Romans 7-8

Romans 7

¹Is it not clear, my brothers (I am using an argument to those who have knowledge of the law), that the law has power over a man as long as he is living?

²For the woman who has a husband is placed by the law under the power of her husband as long as he is living; but if her husband is dead, she is free from the law of the husband.

³So if, while the husband is living, she is joined to another man, she will get the name of one who is untrue to her husband: but if the husband is dead, she is free from the law, so that she is not untrue, even if she takes another man.

⁴In the same way, my brothers, you were made dead to the law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, even to him who came again from the dead, so that we might give fruit to God.

⁵For when we were in the flesh, the evil passions which came into being through the law were working in our bodies to give the fruit of death.

⁶But now we are free from the law, having been made dead to that which had power over us; so that we are servants in the new way of the spirit, not in the old way of the letter.

⁷What then is to be said? is the law sin? in no way. But I would not have had knowledge of sin but for the law: for I would not have been conscious of desire if the law had not said, You may not have a desire for what is another's.

⁸But sin, taking its chance through that which was ordered by the law, was working in me every form of desire: because without the law sin is dead.

⁹And there was a time when I was living without the law: but when the law gave its orders, sin came to life and put me to death;

¹⁰And I made the discovery that the law whose purpose was to give life had become a cause of death:

¹¹For I was tricked and put to death by sin, which took its chance through the law.

¹²But the law is holy, and its orders are holy, upright, and good.

¹³Was then that which is good, death to me? In no way. But the purpose was that sin might be seen to be sin by working death to me through that which is good; so that through the orders of the law sin might seem much more evil.

¹⁴For we are conscious that the law is of the spirit; but I am of the flesh, given into the power of sin.

¹⁵And I have no clear knowledge of what I am doing, for that which I have a mind to do, I do not, but what I have hate for, that I do.

¹⁶But, if I do that which I have no mind to do, I am in agreement with the law that the law is good.

¹⁷So it is no longer I who do it, but the sin living in me.

¹⁸For I am conscious that in me, that is, in my flesh, there is nothing good: I have the mind but not the power to do what is right.

¹⁹For the good which I have a mind to do, I do not: but the evil which I have no mind to do, that I do.

²⁰But if I do what I have no mind to do, it is no longer I who do it, but the sin living in me.

²¹So I see a law that, though I have a mind to do good, evil is present in me.

²²In my heart I take pleasure in the law of God,

²³But I see another law in my body, working against the law of my mind, and making me the servant of the law of sin which is in my flesh.

²⁴How unhappy am I! who will make me free from the body of this death?

²⁵I give praise to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So with my mind I am a servant to the law of God, but with my flesh to the law of sin.

Romans 8

¹For this cause those who are in Christ Jesus will not be judged as sinners.

²For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

³For what the law was not able to do because it was feeble through the flesh, God, sending his Son in the image of the evil flesh, and as an offering for sin, gave his decision against sin in the flesh:

⁴So that what was ordered by the law might be done in us, who are living, not in the way of the flesh, but in the way of the Spirit.

⁵For those who are living in the way of the flesh give their minds to the things of the flesh, but those who go in the way of the Spirit, to the things of the Spirit.

⁶For the mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace:

⁷Because the mind of the flesh is opposite to God; it is not under the law of God, and is not able to be:

⁸So that those who are in the flesh are not able to give pleasure to God.

⁹You are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God is in you. But if any man has not the Spirit of Christ he is not one of his.

¹⁰And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

¹¹But if the Spirit of him who made Jesus come again from the dead is in you, he who made Christ Jesus come again from the dead will in the same way, through his Spirit which is in you, give life to your bodies which now are under the power of death.

¹²So then, my brothers, we are in debt, not to the flesh to be living in the way of the flesh:

¹³For if you go in the way of the flesh, death will come on you; but if by the Spirit you put to death the works of the body, you will have life.

¹⁴And all those who are guided by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

¹⁵For you did not get the spirit of servants again to put you in fear, but the spirit of sons was given to you, by which we say, Abba, Father.

¹⁶The Spirit is witness with our spirit that we are children of God:

¹⁷And if we are children, we have a right to a part in the heritage; a part in the things of God, together with Christ; so that if we have a part in his pain, we will in the same way have a part in his glory.

¹⁸I am of the opinion that there is no comparison between the pain of this present time and the glory which we will see in the future.

¹⁹For the strong desire of every living thing is waiting for the revelation of the sons of God.

²⁰For every living thing was put under the power of change, not by its desire, but by him who made it so, in hope

²¹That all living things will be made free from the power of death and will have a part with the free children of God in glory.

²²For we are conscious that all living things are weeping and sorrowing in pain together till now.

²³And not only so, but we who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we have sorrow in our minds, waiting for the time when we will take our place as sons, that is, the salvation of our bodies.

²⁴For our salvation is by hope: but hope which is seen is not hope: for who is hoping for what he sees?

²⁵But if we have hope for that which we see not, then we will be able to go on waiting for it.

²⁶And in the same way the Spirit is a help to our feeble hearts: for we are not able to make prayer to God in the right way; but the Spirit puts our desires into words which are not in our power to say;

²⁷And he who is the searcher of hearts has knowledge of the mind of the Spirit, because he is making prayers for the saints in agreement with the mind of God.

²⁸And we are conscious that all things are working together for good to those who have love for God, and have been marked out by his purpose.

²⁹Because those of whom he had knowledge before they came into existence, were marked out by him to be made like his Son, so that he might be the first among a band of brothers:

³⁰And those who were marked out by him were named; and those who were named were given righteousness; and to those to whom he gave righteousness, in the same way he gave glory.

³¹What may we say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us?

³²He who did not keep back his only Son, but gave him up for us all, will he not with him freely give us all things?

³³Who will say anything against the saints of God? It is God who makes us clear from evil;

³⁴Who will give a decision against us? It is Christ Jesus who not only was put to death, but came again from the dead, who is now at the right hand of God, taking our part.

³⁵Who will come between us and the love of Christ? Will trouble, or pain, or cruel acts, or the need of food or of clothing, or danger, or the sword?

³⁶As it is said in the holy Writings, Because of you we are put to death every day; we are like sheep ready for destruction.

³⁷But we are able to overcome all these things and more through his love.

³⁸For I am certain that not death, or life, or angels, or rulers, or things present, or things to come, or powers,

³⁹Or things on high, or things under the earth, or anything which is made, will be able to come between us and the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.