Nov 24 - Romans 13-16
Romans
1Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.2Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.3For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval,4for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer.5Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience.6For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing.7Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.8Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.9The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet," and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."10Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.11Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.12The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.13Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy.14But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
1As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.2One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables.3Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him.4Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.5One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.6The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.7For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself.8If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's.9For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.10Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God;11for it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God."12So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.13Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.14I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean.15For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died.16So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil.17For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.18Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men.19So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.20Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats.21It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.22The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves.23But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.
1We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.2Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.3For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, "The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me."4For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.5May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus,6that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.7Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.8For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God's truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs,9and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, "Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name."10And again it is said, "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people."11And again, "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples extol him."12And again Isaiah says, "The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope."13May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.14I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another.15But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God16to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.17In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God.18For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience--by word and deed,19by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God--so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ;20and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation,21but as it is written, "Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand."22This is the reason why I have so often been hindered from coming to you.23But now, since I no longer have any room for work in these regions, and since I have longed for many years to come to you,24I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and to be helped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while.25At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints.26For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem.27They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings.28When therefore I have completed this and have delivered to them what has been collected, I will leave for Spain by way of you.29I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.30I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf,31that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints,32so that by God's will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company.33May the God of peace be with you all. Amen.
1I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae,2that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well.3Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus,4who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well.5Greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in Asia.6Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you.7Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners. They are well known to the apostles, and they were in Christ before me.8Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord.9Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys.10Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the family of Aristobulus.11Greet my kinsman Herodion. Greet those in the Lord who belong to the family of Narcissus.12Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord.13Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother, who has been a mother to me as well.14Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers who are with them.15Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them.16Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.17I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them.18For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.19For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil.20The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.21Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you; so do Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen.22I Tertius, who wrote this letter, greet you in the Lord.23Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus, greet you.24See Footnote25Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages26but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith--27to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.