RomansChapter 8

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¹So now there is no guilty verdict for those who are in Christ Jesus. ²In Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free. It set you free from the law of sin and death. ³The law had no power to save us. It was weak because of our sinful nature. But God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like that of sinful people. He came as an offering for sin. In this way, God condemned sin in a human body. ⁴He did this so that what the law requires would come true in us. We don't live by the sinful nature. We live by the Spirit. ⁵Those who live by the sinful nature set their minds on what the sinful nature wants. But those who live by the Spirit set their minds on what the Spirit wants. ⁶A mind ruled by the sinful nature leads to death. But a mind ruled by the Spirit brings life and peace. ⁷That is because a mind ruled by the sinful nature is at war with God. It does not obey God's law. And it can't obey it. ⁸Those who are ruled by the sinful nature can't please God. ⁹But you are not ruled by the sinful nature. You are ruled by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Christ. ¹⁰But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin. Yet your spirit is alive because you have been made right with God. ¹¹God raised Jesus from the dead. If his Spirit is living in you, then God, who raised Christ Jesus from the dead, will also give life to your bodies that die. He will do it through his Spirit, who lives in you. ¹²So, brothers and sisters, we owe something. But we don't owe it to the sinful nature. We don't have to live the way it wants. ¹³If you live by the sinful nature, you will die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the evil things the body does, you will live. ¹⁴All who are led by the Spirit of God are God's children. ¹⁵The Spirit you received does not make you slaves who are afraid again. Instead, you received the Spirit of adoption as God's children. By him we cry out, "Abba! Father!"a ¹⁶The Spirit himself joins with our spirit to tell us that we are God's children. ¹⁷And if we are his children, then we are heirs. We are heirs of God, and heirs together with Christ. This is true if we really suffer with him, so that we will also share in his glory. ¹⁸I think that what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory we will have. That glory will be shown in us. ¹⁹All of creation is waiting and longing. It waits for God to show who his children are. ²⁰Creation was made to be empty and useless. It didn't choose this. God made it this way. But he did it in hope ²¹that creation itself will be set free from slavery to decay. It will be brought into the glorious freedom of God's children. ²²We know that all of creation has been groaning together until now. It is like the pain of a woman giving birth. ²³And that's not all. We have the Spirit as the firstfruits of what is to come. But we also groan inside. We are waiting eagerly for our adoption as God's children. That is when our bodies will be redeemed. ²⁴We were saved in this hope. But if you can see what you hope for, it is not hope. Who hopes for what he already sees? ²⁵But if we hope for what we don't see yet, we wait for it patiently. ²⁶In the same way, the Spirit helps us when we are weak. We don't know what we should pray for. But the Spirit himself prays for us. He prays with groans too deep for words. ²⁷God looks deep into our hearts. He knows what the Spirit is thinking, because the Spirit prays for God's people just as God wants. ²⁸And we know that God makes all things work together for good for those who love him. They are the ones he has called according to his purpose. ²⁹Those God knew ahead of time, he also chose ahead of time to become like his Son. This was so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. ³⁰Those he chose ahead of time, he also called. Those he called, he also made right with him. Those he made right with him, he also gave his glory. ³¹So what should we say about all this? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³²God did not hold back his own Son. He gave him up for all of us. So won't he also freely give us all things along with his Son? ³³Who can bring any charge against God's chosen people? God is the one who makes us right with him. ³⁴Who can judge us guilty? Christ Jesus died. More than that, he was raised to life. He is at God's right hand. And he is praying for us. ³⁵Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble or hard times? Can cruel attacks or hunger? Can having no clothes? Can danger or the sword? ³⁶As it is written, "Because of you we face death all day long. We are thought of as sheep to be killed." ³⁷No! In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸For I am sure that neither death nor life, neither angels nor rulers, neither things now nor things to come, nor any powers, ³⁹neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.