Romans 1:9 (DRB)

Passage

For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make a commemoration of you:

Nearby Context

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

Romans 1:8 First, I give thanks to my God, through Jesus Christ, for you all: because your faith is spoken of in the whole world.

Romans 1:9 For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make a commemoration of you:

Romans 1:10 Always in my prayers making request, if by any means now at length I may have a prosperous journey, 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 grace, to strengthen you:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "Spirit", "witness", "serve", "gospel", "without", "ceasing", "make", and "commemoration". 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 give thanks to my God..." into verse 10's "Always in my prayers making request if...", 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.