Romans 6:1-15:15

English Standard Version

Dead to Sin, Alive to God

6 What shall we say then? ^(A)Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? ² By no means! How can ^(B)we who died to sin still live in it? ³ Do you not know that all of us ^(C)who have been baptized ^(D)into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴ We were ^(E)buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as ^(F)Christ was raised from the dead by ^(G)the glory of the Father, we too might walk in ^(H)newness of life.

⁵ For ^(I)if we have been united with him in ^(J)a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. ⁶ We know that ^(K)our old self^{[a] (L)}was crucified with him in order that ^(M)the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. ⁷ For ^(N)one who has died ^(O)has been set free^[b] from sin. ⁸ Now ^(P)if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. ⁹ We know that ^(Q)Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; ^(R)death no longer has dominion over him. ¹⁰ For the death he died he died to sin, ^(S)once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. ¹¹ So you also must consider yourselves ^(T)dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

¹² Let not ^(U)sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. ^13 (V)Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but ^(W)present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. ¹⁴ For ^(X)sin ^(Y)will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

Slaves to Righteousness

¹⁵ What then? ^(Z)Are we to sin ^(AA)because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! ¹⁶ Do you not know that if you present yourselves ^(AB)to anyone as obedient slaves,^[c] 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 ^(AC)thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the ^(AD)standard of teaching to which you were committed, ¹⁸ and, ^(AE)having been set free from sin, ^(AF)have become slaves of righteousness. ^19 (AG)I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For ^(AH)just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members ^(AI)as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.

^20 (AJ)For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. ^21 (AK)But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things ^(AL)of which you are now ashamed? ^(AM)For the end of those things is death. ²² But now that you ^(AN)have been set free from sin and ^(AO)have become slaves of God, ^(AP)the fruit you get leads to sanctification and ^(AQ)its end, eternal life. ^23 (AR)For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Released from the Law

7 Or do you not know, brothers^[d]—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? ² For ^(AS)a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage.^{[e] 3} Accordingly, ^(AT)she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress.

⁴ Likewise, my brothers, ^(AU)you also have died ^(AV)to the law ^(AW)through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, ^(AX)in order that we may bear fruit for God. ⁵ For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work ^(AY)in our members ^(AZ)to bear fruit for death. ⁶ But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the ^(BA)new way of ^(BB)the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.^[f]

The Law and Sin

⁷ What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, ^(BC)I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if ^(BD)the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” ⁸ But sin, ^(BE)seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. ^(BF)For apart from the law, sin lies dead. ⁹ I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. ¹⁰ The very commandment ^(BG)that promised life proved to be death to me. ¹¹ For sin, ^(BH)seizing an opportunity through the commandment, ^(BI)deceived me and through it killed me. ¹² So ^(BJ)the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

¹³ Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. ¹⁴ For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, ^(BK)sold under sin. ¹⁵ For I do not understand my own actions. For ^(BL)I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. ¹⁶ Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with ^(BM)the law, that it is good. ¹⁷ So now ^(BN)it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. ¹⁸ For I know that nothing good dwells ^(BO)in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. ^19 (BP)For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. ²⁰ Now if I do what I do not want, ^(BQ)it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

²¹ So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. ²² For ^(BR)I delight in the law of God, ^(BS)in my inner being, ²³ but I see in my members ^(BT)another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. ²⁴ Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from ^(BU)this body of death? ²⁵ Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

Life in the Spirit

8 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.^{[g] 2} For the law of ^(BV)the Spirit of life ^(BW)has set you^[h] free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. ³ For ^(BX)God has done what the law, ^(BY)weakened by the flesh, ^(BZ)could not do. ^(CA)By sending his own Son ^(CB)in the likeness of sinful flesh and ^(CC)for sin,^[i] he condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ in order that ^(CD)the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, ^(CE)who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. ⁵ For ^(CF)those who live according to the flesh set their minds on ^(CG)the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on ^(CH)the things of the Spirit. ⁶ For to set ^(CI)the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. ⁷ For the mind that is set on the flesh is ^(CJ)hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; ^(CK)indeed, it cannot. ⁸ Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

⁹ You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact ^(CL)the Spirit of God dwells in you. ^(CM)Anyone who does not have ^(CN)the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. ¹⁰ But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. ¹¹ If the Spirit of ^(CO)him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus^[j] from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies ^(CP)through his Spirit who dwells in you.

Heirs with Christ

¹² So then, brothers,^[k] we are debtors, ^(CQ)not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. ¹³ For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you ^(CR)put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. ¹⁴ For all who are ^(CS)led by the Spirit of God are ^(CT)sons^[l] of God. ¹⁵ For ^(CU)you did not receive ^(CV)the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of ^(CW)adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ^(CX)“Abba! Father!” ^16 (CY)The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, then ^(CZ)heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, ^(DA)provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Future Glory

¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time ^(DB)are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. ¹⁹ For the creation waits with eager longing for ^(DC)the revealing of the sons of God. ²⁰ For the creation ^(DD)was subjected to futility, not willingly, but ^(DE)because of him who subjected it, in hope ²¹ that ^(DF)the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. ²² For we know that ^(DG)the whole creation ^(DH)has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. ²³ And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have ^(DI)the firstfruits of the Spirit, ^(DJ)groan inwardly as ^(DK)we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, ^(DL)the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴ For ^(DM)in this hope we were saved. Now ^(DN)hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not see, we ^(DO)wait for it with patience.

²⁶ Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For ^(DP)we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but ^(DQ)the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. ²⁷ And ^(DR)he who searches hearts knows what is ^(DS)the mind of the Spirit, because^[m] the Spirit ^(DT)intercedes for the saints ^(DU)according to the will of God. ²⁸ And we know that for those who love God all things work together ^(DV)for good,^[n] for ^(DW)those who are called according to his purpose. ²⁹ For those whom he ^(DX)foreknew he also ^(DY)predestined ^(DZ)to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be ^(EA)the firstborn among many brothers. ³⁰ And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also ^(EB)justified, and those whom he justified he also ^(EC)glorified.

God's Everlasting Love

³¹ What then shall we say to these things? ^(ED)If God is for us, who can be^[o] against us? ^32 (EE)He who did not spare his own Son but ^(EF)gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? ³³ Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? ^(EG)It is God who justifies. ^34 (EH)Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—^(EI)who is at the right hand of God, ^(EJ)who indeed is interceding for us.^{[p] 35} Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written,

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than ^(EM)conquerors through ^(EN)him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God's Sovereign Choice

9 ^(EO)I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— ² that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. ³ For ^(EP)I could wish that I myself were ^(EQ)accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers,^[q] my kinsmen ^(ER)according to the flesh. ⁴ They are ^(ES)Israelites, and to them belong ^(ET)the adoption, ^(EU)the glory, ^(EV)the covenants, ^(EW)the giving of the law, ^(EX)the worship, and ^(EY)the promises. ⁵ To them belong ^(EZ)the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, ^(FA)who is God over all, ^(FB)blessed forever. Amen.

⁶ But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, ⁷ and not all are children of Abraham ^(FC)because they are his offspring, but ^(FD)“Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” ⁸ This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but ^(FE)the children of the promise are counted as offspring. ⁹ For this is what the promise said: ^(FF)“About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.” ¹⁰ And not only so, but ^(FG)also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, ¹¹ though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of ^(FH)him who calls— ¹² she was told, ^(FI)“The older will serve the younger.” ¹³ As it is written, ^(FJ)“Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

¹⁴ What shall we say then? ^(FK)Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! ¹⁵ For he says to Moses, ^(FL)“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” ¹⁶ So then it depends not on human will or exertion,^[r] but on God, who has mercy. ¹⁷ For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, ^(FM)“For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” ¹⁸ So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.

¹⁹ You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For ^(FN)who can resist his will?” ²⁰ But who are you, O man, ^(FO)to answer back to God? ^(FP)Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” ^21 (FQ)Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump ^(FR)one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? ²² What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience ^(FS)vessels of wrath ^(FT)prepared for destruction, ²³ in order to make known ^(FU)the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he ^(FV)has prepared beforehand for glory— ²⁴ even us whom he ^(FW)has called, ^(FX)not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? ²⁵ As indeed he says in Hosea,

²⁷ And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: ^(GB)“Though the number of the sons of Israel^[s] be as the sand of the sea, ^(GC)only a remnant of them will be saved, ²⁸ for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.” ²⁹ And as Isaiah predicted,

Israel's Unbelief

³⁰ What shall we say, then? ^(GG)That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, ^(GH)a righteousness that is by faith; ³¹ but that Israel ^(GI)who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness^{[t] (GJ)}did not succeed in reaching that law. ³² Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the ^(GK)stumbling stone, ³³ as it is written,

10 Brothers,^[u] my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. ² For I bear them witness that ^(GP)they have a zeal for God, ^(GQ)but not according to knowledge. ³ For, being ignorant of ^(GR)the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. ⁴ For ^(GS)Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.^[v]

The Message of Salvation to All

⁵ For ^(GT)Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that ^(GU)the person who does the commandments shall live by them. ⁶ But ^(GV)the righteousness based on faith says, ^(GW)“Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) ⁷ “or ‘Who will descend into the ^(GX)abyss?’” (that is, ^(GY)to bring Christ up from the dead). ⁸ But what does it say? ^(GZ)“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); ⁹ because, if ^(HA)you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and ^(HB)believe in your heart ^(HC)that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. ¹¹ For the Scripture says, ^(HD)“Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” ^12 (HE)For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; ^(HF)for the same Lord is Lord of all, ^(HG)bestowing his riches on all who call on him. ¹³ For ^(HH)“everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

¹⁴ How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him ^(HI)of whom they have never heard?^[w] And how are they to hear ^(HJ)without someone preaching? ¹⁵ And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ^(HK)“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” ¹⁶ But ^(HL)they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, ^(HM)“Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” ¹⁷ So ^(HN)faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

¹⁸ But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for

¹⁹ But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says,

²⁰ Then Isaiah is so bold as to say,

²¹ But of Israel he says, ^(HU)“All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”

The Remnant of Israel

11 I ask, then, ^(HV)has God rejected his people? By no means! For ^(HW)I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham,^[x] a member of the tribe of Benjamin. ^2 (HX)God has not rejected his people whom he ^(HY)foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? ^3 (HZ)“Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” ⁴ But what is God's reply to him? ^(IA)“I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” ⁵ So too at the present time there is ^(IB)a remnant, chosen by grace. ^6 (IC)But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

⁷ What then? ^(ID)Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest ^(IE)were hardened, ⁸ as it is written,

⁹ And David says,

Gentiles Grafted In

¹¹ So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass ^(II)salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. ¹² Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion^[y] mean!

¹³ Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as ^(IJ)I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry ¹⁴ in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and ^(IK)thus save some of them. ¹⁵ For if their rejection means ^(IL)the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? ^16 (IM)If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.

¹⁷ But if ^(IN)some of the branches were broken off, and you, ^(IO)although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root^[z] of the olive tree, ¹⁸ do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. ¹⁹ Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” ²⁰ That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you ^(IP)stand fast through faith. So ^(IQ)do not become proud, but ^(IR)fear. ²¹ For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. ²² Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, ^(IS)provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise ^(IT)you too will be cut off. ²³ And ^(IU)even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. ²⁴ For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.

The Mystery of Israel's Salvation

^25 (IV)Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers:^{[aa] (IW)}a partial hardening has come upon Israel, ^(IX)until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. ²⁶ And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written,

²⁸ As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are ^(JC)beloved for the sake of their forefathers. ²⁹ For the gifts and ^(JD)the calling of God are irrevocable. ³⁰ For just as ^(JE)you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, ³¹ so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now^[ab] receive mercy. ³² For God ^(JF)has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.

³³ Oh, the depth of the riches and ^(JG)wisdom and knowledge of God! ^(JH)How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

³⁶ For ^(JL)from him and through him and to him are all things. ^(JM)To him be glory forever. Amen.

A Living Sacrifice

12 ^(JN)I appeal to you therefore, brothers,^[ac] by the mercies of God, ^(JO)to present your bodies ^(JP)as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.^{[ad] 2 (JQ)}Do not be conformed to this world,^[ae] but be transformed by ^(JR)the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may ^(JS)discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.^[af]

Gifts of Grace

³ For ^(JT)by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you ^(JU)not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, ^(JV)each according to ^(JW)the measure of faith that God has assigned. ⁴ For ^(JX)as in one body we have many members,^[ag] and the members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so we, ^(JY)though many, ^(JZ)are one body in Christ, and individually ^(KA)members one of another. ^6 (KB)Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if ^(KC)prophecy, ^(KD)in proportion to our faith; ⁷ if ^(KE)service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; ⁸ the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; ^(KF)the one who leads,^[ah] with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with ^(KG)cheerfulness.

Marks of the True Christian

^9 (KH)Let love be genuine. ^(KI)Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. ^10 (KJ)Love one another with brotherly affection. ^(KK)Outdo one another in showing honor. ¹¹ Do not be slothful in zeal, ^(KL)be fervent in spirit,^{[ai] (KM)}serve the Lord. ^12 (KN)Rejoice in hope, ^(KO)be patient in tribulation, ^(KP)be constant in prayer. ^13 (KQ)Contribute to the needs of the saints and ^(KR)seek to show hospitality.

^14 (KS)Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. ^15 (KT)Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. ^16 (KU)Live in harmony with one another. ^(KV)Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.^{[aj] (KW)}Never be wise in your own sight. ^17 (KX)Repay no one evil for evil, but ^(KY)give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. ¹⁸ If possible, so far as it depends on you, ^(KZ)live peaceably with all. ¹⁹ Beloved, ^(LA)never avenge yourselves, but leave it^[ak] to the wrath of God, for it is written, ^(LB)“Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” ²⁰ To the contrary, ^(LC)“if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” ²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Submission to the Authorities

13 Let every person ^(LD)be subject to the governing authorities. For ^(LE)there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. ² Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. ³ For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you ^(LF)will receive his approval, ⁴ for ^(LG)he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, ^(LH)an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. ⁵ Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also ^(LI)for the sake of conscience. ⁶ For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. ^7 (LJ)Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

Fulfilling the Law Through Love

^8 (LK)Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for ^(LL)the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. ⁹ For the commandments, ^(LM)“You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: ^(LN)“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁰ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore ^(LO)love is the fulfilling of the law.

¹¹ Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you ^(LP)to wake from sleep. ^(LQ)For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. ^12 (LR)The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us ^(LS)cast off ^(LT)the works of darkness and ^(LU)put on the armor of light. ^13 (LV)Let us walk properly as in the daytime, ^(LW)not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, ^(LX)not in quarreling and jealousy. ¹⁴ But ^(LY)put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, ^(LZ)to gratify its desires.

Do Not Pass Judgment on One Another

14 As for ^(MA)the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. ^2 (MB)One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. ³ Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and ^(MC)let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. ^4 (MD)Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master^[al] that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

^5 (ME)One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. ^(MF)Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. ⁶ The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since ^(MG)he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. ⁷ For ^(MH)none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. ⁸ For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, ^(MI)whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. ⁹ For to this end Christ ^(MJ)died and lived again, that he might be Lord both ^(MK)of the dead and of the living.

¹⁰ Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For ^(ML)we will all stand before ^(MM)the judgment seat of God; ¹¹ for it is written,

¹² So then ^(MO)each of us will give an account of himself to God.

Do Not Cause Another to Stumble

^13 (MP)Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide ^(MQ)never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. ¹⁴ I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus ^(MR)that nothing is unclean in itself, ^(MS)but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. ¹⁵ For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, ^(MT)you are no longer walking in love. ^(MU)By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. ^16 (MV)So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. ^17 (MW)For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but ^(MX)of righteousness and ^(MY)peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸ Whoever thus serves Christ is ^(MZ)acceptable to God and approved by men. ¹⁹ So then let us ^(NA)pursue what makes for peace and for ^(NB)mutual upbuilding.

^20 (NC)Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. ^(ND)Everything is indeed clean, but ^(NE)it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. ^21 (NF)It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.^{[an] 22} The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. ^(NG)Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. ²³ But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.^[ao]

The Example of Christ

15 ^(NH)We who are strong ^(NI)have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. ^2 (NJ)Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. ³ For ^(NK)Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, ^(NL)“The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” ⁴ For ^(NM)whatever was written in former days was written for our ^(NN)instruction, that through endurance and through ^(NO)the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. ⁵ May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you ^(NP)to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, ⁶ that together you may with one voice glorify ^(NQ)the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁷ Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

Christ the Hope of Jews and Gentiles

⁸ For I tell you that Christ ^(NR)became a servant to the circumcised to show God's truthfulness, in order ^(NS)to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, ⁹ and in order ^(NT)that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,

¹⁰ And again it is said,

¹¹ And again,

¹² And again Isaiah says,

¹³ May the God of hope fill you with all ^(OA)joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Paul the Minister to the Gentiles

^14 (OB)I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers,^[ap] that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with ^(OC)all knowledge and able to instruct one another. ¹⁵ But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, ^(OD)because of the grace given me by God