Romans 1

Paul introduces himself and the gospel to the Christians in Rome, whom he has not yet met, and tells them how much he longs to visit. He then states the theme of the whole letter: the gospel is God’s power to save everyone who believes. The rest of the chapter shows why the world needs that rescue, since people have turned from the God they could plainly see.

Romans 1:1

Paul opens by naming his true position. He belongs wholly to Christ, he was personally called by Him, and he has been given one task: the good news that comes from God. His whole life is bound up with that message.

BSA: servant (“a bondservant, a slave of Christ”): Paul chooses the humblest title, one who is owned by his Master and lives to do His will. set apart (“separated or devoted”): God took Paul out of his old path and devoted him to one purpose.

Greek: δοῦλος (doulos, G1401) — “slave, one owned by a master.” This is stronger than a hired helper. A doulos had no life apart from the master. Paul counts it an honor to belong entirely to Christ.

See also: Galatians 1:15.

Romans 1:2

The gospel is not a new invention. God promised it long ago through the prophets, and those promises are written in the Scriptures. Jesus is the fulfillment of what God had been saying all along.

BSA: promised (“announced beforehand, pledged”): God not only foretold the good news but bound Himself to bring it about.

See also: Luke 24:44.

Romans 1:3

The gospel is all about God’s Son. He truly became human, born into the royal family of King David, as the prophets said the Messiah would be. Here we see His human side. The next verse shows His divine side.

BSA: descendant (“born of the seed, offspring”): Jesus entered the world through a real human family line, fulfilling God’s promise to David.

See also: 2 Samuel 7:12-13.

Romans 1:4

By raising Jesus from the dead, God publicly showed with power who He truly is. The resurrection did not make Him the Son. It declared it openly. The One who died is now Lord, and that is the heart of the message.

BSA: declared (“marked out, revealed”): The resurrection set Jesus apart before the world as the Son of God in power.

Greek: ὁρισθέντος (horisthentos, G3724) — “marked out, appointed, defined.” The word is related to our word horizon, a boundary line. The resurrection drew a clear line around who Jesus is, leaving no doubt.

See also: Acts 13:32-33.

Romans 1:5

Paul received both grace and a commission from Christ. The aim of his mission is that people from every nation would come to trust Christ and then follow Him. In Paul’s mind, faith and obedience belong together.

BSA: grace (“unmerited favor, divine influence”): Paul’s calling was a gift he did not earn. obedience (“submission, surrender”): True faith yields to Christ as Lord, and does not merely agree with facts about Him.

See also: Romans 16:26.

Romans 1:6-7

The Roman believers are Gentiles who belong to Jesus Christ. Paul calls them loved by God and holy. They are holy not because of their own goodness but because God called them and set them apart. He greets them with grace and peace from the Father and the Lord Jesus.

BSA: saints (“holy ones, set apart for God’s purpose”): Every believer is a saint, set apart for God, not just a few special people. loved (“cherished, deeply valued”): Their standing begins with God’s love for them, not with their performance.

See also: 1 Corinthians 1:2.

Romans 1:8

Paul begins with thanks. Rome was the capital of the empire, and word of the Christians’ faith had spread across the world through travelers and traders. He gives thanks to God through Jesus, who is the way every prayer reaches the Father.

BSA: proclaimed (“declared, announced publicly”): Their trust in Christ was becoming known everywhere, like news being announced.

Romans 1:9-10

Paul calls God as his witness that he prays for the Romans constantly. He serves God with his whole inner being, not just in outward duty. He asks that God’s will would open the way for a visit. His desire is submitted to God’s timing.

BSA: witness (“one who sees and testifies”): Only God sees Paul’s private prayers, so he calls on Him to confirm that they are real. constantly (“unceasingly, without stopping”): Prayer for them was a steady habit in his life.

See also: Philippians 1:3-4.

Romans 1:11-12

Paul longs to strengthen the Romans by sharing a spiritual gift. Then he humbly adds that he expects to be helped in return. Even an apostle needs the faith of other believers. The church grows as each one encourages the others.

BSA: strengthen (“establish, make strong”): Paul wants to see them rooted firmly in the faith. encouraged (“comforted, and strengthened”): Encouragement here means real comfort and renewed strength, flowing both ways.

Romans 1:13

Paul has often planned to visit Rome but something has stopped him. He hopes for spiritual fruit there, as he has seen in other Gentile cities. He calls the Romans brothers, treating them as family.

BSA: harvest (“fruit, results”): Paul pictures changed lives as a crop that grows from the gospel. prevented (“hindered”): Something kept blocking his path, and he accepted that as part of God’s plan.

See also: Romans 15:22.

Romans 1:14-15

Paul feels that he owes the gospel to everyone, whether cultured Greeks or those the Greeks called barbarians, whether educated or simple. He received the message freely, so he cannot keep it. That is why he is eager to preach in Rome too.

BSA: obligated (“a debtor, deeply obligated”): Paul sees the gospel as a debt he must pay to others, having been given so much himself.

Greek: ὀφειλέτης (opheiletēs, G3781) — “a debtor, one who owes.” Paul speaks as someone who owes money. The good news was entrusted to him for others, so passing it on is paying what he owes.

Romans 1:16

Paul is not ashamed, even though the message of a crucified Savior looked foolish to the world and Rome was the center of worldly power. The gospel is God’s own power to rescue everyone who trusts Him, whether Jew or Gentile. The Jew is mentioned first because God’s promises came to Israel first.

BSA: power (“miraculous ability, divine strength”): The gospel does not merely describe salvation. It actually carries God’s strength to save. salvation (“rescue, spiritual safety”): Salvation means being delivered from danger and brought into God’s safe keeping.

Greek: δύναμις (dynamis, G1411) — “power, ability.” Our word dynamite comes from it. The gospel is not just advice but a working force from God that changes lives.

See also: 1 Corinthians 1:18.

Romans 1:17

In the gospel God shows His righteousness, His way of putting people right with Himself, and it is received by faith from beginning to end. Paul quotes Habakkuk: the righteous will live by faith. This verse is the theme of the whole letter.

BSA: righteousness (“just and holy character”): It reveals who God is, perfectly just, and also how He makes sinners right with Him.

See also: Habakkuk 2:4; Galatians 3:11.

Romans 1:18

Paul now shows why the gospel is needed. God’s anger at evil is real, and it is not a mere human temper. People push the truth down so they can go on in sin, and that is what stirs His wrath.

BSA: wrath (“strong anger, divine indignation”): This is God’s settled, righteous opposition to all that destroys people and dishonors Him. suppress (“hold back, restrain”): People try to hold the truth down like something pushed under water, but it keeps pressing up.

Greek: κατεχόντων (katechontōn, G2722) — “holding down, holding back.” The picture is of forcibly keeping something in check. People know the truth and work to keep it from shaping their lives.

Romans 1:19-20

God has not left Himself unknown. Creation itself shows His eternal power and divine greatness, so no one can say they never had a chance to know Him. The knowledge is clear because God Himself made it clear.

BSA: plain (“clear, visible, manifest”): God’s existence and greatness are not hidden but openly on display. workmanship (“the things He has made”): The created world is like the signed work of an artist, pointing to the One who made it.

Greek: ποιήμασιν (poiēmasin, G4161) — “things made, a crafted work.” This is the root of our word poem. Creation is God’s carefully composed work, and it speaks of its Maker.

See also: Psalm 19:1.

Romans 1:21-22

People did know God, yet they did not honor Him or thank Him. Ingratitude leads to confused thinking, and the heart grows dark. Those who think they have outgrown God end up as fools.

BSA: futile (“useless, without purpose”): Their reasoning led nowhere and became empty. darkened (“made less clear, obscured”): Refusing to honor God clouds the inner understanding.

Greek: ἐματαιώθησαν (emataiōthēsan, G3154) — “they were made empty, futile.” It comes from a word for vanity and emptiness. Their thoughts, cut off from God, became hollow and pointless.

Romans 1:23

People swapped the glory of the living God for idols shaped like humans and animals. It is a foolish trade, as if one gave up the sun for a painted picture of it. Worship was turned from the Maker to the made.

BSA: exchanged (“traded, swapped”): This was a deliberate trade of something infinitely greater for something far lesser.

See also: Psalm 106:20; Jeremiah 2:11.

Romans 1:24

Here the first of three phrases appears: God gave them over. After people refused Him, God let them have what they wanted, and the results brought shame and harm to their own bodies. Sin carries its own consequences.

BSA: gave them over (“abandoned, surrendered”): God stepped back and allowed people to follow their desires to their consequences.

Greek: παρέδωκεν (paredōken, G3860) — “handed over, delivered up.” It is the word used for handing a prisoner over to authorities. God lets people be carried off by the very desires they chose.

Romans 1:25

At the root lies a trade of the truth about God for a lie. People worship created things, whether money, power, pleasure or images, instead of the Creator. Paul breaks off in praise: God alone is worthy forever.

BSA: Creator (“the one who made everything, God himself”): Only the Maker of all deserves the worship that people give to His creation.

Romans 1:26-27

God again gave them over, this time to dishonorable passions. Paul speaks of same-sex relations as a departure from the natural order God made, and he sees it as a sign of a world that has turned from Him. Christians hold their convictions here with differing tones, but the text speaks plainly.

BSA: gave them over (“delivered, surrendered”): This is the second time God lets people follow their chosen path. error (“deceit, wrong turn”): Paul sees such acts as a wandering off the true road, with consequences that follow.

See also: Genesis 1:27.

Romans 1:28

People did not think God worth knowing, so He gave them over a third time, to a mind that fails the test. The result is behavior that harms everyone. Refusing God leads to broken thinking and broken living.

BSA: depraved (“reprobate, worthless”): Their minds were found unfit, like metal that fails inspection.

Greek: ἀδόκιμον (adokimon, G96) — “failed the test, unapproved.” Paul plays on words. They did not approve (edokimasan) of knowing God, so God gave them an unapproved, failed mind.

Romans 1:29-31

Paul lists the fruits of a life without God: evils within the heart, cruelty and conflict between people, and the breakdown of family and trust. The list is long and covers sins that many people excuse. Everyone can see themselves somewhere in it.

BSA: filled (“completely satisfied, made full”): These sins are not occasional slips but a life brimming over with them. heartless (“unfeeling, without natural affection”): Even the natural love that ought to bind families is gone.

See also: Galatians 5:19-21.

Romans 1:32

The worst part is that people know God’s standard and still do wrong, and even applaud others who do the same. They are not ignorant of what is right. This prepares for Paul’s next point, that all need God’s mercy.

BSA: approve (“consent to, have pleasure in”): Cheering on others in sin shows a heart that has settled into it.

See also: Romans 2:1.