Romans 5–6

Peace and Hope

5Therefore, since we have been justified^g through faith,^h we^a have peaceⁱ with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,^{j 2}through whom we have gained access^k by faith into this grace in which we now stand.^l And we^b boast in the hope^m of the glory of God. ³Not only so, but we^c also glory in our sufferings,ⁿ because we know that suffering produces perseverance;^{o 4}perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵And hope^p does not put us to shame, because God’s love^q has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit,^r who has been given to us.

⁶You see, at just the right time,^s when we were still powerless,^t Christ died for the ungodly.^{u 7}Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. ⁸But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.^v

⁹Since we have now been justified^w by his blood,^x how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath^y through him! ¹⁰For if, while we were God’s enemies,^z we were reconciled^a to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!^{b 11}Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.^c

Death Through Adam, Life Through Christ

¹²Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man,^d and death through sin,^e and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned^f—

¹³To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law.^{g 14}Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam,^h who is a pattern of the one to come.ⁱ

¹⁵But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man,^j how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ,^k overflow to the many! ¹⁶Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. ¹⁷For if, by the trespass of the one man, death^l reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life^m through the one man, Jesus Christ!

¹⁸Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people,ⁿ so also one righteous act resulted in justification^o and life^p for all people. ¹⁹For just as through the disobedience of the one man^q the many were made sinners,^r so also through the obedience^s of the one man the many will be made righteous.

²⁰The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase.^t But where sin increased, grace increased all the more,^{u 21}so that, just as sin reigned in death,^v so also grace^w might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life^x through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ

6What shall we say, then?^y Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?^{z 2}By no means! We are those who have died to sin;^a how can we live in it any longer? ³Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized^b into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death^c in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead^d through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.^e

⁵For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.^{f 6}For we know that our old self^g was crucified with him^h so that the body ruled by sinⁱ might be done away with,^a that we should no longer be slaves to sin^j—⁷because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.^k

⁸Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.^{l 9}For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead,^m he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.^{n 10}The death he died, he died to sin^o once for all;^p but the life he lives, he lives to God.

¹¹In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin^q but alive to God in Christ Jesus. ¹²Therefore do not let sin reign^r in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. ¹³Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness,^s but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.^{t 14}For sin shall no longer be your master,^u because you are not under the law,^v but under grace.^w

Slaves to Righteousness

¹⁵What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace?^x By no means! ¹⁶Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey^y—whether you are slaves to sin,^z which leads to death,^a or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? ¹⁷But thanks be to God^b that, though you used to be slaves to sin,^c you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching^d that has now claimed your allegiance. ¹⁸You have been set free from sin^e and have become slaves to righteousness.^f

¹⁹I am using an example from everyday life^g because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness^h leading to holiness. ²⁰When you were slaves to sin,ⁱ you were free from the control of righteousness.^{j 21}What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death!^{k 22}But now that you have been set free from sin^l and have become slaves of God,^m the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.^{n 23}For the wages of sin is death,^o but the gift of God is eternal life^p in^b Christ Jesus our Lord.