Romans 6:1-7:6

New International Version

Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ

6 What shall we say, then?^(A) Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?^(B) ²By no means! We are those who have died to sin;^(C) how can we live in it any longer? ³Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized^(D) into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death^(E) in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead^(F) through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.^(G)

⁵For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.^(H) ⁶For we know that our old self^(I) was crucified with him^(J) so that the body ruled by sin^(K) might be done away with,^[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin^(L)— ⁷because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.^(M)

⁸Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.^(N) ⁹For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead,^(O) he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.^(P) ¹⁰The death he died, he died to sin^(Q) once for all;^(R) but the life he lives, he lives to God.

¹¹In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin^(S) but alive to God in Christ Jesus. ¹²Therefore do not let sin reign^(T) in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. ¹³Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness,^(U) but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.^(V) ¹⁴For sin shall no longer be your master,^(W) because you are not under the law,^(X) but under grace.^(Y)

Slaves to Righteousness

¹⁵What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace?^(Z) By no means! ¹⁶Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey^(AA)—whether you are slaves to sin,^(AB) which leads to death,^(AC) or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? ¹⁷But thanks be to God^(AD) that, though you used to be slaves to sin,^(AE) you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching^(AF) that has now claimed your allegiance. ¹⁸You have been set free from sin^(AG) and have become slaves to righteousness.^(AH)

¹⁹I am using an example from everyday life^(AI) because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness^(AJ) leading to holiness. ²⁰When you were slaves to sin,^(AK) you were free from the control of righteousness.^(AL) ²¹What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death!^(AM) ²²But now that you have been set free from sin^(AN) and have become slaves of God,^(AO) the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.^(AP) ²³For the wages of sin is death,^(AQ) but the gift of God is eternal life^(AR) in^[b] Christ Jesus our Lord.

Released From the Law, Bound to Christ

7 Do you not know, brothers and sisters^(AS)—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law has authority over someone only as long as that person lives? ²For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law that binds her to him.^(AT) ³So then, if she has sexual relations with another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress.^(AU) But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress if she marries another man.

⁴So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law^(AV) through the body of Christ,^(AW) that you might belong to another,^(AX) to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. ⁵For when we were in the realm of the flesh,^[c]^(AY) the sinful passions aroused by the law^(AZ) were at work in us,^(BA) so that we bore fruit for death.^(BB) ⁶But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law^(BC) so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.^(BD)

Footnotes

Romans 6:6 Or be rendered powerless
Romans 6:23 Or through
Romans 7:5 In contexts like this, the Greek word for flesh (sarx) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit.

Psalm 106

New International Version

Psalm 106^(A)

¹Praise the Lord.^[a]^(B)

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;^(C)
his love endures forever.^(D)

²Who can proclaim the mighty acts^(E) of the Lord
or fully declare his praise?
³Blessed are those who act justly,^(F)
who always do what is right.^(G)

⁴Remember me,^(H) Lord, when you show favor^(I) to your people,
    come to my aid^(J) when you save them,
⁵that I may enjoy the prosperity^(K) of your chosen ones,^(L)
    that I may share in the joy^(M) of your nation
    and join your inheritance^(N) in giving praise.

⁶We have sinned,^(O) even as our ancestors^(P) did;
    we have done wrong and acted wickedly.^(Q)
⁷When our ancestors were in Egypt,
    they gave no thought^(R) to your miracles;
they did not remember^(S) your many kindnesses,
    and they rebelled by the sea,^(T) the Red Sea.^[b]
⁸Yet he saved them^(U) for his name’s sake,^(V)
    to make his mighty power^(W) known.
⁹He rebuked^(X) the Red Sea, and it dried up;^(Y)
    he led them through^(Z) the depths as through a desert.
¹⁰He saved them^(AA) from the hand of the foe;^(AB)
    from the hand of the enemy he redeemed them.^(AC)
¹¹The waters covered^(AD) their adversaries;
    not one of them survived.
¹²Then they believed his promises
    and sang his praise.^(AE)

¹³But they soon forgot^(AF) what he had done
    and did not wait for his plan to unfold.^(AG)
¹⁴In the desert^(AH) they gave in to their craving;
    in the wilderness^(AI) they put God to the test.^(AJ)
¹⁵So he gave them^(AK) what they asked for,
    but sent a wasting disease^(AL) among them.

¹⁶In the camp they grew envious^(AM) of Moses
    and of Aaron, who was consecrated to the Lord.
¹⁷The earth opened^(AN) up and swallowed Dathan;^(AO)
    it buried the company of Abiram.^(AP)
¹⁸Fire blazed^(AQ) among their followers;
    a flame consumed the wicked.
¹⁹At Horeb they made a calf^(AR)
    and worshiped an idol cast from metal.
²⁰They exchanged their glorious God^(AS)
    for an image of a bull, which eats grass.
²¹They forgot the God^(AT) who saved them,
    who had done great things^(AU) in Egypt,
²²miracles in the land of Ham^(AV)
    and awesome deeds^(AW) by the Red Sea.
²³So he said he would destroy^(AX) them—
    had not Moses, his chosen one,
stood in the breach^(AY) before him
    to keep his wrath from destroying them.

²⁴Then they despised^(AZ) the pleasant land;^(BA)
    they did not believe^(BB) his promise.
²⁵They grumbled^(BC) in their tents
    and did not obey the Lord.
²⁶So he swore^(BD) to them with uplifted hand
    that he would make them fall in the wilderness,^(BE)
²⁷make their descendants fall among the nations
    and scatter^(BF) them throughout the lands.

²⁸They yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor^(BG)
    and ate sacrifices offered to lifeless gods;
²⁹they aroused the Lord’s anger^(BH) by their wicked deeds,^(BI)
    and a plague^(BJ) broke out among them.
³⁰But Phinehas^(BK) stood up and intervened,
    and the plague was checked.^(BL)
³¹This was credited to him^(BM) as righteousness
    for endless generations^(BN) to come.
³²By the waters of Meribah^(BO) they angered the Lord,
    and trouble came to Moses because of them;
³³for they rebelled^(BP) against the Spirit^(BQ) of God,
    and rash words came from Moses’ lips.^[c]^(BR)

³⁴They did not destroy^(BS) the peoples
    as the Lord had commanded^(BT) them,
³⁵but they mingled^(BU) with the nations
    and adopted their customs.
³⁶They worshiped their idols,^(BV)
    which became a snare^(BW) to them.
³⁷They sacrificed their sons^(BX)
    and their daughters to false gods.^(BY)
³⁸They shed innocent blood,
    the blood of their sons^(BZ) and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,
    and the land was desecrated by their blood.
³⁹They defiled themselves^(CA) by what they did;
    by their deeds they prostituted^(CB) themselves.

⁴⁰Therefore the Lord was angry^(CC) with his people
    and abhorred his inheritance.^(CD)
⁴¹He gave them into the hands^(CE) of the nations,
    and their foes ruled over them.
⁴²Their enemies oppressed^(CF) them
    and subjected them to their power.
⁴³Many times he delivered them,^(CG)
    but they were bent on rebellion^(CH)
    and they wasted away in their sin.
⁴⁴Yet he took note of their distress
    when he heard their cry;^(CI)
⁴⁵for their sake he remembered his covenant^(CJ)
    and out of his great love^(CK) he relented.^(CL)
⁴⁶He caused all who held them captive
    to show them mercy.^(CM)