1What shall we say then? Shall we keep on sinning, so that grace may abound? 2God forbid! How shall we, who have died to sin, live any longer in sin? 3Do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? 4Therefore, we were buried with Him by baptism into death, so that, as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so, we should also live new lives. 5For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall also be united with Him in a resurrection like His. 6For we know this: that our old self was crucified with Him, so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that hereafter we should no longer serve (or be slaves to) sin. 7Because anyone who has died is set free from sin. 8Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, He cannot die again; death has no more power over Him. 10For the death that He died, He died once for all; but the life He lives, He lives to God. 11In the same way, consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Jesus Christ our Lord. 12Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body, to give in to and obey its lustful impulses. 13Nor should you yield your members as instruments of wickedness; but yield yourselves to God, as those that have been brought from death, and offer your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. 14For sin shall no longer have control over you; for you are not under the law, but under grace.

15What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid! 16Do you not know that when you surrender to anyone or anything, you become its servant - whether of sin which leads to death, or of obedience which leads to righteousness? 17But thanks be to God, that whereas you had been the servants of sin, you have now obeyed from the heart that doctrine (teaching) that was delivered to you. 18So that now, you have been set free from sin, to become the servants of righteousness. 19Here is an example from everyday life to help you grasp this: Just as you have offered yourselves as slaves to uncleanness and increasing wickedness, even so now, yield yourselves as servants of righteousness, leading to holiness. 20For when you were the slaves to sin, you were free from the influence of righteousness. 21What fruit or benefit resulted from those things of which you are now ashamed? For the end result of those things is eternal death. 22But now that you have been set free from sin, and have become servants of God, you produce spiritual fruit leading to holiness, and eternal life. 23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord.