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

Therefore, now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit.

2 T he 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.

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has freed me from the law of sin and of death.

3 T he 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.

For God has done what the Law could not do, being weakened by the flesh '> the entire nature of man without the Holy Spirit]. Sending His own Son in the guise of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, condemned sin in the flesh '> subdued, overcame, deprived it of its power over all who accept that sacrifice],

4 I n 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.

So that the righteous and just requirement of the Law might be fully met in us who live and move not in the ways of the flesh but in the ways of the Spirit.

5 T hose 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.

For those who are according to the flesh and are controlled by its unholy desires set their minds on and pursue those things which gratify the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit and are controlled by the desires of the Spirit set their minds on and seek those things which gratify the Spirit.

6 I f 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.

Now the mind of the flesh is death '> comprises all the miseries arising from sin, both here and hereafter]. But the mind of the Spirit is life and peace.

7 T he 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.

because the mind of the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit itself to God’s Law; indeed it cannot.

8 T hose who do what their sinful old selves want to do cannot please God.

So then those who are living the life of the flesh cannot please or satisfy God, or be acceptable to Him.

9 B ut 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.

But you are not living the life of the flesh, you are living the life of the Spirit, if the Spirit of God dwells within you. But if anyone does not possess the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.

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

But if Christ lives in you, your body is dead by reason of sin and guilt, the spirit is alive because of righteousness.

11 T he 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.

And if the Spirit of Him Who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He Who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also restore to life your mortal (short-lived, perishable) bodies through His Spirit Who dwells in you.

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

So then, brethren, we are debtors, but not to the flesh, to live of the flesh.

13 I f 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.

For if you live according to the flesh, you will surely die. But if through the power of the Spirit you are putting to death (making extinct, deadening) the deeds prompted by the body, you shall live forever.

14 A ll those who are led by the Holy Spirit are sons of God.

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

15 Y ou 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.”

For you have now received not a spirit of slavery to put you once more in bondage to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption in which we cry, Abba (Father)! Father!

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

The Spirit Himself testifies together with our own spirit, that we are children of God.

17 I f 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.

And if we are children, then we are heirs also: heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ; only we must share His suffering if we are to share His glory.

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

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time (this present life) are not worth being compared with the glory that is about to be revealed to us and in us and for us and conferred on us!

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

For creation (all nature) waits expectantly and longs earnestly for God’s sons to be made known.

20 E verything 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.

For the creation (nature) was subjected to frailty (to futility, condemned to frustration), not because of some intentional fault on its part, but by the will of Him Who so subjected it— with the hope

21 E verything 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.

That nature (creation) itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and corruption into the glorious freedom of God’s children.

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

We know that the whole creation has been moaning together in the pains of labor until now.

23 W e 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.

And not only the creation, but we ourselves too, who have and enjoy the firstfruits of the Spirit groan inwardly as we wait for the redemption of our bodies our adoption (our manifestation as God’s sons).

24 W e 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?

For in hope we were saved. But hope which is seen is not hope. For how can one hope for what he already sees?

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

But if we hope for what is still unseen by us, we wait for it with patience and composure.

26 I n 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.

So too the Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance.

27 G od 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.

And He Who searches the hearts of men knows what is in the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes and pleads in behalf of the saints according to and in harmony with God’s will.

28 W e 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.

We are assured and know that '> God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are for good to and for those who love God and are called according to design and purpose.

29 G od 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.

For those whom He foreknew '> aware and loved beforehand], He also destined from the beginning to be molded into the image of His Son, that He might become the firstborn among many brethren.

30 H e 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.

And those whom He thus foreordained, He also called; and those whom He called, He also justified (acquitted, made righteous, putting them into right standing with Himself). And those whom He justified, He also glorified.

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

What then shall we say to this? If God is for us, who against us?

32 G od 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?

He who did not withhold or spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, will He not also with Him freely and graciously give us all things?

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

Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect God Who justifies

34 W ho 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.

Who is there to condemn ? Will Christ Jesus (the Messiah), Who died, or rather Who was raised from the dead, Who is at the right hand of God actually pleading as He intercedes for us?

35 W ho 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?

Who shall ever separate us from Christ’s love? Shall suffering and affliction and tribulation? Or calamity and distress? Or persecution or hunger or destitution or peril or sword?

36 T he 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.”

Even as it is written, For Thy sake we are put to death all the day long; we are regarded and counted as sheep for the slaughter.

37 B ut we have power over all these things through Jesus Who loves us so much.

Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved us.

38 F or 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!

For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers,

39 T he 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.

Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.