1:8 第一，我靠著耶穌基督，為你們眾人感謝我的上帝，因你們的信德傳遍了天下。
1:9 我在他兒子福音上，用心靈所事奉的上帝可以見證，我怎樣不住地提到你們；
1:10 在禱告之間常常懇求，或者照上帝的旨意，終能得平坦的道路往你們那裡去。
1:11 因為我切切地想見你們，要把些屬靈的恩賜分給你們，使你們可以堅固；
1:12 這樣，我在你們中間，因你與我彼此的信心，就可以同得安慰。
1:13 弟兄們，我不願意你們不知道，我屢次定意往你們那裡去，要在你們中間得些果子，如同在其餘的外邦人中一樣；只是到如今仍有阻隔。
1:14 無論是希臘人、化外人、聰明人、愚拙人，我都欠他們的債，
1:15 所以情願盡我的力量，將福音也傳給你們在羅馬的人。
1:16 我不以福音為恥；這福音本是上帝的大能，要救一切相信的，先是猶太人，後是希臘人。
1:17 因為上帝的義正在這福音上顯明出來；這義是本於信，以至於信。如經上所記：「義人必因信得生。」
8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. 9 God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you 10 in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you.
11 I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— 12 that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. 13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters,[d] that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.
14 I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 15 That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,[e] just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
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有兩個詞在和合本聖經表達得不是很好，就是英文的「righteousness」和「justice」。其實兩者意義是有差異的：「righteousness」是與上帝之間的關係；「justice」是談到平等性和不虧欠別人。這裡提到「信」的結果是讓人與上帝有合宜的關係，不是讓人覺得自己比別人好。
而然透過與上帝和好，才能繼續享受上帝的供應，是一種生命的聯繫，好像一棵樹栽在溪水旁，如此才能脫離死亡，進入永生的福樂！也因為如此，才能說：「義人必因信得生。」
因此說到福音，有一點是非常重要的：就是要和上帝建立合宜的關係，讓上帝成為我們的上帝，我們成為上帝的兒女！而要建立這樣的關係，就是要透過耶穌基督，我們的責任就是「信靠」、就是「跟隨」主耶穌！
*** 請繼續閱讀: 羅馬書1章
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