¹² But to all who did receive him, ^(A)who believed in his name, ^(B)he gave the right ^(C)to become ^(D)children of God, ¹³ who ^(E)were born, ^(F)not of blood ^(G)nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

¹⁴ For all who are ^(A)led by the Spirit of God are ^(B)sons^[a] of God. ¹⁵ For ^(C)you did not receive ^(D)the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of ^(E)adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ^(F)“Abba! Father!” ^16 (G)The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, then ^(H)heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, ^(I)provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

⁴ But ^(A)when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, ^(B)born ^(C)of woman, born ^(D)under the law, ^5 (E)to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive ^(F)adoption as sons. ⁶ And because you are sons, God has sent ^(G)the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then ^(H)an heir through God.

The New Life

¹⁷ Now this I say and ^(A)testify in the Lord, ^(B)that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, ^(C)in the futility of their minds. ¹⁸ They ^(D)are darkened in their understanding, ^(E)alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to ^(F)their hardness of heart. ¹⁹ They ^(G)have become callous and ^(H)have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. ²⁰ But that is not the way you ^(I)learned Christ!— ²¹ assuming that ^(J)you have heard about him and ^(K)were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, ²² to ^(L)put off ^(M)your old self,^[a] which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through ^(N)deceitful desires, ²³ and ^(O)to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, ²⁴ and to put on ^(P)the new self, ^(Q)created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

²⁵ Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you ^(R)speak the truth with his neighbor, for ^(S)we are members one of another.