Romans 2:2

2:2 Now we know that God’s judgment is in accordance with truth ¹  against those who practice such things.

Romans 4:4

4:4 Now to the one who works, his pay is not credited due to grace but due to obligation. ² 

Romans 5:20

5:20 Now the law came in ³  so that the transgression ⁴  may increase, but where sin increased, grace multiplied all the more,

Romans 11:13

11:13 Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Seeing that I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry,

Romans 11:30

11:30 Just as you were formerly disobedient to God, but have now received mercy due to their disobedience,

Romans 14:1

Exhortation to Mutual Forbearance

14:1 Now receive the one who is weak in the faith, and do not have disputes over differing opinions. ⁵ 

Romans 15:5

15:5 Now may the God of endurance and comfort give you unity with one another ⁶  in accordance with Christ Jesus,

Romans 16:1

Personal Greetings

16:1 Now I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant ⁷  of the church in Cenchrea,

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¹ tn Or “based on truth.”

² tn Grk “not according to grace but according to obligation.”

³ tn Grk “slipped in.”

⁴ tn Or “trespass.”

⁵ tn Grk “over opinions.” The qualifier “differing” has been supplied to clarify the meaning.

⁶ tn Grk “grant you to think the same among one another.”

⁷ tn Or “deaconess.” It is debated whether διάκονος (diakonos) here refers to a specific office within the church. One contextual argument used to support this view is that Phoebe is associated with a particular church, Cenchrea, and as such would therefore be a deacon of that church. In the NT some who are called διάκονος are related to a particular church, yet the scholarly consensus is that such individuals are not deacons, but “servants” or “ministers” (other viable translations for διάκονος). For example, Epaphras is associated with the church in Colossians and is called a διάκονος in Col 1:7, but no contemporary translation regards him as a deacon. In 1 Tim 4:6 Paul calls Timothy a διάκονος; Timothy was associated with the church in Ephesus, but he obviously was not a deacon. In addition, the lexical evidence leans away from this view: Within the NT, the διακον- word group rarely functions with a technical nuance. In any case, the evidence is not compelling either way. The view accepted in the translation above is that Phoebe was a servant of the church, not a deaconess, although this conclusion should be regarded as tentative.