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

There is, then, now no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus, who walk not 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 the life in Christ Jesus did set me free from the law of the sin and of the 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 was not able to do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God, His own Son having sent in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, did condemn the 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 righteousness of the law may be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to 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, the things of the flesh do mind; and those 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 death, and the mind of the Spirit -- 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 enmity to God, for to the law of God it doth not subject itself,

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

for neither is it able; and those who are in the flesh are not able to 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.

And ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God doth dwell in you; and if any one hath not the Spirit of Christ -- this one 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.

and if Christ in you, the body, indeed, dead because of sin, and the Spirit life 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 did raise up Jesus out of the dead doth dwell in you, He who did raise up the Christ out of the dead shall quicken also your dying bodies, through His Spirit dwelling 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, not to the flesh, to live according to 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 according to the flesh ye do live, ye are about to die; and if, by the Spirit, the deeds of the body ye put to death, ye shall 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 the 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 ye did not receive a spirit of bondage again for fear, but ye did receive a spirit of adoption in which 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 doth testify 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, also heirs, heirs, indeed, of God, and heirs together of Christ -- if, indeed, we suffer together, that we may also be glorified together.

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

For I reckon that the sufferings of the present time not worthy with the glory about to be revealed in 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 earnest looking out of the creation doth expect the revelation of the sons of God;

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 to vanity was the creation made subject -- not of its will, but because of Him who did subject -- 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 also the creation itself shall be set free from the servitude of the corruption to 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 have known that all the creation doth groan together, and doth travail in pain together till 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, but also we ourselves, having the first-fruit of the Spirit, we also ourselves in ourselves do groan, adoption expecting -- 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 in hope we were saved, and hope beheld is not hope; for what any one doth behold, why also doth he hope for ?

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

and if what we do not behold we hope for, through continuance we expect.

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.

And, in like manner also, the Spirit doth help our weaknesses; for, what we may pray for, as it behoveth, we have not known, but the Spirit himself doth make intercession for us with groanings unutterable,

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 is searching the hearts hath known what the mind of the Spirit, because according to God he doth intercede for saints.

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.

And we have known that to those loving God all things do work together for good, to those who are called according to 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.

because whom He did foreknow, He also did fore-appoint, conformed to the image of His Son, that he might be first-born 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 whom He did fore-appoint, these also He did call; and whom He did call, these also He declared righteous; and whom He declared righteous, these also He did glorify.

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 unto these things? if God 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 indeed His own Son did not spare, but for us all did deliver him up, how shall He not also with him the all things grant to us?

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

Who shall lay a charge against the choice ones of God? God He that is declaring righteous,

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 he that is condemning? Christ He that died, yea, rather also, was raised up; who is also on the right hand of God -- who also doth intercede 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 the Christ? tribulation, or distress, 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.”

(according as it hath been written -- `For Thy sake we are put to death all the day long, we were reckoned as sheep of slaughter,')

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

but in all these we more than conquer, 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 messengers, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present,

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 things about to be, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, that in Christ Jesus our Lord.