Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are
in Christ Jesus,
because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of
sin and death.
For what the law was powerless to do in that it was
weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of
sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man,
in order that the righteous requirements of the law might
be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according
to the Spirit.
Those who live according to the sinful nature have their
minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the
Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by
the Spirit is life and
peace;
the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to
God's law, nor can it do so.
Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please
God.
You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but
by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have
the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.
But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin,
yet your spirit is alive
because of righteousness.
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is
living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your
mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
Therefore, brothers, we have an
obligation--but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it.
For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will
die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live,
because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of
God.
For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you
received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."
The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's
children.
Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and
co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we
may also share in his glory.
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth
comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God
to be revealed.
For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its
own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope
that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage
to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.
We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the
pains of childbirth right up to
the present time.
Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of
the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our
bodies.
For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already
has?
But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it
patiently.
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do
not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us
with groans that words cannot express.
And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the
Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's
will.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of
those who love him, who have
been called according to his purpose.
For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed
to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
And those he predestined, he also called; those he called,
he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for
us, who can be against us?
He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us
all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
Who will bring any charge against those whom God has
chosen? It is God who justifies.
Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died--more than
that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also
interceding for us.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or
hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or
sword?
As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day
long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through
him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,
neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all
creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ
Jesus our Lord.