Rom 8 | ISV | STEP | God's Spirit Makes Us His Children Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in union with Christ Jesus.

Romans 8

1 God's Spirit Makes Us His Children

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in union with Christ Jesus. ^{▼▼Other mss. read Christ Jesus, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit}Rom 8:4; Gal 5:16, 25 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me ^{▼▼Other mss. read you} free from the law of sin and death.John 8:36; Rom 6:18, 22; 7:24-25; 1Cor 15:45; 2Cor 3:6; Gal 2:19; 5:1 3 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to deal with sin. He condemned sin in the fleshActs 13:39; Rom 3:20; 2Cor 5:21; Gal 3:13; Heb 7:18-19 4 so that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.Rom 8:1

5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.John 3:6; 1Cor 2:14; Gal 5:22, 25 6 To set our minds on the flesh leads to death, but to set our minds on the Spirit leads to life and peace.Rom 6:13, 21; Gal 6:8 7 That is why the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile toward God. For it refuses to submit to the authority of God's law because it is powerless to do so.1Cor 2:14; James 4:4 8 Indeed, those who are under the control of the flesh cannot please God.

9 You, however, are not of the flesh but under the control of the Spirit, since God's Spirit lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to him.John 3:34; 1Cor 3:16; 6:19; Gal 4:6; Phil 1:19; 1Pet 1:11 10 But if Christ is in you, your bodies are dead because of sin, but the Spirit ^{▼▼Or spirit} is life because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, then the one who raised Christ from the dead will also make your mortal bodies alive by his Spirit who lives in you.Acts 2:24; Rom 6:4-5; 1Cor 6:14; 2Cor 4:14; Eph 2:5

12 Consequently, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.Rom 6:7, 14 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die, but if by the Spirit you continually put to death the activities of the body, you will live.Rom 8:6; Gal 6:8; Eph 4:22; Col 3:5 14 For all who are led by God's Spirit are God's children.Gal 5:18 15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery that leads you into fear again. Instead, you have received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba! ^{▼▼Abba is Aram. for Father.} Father!”Isa 56:5; Mark 14:36; 1Cor 2:12; Gal 4:5-6; 2Tim 1:7; Heb 2:15; 1John 4:18 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.2Cor 1:22; 5:5; Eph 1:13; 4:30 17 Now if we are children, we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if, in fact, we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.Acts 14:22; 26:18; Gal 4:7; Phil 1:29; 2Tim 2:11-12

God's Spirit Helps Us 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed to us.2Cor 4:17; 1Pet 1:6-7; 4:13 19 For the creation is eagerly waiting for God to reveal his children,2Pet 3:13; 1John 3:2 20 because the creation was subjected to frustration, though not by its own choice. The one who subjected it did so in the hopeGen 3:19; Rom 8:22 21 that the creation itself would also be set free from slavery to decay in order to share the glorious freedom of God's children. 22 For we know that all creation has been groaning with the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.Jer 12:11

23 However, not only creation groans, ^{▼▼The Gk. lacks groans} but we who have the first fruits of the Spirit also groan inwardly as we eagerly wait for our adoption, the redemption of our bodies.Luke 20:36; 21:28; 2Cor 5:2, 4-5; Eph 1:14; 4:30 24 For we were saved with this hope in mind. ^{▼▼The Gk. lacks in mind} Now hope that is seen is not really hope, for who hopes for what can be seen?2Cor 5:7; Heb 11:1 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience.

26 In the same way, the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we should. But the Spirit himself intercedes ^{▼▼Other mss. read intercedes for us} with groans too deep for words,Zech 12:10; Matt 20:22; Eph 6:18; James 4:3 27 and the one who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, for the Spirit ^{▼▼Lit. he} intercedes for the saints according to God's will. ^{▼▼Lit. according to God}1Chr 28:9; Ps 7:9; Prov 17:3; Jer 11:20; 17:10; 20:12; Acts 1:24; 1Thes 2:4; 1John 5:14; Rev 2:23 28 And we know that he works all things together ^{▼▼Or that all things work together; other mss. read that God works all things together} for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.Rom 9:11, 23-24; 2Tim 1:9 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.Exod 33:12, 17; Ps 1:6; Jer 1:5; Matt 7:23; John 17:22; Rom 11:2; 2Cor 3:18; Eph 1:5, 11, 17; Phil 3:21; Col 1:15, 18, 17; 2Tim 2:19; Heb 1:6; 1Pet 1:2; 1John 3:2; Rev 1:5 30 And those whom he predestined, he also called; and those whom he called, he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.John 17:22; Rom 1:6; 9:24; 1Cor 6:11; Eph 2:6; 4:4; Heb 9:15; 1Pet 2:9

31 Nothing Can Separate Us from God's LoveWhat, then, can we say about all of this? If God is for us, who can be against us?Num 14:9; Ps 118:6 32 The one who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for all of us—surely he will give us all things along with him, won't he?Rom 4:25

33 Who can bring an accusation against God's chosen people? It is God who justifies them!Isa 50:8-9; Rev 12:10-11 34 Who can condemn them? Christ Jesus, who died—and more importantly, who has been raised and is seated at the right hand of God—is the one who is also interceding for us!Job 34:29; Mark 16:19; Col 3:1; Heb 1:3; 7:25; 8:1; 9:24; 12:1; 1Pet 3:22; 1John 2:1

35 Who can separate us from Christ's love? Can trouble, distress, persecution, hunger, nakedness, danger, or a sword? ^{▼▼I.e. a violent death} 36 As it is written,Ps 44:22; 1Cor 15:30-31; 2Cor 4:11

“For your sake we are being killed all day long.

We are thought of as sheep to be slaughtered.” ^{▼▼Ps 44:22}

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through the one who loved us.1Cor 15:57; 2Cor 2:14; 1John 4:4; 5:4-5; Rev 12:11 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,Eph 1:21; 6:12; Col 1:16; 2:15; 1Pet 3:22 39 nor anything above, nor anything below, nor anything else in all creation can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.