Romans 8
1 [There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
So there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death.
3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
What the law couldn't do because it was powerless due to our sinful nature, God was able to do! By sending his own Son in human form, God dealt with the whole problem of sin and destroyed sin's power in our sinful human nature.
4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
In this way we could fulfill the good requirements of the law by following the Spirit and not our sinful nature.
5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
Those who follow their sinful nature are preoccupied with sinful things, but those who follow the Spirit concentrate on spiritual things.
6 For to be carnally minded [is] death; but to be spiritually minded [is] life and peace.
The sinful human mind results in death, but having the mind led by the Spirit results in life and peace.
7 Because the carnal mind [is] enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
The sinful human mind is hostile to God because it refuses to obey the law of God—in fact it never can,
8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
and those who follow their sinful nature can never please God.
9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
But you're not following your sinful nature, but the Spirit—if it's true that the Spirit of God is living in you. For those that don't have the Spirit of Christ in them don't belong to him.
10 And if Christ [be] in you, the body [is] dead because of sin; but the Spirit [is] life because of righteousness.
However, if Christ is in you, even though your body is going to die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you're now right with God.
11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
The Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you. He who raised Jesus from the dead will also give life to your dead bodies through his Spirit that lives in you.
12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
So brothers and sisters, we don't have to follow our sinful nature that operates according to our human desires.
13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
For if you live under the control of your sinful nature, you're going to die. But if you follow the way of the Spirit, putting to death the evil things you do, then you will live.
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
All those who are led by the Spirit of God are God's children.
15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
You were not given a spirit to enslave and terrify you once more. No, what you received was the spirit that makes you children in God's family. Now we can shout out, “God is our Father!”
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
The Spirit himself agrees with us that we're God's children.
17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with [him], that we may be also glorified together.
If we're his children, then we're his heirs. We are heirs of God, and heirs together with Christ. But if we want to share in his glory we must share in his sufferings.
18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time [are] not worthy [to be compared] with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Yet I'm convinced that what we suffer in the present is nothing compared to the future glory that will be revealed to us.
19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
All of creation is patiently waiting, longing for God to reveal his children.
20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected [the same] in hope,
For God allowed the purpose of creation to be frustrated.
21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
But creation itself waits in hope for the time when it will be set free from the slavery of decay and share the glorious freedom of God's children.
22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
We know that all creation groans with longing, suffering birth-pains even up till now.
23 And not only [they], but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, [to wit], the redemption of our body.
Not only creation, but we too, who have a foretaste of the Spirit, we groan inwardly as we wait for God to “adopt” us—the redemption of our bodies.
24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
For we were saved by hope. Yet hope that's already seen isn't hope at all. Who hopes for what they can already see?
25 But if we hope for that we see not, [then] do we with patience wait for [it].
Since we're hoping for what we haven't yet seen, we wait for it patiently.
26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Similarly the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We don't know how to speak with God, but the Spirit himself intercedes with and through us by groans that can't be put into words.
27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what [is] the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to [the will of] God.
The one who examines the minds of everyone knows the Spirit's motives, because the Spirit pleads God's cause on behalf of the believers.
28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose.
We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, those who he has called to be part of his plan.
29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate [to be] conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
For God, choosing them in advance, set them apart to be like his Son, so that the Son would be the first of many brothers and sisters.
30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
Those that he chose, he also called; and those that he called, he also made right; and those that he made right, he also glorified.
31 What shall we then say to these things? If God [be] for us, who [can be] against us?
So what's our response to all this? If God is for us, who can be against us?
32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
God, who did not hold back his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, won't he also freely give us everything?
33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? [It is] God that justifieth.
Who can accuse God's special people of anything? It's God who sets us right,
34 Who [is] he that condemneth? [It is] Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
so who can condemn us? It's Christ Jesus who died—more importantly, who was raised from the dead—who stands at God's right-hand, presenting our case.
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? [shall] tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Who can separate us from Christ's love? Can oppression, distress, or persecution? Or hunger, poverty, danger, or violence?
36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Just as Scripture says, “For your sake we're in danger of being killed all the time. We're treated like sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
No—in all that happens to us we're more than conquerors through him who loved us.
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
I'm absolutely convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor devils, neither the present nor the future, nor powers,
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
neither height nor depth, in fact nothing in all creation can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
