1What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?

2Lit May it never happen!Far from it! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?

3Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?

4Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life.

5For if we have become Or united with the likenessunited with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be Or within the likeness of His resurrection,

6knowing this, that our old Lit person (Gr anthropos)self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be Or made powerlessdone away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;

7for the one who has died is Or acquittedfreed from sin.

8Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,

9knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, Lit no longer diesis never to die again; death no longer is master over Him.

10For Lit that which He diedthe death that He died, He died to sin once for all time; but Lit that which He livesthe life that He lives, He lives to I.e., the FatherGod.

11So you too, consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

12Therefore sin is not to reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts,

13and do not go on presenting Lit your parts to sinthe parts of your body to sin as Or weaponsinstruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those who are alive from the dead, and Lit your parts asyour body’s parts as Or weaponsinstruments of righteousness for God.

14For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under Or lawthe Law but under grace.

15What then? Are we to sin because we are not under Or lawthe Law but under grace? Lit May it never happen!Far from it!

16Do you not know that the one to whom you present yourselves as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of that same one whom you obey, either of sin Lit to deathresulting in death, or of obedience Lit to righteousnessresulting in righteousness?

17But thanks be to God that Lit you were slaves...but you becamethough you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that Or patternform of teaching to which you were entrusted,

18and after being freed from sin, you became slaves to righteousness.

19I am speaking I.e., reluctantly using slavery as an analogyin human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented Lit your parts asthe parts of your body as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, Lit to lawlessnessresulting in further lawlessness, so now present Lit your parts asyour body’s parts as slaves to righteousness, Lit to sanctificationresulting in sanctification.

20For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in relation to righteousness.

21Therefore what Lit fruitbenefit were you then Lit havingderiving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death.

22But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you Lit havederive your Lit fruitbenefit, Lit to sanctificationresulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.

23For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.