“From Paul to the Proud”
(A poetic paraphrase of RM 1:1-2:9a)
From Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, An apostle—called by the Lord,
Chosen to preach the gospel, foretold By prophets in the Holy Word.
Jesus was born a descendant of David, But rose from the dead as God’s Son,
An act of great power to prove Him divine— From Him I received a commission . . .
To lead all the world to believe and obey Including you living in Rome,
Whom God also loves and calls to be saved, And with Jesus to make your new home.
May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ Grant you peace and grace.
I thank them for you, because the whole world Is hearing that faith you embrace.
The God whom I serve with all of my heart Is witness that when I pray
I always remember you, hoping that He Will let me come see you some day.
I long to be with you and share by the Spirit The faith that will help us be strong.
My brothers, how often I’ve planned to come, But something has always gone wrong.
How eager I am to evangelize you In fulfillment of my obligations
To preach the good news to all kinds of people In all of the Gentile nations.
For I’m not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, Which has the power to save
All who believe, whether Gentile or Jew, Though once of Satan a slave.
It is written, the just shall live by faith, But the wages of sin is death,
Which is poured out on all who deny what is plain: That God has given them breath.
God punishes them because they are evil And blind to what clearly is true—
The fact of creation confronting them always No matter what they say and do.
They think themselves wise, while in truth they are fools And have no excuse at all.
Refusing to honor the power of God, They stumble in darkness and fall.
Exchanging the truth about God for a lie, They worship and serve only dust
That is made in the image of man and machine, Perverting true love into lust.
Burning with passion and shameful desires, Consumed by unnatural sex acts,
Men still choose to suffer and torture each other Rather than face the facts.
And yet God allows them to break all the rules: To murder, to hate, and to lie.
They invent new sins, while all the time knowing That demons deserve to die.
Do you, my friend, think you’re less to blame, While sitting in judgment on others?
Surely you see God’s mercy is meant For those who become Jesus’ brothers.
But you, hard-hearted, closed-minded and proud, Will one day God’s justice be meted.
When eternal life is awarded believers, Damned will be those He defeated!
(A poetic paraphrase of RM 1:1-2:9a)
From Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, An apostle—called by the Lord,
Chosen to preach the gospel, foretold By prophets in the Holy Word.
Jesus was born a descendant of David, But rose from the dead as God’s Son,
An act of great power to prove Him divine— From Him I received a commission . . .
To lead all the world to believe and obey Including you living in Rome,
Whom God also loves and calls to be saved, And with Jesus to make your new home.
May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ Grant you peace and grace.
I thank them for you, because the whole world Is hearing that faith you embrace.
The God whom I serve with all of my heart Is witness that when I pray
I always remember you, hoping that He Will let me come see you some day.
I long to be with you and share by the Spirit The faith that will help us be strong.
My brothers, how often I’ve planned to come, But something has always gone wrong.
How eager I am to evangelize you In fulfillment of my obligations
To preach the good news to all kinds of people In all of the Gentile nations.
For I’m not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, Which has the power to save
All who believe, whether Gentile or Jew, Though once of Satan a slave.
It is written, the just shall live by faith, But the wages of sin is death,
Which is poured out on all who deny what is plain: That God has given them breath.
God punishes them because they are evil And blind to what clearly is true—
The fact of creation confronting them always No matter what they say and do.
They think themselves wise, while in truth they are fools And have no excuse at all.
Refusing to honor the power of God, They stumble in darkness and fall.
Exchanging the truth about God for a lie, They worship and serve only dust
That is made in the image of man and machine, Perverting true love into lust.
Burning with passion and shameful desires, Consumed by unnatural sex acts,
Men still choose to suffer and torture each other Rather than face the facts.
And yet God allows them to break all the rules: To murder, to hate, and to lie.
They invent new sins, while all the time knowing That demons deserve to die.
Do you, my friend, think you’re less to blame, While sitting in judgment on others?
Surely you see God’s mercy is meant For those who become Jesus’ brothers.
But you, hard-hearted, closed-minded and proud, Will one day God’s justice be meted.
When eternal life is awarded believers, Damned will be those He defeated!
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