1 ¶ So that now, there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ, Jesus, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

Now, because of this, those who belong to Christ will not suffer the punishment of sin.

2 F or the law of the Spirit of life in Christ, Jesus, has made me free from the law of sin and death.

The power of the Holy Spirit has made me free from the power of sin and death. This power is mine because I belong to Christ Jesus.

3 F or that which was impossible to the law, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh

The Law could not make me free from the power of sin and death. It was weak because it had to work with weak human beings. But God sent His own Son. He came to earth in a body of flesh which could be tempted to sin as we in our bodies can be. He gave Himself to take away sin. By doing that, He took away the power sin had over us.

4 t hat the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

In that way, Jesus did for us what the Law said had to be done. We do not do what our sinful old selves tell us to do anymore. Now we do what the Holy Spirit wants us to do.

5 F or those that are according to the flesh know the things that are of the flesh; but those that are according to the Spirit, the things that are of the Spirit.

Those who let their sinful old selves tell them what to do live under that power of their sinful old selves. But those who let the Holy Spirit tell them what to do are under His power.

6 F or the prudence of the flesh is death, but the prudence of the Spirit, life and peace,

If your sinful old self is the boss over your mind, it leads to death. But if the Holy Spirit is the boss over your mind, it leads to life and peace.

7 b ecause the prudence of the flesh is enmity against God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, neither indeed can it.

The mind that thinks only of ways to please the sinful old self is fighting against God. It is not able to obey God’s Laws. It never can.

8 S o then, those that are carnal cannot please God.

Those who do what their sinful old selves want to do cannot please God.

9 B ut ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, because the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, that person is not of him.

But you are not doing what your sinful old selves want you to do. You are doing what the Holy Spirit tells you to do, if you have God’s Spirit living in you. No one belongs to Christ if he does not have Christ’s Spirit in him.

10 ¶ But if Christ is in you, the body is truly dead because of sin, but the Spirit is alive because of righteousness.

If Christ is in you, your spirit lives because you are right with God, and yet your body is dead because of sin.

11 A nd if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he that raised up the Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwells in you.

The Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead. If the same Holy Spirit lives in you, He will give life to your bodies in the same way.

12 T herefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.

So then, Christian brothers, we are not to do what our sinful old selves want us to do.

13 F or if ye live according to the flesh, ye shall die; but if through the Spirit ye mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

If you do what your sinful old selves want you to do, you will die in sin. But if, through the power of the Holy Spirit, you destroy those actions to which the body can be led, you will have life.

14 F or all that are led by the Spirit of God, the same are sons of God.

All those who are led by the Holy Spirit are sons of God.

15 F or ye have not received the spirit of slavery to be in fear again, but ye have received the Spirit of adoption of sons, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

You should not act like people who are owned by someone. They are always afraid. Instead, the Holy Spirit makes us His sons, and we can call to Him, “My Father.”

16 F or the same Spirit bears witness unto our spirit that we are sons of God,

For the Holy Spirit speaks to us and tells our spirit that we are children of God.

17 ¶ and if sons, also heirs certainly of God and joint-heirs with Christ, if so be that we suffer with him that we may be also glorified together with him.

If we are children of God, we will receive everything He has promised us. We will share with Christ all the things God has given to Him. But we must share His suffering if we are to share His shining-greatness.

18 F or I know with certainty that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the coming glory which shall be manifested in us.

I am sure that our suffering now cannot be compared to the shining-greatness that He is going to give us.

19 F or the earnest hope of the creatures waits for the manifestation of the sons of God.

Everything that has been made in the world is waiting for the day when God will make His sons known.

20 F or the creatures were subjected to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who has subjected them,

Everything that has been made in the world is weak. It is not that the world wanted it to be that way. God allowed it to be that way. Yet there is hope.

21 w ith the hope that the same creatures shall be delivered from the slavery of corruption into the glorious liberty of the sons of God.

Everything that has been made in the world will be set free from the power that can destroy. These will become free just as the children of God become free.

22 F or we now know that all the creatures groan together and travail in pain together until now.

We know that everything on the earth cries out with pain the same as a woman giving birth to a child.

23 A nd not only they, but ourselves also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, that is to say, the redemption of our body.

We also cry inside ourselves, even we who have received the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the first of God’s gifts to us. We are waiting to become His complete sons when our bodies are made free.

24 F or in hope we are saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for what a man sees, he does not wait for.

We were saved with this hope ahead of us. Now hope means we are waiting for something we do not have. How can a man hope for something he already has?

25 B ut if we wait for that which we do not see, with patience we wait for it.

But if we hope for something we do not yet see, we must learn how to wait for it.

26 ¶ And likewise also the Spirit helps our weakness; for we know not how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself makes entreaty for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

In the same way, the Holy Spirit helps us where we are weak. We do not know how to pray or what we should pray for, but the Holy Spirit prays to God for us with sounds that cannot be put into words.

27 B ut he that searches the hearts knows what is the desire of the Spirit, that according to the will of God, he makes entreaty for the saints.

God knows the hearts of men. He knows what the Holy Spirit is thinking. The Holy Spirit prays for those who belong to Christ the way God wants Him to pray.

28 A nd we now know that unto those who love God, all things help them unto good, to those who according to the purpose are called to be saints.

We know that God makes all things work together for the good of those who love Him and are chosen to be a part of His plan.

29 ¶ For unto those whom he knew beforehand, he also marked out beforehand the way that they might be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

God knew from the beginning who would put their trust in Him. So He chose them and made them to be like His Son. Christ was first and all those who belong to God are His brothers.

30 A nd unto those whom he did mark out beforehand the way, to these he also called; and to whom he called, these he also justified; and to whom he justified, these he also glorified.

He called to Himself also those He chose. Those He called, He made right with Himself. Then He shared His shining-greatness with those He made right with Himself.

31 ¶ What shall we then say to these things? If God is for us, who shall be against us?

What can we say about all these things? Since God is for us, who can be against us?

32 H e that did not spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not also give us all things with him?

God did not keep His own Son for Himself but gave Him for us all. Then with His Son, will He not give us all things?

33 W ho shall accuse the chosen of God’s? God is he that justifies them.

Who can say anything against the people God has chosen? It is God Who says they are right with Himself.

34 W ho is he that condemns them? Christ, Jesus, is he who died and, even more, he that also rose again, who furthermore is at the right hand of God, who also makes entreaty for us.

Who then can say we are guilty? It was Christ Jesus Who died. He was raised from the dead. He is on the right side of God praying to Him for us.

35 W ho shall separate us from the charity of Christ? shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword?

Who can keep us away from the love of Christ? Can trouble or problems? Can suffering wrong from others or having no food? Can it be because of no clothes or because of danger or war?

36 ( As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.)

The Holy Writings say, “Because of belonging to Jesus, we are in danger of being killed all day long. We are thought of as sheep that are ready to be killed.”

37 N evertheless, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

But we have power over all these things through Jesus Who loves us so much.

38 T herefore I am certain that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come

For I know that nothing can keep us from the love of God. Death cannot! Life cannot! Angels cannot! Leaders cannot! Any other power cannot! Hard things now or in the future cannot!

39 n or height nor depth nor any creature shall be able to separate us from the charity of God, which is in Christ, Jesus our Lord.

The world above or the world below cannot! Any other living thing cannot keep us away from the love of God which is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord.