Dead to Sin, Alive to God

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

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

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

Slaves of Righteousness

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

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