1 W hat, then, shall we say? shall we continue in the sin that the grace may abound?

What does this mean? Are we to keep on sinning so that God will give us more of His loving-favor?

2 l et it not be! we who died to the sin -- how shall we still live in it?

No, not at all! We are dead to sin. How then can we keep on living in sin?

3 a re ye ignorant that we, as many as were baptized to Christ Jesus, to his death were baptized?

All of us were baptized to show we belong to Christ. We were baptized first of all to show His death.

4 w e were buried together, then, with him through the baptism to the death, that even as Christ was raised up out of the dead through the glory of the Father, so also we in newness of life might walk.

We were buried in baptism as Christ was buried in death. As Christ was raised from the dead by the great power of God, so we will have new life also.

5 F or, if we have become planted together to the likeness of his death, also we shall be of the rising again;

If we have become one with Christ in His death, we will be one with Him in being raised from the dead to new life.

6 t his knowing, that our old man was crucified with, that the body of the sin may be made useless, for our no longer serving the sin;

We know that our old life, our old sinful self, was nailed to the cross with Christ. And so the power of sin that held us was destroyed. Sin is no longer our boss.

7 f or he who hath died hath been set free from the sin.

When a man is dead, he is free from the power of sin.

8 A nd if we died with Christ, we believe that we also shall live with him,

And if we have died with Christ, we believe we will live with Him also.

9 k nowing that Christ, having been raised up out of the dead, doth no more die, death over him hath no more lordship;

We know that Christ was raised from the dead. He will never die again. Death has no more power over Him.

10 f or in that he died, to the sin he died once, and in that he liveth, he liveth to God;

He died once but now lives. He died to break the power of sin, and the life He now lives is for God.

11 s o also ye, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to the sin, and living to God in Jesus Christ our Lord.

You must do the same thing! Think of yourselves as dead to the power of sin. But now you have new life because of Jesus Christ our Lord. You are living this new life for God.

12 L et not then the sin reign in your mortal body, to obey it in its desires;

So do not let sin have power over your body here on earth. You must not obey the body and let it do what it wants to do.

13 n either present ye your members instruments of unrighteousness to the sin, but present yourselves to God as living out of the dead, and your members instruments of righteousness to God;

Do not give any part of your body for sinful use. Instead, give yourself to God as a living person who has been raised from the dead. Give every part of your body to God to do what is right.

14 f or sin over you shall not have lordship, for ye are not under law, but under grace.

Sin must not have power over you. You are not living by the Law. You have life because of God’s loving-favor.

15 W hat then? shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? let it not be!

What are we to do then? Are we to sin because we have God’s loving-favor and are not living by the Law? No, not at all!

16 h ave ye not known that to whom ye present yourselves servants for obedience, servants ye are to him to whom ye obey, whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness?

Do you not know that when you give yourself as a servant to be owned by someone, that one becomes your owner? If you give yourself to sin, the end is death. If you give yourself to God, the end is being right with Him.

17 a nd thanks to God, that ye were servants of the sin, and -- were obedient from the heart to the form of teaching to which ye were delivered up;

At one time you were held by the power of sin. But now you obey with all your heart the teaching that was given to you. Thank God for this!

18 a nd having been freed from the sin, ye became servants to the righteousness.

You were made free from the power of sin. Being right with God has power over you now.

19 I n the manner of men I speak, because of the weakness of your flesh, for even as ye did present your members servants to the uncleanness and to the lawlessness -- to the lawlessness, so now present your members servants to the righteousness -- to sanctification,

I speak with words easy to understand because your human thinking is weak. At one time you gave yourselves over to the power of sin. You kept on sinning all the more. Now give yourselves over to being right with God. Set yourself apart for God-like living and to do His work.

20 f or when ye were servants of the sin, ye were free from the righteousness,

When sin had power over your life, you were not right with God.

21 w hat fruit, therefore, were ye having then, in the things of which ye are now ashamed? for the end of those death.

What good did you get from the things you are ashamed of now? Those things bring death.

22 A nd now, having been freed from the sin, and having become servants to God, ye have your fruit -- to sanctification, and the end life age-during;

But now you are free from the power of sin. You have become a servant for God. Your life is set apart for God-like living. The end is life that lasts forever.

23 f or the wages of the sin death, and the gift of God life age-during in Christ Jesus our Lord.

You get what is coming to you when you sin. It is death! But God’s free gift is life that lasts forever. It is given to us by our Lord Jesus Christ.