The Spirit Gives Life

1Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in union with the Messiaha Jesus.b 2For the Spirit’s law of life in the Messiahc Jesus has set med free from the Law of sin and death. 3For what the Law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the flesh, God did. By sending his own Son in the form of humanity,e he condemned sin by being incarnate, 4so that the righteous requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not live according to human nature but according to the 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 set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6To focus our minds on the human nature leads to death, but to focus our minds on the Spirit leads to life and peace. 7That is why the mind that focuses on human nature is hostile toward God. It refuses to submit to the authority of God’s Law because it is powerless to do so. 8Indeed, those who are under the control of human nature cannot please God.

9You, however, are not under the control of the human nature but under the control of the Spirit, since God’s Spirit lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of the Messiah,f he does not belong to him. 10But if the Messiahg is in you, your bodies are dead due to sin, but the spirith is alive due to righteousness. 11And if the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, then the one who raised the Messiahi from the dead will also make your mortal bodies alive by his Spirit who lives in you.

12Consequently, brothers, we are not—with respect to human nature, that is—under an obligation to live according to human nature. 13For if you live according to human nature, you are going to die, but if by the Spirit you continuously put to death the activities of the body, you will live. 14For all who are led by God’s Spirit are God’s children. 15For you have not received a spirit of slavery that leads you into fear again. Instead, you have received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba!j Father!” 16The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17Now if we are children, we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with the Messiahk —if, in fact, we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

God’s Spirit Helps Us

18For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed to us. 19For the creation is eagerly awaiting the revelation of God’s children, 20because the creation has become subject to futility, though not by anything it did.l The one who subjected it did so in the certaintym 21that the creation itself would also be set free from corrupting bondage in order to share the glorious freedom of God’s children. 22For we know that all the rest of creation has been groaning with the pains of childbirth up to the present time. 23However, not only the creation, but we who have the first fruits of the Spirit also groan inwardly as we eagerly await our adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 24For we were saved with this hope in mind.n Now a hope that can be observed is not really hope, for who hopes for what can be seen? 25But if we hope for what we do not yet observe, we eagerly wait for it with patience.

26In the same way, the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, since we do not know how to pray as we should. But the Spirit himself intercedes for uso with groans too deep for words, 27and the one who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, for the Spiritp intercedes for the saints according to God’s will.q 28And we know that for those who love God, that is, for those who are called according to his purpose, all things are working togetherr for good.

29For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that the Sons might be the firstborn 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.

Nothing Can Separate Us from God’s Love

31What, then, can we say about all of this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32The one who did not spare his own Son, but offered him as a sacrificet for all of us, surely will give us all things, along with his Son,u won’t he? 33Who will accuse God’s elect? It is God who justifies! 34Who is the one to condemn? It is the Messiahv Jesus who is interceding on our behalf. He died, and more importantly, has been raised and is seated at the right hand of God.

35Who will separate us from the Messiah’sw love? Can trouble, distress, persecution, hunger, nakedness, danger, or a violent deathx do this?y 36As it is written,

“For your sake we are being put to death all day long.

We are thought of as sheep headed for slaughter.”z

37In all these things we are triumphantly victorious due to the one 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 anything above, nor anything below, nor anything else in all creation can separate us from the love of God that is oursaa in union with the Messiahbb Jesus, our Lord.