Romans 6

{Someone might say,} “{If what you have said is true,} then surely we {believers} should keep on sinning in order that, even more, God might show how kind he is even more!”

{Then I would say,} “Of course not!” We who are no longer controlled by sinning surely must not continue living sinfully!

You surely know that God unites to the Messiah Jesus whomever someone baptizes, and it is as if that baptized person also died with the Messiah! \*

So, by being baptized as if we died with {the Messiah}, it is like God buried us {in the tomb} with {Jesus}. {This is so} in order that, just as God the Father’s glorious power caused the Messiah to become alive again after he had died, in the same way, we too can live a new way of living.

Indeed, since we share in what resembles Jesus dying, we will surely also share in God making us alive again. \*

We know that God {also} did away with our former {sinful} way of living when people crucified Jesus. {He did this} in order to totally remove the way sin controls us, so that we no longer have to live sinfully.

{This is} because, when people {who live sinfully} share in {Jesus’} death, God frees them from having to live sinfully. \*

Now since {it is as if} we died with the Messiah, we trust that we will also live with him {eternally}.

We know that the Messiah can never die again, because God caused him to become alive again after he had died. Nothing can ever cause the Messiah to die again! \*

{This is} because when Jesus died, he only had to die that one time only in order to remove {the way} sin {controls people}. Now that he is alive {again}, he lives in order to glorify God.

Similarly, you too regard yourselves as no longer controlled by sinning. Indeed, {regard yourselves} as alive in order to glorify God because God has united you to the Messiah Jesus. \*

Since this is true, do not allow your sinful desires to control you. {This would} result in you doing {the sinful things} that you want to do.

Do not use your body parts in order to do unrighteous things {or} to sin. Instead, live in order to do what God wants you to do, like people whom God caused to live again after they had died. Also, use your body parts in order to do righteous things to glorify God.

Indeed, do not allow your desire to sin to control you because the laws {God gave the Jews} do not control you. Instead, how kind God is controls you. \*

{Someone might say,} “{If what you have said is true,} then surely we {believers} should keep on sinning because the laws {God gave the Jews} do not control us. Instead, how kind God is controls us!” {Then I would say,} “Of course not!”

You surely know that if you submit yourselves to be controlled by a thing or person, you become like slaves to that thing or person you submit to! {This is true} whether you submit yourselves to living sinfully, which will kill you {eternally}, or you submit yourselves to God, which will make you righteous. \*

Although you used to submit yourselves to living sinfully, {now} you are sincerely submissive to the type of teaching to which God has submitted you. Thank God!

Indeed, since God liberated you from living sinfully, you are {now} serving {God} righteously. \*

(I {Paul} am speaking in human terms, because you are spiritually immature.) Indeed, just as you {previously} used your body parts to live impurely and to increasingly break God’s laws, in the same way, now use your body parts to live righteously. {This will cause you} to live like God’s people should live.

{This is} because when you used to submit yourselves to living sinfully, you were not living righteously.

So, formerly you did not benefit from those {sinful} things {you did} that now embarrass you. {This is because} those things will eventually kill {you} {eternally}. \*

But now {that you trust in Jesus}, God has freed you from living sinfully and has caused you to serve him the way slaves would serve him. Therefore, you receive what is beneficial, which results in you living like God’s people should live. Indeed, {living in that way} will eventually result in you living eternally.

{I say this} because living sinfully causes those who do so to die {eternally}, but God graciously causes those who are united to our Lord, the Messiah Jesus, to live eternally. \*