Romans 1:9 (YLT)

Passage

for God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the good news of His Son, how unceasingly I make mention of you,

Nearby Context

Romans 1:7 to all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called saints; Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father, and <FI>from<Fi> the Lord Jesus Christ!

Romans 1:8 first, indeed, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is proclaimed in the whole world;

Romans 1:9 for God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the good news of His Son, how unceasingly I make mention of you,

Romans 1:10 always in my prayers beseeching, if by any means now at length I shall 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 to you some spiritual gift, that ye may be established;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "Spirit", "witness", "serve", "good", "news", "unceasingly", "make", and "mention". 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 indeed I thank my God through..." into verse 10's "always in my prayers beseeching if by...", 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.