Romans, 6

1. What should we say then? Should we remain in sin so that grace may be given the more fully?

1. What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?

2. Out of the question! We have died to sin; how could we go on living in it?

2. God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

3. You cannot have forgotten that all of us, when we were baptised into Christ Jesus, were baptised into his death.

3. Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

4. So by our baptism into his death we were buried with him, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the Father's glorious power, we too should begin living a new life.

4. Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

5. If we have been joined to him by dying a death like his, so we shall be by a resurrection like his;

5. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also [in the likeness] of [his] resurrection:

6. realising that our former self was crucified with him, so that the self which belonged to sin should be destroyed and we should be freed from the slavery of sin.

6. Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with [him], that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

7. Someone who has died, of course, no longer has to answer for sin.

7. For he that is dead is freed from sin.

8. But we believe that, if we died with Christ, then we shall live with him too.

8. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:

9. We know that Christ has been raised from the dead and will never die again. Death has no power over him any more.

9. Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.

10. For by dying, he is dead to sin once and for all, and now the life that he lives is life with God.

10. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.

11. In the same way, you must see yourselves as being dead to sin but alive for God in Christ Jesus.

11. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

12. That is why you must not allow sin to reign over your mortal bodies and make you obey their desires;

12. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

13. or give any parts of your bodies over to sin to be used as instruments of evil. Instead, give yourselves to God, as people brought to life from the dead, and give every part of your bodies to God to be instruments of uprightness;

13. Neither yield ye your members [as] instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members [as] instruments of righteousness unto God.

14. and then sin will no longer have any power over you -- you are living not under law, but under grace.

14. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

15. What is the implication? That we are free to sin, now that we are not under law but under grace? Out of the question!

15. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.

16. You know well that if you undertake to be somebody's slave and obey him, you are the slave of him you obey: you can be the slave either of sin which leads to death, or of obedience which leads to saving justice.

16. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

17. Once you were slaves of sin, but thank God you have given whole-hearted obedience to the pattern of teaching to which you were introduced;

17. But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.

18. and so, being freed from serving sin, you took uprightness as your master.

18. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

19. I am putting it in human terms because you are still weak human beings: as once you surrendered yourselves as servants to immorality and to a lawlessness which results in more lawlessness, now you have to surrender yourselves to uprightness which is to result in sanctification.

19. I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.

20. When you were the servants of sin, you felt no obligation to uprightness,

20. For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.

21. and what did you gain from living like that? Experiences of which you are now ashamed, for that sort of behaviour ends in death.

21. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things [is] death.

22. But, now you are set free from sin and bound to the service of God, your gain will be sanctification and the end will be eternal life.

22. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

23. For the wage paid by sin is death; the gift freely given by God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

23. For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.