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As a result, we certainly must not continue to sin! We should not think that {if we continue to sin, somehow} God will show how kind he is even more! 2 Of course {we should} not {think like this}! We who are no longer controlled by sinning, must not live like people who are still controlled by sinning! 3 God unites to the Messiah Jesus whoever is baptized. {At the same time}, God unites whoever is baptized to the death of the Messiah Jesus. Certainly, you are not unaware {of these facts}! 4 So, when we are baptized into Jesus the Messiah’s death, it is as if God buries us {in the tomb} together with {Jesus} the Messiah. {God} the Father resurrected the Messiah by his glorious {power}. In the same way, when we are baptized, God resurrects those of us {who are united to the Messiah’s death}. This is so that we too can live {spiritually} renewed. 5 God has identified us with Jesus the Messiah’s death, as if we {physically} died with him. Because of this, it is certain that God will also identify us with how Jesus the Messiah resurrected from death. 6 We are convinced that at the same time Jesus the Messiah was crucified, God also cancelled out how we were associated with {death that comes from} Adam. This was so that God could totally remove how we are controlled by sinning. Then we would no longer serve as slaves to living sinfully. 7 Certainly, when the person enslaved through living sinfully {becomes baptized,} God declares that person is now free. 8 Certainly, we ceased {serving as slaves to sinning} when God united us to the Messiah. This is why we trust that we will also live {eternally} with the Messiah. 9 We are convinced that since God resurrected the Messiah from death, he can never die again. Death can never again {claim} to dominate the Messiah! 10 This is because that death Jesus the Messiah died, he died one time, {in order to remove humanity’s slavery} to sinning forever. Now, the way he lives {after being resurrected}, he lives in order to glorify God {forever}. 11 So then, you too should regard yourselves as free from {the spiritual} death that comes from sinning. Indeed, you should regard yourselves as alive with God, because you are united to the Messiah Jesus. 12 This is why you must not permit your physical bodies to become dominated by living sinfully, so that you submit your bodies to lusting. 13 Do not use your body parts in order to sin. Do not use your body parts for living wickedly. Instead, use the way you live for God’s purposes, like people who are resurrected from death. Also, use your body parts in order to live rightly with God. 14 Certainly, sinning must not dominate any of you. This is because God’s law does not control you, but you are free {from how the law controls} because of how kind God is.15 So then, of course we should not sin, since God’s law does not control us! Neither should we sin, since we are free because of how kind God is! 16 Certainly you realize that if you submit yourselves for use as slaves to a thing or person–you become slaves to that thing or person you submitted yourselves! You could enslave yourselves to living sinfully, leading to your death. Or you could submit yourselves to God, leading to a right relationship with him. 17 You used to serve as slaves to living sinfully. But now you are sincerely submissive to the type of {apostolic} teaching God gave others to pass on to you. So, we give thanks to God! 18 Indeed, since God liberated you from living sinfully, you are now serving God in a right relationship. 19 I {Paul} am speaking in human terms, because you are spiritually immature. Certainly, you previously used your body parts by serving as slaves to living impurely. {This led you} to increasingly break God’s law. In the same way, you must now use your body parts by serving as slaves in a right relationship with God. {This will lead you} to live like God’s people should. 20 This is because when you were slaves to living sinfully, you were not in a right relationship with God. 21 So, formerly you derived no benefit from those {sinful} things that now embarrass you. This is because the final result of those things is {eternal} death. 22 But at the present time, you are free from the slavery of living sinfully. Now, you serve as slaves to God himself. You derive what is beneficial, that leads you to live devoted to God. Indeed, eternal life is the final result {for those who live devoted to God}. 23 It is certain that living sinfully results in {eternal} death. But God is so gracious that he gives eternal life to those who are united to our Lord, the Messiah Jesus.