[1] What will we say then? Will we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
[2] Certainly not! We who died to sin, how could we live in it any longer?
[3] Or don`t you know that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were
baptized into his death? [4] We were buried therefore with him through
baptism to death, that just like Christ was raised from the dead through
the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life. [5] For
if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will
also be part of his resurrection; [6] knowing this, that our old man was
crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with, so that
we would no longer be in bondage to sin. [7] For he who has died has been
freed from sin. [8] But if we died with Christ, we believe that we will
also live with him; [9] knowing that Christ, being raised from the dead,
dies no more. Death no more has dominion over him! [10] For the death that
he died, he died to sin once; but the life that he lives, he lives to God.
[11] Thus also consider yourselves also to be dead to sin, but alive to God
in Christ Jesus our Lord. [12] Therefore don`t let sin reign in your mortal
body, that you should obey it in its lusts. [13] Neither present your
members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to
God, as alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of
righteousness to God. [14] For sin will not have dominion over you. For you
are not under law, but under grace. [15] What then? Will we sin, because we
are not under law, but under grace? Certainly not! [16] Don`t you know that
to whom you present yourselves as servants to obedience, his servants you
are whom you obey; whether of sin to death, or of obedience to
righteousness? [17] But thanks be to God, that, whereas you were servants
of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching
whereunto you were delivered. [18] Being made free from sin, you became
servants of righteousness. [19] I speak in human terms because of the
weakness of your flesh, for as you presented your members as servants to
uncleanness and to wickedness upon wickedness, even so now present your
members as servants to righteousness for sanctification. [20] For when you
were servants of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. [21] What
fruit then did you have at that time in the things of which you are now
ashamed? For the end of those things is death. [22] But now, being made
free from sin, and having become servants of God, you have your fruit of
sanctification, and the result of eternal life. [23] For the wages of sin
is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our
Lord.
