The Just Live by Faith

¹⁶ For ^(A)I am not ashamed of the gospel ^[a]of Christ, for ^(B)it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, ^(C)for the Jew first and also for the Greek. ¹⁷ For ^(D)in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ^(E)“The just shall live by faith.”

God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness

^18 (F)For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and ^(G)unrighteousness of men, who ^[b]suppress the truth in unrighteousness,

⁴ Or do you despise ^(A)the riches of His goodness, ^(B)forbearance, and ^(C)longsuffering, ^(D)not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?

²³ for ^(A)all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ being justified ^[a]freely ^(B)by His grace ^(C)through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, ²⁵ whom God set forth ^(D)as a ^[b]propitiation ^(E)by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over ^(F)the sins that were previously committed,

³ For what does the Scripture say? ^(A)“Abraham believed God, and it was ^[a]accounted to him for righteousness.” ⁴ Now ^(B)to him who works, the wages are not counted ^[b]as grace but as debt.

David Celebrates the Same Truth

⁵ But to him who ^(C)does not work but believes on Him who justifies ^(D)the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, ⁶ just as David also ^(E)describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works:

Abraham Justified Before Circumcision

⁹ Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. ¹⁰ How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised. ¹¹ And ^(G)he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that ^(H)he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also, ¹² and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father ^(I)Abraham had while still uncircumcised.

The Promise Granted Through Faith

¹³ For the promise that he would be the ^(J)heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. ¹⁴ For ^(K)if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect, ¹⁵ because ^(L)the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression.

¹⁶ Therefore it is of faith that it might be ^(M)according to grace, ^(N)so that the promise might be ^[c]sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, ^(O)who is the father of us all ¹⁷ (as it is written, ^(P)“I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, ^(Q)who gives life to the dead and calls those ^(R)things which do not exist as though they did; ¹⁸ who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, ^(S)“So shall your descendants be.” ¹⁹ And not being weak in faith, ^(T)he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), ^(U)and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. ²⁰ He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, ²¹ and being fully convinced that what He had promised ^(V)He was also able to perform. ²² And therefore ^(W)“it was accounted to him for righteousness.”

²³ Now ^(X)it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, ²⁴ but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe ^(Y)in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, ^25 (Z)who was delivered up because of our offenses, and ^(AA)was raised because of our justification.

⁸ But ^(A)God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ Much more then, having now been justified ^(B)by His blood, we shall be saved ^(C)from wrath through Him. ¹⁰ For ^(D)if when we were enemies ^(E)we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved ^(F)by His life.

Dead to Sin, Alive to God

6 What shall we say then? ^(A)Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? ² Certainly not! How shall we who ^(B)died to sin live any longer in it? ³ Or do you not know that ^(C)as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus ^(D)were baptized into His death? ⁴ Therefore we were ^(E)buried with Him through baptism into death, that ^(F)just as Christ was raised from the dead by ^(G)the glory of the Father, ^(H)even so we also should walk in newness of life.

^5 (I)For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, ⁶ knowing this, that ^(J)our old man was crucified with Him, that ^(K)the body of sin might be ^[a]done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. ⁷ For ^(L)he who has died has been ^[b]freed from sin. ⁸ Now ^(M)if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, ⁹ knowing that ^(N)Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. ¹⁰ For the death that He died, ^(O)He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, ^(P)He lives to God. ¹¹ Likewise you also, ^[c]reckon yourselves to be ^(Q)dead indeed to sin, but ^(R)alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

^12 (S)Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. ¹³ And do not present your ^(T)members as ^[d]instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but ^(U)present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. ¹⁴ For ^(V)sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

From Slaves of Sin to Slaves of God

¹⁵ What then? Shall we sin ^(W)because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! ¹⁶ Do you not know that ^(X)to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? ¹⁷ But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart ^(Y)that form of doctrine to which you were ^[e]delivered. ¹⁸ And ^(Z)having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. ¹⁹ I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness ^[f]for holiness.

²⁰ For when you were ^(AA)slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. ^21 (AB)What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For ^(AC)the end of those things is death. ²² But now ^(AD)having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit ^[g]to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. ²³ For ^(AE)the wages of sin is death, but ^(AF)the ^[h]gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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.

²⁹ For whom ^(A)He foreknew, ^(B)He also predestined ^(C)to be conformed to the image of His Son, ^(D)that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. ³⁰ Moreover whom He predestined, these He also ^(E)called; whom He called, these He also ^(F)justified; and whom He justified, these He also ^(G)glorified.

God’s Everlasting Love

³¹ What then shall we say to these things? ^(H)If God is for us, who can be against us? ^32 (I)He who did not spare His own Son, but ^(J)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? ^(K)It is God who justifies. ^34 (L)Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, ^(M)who is even at the right hand of God, ^(N)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 (P)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 ^(Q)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.