try to be holy by obeying God's law, but they were not able to.
\s5
\v 32 They were not able to, because they tried to do things to please God. They lost their balance when they refused to trust God to forgive them by putting their trust in Christ.
\v 32 They were not able to because they tried to do things to please God. They lost their balance when they refused to trust God to forgive them by putting their trust in Christ.
\v 33 This is what a prophet said would happen:
"Listen! I am placing in Israel one who is like a stone on which people will stumble. What he does will make people angry. Nevertheless, those who believe in him will not be ashamed."
\s5
\c 10
\p
\v 1 My fellow believers, what I greatly desire and what I pray to God earnestly for is that he will save my own people, the Jews.
\v 2 I declare truthfully about them that although they earnestly go after God, they do not understand how to go after him in the right way.
\v 3 They do not know how God puts people right with himself. They want to put themselves right with God, so they do not accept what God wishes to do for them.
\s5
\v 4 Christ has perfectly obeyed the law in order to put everyone who believes in him right with God. So the law is no longer necessary.
\p
\v 5 Moses wrote about people who tried to obey all of God's laws: "It is the people who have done perfectly the things that the law requires who will live forever."
\s5
@ -652,21 +639,18 @@ in those same places they are told that they will become children of the true Go
\s5
\p
\v 19 Furthermore, it is true that the Israelites really did hear this message. They understood it, too, but they refused to believe it. Remember that Moses was the first one to warn the people like this. He told them that God said,
"You think that the non-Jewish nations are not real nations at all. But some of them will believe in me, and I will bless them. Then you will envy them and be angry at them, people who you do not think understand me."
\v 19 Furthermore, it is true that the Israelites really did hear this message. They understood it, too, but they refused to believe it. Remember that Moses was the first one to warn the people like this. He told them that God said, "You think that the non-Jewish nations are not real nations at all. But some of their people will believe in me, and I will bless them. Then you will envy them and be angry at them, people who you do not think understand me."
\p
\s5
\v 20 Remember also that God said very boldly through Isaiah, "The non-Jews who did not try to know me will surely find me! I will surely reveal what I am like to those who did not ask for me!"
\p
\v 21 But God also speaks about the Israelites. He says,
"For a long time I have held out my arms to the people who disobeyed and rebelled against me, in order to invite them to return to me."
\v 21 But God also speaks about the Israelites. He says, "For a long time I have held out my arms to the people who disobeyed and rebelled against me in order to invite them to return to me."
\s5
\c 11
\p
\v 1 If I should ask, "Has God rejected his people the Jews?" The answer would be, "Certainly not! Remember that I also belong to the people of Israel. I am a descendant of Abraham, and I belong to the tribe of Benjamin, but God has not rejected me!
\v 1 If I should ask, "Has God rejected his people the Jews?" The answer would be, "Certainly not!" Remember that I also belong to the people of Israel. I am a descendant of Abraham, and I belong to the tribe of Benjamin, but God has not rejected me!
\v 2 No, God has not rejected his people, whom he chose long ago to be people whom he would bless in a special way. Remember that Elijah mistakenly complained to God about the people of Israel, as the scriptures say:
\v 3 "Lord, they have killed the rest of your prophets, and they have destroyed your altars. I am the only one who believes in you who remains alive, and now they are trying to kill me!"
@ -677,18 +661,17 @@ in those same places they are told that they will become children of the true Go
\s5
\v 6 Since it is because he acts kindly toward those whom he chooses, it is not because they have done good things that he has chosen them. If God chose people because they did good deeds, then he would not need to act kindly toward them.
\p
\v 7 Since God chose only some people of Israel, this makes us know that most of the Jews failed to get what they were looking for—(although the Jews whom God chose did get it). Most of the Jews remained unwilling to understand what God was telling them.
\v 8 This is exactly what the prophet Isaiah had written about: "God caused them to be stubborn. They should be able to understand the truth about Christ, but they cannot. They should obey God when he speaks, but they do not. It is like that to this very day."
\v 7 Since God chose only some people of Israel, this makes us know that most of the Jews failed to get what they were looking for—although the Jews whom God chose did get it. Most of the Jews remained unwilling to understand what God was telling them.
\v 8 This is exactly what the prophet Isaiah had written about: "God caused them to be stubborn. They should have been able to see what was true, but they would not to pay attention. They should have been able to hear what was spoken to them, but they would not pay attention to the message they were given. It has been like this until this very day."
\s5
\v 9 The Jews remind me of what King David said, when he asked God to cause his enemies' senses to be dull:
"Make them stupid, like animals that fall into nets or traps! May they feel as safe as if they were at their banquets, but let those feasts be times when you will catch them, and they will sin, with the result that you will destroy them.
\v 9 The Jews remind me of what King David said when he asked God to cause his enemies' senses to be dull: "Make them stupid, like animals that fall into nets or traps! May they feel as safe as if they were at their banquets, but let those feasts be times when you will catch them, and they will sin, with the result that you will destroy them.
\q
\v 10 May they not see the danger when it comes to them. May you always make them suffer because of their troubles."
\s5
\p
\v 11 If I should ask, "When the Jews sinned by not believing in Christ, did that mean they will always be apart from God?" I would reply, "No, they have certainly not separated themselves from God permanently! Instead, because they sinned, God is saving non-Jews in order to cause the Jews to envy the way he blesses non-Jews, so that they will ask Christ to save them."
\v 11 If someone should ask, "When the Jews sinned by not believing in Christ, did that mean they will always be apart from God?" I would reply, "No, they have certainly not separated themselves from God permanently! Instead, because they sinned, God is saving non-Jews in order to cause the Jews to envy the way he blesses non-Jews, so that they will ask Christ to save them."
\v 12 When the Jews rejected Christ, the result was that God abundantly blessed the other people in the world by offering them the opportunity to believe. And when the Jews failed spiritually, the result was that God abundantly blessed the non-Jews. Since that is true, think how wonderful it will be when the complete number of the Jews whom God has chosen will believe in Christ !
\s5
@ -702,17 +685,17 @@ in those same places they are told that they will become children of the true Go
\s5
\p
\v 17 God has rejected many of the Jews, like people break off dead branches of a tree. And each of you non-Jews whom God has accepted is like a branch of a uncultivated olive tree that someone spliced into the trunk of a cultivated olive tree. God has caused you to benefit from how he blessed our first Jewish ancestors, just as branches benefit from the sap that comes from the root of a cultivated olive tree.
\v 17 God has rejected many of the Jews in the same way that people break off dead branches from a tree. And each of you non-Jews whom God has accepted is like a branch of a uncultivated olive tree that someone spliced into the trunk of a cultivated olive tree. God has caused you to benefit from how he blessed our first Jewish ancestors, just as branches benefit from the sap that comes from the root of a cultivated olive tree.
\v 18 However, you non-Jews must not despise the Jews whom God rejected, even though they are like the branches that someone breaks off from the tree! If you want to boast because of how God has saved you, remember this: Branches do not feed a root. Instead, the root feeds the branches. Similarly, God has helped you because of what you have received from the Jews! You have given the Jews nothing that helps them.
\s5
\v 19 Maybe you will say to me, "God rejected the Jews like people break bad branches off a tree and throw them away, and he has done this in order that he might accept us non-Jews, just like people put branches of a wild olive tree into the trunk of a good tree."
\v 20 I would reply that this is true. However, it is because the Jews did not believe in Christ, God rejected them. As for you, it is only because you believe in Christ that you stand strong! So do not become proud, but instead be filled with awe!
\v 21 Since God did not spare those unbelieving Jews, who grew up like a tree's natural branches that came from the root, then know, if you do not believe, he will not spare you either!
\v 20 I would reply that this is true. However, it is because the Jews did not believe in Christ that God rejected them. As for you, it is only because you believe in Christ that you stand strong! So do not become proud, but instead be filled with awe!
\v 21 Since God did not spare those unbelieving Jews, who grew up like a tree's natural branches that came from the root, then know that if you do not believe, he will not spare you either!
\s5
\p
\v 22 Note then, that God acts kindly, but he also acts severely. He has acted severely toward the Jews who have refused to trust in Christ. God has acted kindly toward you, but he will act severely if you do not keep trusting in Christ.
\v 22 Note then that God acts kindly, but he also acts severely. He has acted severely toward the Jews who have refused to trust in Christ. God has acted kindly toward you, but he will act severely if you do not keep trusting in Christ.
\s5
\v 23 And if the Jews believe in Christ, God will also put them back into the tree again, because God is able to do that.
@ -737,17 +720,17 @@ in those same places they are told that they will become children of the true Go
\s5
\v 30 You non-Jews once disobeyed God, but now he has acted mercifully toward you because the Jews disobeyed him.
\v 31 Similarly, now they have disobeyed God. The result is that in the very same way in which he acted mercifully toward you, he will act mercifully toward them again.
\v 32 God has declared and proved that all people, both Jews and non-Jews, have been disobedient to him. He has declared that because he wants to act mercifully toward us all.
\v 32 God has declared and proved that all people, both Jews and non-Jews, are disobedient to him. He has done this so that he may show mercy to all of them.
\s5
\p
\v 33 I marvel how great are the wise things that God has done and what he has always known! No one can understand them or know them fully.
\v 33 I marvel how great are the wise things that God has done and what he has always known. No one can understand them or know them fully.
\v 34 I remember the scriptures that say, "No one has ever known what the Lord thinks. No one has ever been able to give him advice."
\s5
\v 35 And, "No one has given anything to God in a way that God had to reward him."
\p
\v 36 God is the one who created all things. He is also the one who sustains all things. The reason that he created them was that they might praise him. May all people honor him forever! May it be so!
\v 36 God is the one who created all things. He is also the one who sustains all things. The reason that he created them was that they might praise him. May all people honor him forever. May it be so.
\s5
@ -756,7 +739,7 @@ in those same places they are told that they will become children of the true Go
\p
\v 1 My fellow believers, since God has acted mercifully toward you in so many ways, I appeal to all of you that you present yourselves like a sacrifice that is alive, a sacrifice that you give to God alone and that pleases him. This is the only right way to worship him.
\v 2 Do not let unbelievers guide you in how you behave. Instead, let God change your way of thinking and make it new, in order that you may know what he wants you to do, so you may know how to act in ways that please him, the ways in which he himself acts.
\v 2 Do not let unbelievers guide you in how you behave. Instead, let God change your way of thinking and make it new in order that you may know what he wants you to do, so you may know how to act in ways that please him, the ways in which he himself acts.
\s5
@ -765,38 +748,38 @@ in those same places they are told that they will become children of the true Go
\s5
\v 4 Although a person has one body, it consists of many parts. All of the parts are necessary for the body, but they do not all function the same way.
\v 5 Similarly, we, although we are many, are united into one group because we are joined to Christ, and we belong to one another. So no one should act as though he is more important than the others!
\v 5 Similarly, we, although we are many, are united into one group because we are joined to Christ, and we belong to one another. So no one should act as though he is more important than the others.
\s5
\v 6 Instead, since each one of us can do different things because God makes us different from each other, we should do them eagerly and cheerfully! Those of us to whom God gives messages for others should speak in a way that fits our trust in God.
\v 6 Instead, since each one of us can do different things because God makes us different from each other, we should do them eagerly and cheerfully. Those of us to whom God gives messages for others should speak in a way that fits our trust in God.
\v 7 Those whom God has enabled to serve others should do that. Those whom God has enabled to teach his truth should do that.
\v 8 Those whom God has enabled to encourage others should do it wholeheartedly. Those whom God has enabled to give things to others, should do so without holding back. Those whom God has enabled to manage others should do it, and do it with care. Those whom God has enabled to help the needy should do it cheerfully.
\s5
\p
\v 9 The way you must love people is to love them sincerely! Hate what is evil! Continue to eagerly do what God considers to be good!
\v 10 Love one another as members of the same family do; and in regard to honoring one another, you should be the first ones to do it!
\v 9 The way you must love people is to love them sincerely. Hate what is evil. Continue to eagerly do what God considers to be good.
\v 10 Love one another as members of the same family do; and in regard to honoring one another, you should be the first ones to do it.
\s5
\v 11 Do not be lazy. Instead, be eager to serve God! Be enthusiastic as you serve the Lord!
\v 12 Rejoice because you are confidently awaiting what God will do for you! When you suffer, be patient! Keep praying and never give up!
\v 13 If any of God's people lacks anything, share with them what you have! Be creative in hosting others!
\v 11 Do not be lazy. Instead, be eager to serve God. Be enthusiastic as you serve the Lord.
\v 12 Rejoice because you are confidently awaiting what God will do for you. When you suffer, be patient. Keep praying and never give up.
\v 13 If any of God's people lacks anything, share with them what you have. Be creative in hosting others.
\s5
\v 14 Ask God to be kind to those who persecute you because you believe in Jesus! Ask him to be kind to them; do not ask him to cause bad things to happen to them.
\v 15 If they are joyful, you should rejoice with them! If they are sad, you should be sad with them!
\v 14 Ask God to be kind to those who persecute you because you believe in Jesus. Ask him to be kind to them; do not ask him to cause bad things to happen to them.
\v 15 If they are joyful, you should rejoice with them. If they are sad, you should be sad with them.
\v 16 Desire for others what you desire for yourselves. Do not be proud in how you think; instead, be friends with people who seem unimportant. Do not consider yourselves wise.
\s5
\v 17 Do not do evil deeds to anyone who has done evil to you. Act in a way that all people will know is good!
\v 17 Do not do evil deeds to anyone who has done evil to you. Act in a way that all people will know is good.
\v 18 Live peacefully with other people whenever it is possible, to the extent that you can control the situation.
\s5
\p
\v 19 My fellow believers whom I love, do not do evil in return when people do evil to you! Instead, allow God to punish them. The scriptures say, "'I will pay back those who do evil. It is my right to pay them back,' says the Lord."
\v 20 Instead of doing evil to those who have done evil to you, do as the scriptures teach: "If your enemies are hungry, feed them! If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. By doing that, you will cause them to feel the pain of shame and perhaps they will change their attitude toward you."
\v 21 Do not let evil deeds that others have done to you overcome you. Instead, do for them better than what they have done to you!
\v 19 My fellow believers, whom I love, do not do evil in return when people do evil to you. Instead, allow God to punish them. The scriptures say, "'I will pay back those who do evil. It is my right to pay them back,' says the Lord."
\v 20 Instead of doing evil to those who have done evil to you, do as the scriptures teach: "If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. By doing that, you will cause them to feel the pain of shame and perhaps they will change their attitude toward you."
\v 21 Do not let evil deeds that others have done to you overcome you. Instead, do for them better than what they have done to you.
\s5
@ -806,13 +789,13 @@ in those same places they are told that they will become children of the true Go
\v 2 So whoever resists the officials is resisting what God has established. Furthermore, those who resist officials will cause the officials to punish them.
\s5
\v 3 I say this, because rulers do not cause people who do good deeds to be afraid. Instead, they cause people who do evil to be afraid. So if any of you do good, they will praise you instead of punishing you!
\v 4 All officials exist in order to serve God, in order that they may help each of you. If any of you does what is evil, of course you should be afraid of them. The officials exist to serve God by punishing those who do evil.
\v 5 So, it is necessary for you to obey the officials, not only because they will punish you if you disobey them, but also because you know within yourselves that you should be subject to them!
\v 3 I say this because rulers do not cause people who do good deeds to be afraid. Instead, they cause people who do evil to be afraid. So if any of you do good, they will praise you instead of punishing you.
\v 4 All officials exist in order to serve God, to give help to each of you. If any of you does what is evil, of course you should be afraid of them. The officials exist to serve God by punishing those who do evil.
\v 5 So, it is necessary for you to obey the officials, not only because they will punish you if you disobey them, but also because you know within yourselves that you should be subject to them.
\s5
\v 6 It is for this reason that you also pay taxes, because the officials are ones who serve God as they continually do their work.
\v 7 Give to all the officials what you are supposed to give to them! Pay taxes to those who require that you pay taxes. Pay duties on goods to those who require that you pay those duties. Respect those whom you ought to respect. Honor those whom you ought to honor.
\v 7 Give to all the officials what you are supposed to give to them. Pay taxes to those who require that you pay taxes. Pay duties on goods to those who require that you pay those duties. Respect those whom you ought to respect. Honor those whom you ought to honor.
\s5
\p
@ -823,10 +806,10 @@ in those same places they are told that they will become children of the true Go
\s5
\p
\v 11 Do what I have just told you, especially since you know how important is the time in which we are now living. You know that it is time for you to be fully alert and active, like people who have awakened from sleeping, because the time when Christ will finally deliver us from this world's sin and sorrow is near. That time is closer now than when we first believed in Christ.
\v 12 Our time to live in this world is almost ended, like a night that is nearly ended. The time when Christ will return is near. So we must stop doing the wicked deeds that people like to do at night, and we must be doing the things that will help us resist evil, as soldiers who put on their armor in the daytime get ready to resist their enemies.
\v 12 Our time to live in this world is almost ended. It is nearly time for the daylight to shine! So we must stop doing the wicked deeds that people do when they live in the darkness, and we must put on the armor of light that shines with the power of God and his gospel.
\s5
\v 13 We must behave properly, as though the time when Christ will return were already here. We must not get drunk and do evil things with others. We must not commit any kind of sexual immorality or wild sensual behavior. We must not quarrel. We must not be jealous of other people.
\v 13 We must behave properly, because we are living in the daytime, when God sees everything we do. We must not get drunk and do evil things with other people. We must live our lives without any kind of sexual immorality or wild, excessive sensuality. We must not quarrel. We must not be jealous of other people.
\v 14 On the contrary, we should be like the Lord Jesus Christ so that others will see what he is like. You should stop wanting to do the things that your old evil nature wants to do.
\s5
@ -837,11 +820,11 @@ in those same places they are told that they will become children of the true Go
\s5
\v 3 Anyone who thinks that it is all right to eat all kinds of food must not despise those who do not think that. Anyone who thinks it is not all right to eat all kinds of food must not condemn those who think differently, because God himself has accepted those people.
\v 4 You are wrong when you evaluate somebody else's servant. We are all God's servants so God is the master of us all. He is the one who will decide whether those people have done wrong! No one should judge another in this regard, because he is able to keep them faithful to him.
\v 4 You are wrong when you evaluate somebody else's servant. We are all God's servants, so God is the master of us all. He is the one who will decide whether those people have done wrong. No one should judge another in this regard, because he is able to keep them faithful to him.
\s5
\p
\v 5 Some people regard certain days as more holy than other days. Other people regard all days as equally suitable for worshiping God. Each person should be fully convinced about such matters, thinking and deciding for himself and not for others.
\v 5 Some people regard certain days as being the best days for worshiping God. Other people regard all days as equally suitable for worshiping God. Each person should decide the days in which they should worship, and they should decide these issues for themselves, and not because some people try to convince you that their way is best.
\v 6 As for those who believe that they should worship on a certain day of the week, it is to honor the Lord that they worship on that day. And as for those who think that it is all right to eat all kinds of food, it is to honor the Lord that they eat those foods, because they thank God for their food. As for those who abstain from eating certain kinds of food, it is to honor the Lord that they do not eat those foods, and they also thank God for the food that they do eat. So these people are not wrong, even though they think differently.
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@ -853,18 +836,18 @@ in those same places they are told that they will become children of the true Go
\p
\v 10 It is disgraceful that you who obey certain rules say that God will punish your fellow believers who do not obey them. For God will judge each one of us.
\v 11 We know this because it is written in the scriptures:
\q "Everyone will bow down before me!
\q "Everyone will bow down before me.
\q And everyone will praise me."
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\p
\v 12 So we will each have to tell God what we have done and let him decide whether or not he approves of it.
\p
\v 13 Since it is God who will judge everyone, we must stop saying that God should punish some of our fellow believers! Instead, you must be determined to never cause another brother or sister to sin or to stop trusting Christ.
\v 13 Since it is God who will judge everyone, we must stop saying that God should punish some of our fellow believers. Instead, you must be determined never to cause another brother or sister to sin or to stop trusting Christ.
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\v 14 Because I am joined to the Lord Jesus, I am absolutely certain that there is nothing that by itself is wrong to eat. But if people think it is wrong to eat something, then for them it is wrong to eat it. So you should not encourage them to eat it.
\v 15 If you eat food that a fellow believer thinks is wrong to eat, you might cause him to stop obeying God. You would no longer be loving him. Do not cause any fellow believer to stop trusting in Christ. After all, Christ died for him, too!
\v 15 If you eat food that a fellow believer thinks is wrong to eat, you might cause him to stop obeying God. You would no longer be loving him. Do not cause any fellow believer to stop trusting in Christ. After all, Christ died for him, too.
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\v 16 Similarly, do not do something that fellow believers would call bad, even if you think it is good.
@ -887,21 +870,21 @@ in those same places they are told that they will become children of the true Go
\c 15
\p
\v 1 We believers who know that God allows us to do many things should be patient with those believers who think that God does not allow us to do these things. We should be patient with them and allow them to inconvenience us. This is more important than our pleasing ourselves.
\v 2 Each of us should do the things that please our fellow believers, and things that will help them, things that will encourage them to trust in Christ.
\v 2 Each of us should do the things that please our fellow believers—to help them and encourage them.
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\v 3 We should please our fellow believers, since Christ has set us an example. He did not do things to please himself. On the contrary, he tried to please God even when others insulted him. That was as the scriptures say: "When people insulted you, it was as though they were also insulting me."
\v 3 We should please our fellow believers since Christ has set us an example. He did not do things to please himself. On the contrary, he tried to please God even when others insulted him. That was as the scriptures say: "When people insulted you, it was as though they were also insulting me."
\v 4 Remember that all the things written in the scriptures are there to teach us, so that we may become patient in hardship. In this way the scriptures will encourage us to expect that God will do for us everything that he has promised.
\s5
\p
\v 5 I pray that God give you patience and encouragement so that you all live in peace with each other, doing as Christ Jesus did.
\v 5 I pray that God give may give you patience and encouragement so that you all live in peace with each other, doing as Christ Jesus did.
\v 6 If you do this, you all will be praising God together, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
\p
\v 7 So I say to all of you believers at Rome, accept each other. If you do that, people will praise God as they see you behave like Christ. Accept each other just like Christ accepted you!
\v 7 So I say to all of you believers in Rome, accept each other. If you do that, people will praise God as they see you behave like Christ. Accept each other just like Christ accepted you.
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\v 8 I want you to remember that Christ helped us Jews to know the truth about God. That is, he came to make come true everything that God had promised our ancestors that he would do.
\v 8 I want you to remember that Christ helped us Jews to know the truth about God. When Christ came, he confirmed the truth of all the promises that God made to our ancestors long ago.
\v 9 But he also came to help the non-Jews, so they would praise God for his mercy. God's mercy has produced what is written in the scriptures that David said to God: "So I will praise you among the non-Jews; I will sing and praise you."
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@ -913,7 +896,7 @@ in those same places they are told that they will become children of the true Go
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\p
\v 13 I pray that God cause you to be confidently expecting him to do what he has promised. I pray that he will cause you to be completely joyful and peaceful as you trust in him. The Holy Spirit will enable you to more and more confidently expect to receive what God has promised you.
\v 13 I pray that God makes you confident as you look to the future and that you expect him to do everything he promised he would do. I pray that he will cause you to be completely joyful and peaceful as you trust in him. The Holy Spirit will enable to expect that you will receive even more than God has promises you.
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\p
@ -926,8 +909,8 @@ in those same places they are told that they will become children of the true Go
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\p
\v 17 It follows that, because of my relationship with Christ Jesus, I am happy about my work for God.
\v 18 I will speak boldly only about the work that Christ has accomplished through me that non-Jews might pay attention to the message about Christ. These accomplishments came because of words and deeds
\v 19 by showing signs and other things that convince people. I have done those things God's Spirit has enabled me. In this way I have traveled all the way around from Jerusalem to the province of Illyricum, and I have completed my work of proclaiming the message about Christ in those places.
\v 18 I will speak boldly only about the work that Christ has accomplished through me that non-Jews might obey God in their words and in their actions,
\v 19 Christ worked through my by showing signs and other miracles that were done in the power of the Spirit of God, so that in every place I have traveled, from Jerusalem all the way to the province of Illyricum, I have completed my work of proclaiming the message about Christ.
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\v 20 As I proclaim that message, I am always eagerly trying to proclaim it in places where people have not already heard about Christ. I do that in order that I might not be simply continuing the work that someone else already started. I do not want to be like a man who builds a house on someone else's foundation.
@ -940,7 +923,7 @@ in those same places they are told that they will become children of the true Go
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\v 24 So I hope to go to Spain, and I hope that you will help me on my journey. And I would like to pause on my journey for a while in order to enjoy being with you.
\v 25 But I cannot visit you now, because I am about to go to Jerusalem in order to take money for God's people there.
\v 25 But I cannot visit you now because I am about to go to Jerusalem in order to take money to God's people there.
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\v 26 The believers in the provinces of Macedonia and Achaia decided to contribute money to help the believers in Jerusalem, God's own people, who are poor.
@ -957,8 +940,7 @@ in those same places they are told that they will become children of the true Go
\v 32 Pray these things in order that God may be pleased for me to come to you, and that I may be able to rest among you—and you rest with me—for a while.
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\v 33 I pray that God, who causes us to have peace, will be with all of you and will help you. May it be so!
\v 33 I pray that God, who causes us to have peace, will be with all of you and will help you. May it be so.
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\c 16
@ -974,7 +956,7 @@ in those same places they are told that they will become children of the true Go
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\v 6 Tell Mary, who has worked hard for Christ in order to help you, that I send my greetings to her.
\v 7 Tell the same thing to Andronicus and his wife Junia, fellow Jews, who were in prison with me. They are well known among the apostles, and they became Christians before I did.
\v 7 Tell the same thing to Andronicus and his wife Junia, they were also fellow Jews who were in prison with me. They are well known among the apostles, and they became Christians before I did.
\v 8 I also send my greetings to Ampliatus, who is a dear friend and is joined to the Lord.
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@ -989,12 +971,12 @@ in those same places they are told that they will become children of the true Go
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\v 15 I also send my greetings to Philologus, to his wife Julia, to Nereus and his sister, and to Olympas, and to all God's people who meet with them.
\v 16 Greet one another affectionately in a pure way, when you gather together. The believers in all the assemblies joined to Christ greet you.
\v 16 Greet one another affectionately in a pure way when you gather together. The believers in all the assemblies joined to Christ greet you.
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\p
\v 17 My fellow believers, I tell you that you must be careful about the people who are causing divisions among you and who cause people to stop honoring God. Keep away from such people!
\v 18 They do not serve our Lord Christ! On the contrary, they only want to satisfy their own desires. They deceive the people using smooth talk and praise so the people do not realize that these troublemakers are teaching false things.
\v 17 My fellow believers, I tell you that you must be careful about the people who are causing divisions among you and who cause people to stop honoring God. Keep away from such people.
\v 18 Those who cause divisions do not serve our Lord Christ. On the contrary, they only want to satisfy their own desires. They deceive the people using smooth talk and praise so the people do not realize that these troublemakers are teaching false things.
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\v 19 Believers everywhere know that you have obeyed what Christ says in the good news. So I rejoice about you. But I also want you to be smart enough to recognize what is good and stay away from what is evil.
@ -1009,7 +991,7 @@ in those same places they are told that they will become children of the true Go
\v 23-24 I, Paul, am staying in the house of Gaius, and the whole assembly here meets in his house. He also wants you to know that he is sending his greetings to you. Erastus, who manages the city's money, sends his greetings to you also, along with our brother Quartus.
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\p
\v 25 Now to God, the one who is able to strengthen you spiritually by my proclamation of the good news of Jesus Christ that God did not reveal in any age before our own time
\v 25 Now to the God who is able to strengthen you spiritually by my proclamation of the good news of Jesus Christ that God did not reveal in any age before our own time—
\v 26 but now God has made it known by means of what the scriptures said would happen—so that people in all the people groups in the world may believe in Christ and obey him.
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