Study Desk

The Good News is about God's Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. As a man, he was born from the family of David. But through the Spirit of holiness he was declared to be God's Son with great power by rising from the dead.

Brothers and sisters, I want you to know that I planned many times to come to you, but this has not been possible. I wanted to come so that I could help you grow spiritually as I have helped the other non-Jewish people.

The Good News shows how God makes people right with himself—that it begins and ends with faith. As the Scripture says, "But those who are right with God will live by faith."

There are things about him that people cannot see—his eternal power and all the things that make him God. But since the beginning of the world those things have been easy to understand by what God has made. So people have no excuse for the bad things they do.

They knew God, but they did not give glory to God or thank him. Their thinking became useless. Their foolish minds were filled with darkness.

They said they were wise, but they became fools.

They know God's law says that those who live like this should die. But they themselves not only continue to do these evil things, they applaud others who do them.

You judge those who do wrong, but you do wrong yourselves. Do you think you will be able to escape the judgment of God?

He has been very kind and patient, waiting for you to change, but you think nothing of his kindness. Perhaps you do not understand that God is kind to you so you will change your hearts and lives.

But you are stubborn and refuse to change, so you are making your own punishment even greater on the day he shows his anger. On that day everyone will see God's right judgments.

But other people are selfish. They refuse to follow truth and, instead, follow evil. God will give them his punishment and anger.

But he will give glory, honor, and peace to everyone who does good—to the Jews first and also to those who are not Jews.

(Those who are not Jews do not have the law, but when they freely do what the law commands, they are the law for themselves. This is true even though they do not have the law.

You teach others, so why don't you teach yourself? You tell others not to steal, but you steal.

You say that others must not take part in adultery, but you are guilty of that sin. You hate idols, but you steal from temples.

You brag about having God's law, but you bring shame to God by breaking his law,

If you follow the law, your circumcision has meaning. But if you break the law, it is as if you were never circumcised.

People who are not Jews are not circumcised, but if they do what the law says, it is as if they were circumcised.

You Jews have the written law and circumcision, but you break the law. So those who are not circumcised in their bodies, but still obey the law, will show that you are guilty.

It would be the same to say, "We should do evil so that good will come." Some people find fault with us and say we teach this, but they are wrong and deserve the punishment they will receive.