Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ
1What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
5For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,6:6 Or be rendered powerless that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
8Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
11In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.
Slaves to Righteousness
15What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! 16Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. 18You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
19I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. 20When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in6:23 Or through Christ Jesus our Lord.
與基督同死同活
1那麼，我們該怎麼說呢？我們可以繼續犯罪，使恩典更豐富嗎？ 2當然不可！我們既然向罪死了，豈可繼續活在罪中？ 3難道你們不知道，我們受洗歸屬基督耶穌是和祂一同死嗎？ 4所以，我們藉著洗禮和祂同死同埋葬了，為要行事為人有新生命的樣式，正如基督藉著父的榮耀從死裡復活一樣。
5我們如果已經在基督的死亡上與祂聯合，也必在祂的復活上與祂聯合。 6我們知道，我們的舊人已經和祂一同被釘在十字架上，使轄制我們身體的罪失去力量，使我們不再做罪的奴隸。 7因為死去的人已經脫離了罪。
8我們如果已經與基督同死，相信也必與祂同活。 9因為我們知道，基督既然從死裡復活了，就不會再死，死亡也不能再控制祂。 10祂死，是向罪死，只死一次；祂活，卻是向上帝活著。 11同樣，你們在基督耶穌裡應當看自己是向罪死了，向上帝活著。
12所以，不要讓罪轄制你們必死的身體，使你們順從身體的私慾。 13也不要將你們的肢體獻給罪作不義的工具，而是要像一個從死裡復活的人將自己獻給上帝，把你們的肢體獻給上帝作義的工具。 14罪不能再主宰你們，因為你們已經不在律法之下，而是在恩典之中。
做義的奴僕
15那麼，我們在恩典之中，不在律法之下，就可以任意犯罪嗎？當然不可！ 16你們難道不明白嗎？你們獻身為奴服從誰，就是誰的奴隸。做罪的奴隸，結局是死亡；作上帝的奴僕，就被稱為義人。 17感謝上帝！你們從前雖然做過罪的奴隸，現在卻衷心服從了所傳給你們的教導， 18從罪中得到釋放，成為義的奴僕。
19因為你們有人性的軟弱，我就用簡單的話向你們解釋。以前你們將肢體獻給骯髒不法的事，任其奴役，助長不法。現在你們要將肢體獻給義，為義效勞，成為聖潔的人。 20你們做罪的奴隸時，不受義的約束， 21做了現在引以為恥的事，得到什麼益處呢？那些事只能導致死亡！ 22但現在你們已從罪中得到釋放，作了上帝的奴僕，結果使你們聖潔，最終得到永生。 23因為罪的代價就是死亡，而上帝藉著我們的主基督耶穌賜下的禮物則是永生。
