^7 (A)If you do well, will you not be accepted?^[a] And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. ^(B)Its desire is contrary to^[b] you, but you must rule over it.”

¹⁵ Then desire ^(A)when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and ^(B)sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

^6 (A)He will render to each one according to his works: ⁷ to those who ^(B)by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; ⁸ but for those who are self-seeking^[a] and ^(C)do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. ⁹ There will be tribulation and distress ^(D)for every human being who does evil, the Jew ^(E)first and also the Greek, ¹⁰ but glory and honor and ^(F)peace for everyone who does good, ^(G)the Jew first and also the Greek.

⁴ By faith ^(A)Abel offered to God ^(B)a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And ^(C)through his faith, though he died, he ^(D)still speaks.

¹⁶ Do you not know that if you present yourselves ^(A)to anyone as obedient slaves,^[a] you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?

A Living Sacrifice

12 ^(A)I appeal to you therefore, brothers,^[a] by the mercies of God, ^(B)to present your bodies ^(C)as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.^[b]

²³ But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the Lord, and ^(A)be sure your sin will find you out.

⁸ But sin, ^(A)seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. ^(B)For apart from the law, sin lies dead. ⁹ I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died.