Verse 18 serves as a conclusion of the paragraph begun in verse 13. Wins God’s pleasure and man’s approval may be rendered as “causes God to be pleased and causes men to approve of what he has done.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Romans. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1973. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .