³⁸ And whoever doesn’t take up his cross and follow^[a] Me is not worthy of Me.

Take Up Your Cross

²⁴ Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.^{(A) 25} For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will find it.^{(B) 26} What will it benefit a man if he gains the whole world yet loses his life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life?^(C)

Freedom of the Christian

5 Christ has liberated us to be free. Stand firm^(A) then and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery.^(B)

¹³ For you were called^(A) to be free, brothers; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love. ¹⁴ For the entire law is fulfilled^(B) in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself.^{(C)[a] 15} But if you bite and devour^(D) one another, watch out, or you will be consumed by one another.

The Spirit versus the Flesh

¹⁶ I say then, walk by the Spirit^(E) and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh desires^(F) what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want.^{(G) 18} But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are obvious:^[b][c] sexual immorality,^(H) moral impurity,^(I) promiscuity,^(J)

²² But the fruit of the Spirit^(A) is love,^(B) joy,^(C) peace, patience,^(D) kindness,^(E) goodness, faith,^{[a] 23} gentleness,^(F) self-control.^(G) Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Now those who belong to Christ Jesus^(H) have crucified the flesh^(I) with its passions and desires.^(J)

¹⁸ For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh.^(A) For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it. ¹⁹ For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do. ²⁰ Now if I do what I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but it is the sin that lives in me. ²¹ So I discover this principle:^[a](B) When I want to do what is good, evil is with me. ²² For in my inner self^[b] I joyfully agree with God’s law.^{(C) 23} But I see a different law in the parts of my body,^[c](D) waging war against the law of my mind and taking me prisoner to the law of sin in the parts of my body.^{[d] 24} What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this dying body?^{(E) 25} I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord!^[e](F) So then, with my mind I myself am a slave to the law of God, but with my flesh, to the law of sin.