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Dead to Sin, Alive to God

^1 (C1)What shall we say then? Are we to ^(C2)continue in sin so that grace may increase?^2 (C1)May it never be! How shall we who ^(C2)died to sin still live in it?³ Or do you not know that all of us who were ^(C1)baptized into ^(C2)Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?⁴ Therefore we were ^(C1)buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was ^(C2)raised from the dead through the ^(C3)glory of the Father, so we too might walk in ^(C4)newness of life.⁵ For ^(C1)if we have become ^(F1)united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be ^(F2)in the likeness of His resurrection,⁶ knowing this, that our ^(C1)old man was ^(C2)crucified with Him, in order that our ^(C3)body of sin might be ^(F1)done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;⁷ for ^(C1)he who has died has been ^(F1)justified from sin.

⁸ Now ^(C1)if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,⁹ knowing that Christ, having been ^(C1)raised from the dead, ^(F1)is never to die again; ^(C2)death no longer is master over Him.¹⁰ For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all, but the life that He lives, He lives to God.¹¹ Even so consider yourselves to be ^(C1)dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

¹² Therefore do not let sin ^(C1)reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts,¹³ and do not go on ^(C1)presenting your members to sin as ^(F1)instruments of unrighteousness, but ^(C2)present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as ^(F1)instruments of righteousness to God.¹⁴ For ^(C1)sin shall not ^(C2)be master over you, for ^(C3)you are not under law but ^(C4)under grace.

Slaves of Righteousness

¹⁵ What then? ^(C1)Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? ^(C2)May it never be!¹⁶ Do you not ^(C1)know that when you go on presenting yourselves to someone as ^(C2)slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of ^(C3)sin ^(F1)leading to death, or of obedience ^(F2)leading to righteousness?¹⁷ But ^(C1)thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you obeyed from the heart that ^(C2)pattern of teaching to which you were ^(C3)given over,¹⁸ and having been ^(C1)freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.^19 (C1)I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just ^(C2)as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, ^(F1)leading to further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, ^(F2)leading to sanctification.

²⁰ For ^(C1)when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.²¹ Therefore what ^(F1)(C1)benefit were you then having ^(F2)from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is ^(C2)death.²² But now having been ^(C1)freed from sin and ^(C2)enslaved to God, you have your ^(F1)(C3)benefit, ^(F2)leading to sanctification, and ^(C4)the end, eternal life.²³ For the wages of ^(C1)sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is ^(C2)eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.