Romans 8
8
Life in the Spirit
1There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2For the law of the Spirit#8.2 Or spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you#8.2 Here the Greek word you is singular number; other ancient authorities read me or us free from the law of sin and of death. 3For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin,#8.3 Or and as a sin offering he condemned sin in the flesh, 4so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.#8.4 Or spirit 5For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit#8.5 Or spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.#8.5 Or spirit 6To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit#8.6 Or spirit is life and peace. 7For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law—indeed it cannot, 8and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit,#8.9 Or spirit since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit#8.10 Or spirit is life because of righteousness. 11If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ#8.11 Other ancient authorities read the Christ or Christ Jesus or Jesus Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through#8.11 Other ancient authorities read on account of his Spirit that dwells in you.
12So then, brothers and sisters,#8.12 Gk brothers we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— 13for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 15For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba!#8.15 Aramaic for Father Father!” 16it is that very Spirit bearing witness#8.16 Or a spirit of adoption, by which we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.
Future Glory
18I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. 19For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; 20for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; 23and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 24For in#8.24 Or by hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes#8.24 Other ancient authorities read awaits for what is seen? 25But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
26Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes#8.26 Other ancient authorities add for us with sighs too deep for words. 27And God,#8.27 Gk the one who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit#8.27 Gk he or it intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.#8.27 Gk according to God
28We know that all things work together for good#8.28 Other ancient authorities read God makes all things work together for good, or in all things God works for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. 29For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family.#8.29 Gk among many brothers 30And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.
God's Love in Christ Jesus
31What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? 33Who will bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us.#8.34 Or Is it Christ Jesus . . . for us? 35Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all day long;
we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989 Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Romans 8
8
Life in the Spirit
1So now anyone who is in Christ Jesus is not judged guilty. 2That is because in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit that brings life made you#8:2 you Some Greek copies have “me.” Also in the next sentence. free. It made you free from the law that brings sin and death. 3The law was without power because it was made weak by our sinful selves. But God did what the law could not do: He sent his own Son to earth with the same human life that everyone else uses for sin. God sent him to be an offering to pay for sin. So God used a human life to destroy sin. 4He did this so that we could be right just as the law said we must be. Now we don’t live following our sinful selves. We live following the Spirit.
5People who live following their sinful selves think only about what they want. But those who live following the Spirit are thinking about what the Spirit wants them to do. 6If your thinking is controlled by your sinful self, there is spiritual death. But if your thinking is controlled by the Spirit, there is life and peace. 7Why is this true? Because anyone whose thinking is controlled by their sinful self is against God. They refuse to obey God’s law. And really they are not able to obey it. 8Those who are ruled by their sinful selves cannot please God.
9But you are not ruled by your sinful selves. You are ruled by the Spirit, if that Spirit of God really lives in you. But whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Christ. 10Your body will always be dead because of sin. But if Christ is in you, then the Spirit gives you life, because Christ made you right with God. 11God raised Jesus from death. And if God’s Spirit lives in you, he will also give life to your bodies that die. Yes, God is the one who raised Christ from death, and he will raise you to life through his Spirit living in you.
12So, my brothers and sisters, we must not be ruled by our sinful selves. We must not live the way our sinful selves want. 13If you use your lives to do what your sinful selves want, you will die spiritually. But if you use the Spirit’s help to stop doing the wrong things you do with your body, you will have true life.
14The true children of God are those who let God’s Spirit lead them. 15The Spirit that we received is not a spirit that makes us slaves again and causes us to fear. The Spirit that we have makes us God’s chosen children. And with that Spirit we cry out, “Abba,#8:15 Abba An Aramaic word that was used by Jewish children as a name for their fathers. Father.” 16And the Spirit himself speaks to our spirits and makes us sure that we are God’s children. 17If we are God’s children, we will get the blessings God has for his people. He will give us all that he has given Christ. But we must suffer like Christ suffered. Then we will be able to share his glory.
We Will Have Glory in the Future
18We have sufferings now, but these are nothing compared to the great glory that will be given to us. 19Everything that God made is waiting with excitement for the time when he will show the world who his children are. The whole world wants very much for that to happen. 20Everything God made was allowed to become like something that cannot fulfill its purpose. That was not its choice, but God made it happen with this hope in view: 21That the creation would be made free from ruin—that everything God made would have the same freedom and glory that belong to God’s children.
22We know that everything God made has been waiting until now in pain like a woman ready to give birth to a child. 23Not only the world, but we also have been waiting with pain inside us. We have the Spirit as the first part of God’s promise. So we are waiting for God to finish making us his own children. I mean we are waiting for our bodies to be made free. 24We were saved to have this hope. If we can see what we are waiting for, that is not really hope. People don’t hope for something they already have. 25But we are hoping for something we don’t have yet, and we are waiting for it patiently.
26Also, the Spirit helps us. We are very weak, but the Spirit helps us with our weakness. We don’t know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit himself speaks to God for us. He begs God for us, speaking to him with feelings too deep for words. 27God already knows our deepest thoughts. And he understands what the Spirit is saying, because the Spirit speaks for his people in the way that agrees with what God wants.
28We know that in everything God works for the good of those who love him. These are the people God chose, because that was his plan. 29God knew them before he made the world. And he decided that they would be like his Son. Then Jesus would be the firstborn of many brothers and sisters. 30God planned for them to be like his Son. He chose them and made them right with him. And after he made them right, he gave them his glory.
God’s Love in Christ Jesus
31So what should we say about this? If God is for us, no one can stand against us. And God is with us. 32He even let his own Son suffer for us. God gave his Son for all of us. So now with Jesus, God will surely give us all things. 33Who can accuse the people God has chosen? No one! God is the one who makes them right. 34Who can say that God’s people are guilty? No one! Christ Jesus died for us, but that is not all. He was also raised from death. And now he is at God’s right side, speaking to him for us. 35Can anything separate us from Christ’s love? Can trouble or problems or persecution separate us from his love? If we have no food or clothes or face danger or even death, will that separate us from his love? 36As the Scriptures say,
“For you we are in danger of death all the time.
People think we are worth no more than sheep to be killed.” Psalm 44:22
37But in all these troubles we have complete victory through God, who has shown his love for us. 38-39Yes, I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love—not death, life, angels, or ruling spirits. I am sure that nothing now, nothing in the future, no powers, nothing above us or nothing below us—nothing in the whole created world—will ever be able to separate us from the love God has shown us in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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