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

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

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?

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.

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

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.

Anyone who has died no longer does wrong things.

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

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.

12 Do not let wrong things rule over your bodies that are going to die. Do not do the things your bodies want.

13 Do not use your bodies to do wrong things. But give yourselves to God like men who have been raised from death to life. Give your bodies to God and use them to do good things.

14 Wrong ways will not be your masters. The law does not rule over you now, but God's loving kindness rules over you.

15 What then? The law does not rule over us now. God's loving kindness rules over us. So, shall we do wrong things? No, never!

16 If you give yourselves to be slaves and obey your master, you are not free. You are his slaves. Do you not know this: you may be slaves to wrong things? But you will not live for ever. Or you may be slaves to obey God. Then you will be made good people and live with him.

17 You were at one time slaves to wrong things. But I praise God that you obeyed what your teachers taught you. And you obeyed because you wanted to obey.

18 You were made free from doing wrong things. You were made slaves to good things.

19 I speak the way people would think about such things, because your minds are weak. At one time you gave your bodies to be slaves to your unclean ways, and to do more and more wrong things. So now give your bodies to be slaves to doing what is right, and to being good.

20 When you were slaves to wrong things, you were free from doing good things.

21 You are now ashamed of those things. What good did they do you? For the end of those things is death.

22 But now you have been made free from wrong ways and you have been made God's slaves. You are made good and you will live for ever.

23 The reward that wrong ways give is to die. But the gift which God gives is to live for ever. Christ Jesus our Lord has done this for us.

Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ

What shall we say, then?(A) Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?(B) By no means! We are those who have died to sin;(C) how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized(D) into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death(E) in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead(F) through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.(G)

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.(H) For we know that our old self(I) was crucified with him(J) so that the body ruled by sin(K) might be done away with,[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin(L) because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.(M)

Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.(N) For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead,(O) he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.(P) 10 The death he died, he died to sin(Q) once for all;(R) but the life he lives, he lives to God.

11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin(S) but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign(T) in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness,(U) but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.(V) 14 For sin shall no longer be your master,(W) because you are not under the law,(X) but under grace.(Y)

Slaves to Righteousness

15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace?(Z) By no means! 16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey(AA)—whether you are slaves to sin,(AB) which leads to death,(AC) or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God(AD) that, though you used to be slaves to sin,(AE) you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching(AF) that has now claimed your allegiance. 18 You have been set free from sin(AG) and have become slaves to righteousness.(AH)

19 I am using an example from everyday life(AI) because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness(AJ) leading to holiness. 20 When you were slaves to sin,(AK) you were free from the control of righteousness.(AL) 21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death!(AM) 22 But now that you have been set free from sin(AN) and have become slaves of God,(AO) the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.(AP) 23 For the wages of sin is death,(AQ) but the gift of God is eternal life(AR) in[b] Christ Jesus our Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Romans 6:6 Or be rendered powerless
  2. Romans 6:23 Or through