Romans 5–6

Results of Justification

⁵Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we^x have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,^{* 2}through whom we have obtained access^y to this grace in which we stand, and we^z boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.^{* 3}And not only that, but we^a also boast in our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance,^{* 4}and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.^*

⁶For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.^{* 7}Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. ⁸But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.^{* 9}Much more surely, therefore, since we have now been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God.^{b* 10}For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life.^{* 11}But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Adam and Christ

¹²Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin, and so death spread to all because all have sinned^*—¹³for sin was indeed in the world before the law, but sin is not reckoned when there is no law. ¹⁴Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin in the likeness of Adam, who is a pattern of the one who was to come.^*

¹⁵But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died through the one man’s trespass, much more surely have the grace of God and the gift in the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abounded for the many. ¹⁶And the gift is not like the effect of the one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the gift following many trespasses brings justification. ¹⁷If, because of the one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one, much more surely will those who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

¹⁸Therefore just as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all. ¹⁹For just as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so through the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. ²⁰But law came in, so that the trespass might increase, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,^{* 21}so that, just as sin reigned in death, so grace might also reign through justification leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Dying and Rising with Christ

⁶What then are we to say? Should we continue in sin in order that grace may increase?^{* 2}By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it?^{* 3}Do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?^{* 4}Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life.^*

⁵For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. ⁶We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, so we might no longer be enslaved to sin.^{* 7}For whoever has died is freed^c from sin. ⁸But if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. ⁹We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.^{* 10}The death he died, he died to sin once for all, but the life he lives, he lives to God.^{* 11}So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.^*

¹²Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal bodies, so that you obey their desires.^{* 13}No longer present your members to sin as instruments^d of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and present your members to God as instruments^e of righteousness.^{* 14}For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.^*

Slaves of Righteousness

¹⁵What then? Should we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! ¹⁶Do you not know that, if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?^{* 17}But thanks be to God that you who were slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the form of teaching to which you were entrusted^{* 18}and that you, having been set free from sin, have become enslaved to righteousness.^{* 19}I am speaking in human terms because of your limitations.^f For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and lawlessness, leading to even more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, leading to sanctification.^*

²⁰When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.^{* 21}So what fruit did you then gain from the things of which you now are ashamed? The end of those things is death.^{* 22}But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the fruit you have leads to sanctification, and the end is eternal life.^{* 23}For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.^*