¹⁶ For ^(A)who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But ^(B)we have the mind of Christ.

⁴ Therefore we have been ^(A)buried with Him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was ^(B)raised from the dead through the ^(C)glory of the Father, so we too may walk in ^(D)newness of life. ⁵ For ^(E)if we have become ^[a]united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be ^[b]in the likeness of His resurrection,

²¹ I find then ^(A)the ^[a]principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. ²² For I joyfully agree with the law of God ^[b]in ^(B)the inner person, ²³ but I see ^(C)a different law in ^[c]the parts of my body waging war against the ^(D)law of my mind, and making me a prisoner ^[d]of ^(E)the law of sin, the law which is in ^[e]my body’s parts. ²⁴ Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from ^[f](F)the body of this ^(G)death? ^25 (H)Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh ^(I)the law of sin.

Dedicated Service

12 Therefore ^(A)I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to ^(B)present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, ^[a]acceptable to God, which is your ^[b]spiritual service of worship. ² And do not ^(C)be conformed to ^(D)this ^[c]world, but be transformed by the ^(E)renewing of your mind, so that you may ^[d](F)prove what the will of God is, that which is good and ^[e]acceptable and perfect.

The Christian’s Walk

^17 (A)So I say this, and affirm in the Lord, ^(B)that you are to no longer walk just as the ^[a]Gentiles also walk, in the ^(C)futility of their minds, ¹⁸ being ^(D)darkened in their understanding, ^[b](E)excluded from the life of God because of the ^(F)ignorance that is in them, because of the ^(G)hardness of their heart; ¹⁹ and they, having ^(H)become callous, ^(I)have given themselves up to ^(J)indecent behavior ^[c]for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. ²⁰ But you did not ^(K)learn Christ in this way, ²¹ if indeed you ^(L)have heard Him and have ^(M)been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, ²² that, in reference to your former way of life, you are to ^(N)rid yourselves of the ^(O)old ^[d]self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the ^(P)lusts of deceit, ²³ and that you are to be ^(Q)renewed in the spirit of your minds, ²⁴ and to ^(R)put on the ^(S)new ^[e]self, which ^[f](T)in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.