Romans 4-7

21st Century King James Version

4 What shall we say then that Abraham our father hath found pertaining to the flesh?

² For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath reason to glory, but not before God.

³ For what saith the Scripture? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.”

⁴ Now to him that worketh, his reward is reckoned not according to grace, but according to debt.

⁵ But to him that worketh not, but believeth in Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness,

⁶ even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, saying,

⁷ “Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered.

⁸ Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.”

⁹ Cometh this blessedness then upon the Circumcision only, or upon the Uncircumcision also? For we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.

¹⁰ How was it then reckoned? When he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision!

¹¹ And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had, yet being uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are not circumcised, that righteousness might be imputed unto them also,

¹² and the father of circumcision to those who are not of the Circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham which he had, being yet uncircumcised.

¹³ For the promise that he should be the heir of the world came not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

¹⁴ For if those who are of the law be heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect,

¹⁵ because the law worketh wrath; for where there is no law, there is no transgression.

¹⁶ Therefore it is of faith, that it might be given by grace to the end that the promise might be made sure to all the seed, not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all

¹⁷ (as it is written: “I have made thee a father of many nations”), in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead and calleth those things which are not, as though they were.

¹⁸ Abraham, against all hope, believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which had been spoken, “So shall thy seed be.”

¹⁹ And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about a hundred years old, nor yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb.

²⁰ He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God,

²¹ and being fully persuaded that what He had promised, He was able also to perform.

²² And therefore “it was imputed to him for righteousness.”

²³ Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him,

²⁴ but for us also, to whom it shall be imputed if we believe in Him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead,

²⁵ who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification.

5 Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

² by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

³ And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also, knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

⁴ and patience, experience; and experience, hope;

⁵ and hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost who is given unto us.

⁶ For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

⁷ For scarcely will one die for a righteous man, yet perhaps for a good man some would even dare to die.

⁸ But God commendeth His love toward us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

⁹ Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.

¹⁰ For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

¹¹ And not only that, but we shall also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

¹² Therefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, so death passed onto all men, for all have sinned.

¹³ For until the law, sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.

¹⁴ Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the similitude of Adam’s transgression, he being the figure of Him that was to come.

¹⁵ But not as the offense, so also is the free gift. For if through the offense of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one Man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

¹⁶ And not as it was by one who sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is for many offenses unto justification.

¹⁷ For if by one man’s offense death reigned by one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by One, Jesus Christ.

¹⁸ Therefore as by the offense of one, judgment to condemnation came upon all men, even so by the righteousness of One, the free gift unto justification of life came upon all men.

¹⁹ For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of One shall many be made righteous.

²⁰ Moreover the law entered, that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound,

²¹ that, as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

6 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?

² God forbid! How shall we, who are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

³ Know ye not that as many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death?

⁴ Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

⁵ For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, so we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection,

⁶ knowing this: that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

⁷ For he that is dead is freed from sin.

⁸ Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,

⁹ knowing that Christ, being raised from the dead, dieth no more; death no more hath dominion over Him.

¹⁰ For in that He died, He died unto sin once; but in that He liveth, He liveth unto God.

¹¹ Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

¹² Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

¹³ Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin, but yield yourselves unto God as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

¹⁴ For sin shall not have dominion over you, for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

¹⁵ What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid!

¹⁶ Know ye not that to whomever ye yield yourselves as servants to obey, his servants ye become whom ye obey, whether of sin which leads unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

¹⁷ But God be thanked that though ye were the servants of sin, now ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.

¹⁸ Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

¹⁹ I speak in the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh. For as ye have yielded your members as servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity, even so now yield your members as servants to righteousness unto holiness.

²⁰ For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.

²¹ What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.

²² But now, being made free from sin and having become servants of God, ye have your fruit unto holiness and the end, everlasting life.

²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

7 Know ye not, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), how the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?

² For the woman who hath a husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of the husband.

³ So then, if while her husband liveth she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress; but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.

⁴ Therefore, my brethren, ye also have become dead to the law by the body of Christ, that ye should be married to another, even to Him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.

⁵ For when we were in the flesh, the passions of sins, which were by the law, worked in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.

⁶ But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.

⁷ What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid! Nay, I would not have known sin, but through the law; for I would not have known lust, except that the law had said, “Thou shalt not covet.”

⁸ But sin, taking occasion through the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence; for without the law sin was dead.

⁹ For I was alive apart from the law once, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died;

¹⁰ and the commandment, which was ordained to bring life, I found to be unto death.

¹¹ For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me and by it slew me.

¹² Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.

¹³ Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid! But sin, that it might appear as sin, was working death in me by that which is good, that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.

¹⁴ For we know that the law is spiritual; but I am carnal, sold under sin.

¹⁵ For that which I do, I know not. For what I would do, that do I not; but what I hate, that I do.

¹⁶ If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law, that it is good.

¹⁷ Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

¹⁸ For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing; for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good, I find not.

¹⁹ For the good that I would do, I do not; but the evil which I would not do, that I do.

²⁰ Now if I do that which I would not do, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

²¹ I find then a law that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.

²² For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man.

²³ But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

²⁴ O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

²⁵ I thank God — through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.