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

1What, then, shall we say? Shall we persist in sin, that grace may abound? 2It could not be! How shall we, who died to sin, live any longer therein? 3Or are ye ignorant, that all we who were immersed into Christ Jesus were immersed into His death? 4We were buried, therefore, with Him through the immersion into death; that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life. 5For, if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection; 6knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be brought to nought, that we should no more be in bondage to sin; 7for he that died has been justified from sin.

8But, if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him; 9knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dieth no more; death no more has dominion over Him. 10For the death that He died, He died to Sin once for all; but the life that He liveth He liveth to God. 11Even so reckon ye also yourselves dead, indeed, to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

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

The Wages of Sin

15What, then? May we sin, because we are not under law, but under grace? It could not be! 16Know ye not that to whom ye present yourselves as slaves for obedience, his slaves ye are whom ye obey, whether of sin unto death, or obedience unto righteousness? 17But thanks be to God that, though ye were slaves of sin, ye did, however, obey from the heart that form of teaching unto which ye were delivered; 18and, having been made free from sin, ye were made slaves of righteousness. 19I speak after human fashion because of the weakness of your flesh; for, as ye presented your members subservient to uncleanness, and to iniquity unto iniquity; so now present your members subservient to righteousness unto holiness.

20For, when ye were slaves of sin, ye were free as to righteousness. 21What fruit, therefore, had ye then in the things of which ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. 22But now, having been made free from sin, and having been made slaves to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end eternal life; 23for the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus, our Lord.