Romans 8
The Believer’s Relationship to the Holy Spirit
1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.s2 For the law of the life-giving Spiritt in Christ Jesus has set yous free from the law of sin and death.3 For God achieved what the law could not do becauset it was weakened through the flesh. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and concerning sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,
4 so that the righteous requirement of the law may be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
5 For those who live according to the flesh have their outlook shaped byt the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit have their outlook shaped by the things of the Spirit.6 For the outlookt of the flesh is death, but the outlook of the Spirit is life and peace,7 because the outlook of the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to the law of God, nor is it able to do so.8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.9 You, however, are not int the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, this person does not belong to him.10 But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, butt the Spirit is your lifet because of righteousness.
11 Moreover if the Spirit of the ones who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, the one who raised Christs from the dead will also make your mortal bodies alive through his Spirit who lives in you.s
12 So then,t brothers and sisters,t we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh13 (for if you live according to the flesh, you willt die),s but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live.14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God aret the sons of God.15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery leading again to fear,t but you received the Spirit of adoption,t by whomt we cry, “Abba, Father.”16 The Spirit himself bears witness tot our spirit that we are God’s children.
17 And if children, then heirs (namely, heirs of God and also fellow heirs with Christ)t – if indeed we suffer with him so we may also be glorified with him.
18 For I consider that our present sufferings cannot even be comparedt to the glory that will be revealed to us.19 For the creation eagerly waits for the revelation of the sons of God.20 For the creation was subjected to futility – not willingly but because of Godt who subjected it – in hope21 that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage of decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children.22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers together until now.23 Not only this, but we ourselves also, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit,t groan inwardly as we eagerly await our adoption,t the redemption of our bodies.t24 For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees?
25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with endurance.t
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how we should pray,t but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings.27 And hes who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spiritt intercedes on behalf of the saints according to God’s will.28 And we know that all things work togethers for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose,29 because those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that his Sont would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.t
30 And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified.
31 What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?32 Indeed, he whot did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, freely give us all things?33 Who will bring any charge against God’s elect?s It is God who justifies.34 Who is the one who will condemn? Christst is the one who died (and more than that, he was raised), who is at the right hand of God, and who also is interceding for us.35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will trouble, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?t36 As it is written, “For your sake we encounter death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”s37 No, in all these things we have complete victoryt through himt who loved us!38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor heavenly rulers,t nor things that are present, nor things to come, nor powers,
39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
ROMANS 8
Living by the Power //of God's Spirit
1 If you belong to Christ Jesus, you won't be punished. 2 The Holy Spirit will give you life that comes from Christ Jesus and will set yout free from sin and death. 3 The Law of Moses cannot do this, because our selfish desires make the Law weak. But God set you free when he sent his own Son to be like us sinners and to be a sacrifice for our sin. God used Christ's body to condemn sin.
4 He did this, so that we would do what the Law commands by obeying the Spirit instead of our own desires.
5 People who are ruled by their desires think only of themselves. Everyone who is ruled by the Holy Spirit thinks about spiritual things. 6 If our minds are ruled by our desires, we will die. But if our minds are ruled by the Spirit, we will have life and peace. 7 Our desires fight against God, because they do not and cannot obey God's laws.
8 If we follow our desires, we cannot please God.
9 You are no longer ruled by your desires, but by God's Spirit, who lives in you. People who don't have the Spirit of Christ in them don't belong to him. 10 But Christ lives in you. So you are alive because God has accepted you, even though your bodies must die because of your sins.
11 t Yet God raised Jesus to life! God's Spirit now lives in you, and he will raise you to life by his Spirit.
12 My dear friends, we must not live to satisfy our desires. 13 If you do, you will die. But you will live, if by the help of God's Spirit you say “No” to your desires. 14 Only those people who are led by God's Spirit are his children. 15 t t God's Spirit doesn't make us slaves who are afraid of him. Instead, we become his children and call him our Father.t 16 God's Spirit makes us sure that we are his children.
17 His Spirit lets us know that together with Christ we will be given what God has promised. We will also share in the glory of Christ, because we have suffered with him.A Wonderful Future //for God's People
18 t I am sure what we are suffering now cannot compare with the glory that will be shown to us. 19 In fact, all creation is eagerly waiting for God to show who his children are. 20 t Meanwhile, creation is confused, but not because it wants to be confused. God made it this way in the hope 21 that creation would be set free from decay and would share in the glorious freedom of his children.
22 We know that all creation is still groaning and is in pain, like a woman about to give birth.
23 t The Spirit makes us sure about what we will be in the future. But now we groan silently, while we wait for God to show that we are his children.t This means that our bodies will also be set free. 24 And this hope is what saves us. But if we already have what we hope for, there is no need to keep on hoping.
25 However, we hope for something we have not yet seen, and we patiently wait for it.
26 In certain ways we are weak, but the Spirit is here to help us. For example, when we don't know what to pray for, the Spirit prays for us in ways that cannot be put into words. 27 t All of our thoughts are known to God. He can understand what is in the mind of the Spirit, as the Spirit prays for God's people. 28 We know that God is always at work for the good of everyone who loves him.t They are the ones God has chosen for his purpose, 29 and he has always known who his chosen ones would be. He had decided to let them become like his own Son, so his Son would be the first of many children.
30 God then accepted the people he had already decided to choose, and he has shared his glory with them.God's Love
31 What can we say about all this? If God is on our side, can anyone be against us? 32 God did not keep back his own Son, but he gave him for us. If God did this, won't he freely give us everything else? 33 If God says his chosen ones are acceptable to him, can anyone bring charges against them? 34 Or can anyone condemn them? No indeed! Christ died and was raised to life, and now he is at God's right side, t speaking to him for us. 35 Can anything separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble, suffering, and hard times, or hunger and nakedness, or danger and death?
36 t It is exactly as the Scriptures say,
“For you we face death
all day long.
We are like sheep
on their way
to be butchered.”
37 In everything we have won more than a victory because of Christ who loves us. 38 I am sure that nothing can separate us from God's love—not life or death, not angels or spirits, not the present or the future, 39 and not powers above or powers below. Nothing in all creation can separate us from God's love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord!