I speak the truth in Christ; I am not lying, as confirmed by my conscience in the Holy Spirit.
Parallel translations
- WEB I tell the truth in Christ. I am not lying, my conscience testifying with me in the Holy Spirit,
- KJV I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,
- NKJV I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit,
- NASB I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying; my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit,
- NLT With Christ as my witness, I speak with utter truthfulness. My conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm it.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Paul solemnly affirms before God that he is telling the truth, with his conscience confirming it in the Holy Spirit. He prepares to express deep grief over Israel's unbelief.
Overview
Turning from the heights of chapter 8 to the painful question of Israel's rejection of Christ, Paul opens with a triple assurance of sincerity. He speaks the truth in Christ, does not lie, and his Spirit-led conscience bears witness. This earnest oath underscores how genuine his coming sorrow is and refutes any charge that he is indifferent to his own people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- 1 Tim 2:7For this reason I was appointed as a preacher, an apostle, and a faithful and true teacher of the Gentiles. I am telling the truth; I am not lying about anything.
- Rom 1:9God, whom I serve with my spirit in preaching the gospel of His Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you
- Gal 1:20I assure you before God that what I am writing to you is no lie.
- 2 Cor 11:10As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia.
- Phil 1:8God is my witness how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
- 1 Tim 1:5The goal of our instruction is the love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and a sincere faith.
- 2 Cor 12:19Have you been thinking all along that we were making a defense to you? We speak before God in Christ, and all of this, beloved, is to build you up.
- 2 Cor 1:12And this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in relation to you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God—not in worldly wisdom, but in the grace of God.
- Rom 8:16The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
- 1 Th 2:5As you know, we never used words of flattery or any pretext for greed. God is our witness!
- 1 Tim 5:21I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels to maintain these principles without bias, and to do nothing out of partiality.
- 1 Jn 3:19–21And by this we will know that we belong to the truth, and will assure our hearts in His presence:
- 2 Cor 11:31The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is forever worthy of praise, knows that I am not lying.
- Rom 2:15So they show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts either accusing or defending them
- 2 Cor 1:23I call God as my witness that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth.
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Christ at the center
Paul unfolds the gospel in full: Christ our righteousness received by faith, the second Adam in whom many are made righteous, in whose death and resurrection we are buried and raised.
How Romans 9:1 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.