Romans 6-10

New American Standard Bible 1995

Believers Are Dead to Sin, Alive to God

6 ^(A)What shall we say then? Are we to ^(B)continue in sin so that grace may increase? ^2 (C)May it never be! How shall we who ^(D)died to sin still live in it? ³ Or do you not know that all of us who have been ^(E)baptized into ^(F)Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? ⁴ Therefore we have been ^(G)buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was ^(H)raised from the dead through the ^(I)glory of the Father, so we too might walk in ^(J)newness of life. ⁵ For ^(K)if we have become ^[a]united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be ^[b]in the likeness of His resurrection, ⁶ knowing this, that our ^(L)old ^[c]self was ^(M)crucified with Him, in order that our ^(N)body of sin might be ^[d]done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; ⁷ for ^(O)he who has died is ^[e]freed from sin.

⁸ Now ^(P)if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, ⁹ knowing that Christ, having been ^(Q)raised from the dead, ^[f]is never to die again; ^(R)death no longer is master over Him. ¹⁰ For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. ¹¹ Even so consider yourselves to be ^(S)dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

¹² Therefore do not let sin ^(T)reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, ¹³ and do not go on ^(U)presenting ^[g]the members of your body to sin as ^[h]instruments of unrighteousness; but ^(V)present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as ^[i]instruments of righteousness to God. ¹⁴ For ^(W)sin shall not ^(X)be master over you, for ^(Y)you are not under law but ^(Z)under grace.

¹⁵ What then? ^(AA)Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? ^(AB)May it never be! ¹⁶ Do you not ^(AC)know that when you present yourselves to someone as ^(AD)slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of ^(AE)sin ^[j]resulting in death, or of obedience ^[k]resulting in righteousness? ¹⁷ But ^(AF)thanks be to God that ^[l]though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that ^(AG)form of teaching to which you were committed, ¹⁸ and having been ^(AH)freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. ^19 (AI)I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just ^(AJ)as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, ^[m]resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, ^[n]resulting in sanctification.

²⁰ For ^(AK)when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. ²¹ Therefore what ^[o](AL)benefit were you then ^[p]deriving ^[q]from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is ^(AM)death. ²² But now having been ^(AN)freed from sin and ^(AO)enslaved to God, you ^[r]derive your ^[s](AP)benefit, ^[t]resulting in sanctification, and ^(AQ)the outcome, eternal life. ²³ For the wages of ^(AR)sin is death, but the free gift of God is ^(AS)eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Believers United to Christ

7 Or do you not know, ^(AT)brethren (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law has jurisdiction over a person as long as he lives? ² For ^(AU)the married woman is bound by law to her ^[u]husband while he is living; but if her husband dies, she is released from the law ^[v]concerning the husband. ³ So then, if while her husband is living she is joined to another man, she shall be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress though she is joined to another man.

⁴ Therefore, my brethren, you also were ^(AV)made to die ^(AW)to the Law ^(AX)through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. ⁵ For while we were ^(AY)in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were ^(AZ)aroused by the Law, were at work ^(BA)in ^[w]the members of our body to bear fruit for death. ⁶ But now we have been ^(BB)released from the Law, having ^(BC)died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in ^(BD)newness of ^(BE)the ^[x]Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.

^7 (BF)What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? ^(BG)May it never be! On the contrary, ^(BH)I would not have come to know sin except ^[y]through the Law; for I would not have known about ^[z]coveting if the Law had not said, “^(BI)You shall not ^[aa]covet.” ⁸ But sin, ^(BJ)taking opportunity ^(BK)through the commandment, produced in me ^[ab]coveting of every kind; for ^(BL)apart ^[ac]from the Law sin is dead. ⁹ I was once alive apart ^[ad]from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died; ¹⁰ and this commandment, which was ^[ae](BM)to result in life, proved ^[af]to result in death for me; ¹¹ for sin, ^(BN)taking an opportunity ^(BO)through the commandment, ^(BP)deceived me and through it killed me. ^12 (BQ)So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

¹³ Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? ^(BR)May it never be! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by effecting my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful.

The Conflict of Two Natures

¹⁴ For we know that the Law is ^(BS)spiritual, but I am ^(BT)of flesh, ^(BU)sold ^[ag](BV)into bondage to sin. ¹⁵ For what I am doing, ^(BW)I do not understand; for I am not practicing ^(BX)what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. ¹⁶ But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with ^(BY)the Law, confessing that the Law is good. ¹⁷ So now, ^(BZ)no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. ¹⁸ For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my ^(CA)flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. ¹⁹ For ^(CB)the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. ²⁰ But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, ^(CC)I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.

²¹ I find then ^(CD)the ^[ah]principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. ²² For I joyfully concur with the law of God ^[ai]in ^(CE)the inner man, ²³ but I see ^(CF)a different law in ^[aj]the members of my body, waging war against the ^(CG)law of my mind and making me a prisoner ^[ak]of ^(CH)the law of sin which is in my members. ²⁴ Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from ^[al](CI)the body of this ^(CJ)death? ^25 (CK)Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh ^(CL)the law of sin.

Deliverance from Bondage

8 Therefore there is now no ^(CM)condemnation for those who are ^(CN)in ^(CO)Christ Jesus. ² For ^(CP)the law of the Spirit of life ^[am]in ^(CQ)Christ Jesus ^(CR)has set you free from the law of sin and of death. ³ For ^(CS)what the Law could not do, ^[an](CT)weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in ^(CU)the likeness of ^[ao]sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ so that the ^(CV)requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who ^(CW)do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. ⁵ For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on ^(CX)the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, ^(CY)the things of the Spirit. ^6 (CZ)For the mind set on the flesh is ^(DA)death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, ⁷ because the mind set on the flesh is ^(DB)hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, ⁸ and those who are ^(DC)in the flesh cannot please God.

⁹ However, you are not ^(DD)in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God ^(DE)dwells in you. But ^(DF)if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. ^10 (DG)If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is ^[ap]alive because of righteousness. ¹¹ But if the Spirit of Him who ^(DH)raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, ^(DI)He who raised ^(DJ)Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies ^[aq]through His Spirit who dwells in you.

¹² So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— ¹³ for ^(DK)if you are living according to the flesh, you ^[ar]must die; but if by the Spirit you are ^(DL)putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. ¹⁴ For all who are ^(DM)being led by the Spirit of God, these are ^(DN)sons of God. ¹⁵ For you ^(DO)have not received a spirit of slavery ^[as]leading to fear again, but you ^(DP)have received ^[at]a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “^(DQ)Abba! Father!” ¹⁶ The Spirit Himself ^(DR)testifies with our spirit that we are ^(DS)children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, ^(DT)heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, ^(DU)if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time ^(DV)are not worthy to be compared with the ^(DW)glory that is to be revealed to us. ¹⁹ For the ^(DX)anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for ^(DY)the revealing of the ^(DZ)sons of God. ²⁰ For the creation ^(EA)was subjected to ^(EB)futility, not willingly, but ^(EC)because of Him who subjected it, ^[au]in hope ²¹ that ^(ED)the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. ²² For we know that the whole creation ^(EE)groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. ^23 (EF)And not only this, but also we ourselves, having ^(EG)the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves ^(EH)groan within ourselves, ^(EI)waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, ^(EJ)the redemption of our body. ²⁴ For ^(EK)in hope we have been saved, but ^(EL)hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? ²⁵ But ^(EM)if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.

Our Victory in Christ

²⁶ In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for ^(EN)we do not know how to pray as we should, but ^(EO)the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; ²⁷ and ^(EP)He who searches the hearts knows what ^(EQ)the mind of the Spirit is, because He ^(ER)intercedes for the ^[av]saints according to the will of God.

²⁸ And we know that ^[aw]God causes ^(ES)all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are ^(ET)called according to His purpose. ²⁹ For those whom He ^(EU)foreknew, He also ^(EV)predestined to become ^(EW)conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the ^(EX)firstborn among many brethren; ³⁰ and these whom He ^(EY)predestined, He also ^(EZ)called; and these whom He called, He also ^(FA)justified; and these whom He justified, He also ^(FB)glorified.

^31 (FC)What then shall we say to these things? ^(FD)If God is for us, who is against us? ³² He who ^(FE)did not spare His own Son, but ^(FF)delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? ³³ Who will bring a charge against ^(FG)God’s elect? ^(FH)God is the one who justifies; ³⁴ who is the one who ^(FI)condemns? Christ Jesus is He who ^(FJ)died, yes, rather who was ^[ax](FK)raised, who is ^(FL)at the right hand of God, who also ^(FM)intercedes for us. ³⁵ Who will separate us from ^(FN)the love of ^[ay]Christ? Will ^(FO)tribulation, or distress, or ^(FP)persecution, or ^(FQ)famine, or ^(FR)nakedness, or ^(FS)peril, or sword? ³⁶ Just as it is written,

³⁷ But in all these things we overwhelmingly ^(FU)conquer through ^(FV)Him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither ^(FW)death, nor life, nor ^(FX)angels, nor principalities, nor ^(FY)things present, nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from ^(FZ)the love of God, which is ^(GA)in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Solicitude for Israel

9 ^(GB)I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, ² that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. ³ For ^(GC)I could ^[az]wish that I myself were ^(GD)accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen ^(GE)according to the flesh, ⁴ who are ^(GF)Israelites, to whom belongs ^(GG)the adoption as sons, and ^(GH)the glory and ^(GI)the covenants and ^(GJ)the giving of the Law and ^(GK)the temple service and ^(GL)the promises, ⁵ whose are ^(GM)the fathers, and ^(GN)from whom is ^[ba]the Christ according to the flesh, ^(GO)who is over all, ^(GP)God ^(GQ)blessed ^[bb]forever. Amen.

⁶ But it is not as though ^(GR)the word of God has failed. ^(GS)For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; ⁷ nor are they all children ^(GT)because they are Abraham’s ^[bc]descendants, but: “^[bd](GU)through Isaac your ^[be]descendants will be named.” ⁸ That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are ^(GV)children of God, but the ^(GW)children of the promise are regarded as ^[bf]descendants. ⁹ For this is the word of promise: “^(GX)At this time I will come, and Sarah shall have a son.” ^10 (GY)And not only this, but there was ^(GZ)Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; ¹¹ for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that ^(HA)God’s purpose according to His choice would ^[bg]stand, not ^[bh]because of works but ^[bi]because of Him who calls, ¹² it was said to her, “^(HB)The older will serve the younger.” ¹³ Just as it is written, “^(HC)Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

^14 (HD)What shall we say then? ^(HE)There is no injustice with God, is there? ^(HF)May it never be! ¹⁵ For He says to Moses, “^(HG)I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” ¹⁶ So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who ^(HH)runs, but on ^(HI)God who has mercy. ¹⁷ For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “^(HJ)For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed ^[bj]throughout the whole earth.” ¹⁸ So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He ^(HK)hardens whom He desires.

^19 (HL)You will say to me then, “^(HM)Why does He still find fault? For ^(HN)who resists His will?” ²⁰ On the contrary, who are you, ^(HO)O man, who ^(HP)answers back to God? ^(HQ)The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? ²¹ Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel ^[bk]for honorable use and another ^[bl]for common use? ^22 [bm]What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much ^(HR)patience vessels of wrath ^(HS)prepared for destruction? ²³ And He did so to make known ^(HT)the riches of His glory upon ^(HU)vessels of mercy, which He ^(HV)prepared beforehand for glory, ²⁴ even us, whom He also ^(HW)called, ^(HX)not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles. ²⁵ As He says also in Hosea,

²⁷ Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, “^(IB)Though the number of the sons of Israel be ^(IC)like the sand of the sea, it is ^(ID)the remnant that will be saved; ^28 (IE)for the Lord will execute His word on the earth, ^[bn]thoroughly and ^[bo]quickly.” ²⁹ And just as Isaiah foretold,

^30 (II)What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even ^(IJ)the righteousness which is ^[bs]by faith; ³¹ but Israel, ^(IK)pursuing a law of righteousness, did not ^(IL)arrive at that law. ³² Why? Because they did not pursue it ^[bt]by faith, but as though it were ^[bu]by works. They stumbled over ^(IM)the stumbling stone, ³³ just as it is written,

The Word of Faith Brings Salvation

10 Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. ² For I testify about them that they have ^(IR)a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. ³ For not knowing about ^(IS)God’s righteousness and ^(IT)seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. ⁴ For ^(IU)Christ is the ^[bw]end of the law for righteousness to ^(IV)everyone who believes.

⁵ For Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is ^[bx]based on law ^(IW)shall live ^[by]by that righteousness. ⁶ But ^(IX)the righteousness ^[bz]based on faith speaks as follows: “^(IY)Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down), ⁷ or ‘Who will descend into the ^(IZ)abyss?’ (that is, to ^(JA)bring Christ up from the dead).” ⁸ But what does it say? “^(JB)The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, ^9 [ca]that ^(JC)if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and ^(JD)believe in your heart that ^(JE)God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; ¹⁰ for with the heart a person believes, ^[cb]resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, ^[cc]resulting in salvation. ¹¹ For the Scripture says, “^(JF)Whoever believes in Him will not be ^[cd]disappointed.” ¹² For ^(JG)there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is ^(JH)Lord of ^(JI)all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; ¹³ for “^(JJ)Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

¹⁴ How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him ^(JK)whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without ^(JL)a preacher? ¹⁵ How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “^(JM)How beautiful are the feet of those who ^[ce](JN)bring good news of good things!”

¹⁶ However, they ^(JO)did not all heed the ^[cf]good news; for Isaiah says, “^(JP)Lord, who has believed our report?” ¹⁷ So faith comes from ^(JQ)hearing, and hearing by ^(JR)the word ^[cg]of Christ.

¹⁸ But I say, surely they have never heard, have they? Indeed they have;

¹⁹ But I say, surely Israel did not know, did they? First Moses says,

²⁰ And Isaiah is very bold and says,

²¹ But as for Israel He says, “^(JW)All the day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.”