The Temptation and Fall of Man^(A)

3 Now ^(B)the serpent was ^(C)more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”

² And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the ^(D)fruit of the trees of the garden; ³ but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you ^(E)touch it, lest you die.’ ”

^4 (F)Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. ⁵ For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

⁶ So when the woman ^(G)saw that the tree was good for food, that it was ^[a]pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit ^(H)and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. ⁷ Then the eyes of both of them were opened, ^(I)and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves ^[b]coverings.

⁸ And they heard ^(J)the ^[c]sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the ^[d]cool of the day, and Adam and his wife ^(K)hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

⁹ Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”

¹⁰ So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, ^(L)and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”

¹¹ And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”

¹² Then the man said, ^(M)“The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”

¹³ And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”

The woman said, ^(N)“The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

¹⁴ So the Lord God said to the serpent:

¹⁶ To the woman He said:

¹⁷ Then to Adam He said, ^(V)“Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree ^(W)of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’:

²⁰ And Adam called his wife’s name ^(AD)Eve,^[g] because she was the mother of all living.

²¹ Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.

²² Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— ²³ therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden ^(AE)to till the ground from which he was taken. ²⁴ So ^(AF)He drove out the man; and He placed ^(AG)cherubim ^(AH)at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of ^(AI)life.

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. ³ For ^(E)what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, ^(F)God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who ^(G)do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. ⁵ For ^(H)those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, ^(I)the things of the Spirit. ⁶ For ^(J)to be ^[b]carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. ⁷ Because ^(K)the ^[c]carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, ^(L)nor indeed can be. ⁸ So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

⁹ But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. ¹⁰ And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. ¹¹ But if the Spirit of ^(M)Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, ^(N)He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies ^[d]through His Spirit who dwells in you.

Sonship Through the Spirit

^12 (O)Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. ¹³ For ^(P)if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you ^(Q)put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. ¹⁴ For ^(R)as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. ¹⁵ For ^(S)you did not receive the spirit of bondage again ^(T)to fear, but you received the ^(U)Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ^(V)“Abba,^[e] Father.” ^16 (W)The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, then ^(X)heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, ^(Y)if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

From Suffering to Glory

¹⁸ For I consider that ^(Z)the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. ¹⁹ For ^(AA)the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. ²⁰ For ^(AB)the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; ²¹ because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of ^[f]corruption into the glorious ^(AC)liberty of the children of God. ²² For we know that the whole creation ^(AD)groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. ²³ Not only that, but we also who have ^(AE)the firstfruits of the Spirit, ^(AF)even we ourselves groan ^(AG)within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the ^(AH)redemption of our body. ²⁴ For we were saved in this hope, but ^(AI)hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.

²⁶ Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For ^(AJ)we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but ^(AK)the Spirit Himself makes intercession ^[g]for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. ²⁷ Now ^(AL)He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints ^(AM)according to the will of God.

²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those ^(AN)who are the called according to His purpose. ²⁹ For whom ^(AO)He foreknew, ^(AP)He also predestined ^(AQ)to be conformed to the image of His Son, ^(AR)that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. ³⁰ Moreover whom He predestined, these He also ^(AS)called; whom He called, these He also ^(AT)justified; and whom He justified, these He also ^(AU)glorified.

God’s Everlasting Love

³¹ What then shall we say to these things? ^(AV)If God is for us, who can be against us? ^32 (AW)He who did not spare His own Son, but ^(AX)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? ^(AY)It is God who justifies. ^34 (AZ)Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, ^(BA)who is even at the right hand of God, ^(BB)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 (BD)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 ^(BE)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.