Dead to Sin but Alive in Christ

61 What shall we say then ? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase ? 2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death ? 4 Therefore we have been 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 . 5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death , certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection , 6 knowing this , that our old self 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 ; 7 for he who has died is freed from sin . 8 Now if we have died with Christ , we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ , having been raised from the dead , is never to die again ; 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 dead to sin , but alive to God in Christ Jesus . 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts , 13 and do not go on presenting the members of your body 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 . 14 For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace .

Servants of Righteousness

15 What then ? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace ? May it never be! 16 Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience , you are slaves of the one whom you obey , either of sin resulting in death , or of obedience resulting in righteousness ? 17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin , you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed , 18 and having been freed from sin , you became slaves of righteousness . 19 I 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 , resulting in further lawlessness , so now present your members as slaves to righteousness , resulting in sanctification . 20 For when you were slaves of sin , you were free in regard to righteousness . 21 Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed ? For the outcome of those things is death . 22 But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God , you derive your benefit , resulting in sanctification , and the outcome , eternal life . 23 For the wages of sin is death , but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord .

31 Then what advantage has the Jew ? Or what is the benefit of circumcision ? 2 Great in every respect . First of all , that they were entrusted with the oracles of God . 3 What then ? If some did not believe , their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God , will it? 4 May it never be! Rather , let God be found true , though every man be found a liar , as it is written , " THAT YOU MAY BE JUSTIFIED IN YOUR WORDS , AND PREVAIL WHEN YOU ARE JUDGED ." 5 But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God , what shall we say ? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous , is He? ( I am speaking in human terms .) 6 May it never be! For otherwise , how will God judge the world ? 7 But if through my lie the truth of God abounded to His glory , why am I also still being judged as a sinner ? 8 And why not say (as we are slanderously reported and as some claim that we say ), " Let us do evil that good may come "? Their condemnation is just .

There Is None Righteous

9 What then ? Are we better than they? Not at all ; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin ; 10 as it is written , " THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS , NOT EVEN ONE ; 11 THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS , THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD ; 12 ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE , TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS ; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD , THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE ." 13 " THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE , WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING ," " THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS "; 14 " WHOSE MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS "; 15 " THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD , 16 DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS , 17 AND THE PATH OF PEACE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN ." 18 " THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES ."

19 Now we know that whatever the Law says , it speaks to those who are under the Law , so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God ; 20 because by the works of the Law no e flesh will be justified in His sight ; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin .

Righteousness through Faith

21 But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested , being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets , 22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe ; for there is no distinction ; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God , 24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus ; 25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith . This was to demonstrate His righteousness , because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed ; 26 for the demonstration , I say, of His righteousness at the present time , so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus . 27 Where then is boasting ? It is excluded . By what kind of law ? Of works ? No , but by a law of faith . 28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law . 29 Or is God the God of Jews only ? Is He not the God of Gentiles also ? Yes , of Gentiles also , 30 since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one . 31 Do we then nullify the Law through faith ? May it never be! On the contrary , we establish the Law .