Newness of life

1So what shall we say? Shall we continue in the sin so that the grace may abound?

2Of course not! How can we who died to sin keep on living in it?

3Or are you unaware that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? ⁹⁸

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

5Now if we have become united with Him in His death, we will certainly be in His resurrection as well;

6knowing this, that our old self ⁹⁹was crucified with Him in order that the body of the sin ¹⁰⁰might be set aside, so that we no longer be enslaved to that sin—

7because he who has died has been released from that sin. ¹⁰¹

8Now since we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him,

9knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, cannot die again; ¹⁰²death can no longer master Him

10—the death He died He died to sin once for all, while the life He lives He lives to God.

11Thus you also, consider yourselves to be dead indeed to the sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. ¹⁰³

Down with sin!

12Therefore do not let the sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey it with the body's evil desires

13—do not present any part ¹⁰⁴of your body to sin as an implement for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who are alive from the dead, and your body parts to God as implements for righteousness.

14Really, sin must not rule over you, because you are not under law but under grace.

Grace, not license

15What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Of course not!

16Do you not know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey them as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether of sin into death, or of obedience into righteousness?

17But thanks be to God that although you used to be the slaves of the sin you wholeheartedly obeyed that pattern of doctrine into which you were delivered.

18So having been emancipated from the sin, you became enslaved to the righteousness. ¹⁰⁵

19I continue to speak on a human level because of the weakness of your flesh. Now just as you used to present your body parts as slaves to uncleanness, and to ever increasing lawlessness, ¹⁰⁶so now present your body parts as slaves to righteousness with a view to sanctification.

20For when you were slaves to the sin, you were ‘free’ from the righteousness.

21So what ‘fruit’ did you have at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? The end of those things is death! ¹⁰⁷

22But now, having been emancipated from the sin, and having become enslaved to God, you have your ‘fruit’ into sanctification—and the end is eternal life!

23Because the wages of sin is death, ¹⁰⁸but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.