Dead to Sin, Alive to God
(2 Corinthians 4:7–18)

1Then what shall we say? must we abide in sin, in order that grace may abound? 2It could not be so. How shall we, who are dead unto sin, live any longer in it? 3Whether do you not know, that so many of us as were baptized unto Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? 4Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death: in order that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so must we also walk in newness of life. 5For if we have grown together in the likeness of His death, we shall also be in the likeness of his resurrection: 6knowing this, that our old man is crucified along with him, in order that the body of sin may be destroyed, that we may no longer serve sin; 7for the one having died has been made free from sin.

8But if we died along with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him: 9knowing that Christ having risen from the dead dies no more; death no longer has dominion over him. 10For the death that he died, he died unto sin once: but the life that he lives, he lives unto God. 11So you also thus reckon yourselves dead unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ.

12Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body that you should obey the lusts of it: 13neither present your members arms of iniquity unto sin; but present yourselves to God, as alive from the dead, and your members arms of righteousness unto God. 14For sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under the law, but under grace.

The Wages of Sin

15What then? can we commit sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? it could not be so. 16Do you not know, that to whom you present yourselves servants unto obedience, ye are servants to whom you obey; whether of sin unto death, or obedience unto righteousness? 17But thanks be unto God, that whereas ye were servants of sin, but you have obeyed from the heart the type of teaching into which ye were delivered: 18but having been made free from sin, ye became servants unto righteousness. 19I speak after the manner of a man on account of the weakness of your carnality. For as ye presented your members as servants unto impurity and lawlessness pursuant to lawlessness, so now present your members servants unto righteousness pursuant to sanctification.

20For when you were the servants of sin, you were free from righteousness. 21What fruit then had you at that time in those things in which you are now ashamed? for the end of these things is death. 22But now having been made free from sin, and having become servants unto God, you have your fruit unto sanctification, and the end eternal life. 23For the wages of sin is death; but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord,