¹³ When you were dead in your sins^(A) and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you^[a] alive^(B) with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,^{(C) 14} having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness,^(D) which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.^{(E) 15} And having disarmed the powers and authorities,^(F) he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them^(G) by the cross.^[b]

Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ

6 What shall we say, then?^(A) Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?^{(B) 2} By no means! We are those who have died to sin;^(C) how can we live in it any longer? ³ Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized^(D) into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴ We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death^(E) in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead^(F) through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.^(G)

⁵ For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.^{(H) 6} For we know that our old self^(I) was crucified with him^(J) so that the body ruled by sin^(K) might be done away with,^[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin^(L)— ⁷ because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.^(M)

⁸ Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.^{(N) 9} For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead,^(O) he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.^{(P) 10} The death he died, he died to sin^(Q) once for all;^(R) but the life he lives, he lives to God.

¹¹ In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin^(S) but alive to God in Christ Jesus. ¹² Therefore do not let sin reign^(T) in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. ¹³ Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness,^(U) but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.^{(V) 14} For sin shall no longer be your master,^(W) because you are not under the law,^(X) but under grace.^(Y)

Slaves to Righteousness

¹⁵ What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace?^(Z) By no means! ¹⁶ Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey^(AA)—whether you are slaves to sin,^(AB) which leads to death,^(AC) or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? ¹⁷ But thanks be to God^(AD) that, though you used to be slaves to sin,^(AE) you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching^(AF) that has now claimed your allegiance. ¹⁸ You have been set free from sin^(AG) and have become slaves to righteousness.^(AH)

¹⁹ I am using an example from everyday life^(AI) because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness^(AJ) leading to holiness. ²⁰ When you were slaves to sin,^(AK) you were free from the control of righteousness.^{(AL) 21} What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death!^{(AM) 22} But now that you have been set free from sin^(AN) and have become slaves of God,^(AO) the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.^{(AP) 23} For the wages of sin is death,^(AQ) but the gift of God is eternal life^(AR) in^[b] Christ Jesus our Lord.

Jew and Gentile Reconciled Through Christ

¹¹ Therefore, remember that formerly^(A) you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)^(B)— ¹² remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners^(C) to the covenants of the promise,^(D) without hope^(E) and without God in the world. ¹³ But now in Christ Jesus you who once^(F) were far away have been brought near^(G) by the blood of Christ.^(H)

¹⁶ So I say, walk by the Spirit,^(A) and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.^{(B) 17} For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh.^(C) They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever^[a] you want.^(D)

⁶ For we know that our old self^(A) was crucified with him^(B) so that the body ruled by sin^(C) might be done away with,^[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin^(D)— ⁷ because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.^(E)

⁸ Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.^(F)