Romans 8:12
New International Version
Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it.

New Living Translation
Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do.

English Standard Version
So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.

Berean Standard Bible
Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation, but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it.

Berean Literal Bible
So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to flesh.

King James Bible
Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.

New King James Version
Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.

New American Standard Bible
So then, brothers and sisters, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—

NASB 1995
So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—

NASB 1977
So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—

Legacy Standard Bible
So then, brothers, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—

Amplified Bible
So then, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation, but not to our flesh [our human nature, our worldliness, our sinful capacity], to live according to the [impulses of the] flesh [our nature without the Holy Spirit]—

Christian Standard Bible
So then, brothers and sisters, we are not obligated to the flesh to live according to the flesh,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
So then, brothers, we are not obligated to the flesh to live according to the flesh,

American Standard Version
So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh:

Contemporary English Version
My dear friends, we must not live to satisfy our desires.

English Revised Version
So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
So, brothers and sisters, we have no obligation to live the way our corrupt nature wants us to live.

Good News Translation
So then, my friends, we have an obligation, but it is not to live as our human nature wants us to.

International Standard Version
Consequently, brothers, we are not—with respect to human nature, that is—under an obligation to live according to human nature.

Majority Standard Bible
Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation, but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it.

NET Bible
So then, brothers and sisters, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh

New Heart English Bible
So then, brothers, we have no obligation to the flesh, to live after the flesh.

Webster's Bible Translation
Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.

Weymouth New Testament
Therefore, brethren, it is not to our lower natures that we are under obligation that we should live by their rule.

World English Bible
So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
So, then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh;

Berean Literal Bible
So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to flesh.

Young's Literal Translation
So, then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh;

Smith's Literal Translation
Therefore, brethren, we are not debtors to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Therefore, brothers, we are not debtors to the flesh, so as to live according to the flesh.

New American Bible
Consequently, brothers, we are not debtors to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.

New Revised Standard Version
So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Therefore, my brethren, we are not indebted to the flesh to live after the flesh.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Now my brethren, we are indebted, not to the flesh that we should walk in the flesh,
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh;

Godbey New Testament
Then therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to depravity, to live according to depravity.

Haweis New Testament
Truly then we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.

Mace New Testament
You are, therefore, brethren oblig'd to oppose your sensual passions;

Weymouth New Testament
Therefore, brethren, it is not to our lower natures that we are under obligation that we should live by their rule.

Worrell New Testament
Accordingly, then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh;

Worsley New Testament
Therefore, brethren, we are debtors not to the flesh, to live after the flesh:

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Heirs with Christ
11And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you. 12Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation, but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.…

Cross References
Galatians 5:16-18
So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. / For the flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are opposed to each other, so that you do not do what you want. / But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Galatians 6:8
The one who sows to please his flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; but the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; / you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body.

Colossians 3:5
Put to death, therefore, the components of your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry.

2 Corinthians 5:15
And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and was raised again.

Ephesians 4:22-24
to put off your former way of life, your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; / to be renewed in the spirit of your minds; / and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

1 Peter 2:11
Beloved, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from the desires of the flesh, which war against your soul.

John 8:34-36
Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. / A slave does not remain in the house forever, but a son remains forever. / So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

1 John 3:9
Anyone born of God refuses to practice sin, because God’s seed abides in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.

Philippians 3:3
For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh—

1 Thessalonians 4:7
For God has not called us to impurity, but to holiness.

Ezekiel 36:27
And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and to carefully observe My ordinances.

Jeremiah 31:33
“But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD. I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people.

Ezekiel 11:19-20
And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them; I will remove their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh, / so that they may follow My statutes, keep My ordinances, and practice them. Then they will be My people, and I will be their God.

Deuteronomy 30:6
The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, and you will love Him with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.


Treasury of Scripture

Therefore, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.

we are.

Romans 6:2-15
God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? …

Psalm 116:16
O LORD, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.

1 Corinthians 6:19,20
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? …

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Romans 8
1. Those who are in Christ are free from condemnation.
5. What harm comes of the flesh;
13. and what good of the Spirit.
19. The glorious deliverance the creation longs for,
29. was beforehand decreed from God.
38. Nothing can sever us from his love.














Therefore
The word "therefore" serves as a pivotal connector, linking the preceding theological discourse with the practical exhortation that follows. In the Greek, "ἄρα οὖν" (ara oun) is used, indicating a conclusion drawn from the previous arguments. Paul has just elaborated on the life in the Spirit and the freedom from condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. This "therefore" signals a transition from doctrine to duty, urging believers to respond to the truths of their new identity in Christ.

brothers
The term "brothers" (ἀδελφοί, adelphoi) is inclusive, addressing both male and female members of the Christian community. It reflects the familial bond among believers, emphasizing unity and shared identity in Christ. Historically, this term underscores the radical nature of the early Christian community, which transcended social, ethnic, and gender barriers, creating a new family in Christ.

we have an obligation
The phrase "we have an obligation" (ὀφειλέται ἐσμέν, opheiletai esmen) conveys a sense of indebtedness or duty. In the context of Romans, this obligation is not a burdensome legalistic requirement but a grateful response to the grace and life given through the Spirit. The Greek term "opheiletai" suggests a moral or spiritual debt, highlighting the believer's responsibility to live in accordance with the Spirit rather than the flesh.

but it is not to the flesh
"Flesh" (σάρκα, sarka) in Pauline theology often refers to the sinful nature or the human propensity to live independently of God. Here, Paul clarifies that the believer's obligation is not to this old nature. Historically, the "flesh" represents the pre-Christian way of life, characterized by self-centeredness and rebellion against God. The contrast is stark: believers are called to reject the dominion of the flesh, which leads to death.

to live according to it
The phrase "to live according to it" (κατὰ σάρκα ζῆν, kata sarka zēn) describes a lifestyle governed by the flesh. In the Greek, "kata" implies conformity or alignment with a particular standard. Paul warns against living in a manner that aligns with the flesh's desires and dictates. Instead, the believer's life should reflect the transformative power of the Spirit, leading to holiness and life. This exhortation is both a warning and an encouragement, reminding believers of their new identity and the power available to them through the Spirit to live victoriously.

(12-17) These verses form a hortatory application of the foregoing, with further development of the idea to live after and in the Spirit.

(12) We are debtors.--We are under an obligation. Observe that in the lively sequence of thought the second clause of the antithesis is suppressed, "We are under an obligation, not to the flesh (but to the Spirit)."

Verses 12, 13. - So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh; for if ye live after the flesh, ye must (μέλλετε, expressing here a result that must; follow. The Authorized Version has "shall;' not distinguishing the force of the phrase from that of the simple future ζήσεσθε which follows), die; but if by the Spirit ye do mortify (rather, do to death, or make to die, so as to correspond to the die preceding) the deeds of the body, ye shall live. Here "the body" (τοῦ σώματος) must be taken in the same sense as in vers. 10, 11. True, the "deeds" spoken of are, in fact, those of the flesh; but the body is regarded as the organ of the lusts of the flesh, and it is fitly named here in connection with the thought of the preceding verses. The word translated. "deeds" is πράξεις, denoting, not single acts, but rather doings - the general outcome in action of fleshly lusts using the body as their organ. Μέλλετε ἀποθήσκειν and ζήσεσθε, viewed in connection with ζωοποιήσει in ver. 11, seem to point ultimately to the result hereafter of the two courses of life denoted: but not, it would seem, exclusively; for our future state is constantly regarded by the apostle as the continuance and sequence of what is begun in us already - whether of life in Christ now unto life eternal, or of death in sin now unto death beyond the grave. The general idea may be stated thus: If ye live after the flesh, the power in you to which you give your allegiance and adhesion will involve you in its own doom, death; but if ye live after the Spirit, you identify yourselves with the Spirit of life that is in you, whereby you will be emancipated at last even from these your mortal bodies, whose doings you already slay.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
Therefore,
Ἄρα (Ara)
Conjunction
Strong's 686: Then, therefore, since. Probably from airo; a particle denoting an inference more or less decisive.

brothers,
ἀδελφοί (adelphoi)
Noun - Vocative Masculine Plural
Strong's 80: A brother, member of the same religious community, especially a fellow-Christian. A brother near or remote.

we have
ἐσμέν (esmen)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

[an] obligation,
ὀφειλέται (opheiletai)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3781: From opheilo; an ower, i.e. Person indebted; figuratively, a delinquent; morally, a transgressor.

[but it is] not
οὐ (ou)
Adverb
Strong's 3756: No, not. Also ouk, and ouch a primary word; the absolute negative adverb; no or not.

to the
τῇ (tē)
Article - Dative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

flesh,
σαρκὶ (sarki)
Noun - Dative Feminine Singular
Strong's 4561: Flesh, body, human nature, materiality; kindred.

to live
ζῆν (zēn)
Verb - Present Infinitive Active
Strong's 2198: To live, be alive. A primary verb; to live.

according to
κατὰ (kata)
Preposition
Strong's 2596: A primary particle; down, in varied relations (genitive, dative or accusative) with which it is joined).

[it].
σάρκα (sarka)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 4561: Flesh, body, human nature, materiality; kindred.


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NT Letters: Romans 8:12 So then brothers we are debtors not (Rom. Ro)
Romans 8:11
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