Romans 1:9 (ASV)

Passage

For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of his Son, how unceasingly I make mention of you, always in my prayers

Nearby Context

Romans 1:7 To all that are in Rome, beloved of God, called [to be] saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 1:8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is proclaimed throughout the whole world.

Romans 1:9 For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of his Son, how unceasingly I make mention of you, always in my prayers

Romans 1:10 making request, if by any means now at length I may be prospered by the will of God to come unto you.

Romans 1:11 For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "Spirit", "witness", "serve", "gospel", "unceasingly", "make", "mention", and "always". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "Spirit" and "witness", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "First I thank my God through Jesus..." into verse 10's "making request if by any means now...", so "Spirit" and "witness" belong inside that flow. In Romans context, the local focus is righteousness by faith, union with Christ, life in the Spirit, and God's covenant faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "Spirit" and "witness" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.