Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

6 What shall we say then? Shall we keep on doing wrong things so that God will be more kind to us?

² No, surely not! We died to our wrong ways and no longer live in them.

³ All of us have been baptised in water. This means we are joined to Christ Jesus. We were baptised into his death. Do you know that?

⁴ We were buried when he was buried because we were baptised into his death. Christ was raised from death by the wonderful power of the Father. So we also must live a new life.

⁵ Have we shared with Christ and died as he died? Then we shall share with him by rising from death as he arose.

⁶ We know this is true. The old person we used to be was nailed to the cross with him, so that our bodies which do wrong things would die. Then we will no longer be like slaves to the wrong things we used to do.

⁷ Anyone who has died no longer does wrong things.

⁸ If we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.

⁹ We know that Christ was raised from death and will not die again. Death has no power over him any more.

¹⁰ He died. And he died once for all time, so that people would stop their wrong ways. But now he lives. And he lives for God.

¹¹ So you also must think you are dead, and stop your wrong ways. And you must think you are living for God along with Christ Jesus our Lord.