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.
Kufa ku Tchimo, Kukhala ndi Moyo mwa Khristu
1Nanga tinene chiyani? Kodi tipitirire kuchimwa kuti chisomo chichulukebe? 2Ayi. Mʼnjira iliyonse! Popeza tinafa ku tchimo, nanga tidzapitirira bwanji kukhalabe mʼmenemo? 3Kodi simukudziwa kuti tonse amene tinabatizidwa mwa Khristu Yesu tinabatizidwa mu imfa yake? 4Chifukwa chake ife tinayikidwa mʼmanda pamodzi ndi Iye mwa ubatizo. Tinalowa mu imfa ndi cholinga choti monga momwe Khristu anaukitsidwa kwa akufa ndi ulemerero wa Atate, ifenso tikakhale mʼmoyo watsopano.
5Pakuti ngati ife tinakhala amodzi ndi Iye mu imfa yake, tidzakhalanso ndithu amodzi ndi Iye mu kuuka kwake. 6Ife tikudziwa kuti umunthu wathu wakale unapachikidwa pamodzi ndi Iye kuti thupi la uchimo likhale lopanda mphamvu ndi kuti tisakakhalenso akapolo a tchimo 7chifukwa aliyense amene anafa anamasuka ku tchimo.
8Koma ngati tinafa pamodzi ndi Khristu, tikhulupirira kuti tidzakhalanso ndi moyo pamodzi ndi Iye. 9Pakuti tikudziwa kuti popeza Khristu anaukitsidwa kwa akufa, Iye sangafenso. Imfa ilibenso mphamvu pa Iye. 10Imfa imene Iye anafa, anafa ku tchimo kamodzi kokha, koma moyo umene akhala ndi wa kwa Mulungu.
11Kotero inunso, mudzione nokha ngati akufa ku tchimo koma a moyo kwa Mulungu mwa Khristu Yesu. 12Nʼchifukwa chake, musalole tchimo lilamulire matupi anu amene anafa kuti mumvere zilakolako zonyansa. 13Musapereke ziwalo zathupi lanu ku tchimo, ngati zipangizo zamakhalidwe oyipa. Mʼmalo mwake, mudzipereke kwa Mulungu, ngati amene achoka ku imfa kupita ku moyo. Ndipo mupereke ziwalo zathupi lanu ngati zipangizo zachilungamo. 14Tchimo silidzakhalanso ndi mphamvu pa inu, chifukwa Malamulo sakulamulira moyo wanu koma chisomo.
Ife Ndife Akapolo a Mulungu
15Nʼchiyani tsono? Kodi tidzichimwa chifukwa sitikulamulidwa ndi Malamulo koma chisomo? Ayi. Mʼnjira iliyonse ayi! 16Kodi inu simudziwa kuti pamene mudzipereka kwa wina wake, kumumvera ngati akapolo, ndinu akapolo a amene mumumvera? Ngati ndinu akapolo a tchimo mudzafa. Koma ngati ndinu akapolo akumvera, mudzakhala olungama pamaso pake. 17Koma ayamikidwe Mulungu pakuti ngakhale munali akapolo a tchimo, munamvera ndi mtima wonse chiphunzitso chimene munalandira. 18Inu munamasulidwa ku tchimo ndipo tsopano mwasanduka akapolo achilungamo.
19Ine ndikufanizira zinthu za tsiku ndi tsiku chifukwa chikhalidwe chanu nʼchofowoka. Monga momwe munkapereka ziwalo za matupi kukhala akapolo a zonyansa ndi makhalidwe oyipa, zimene zimanka zichulukirabe, choncho tsopano dziperekeni ziwalozo kuti zikhale akapolo achilungamo ndi a kuyera mtima. 20Pomwe munali akapolo atchimo, simunkalabadira za chilungamo. 21Kodi munapeza phindu lanji pochita zinthu zimenezi, zomwe tsopano mukuchita nazo manyazi? Zinthu zimenezo zotsatira zake ndi imfa! 22Koma tsopano pakuti inu mwamasulidwa ku tchimo ndipo mwasanduka akapolo a Mulungu, phindu lomwe mulipeza ndi kuyera mtima ndipo chotsatira chake ndi moyo wosatha. 23Pakuti malipiro a tchimo ndi imfa, koma mphatso yaulere imene Mulungu amapereka ndi moyo wosatha mwa Khristu Yesu Ambuye athu.
