1 T herefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

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 set you free from the law of sin and of 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 what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He 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 s o that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk 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 who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things 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 mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is 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 mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so,

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 a nd those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

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

9 H owever, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to 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 I f Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet 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 B ut if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who 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 S o then, brethren, we are under obligation, 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 you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will 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 who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

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

15 F or you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “ 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 T he Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,

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

17 a nd if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified 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 consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to 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 anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing 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 creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope

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 t hat the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children 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 know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth 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 this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, 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 have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?

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 hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it. Our Victory in Christ

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

26 I n the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;

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 a nd He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

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 know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

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 F or those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would 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 these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, 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 W hat then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?

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

32 H e who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?

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 will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies;

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

34 w ho is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes 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 will separate us from the love of Christ? Will 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 J ust as it is written, “ For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

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 B ut in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.

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

38 F or I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,

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 other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love 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.