The Life-Giving Spirit

1Therefore, no condemnationa now exists for those inb Christ Jesus,c, d 2because the Spirit’s law of lifee in Christ Jesus has set youf free from the law of sin and of death.g 3What the law could not doh since it was limitedi by the flesh,j God did. He condemned sin in the flesh by sending His own Son in flesh like oursk under sin’s domain,l and as a sin offering,m 4in order that the law’s requirement would be accomplishedn in us who do not •walk according to the flesho but according to the Spirit. 5For those who livep according to the flesh think about the things of the flesh,q but those who liver according to the Spirit, about the things of the Spirit. 6For the mind-set of the fleshs is death,t but the mind-set of the Spirit is life and peace. 7For the mind-set of the flesh is hostileu to God because it does not submit itself to God’s law, for it is unable to do so. 8Those who are in the fleshv cannot please God. 9You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, sincew the Spirit of God lives in you.x But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ,y he does not belong to Him. 10Now if Christ is in you,z the body is deadaa because of sin, but the Spiritab is life because of righteousness. 11And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the deadac lives in you, then He who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life throughad His Spirit who lives in you.

The Holy Spirit’s Ministries

12So then, •brothers, we are not obligated to the flesh to live according to the flesh, 13for if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body,ae you will live. 14All those led by God’s Spiritaf are God’s sons.ag 15For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,ah but you received the Spirit of adoption,ai by whom we cry out, “•Abba, Father! ”aj 16The Spirit Himself testifies together with our spiritak that we are God’s children, 17and if children, also heirsal — heirs of God and coheirs with Christ — seeing thatam we suffer with Himan so that we may also be glorified with Him.

From Groans to Glory

18For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparingao with the gloryap that is going to be revealed to us. 19For the creation eagerly waits with anticipationaq for God’s sonsar to be revealed. 20For the creation was subjectedas to futilityat — not willingly, but because of Him who subjected itau — in the hope 21that the creation itselfav will also be set free from the bondage of corruption into the glorious freedom of God’s children. 22For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor painsaw until now. 23And not only that,ax but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the •firstfruitsay — we also groan within ourselves,az eagerly waiting for adoption,ba the •redemption of our bodies.bb 24Now in this hopebc we were saved, yet hopebd that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? 25But if we hope for what we do not see,be we eagerly wait for it with patience.

26In the same way the Spirit also joins to help in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should,bf but the Spirit Himself intercedes for usbg, bh with unspoken groanings. 27And He who searches the heartsbi knows the Spirit’s mind-set, because He intercedes for the •saints according to the will of God.

28We know that all things work togetherbj for the goodbk of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.bl 29For those He foreknew He also predestinedbm to be conformed to the image of His Son,bn so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.bo 30And those He predestined, He also called; and those He called, He also •justified;bp and those He justified, He also glorified.bq

The Believer’s Triumph

31What then are we to say about these things?br

If God is for us, who is against us?bs

32He did not even spare His own Sonbt

but offered Him up for us all;bu

how will He not also with Him grant us everything?

33Who can bring an accusation against God’s elect?bv

God is the One who justifies.bw

34Who is the one who condemns?bx

Christ Jesus is the One who died,by

but even more, has been raised;bz

He also is at the right hand of Godca

and intercedes for us.cb

35Who can separate us from the love of Christ?

Can afflictioncc or anguish or persecutioncd

or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

36As it is written:

Because of You

we are being put to death all day long;ce

we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered.cf, cg

37No, in all these things we are more than victoriousch

through Him who loved us.ci

38For I am persuaded that not even death or life,cj

angels or rulers,ck

things present or things to come,cl hostile powers,

39height or depth, or any other created thing

will have the power to separate us

from the love of Godcm that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!cn