⁵ Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, ^(A)unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. ⁶ That which is born of the flesh is ^(B)flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

^13 (A)No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man ^[a]who is in heaven. ^14 (B)And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so ^(C)must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever ^(D)believes in Him should ^[b]not perish but ^(E)have eternal life. ^16 (F)For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten ^(G)Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ^17 (H)For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

^18 (I)“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. ¹⁹ And this is the condemnation, ^(J)that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ For ^(K)everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. ²¹ But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been ^(L)done in God.”

Free from Indwelling Sin

8 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, ^(A)who^[a] do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. ² For ^(B)the law of ^(C)the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from ^(D)the law of sin and death.

Sonship Through the Spirit

^12 (A)Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. ¹³ For ^(B)if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you ^(C)put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. ¹⁴ For ^(D)as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. ¹⁵ For ^(E)you did not receive the spirit of bondage again ^(F)to fear, but you received the ^(G)Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ^(H)“Abba,^[a] Father.” ^16 (I)The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, then ^(J)heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, ^(K)if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

God’s Everlasting Love

³¹ What then shall we say to these things? ^(A)If God is for us, who can be against us? ^32 (B)He who did not spare His own Son, but ^(C)delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? ³³ Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? ^(D)It is God who justifies. ^34 (E)Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, ^(F)who is even at the right hand of God, ^(G)who also makes intercession for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written:

^37 (I)Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor ^(J)principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.