Read the New Testament in 24 Weeks
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.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.