1 W hat shall we say ? Are we to remain in sin in order that God’s grace (favor and mercy) may multiply and overflow?

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?

2 C ertainly not! How can we who died to sin live in it any longer?

May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?

3 A re you ignorant of the fact that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?

Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?

4 W e were buried therefore with Him by the baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious of the Father, so we too might live and behave in newness of life.

Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

5 F or if we have become one with Him by sharing a death like His, we shall also be His resurrection.

For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection,

6 W e know that our old (unrenewed) self was nailed to the cross with Him in order that body of sin might be made ineffective and inactive for evil, that we might no longer be the slaves of sin.

knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;

7 F or when a man dies, he is freed (loosed, delivered) from sin.

for he who has died is freed from sin.

8 N ow if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,

Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,

9 B ecause we know that Christ (the Anointed One), being once raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has power over Him.

knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him.

10 F or by the death He died, He died to sin once for all; and the life that He lives, He is living to God.

For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.

11 E ven so consider yourselves also dead to sin and your relation to it broken, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

12 L et not sin therefore rule as king in your mortal (short-lived, perishable) bodies, to make you yield to its cravings and be subject to its lusts and evil passions.

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts,

13 D o not continue offering or yielding your bodily members '> faculties] to sin as instruments (tools) of wickedness. But offer and yield yourselves to God as though you have been raised from the dead to life, and your bodily members '> faculties] to God, presenting them as implements of righteousness.

and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

14 F or sin shall not exert dominion over you, since now you are not under Law, but under grace.

For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

15 W hat then ? Shall we sin because we live not under Law but under God’s favor and mercy? Certainly not!

What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be!

16 D o you not know that if you continually surrender yourselves to anyone to do his will, you are the slaves of him whom you obey, whether that be to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience which leads to righteousness (right doing and right standing with God)?

Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?

17 B ut thank God, though you were once slaves of sin, you have become obedient with all your heart to the standard of teaching in which you were instructed and to which you were committed.

But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed,

18 A nd having been set free from sin, you have become the servants of righteousness (of conformity to the divine will in thought, purpose, and action).

and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

19 I am speaking in familiar human terms because of your natural limitations. For as you yielded your bodily members '> faculties] as servants to impurity and ever increasing lawlessness, so now yield your bodily members '> faculties] once for all as servants to righteousness (right being and doing) to sanctification.

I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.

20 F or when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.

21 B ut then what benefit (return) did you get from the things of which you are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.

Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death.

22 B ut now since you have been set free from sin and have become the slaves of God, you have your present reward in holiness and its end is eternal life.

But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.

23 F or the wages which sin pays is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through (in union with) Jesus Christ our Lord.

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