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

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who don’t walk according to the flesh, but according to 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 made me free 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 what the law couldn’t do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God did, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh;

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.

that the ordinance of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after 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 live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of 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.

For the mind of the flesh is death, 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 towards God; for it is not subject to God’s law, neither indeed can it be.

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

Those who are in the flesh can’t please God.

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 in the flesh but in the Spirit, if it is so that the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if any man doesn’t have the Spirit of Christ, he is not 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.

If Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but 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.

But 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 give life to your mortal 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, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after 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 after the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

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

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are children 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 didn’t receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

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

The Spirit himself testifies with our 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 children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; if indeed we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified with him.

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 are not worthy to be compared with the glory which will be revealed toward us.

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

For the creation waits with eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.

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 was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but because of him who subjected it, in 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 the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of decay into the liberty of the glory of the children of God.

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

For we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together 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.

Not only so, but ourselves also, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for adoption, the redemption of our body.

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 we were saved in hope, but hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for that which he 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 that which we don’t see, we wait for it with patience.

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.

In the same way, the Spirit also helps our weaknesses, for we don’t know how to pray as we ought. But the Spirit himself makes intercession for us with groanings which can’t be uttered.

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.

He who searches the hearts knows what is on the Spirit’s mind, because he makes intercession for the saints according to God.

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 know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to his 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 whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

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.

Whom he predestined, those he also called. Whom he called, those he also justified. Whom he justified, those 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 about these things? If God is for us, who can be 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 didn’t spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how would he not also with him freely 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 could bring a charge against God’s chosen ones? It is 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 he who condemns? It is Christ who died, yes rather, who was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession 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 separate us from the love of Christ? Could oppression, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, 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 your sake we are killed all day long. We were accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

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

No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors 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, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, 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 any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.