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Those who belong to Christ Jesus are no longer under God's judgment. 2 Because of what Christ Jesus has done, you are free. You are now controlled by the law of the Holy Spirit who gives you life. The law of the Spirit frees you from the law of sin that brings death. 3 The written law was made weak by the power of sin. But God did what the written law could not do. He made his Son to be like those who live under the power of sin. God sent him to be an offering for sin. Jesus suffered God's judgment against our sin. 4 Jesus does for us everything the holy law requires. The power of sin should no longer control the way we live. The Holy Spirit should control the way we live. 5 So don't live under the control of sin. If you do, you will think about what sin wants. Live under the control of the Holy Spirit. If you do, you will think about what the Spirit wants. 6 The thoughts of a person ruled by sin bring death. But the mind ruled by the Spirit brings life and peace. 7 The mind ruled by the power of sin is at war with God. It does not obey God's law. It can't. 8 Those who are under the power of sin can't please God.
9 But you are not ruled by the power of sin. Instead, the Holy Spirit rules over you. This is true if the Spirit of God lives in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Christ. 10 If Christ lives in you, you will live. Though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life. The Spirit does this because you have been made right with God. 11 The Spirit of the God who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you. So the God who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your bodies. He will do this because of his Spirit who lives in you.
12 Brothers and sisters, we have a duty. Our duty is not to live under the power of sin. 13 If you live under the power of sin, you will die. But by the Spirit's power you can put to death the sins you commit. Then you will live.
14 Those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 15 The Spirit you received doesn't make you slaves. Otherwise you would live in fear again. Instead, the Holy Spirit you received made you God's adopted child. By the Spirit's power we call God Abba. Abba means Father. 16 The Spirit himself joins with our spirits. Together they tell us that we are God's children. 17 As his children, we will receive all that he has for us. We will share what Christ receives. But we must share in his sufferings if we want to share in his glory.
8:1–17 Paul described two kinds of laws. One was the law of sin. He was talking about how sin controls people. When people sin they are guilty of disobeying God. They are judged for this. The judgement is that all human beings die. The other kind of law Paul described was the law of the Holy Spirit. He was talking about how people who belong to Christ are free from the power of sin. The Son of God came to earth as a human being. Because of this he could become a sin offering. Jesus' sacrifice paid the price for sin. This means that Jesus broke sin's power over human beings. Believers are no longer judged as guilty for choosing not to obey God. The Holy Spirit helps them to think and live in ways that please God. They will have life even after their bodies die because God's Spirit is in them. Those who live under the Spirit's power are part of God's family. They have been adopted as God's children. They trust God as their Father and call him Abba. The Holy Spirit gives them power to live for God. He gives them power to keep going when they are treated badly for following Jesus. One day Jesus will share his glory with all believers.
18 What we are suffering now is nothing compared with our future glory. 19 Everything God created looks forward to the future. That will be the time when his children appear in their full and final glory. 20 The created world was held back from fulfilling its purpose. But this was not the result of its own choice. It was planned that way by the one who held it back. God planned 21 to set the created world free. He didn't want it to rot away. Instead, God wanted it to have the same freedom and glory that his children have.
22 We know that all that God created has been groaning. It is in pain as if it were giving birth to a child. The created world continues to groan even now. 23 And that's not all. We have the Holy Spirit as the promise of future blessing. But we also groan inside ourselves. We do this as we look forward to the time when God adopts us as full members of his family. Then he will give us everything he has for us. He will raise our bodies and give glory to them. 24 That's the hope we had when we were saved. But hope that can be seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 We hope for what we don't have yet. So we are patient as we wait for it.
8:18–25 Paul explained the future glory that would come. The world will once again be the way God created it to be. The bodies of believers who have died will be raised to live for ever. Everything God created will be set free from death and suffering. The whole world suffers because of evil. Paul described this like pain and groaning. Believers and the rest of creation long for the future glory God has promised.
26 In the same way, the Holy Spirit helps us when we are weak. We don't know what we should pray for. But the Spirit himself prays for us. He prays through groans too deep for words. 27 God, who looks into our hearts, knows the mind of the Spirit. And the Spirit prays for God's people just as God wants him to pray.
28 We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him. He appointed them to be saved in keeping with his purpose. 29 God planned that those he had chosen would become like his Son. In that way, Christ will be the first and most honoured among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those God has planned for, he has also appointed to be saved. Those he has appointed, he has made right with himself. To those he has made right with himself, he has given his glory.
31 What should we say then? Since God is on our side, who can be against us? 32 God did not spare his own Son. He gave him up for us all. Then won't he also freely give us everything else? 33 Who can bring any charge against God's chosen ones? God makes us right with himself. 34 Then who can sentence us to death? No one. Christ Jesus is at the right hand of God and is also praying for us. He died. More than that, he was raised to life. 35 Who can separate us from Christ's love? Can trouble or hard times or harm or hunger? Can nakedness or danger or war? 36 It is written,
‘Because of you, we face death all day long.
We are considered as sheep to be killed.’ (Psalm 44:22)
37 No! In all these things we are more than winners! We owe it all to Christ, who has loved us. 38 I am absolutely sure that not even death or life can separate us from God's love. Not even angels or demons, the present or the future, or any powers can separate us. 39 Not even the highest places or the lowest, or anything else in all creation can separate us. Nothing at all can ever separate us from God's love. That's because of what Christ Jesus our Lord has done.
8:26–39 God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit work together to save people. The Holy Spirit prays for believers. The Spirit's prayers go far beyond what can be said with human words. The Spirit knows what God wants for his children. Jesus also prays for believers. He shares his glory with all his brothers and sisters. God wants people to know how deeply he loves them. Nothing can make God stop loving people. People can be completely sure about this. God has removed all the charges against believers for being guilty of sin. So sin can't stop them from being loved by God. Neither can spiritual beings like angels or evil spiritual beings like demons. Not even death can keep God's love from reaching people. This is because Jesus won the victory over death. There are no limits to the victory of Jesus the Messiah. Many things try to stop God's purpose for the lives of believers. But because of Jesus' victory, believers can win the victory over all those things. God's purpose is to save people so they can be like Jesus.