Dead to Sin, Alive to God
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What shall we say then? 1Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?
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By no means! How can 2we who died to sin still live in it?
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Do you not know that all of us 3who have been baptized 4into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
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We were 5buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as 6Christ was raised from the dead by 7the glory of the Father, we too might walk in 8newness of life.
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For 9if we have been united with him in 10a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
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We know that 11our old selfa12was crucified with him in order that 13the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.
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Now 16if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.
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We know that 17Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; 18death no longer has dominion over him.
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For the death he died he died to sin, 19once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.
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So you also must consider yourselves 20dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
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Let not 21sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.
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22Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but 23present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.
Slaves to Righteousness
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Do you not know that if you present yourselves 28to anyone as obedient slaves,c you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?
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But 29thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the 30standard of teaching to which you were committed,
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33I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For 34just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members 35as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.
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36For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
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37But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things 38of which you are now ashamed? 39For the end of those things is death.
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But now that you 40have been set free from sin and 41have become slaves of God, 42the fruit you get leads to sanctification and 43its end, eternal life.
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44For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
(English Standard Version - The Holy Bible Online)