(Tap footnote to read it. Old Testament quotations are underlined. "Love" with a caret ("^love") is agapé.1"agapé" The Greek words ἀγάπη (agapé, noun), and ἀγαπάω (agapaó; verb) are typically translated "love". However, unlike our English word "love" – which primarily speaks of affection and feelings – agapé centers on choice and behavior. It’s the "love" based on will, choice, behavior, and action; not feelings. (Feelings-based love is the Greek word φιλέω (phileó), which properly means "brotherly love/affection".) Thus, you could hate someone passionately and still treat him with "agapé". Agapé "love" is best understood as the pursuit of what is most beneficial to someone or something, regardless of the cost to yourself or the type of response received from the person or thing. It can also indicate a preference for someone or something over other things. )
Walking in Flesh vs Spirit
- Therefore, there is now no sentence of punishment to the men in Jesus the Anointed [who don’t walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.]1This textual variant is disputed, with the majority of manuscripts supporting its inclusion, but the earliest manuscripts supporting its omission. The exact same words occur in verse 4. It possible that scribes copied this down from there to “soften” the verse, or that Paul repeated it for emphasis. The debate is ongoing.
- For the law of the Spirit of life in Jesus the Anointed set you free from the law of sin and death.
- For the law was powerless in that it was weak through the flesh. But God sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh; and concerning sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,
- so the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, the men who don’t walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
- For the men who are walking according to the flesh mind the things of the flesh, but the men walking according to the Spirit, mind the things of the Spirit.
- For the mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace;
- because the mind of the flesh has hostility for God because it’s not subject to the law of God, nor can it be.
- And the men who are in the flesh aren’t able to please God.
- But you aren’t in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed God’s Spirit dwells in you. But if someone doesn’t have the Spirit of the Anointed, this man isn’t of Him.
- But if the Anointed is in you, your body is indeed dead because of sin. But the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
- But if the Spirit of the One who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the One who raised Jesus the Anointed [from the dead] will also resurrect your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
- So then brothers, we aren’t debtors to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.
- For if you live according to the flesh, you’re about to die. But if you put the deeds of the body to death by the Spirit, you will live.
Adoption as Sons
- For as many as are led by God’s Spirit, these are sons of God.
- For you didn’t receive a spirit of slavery to fear again, but you received the Spirit of adoption as sons by whom we cry “Abba,2“Abba” is a Greek form of the Hebrew word for father. It is a term of greater closeness and familiarity than “father”, though the degree of closeness is widely debated. Some think “Papa” or “Daddy” is appropriate, while others say that’s is too familiar and prefer “Dad” or perhaps “Pa”. Some of the latter group prefer to render as an adjective and would translate it “dear father”. Father.”
- The same Spirit testifies together with our spirit that we are children of God.
- And if children, also heirs; indeed, we’re heirs of God and co-heirs with the Anointed, if indeed we suffer with Him so we might also be glorified together with Him.
- For I conclude that the sufferings of the present season aren’t worthy of comparison to the glory which is about to be revealed to us.
- For the creation eagerly awaits in earnest expectation for the revelation of the sons of God.
- For the creation was subjected to futility; not voluntarily, but because of the One who subjected it in the confidence
- that the creation itself will also be freed from the slavery of corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
- For we have known that all creation groans together and suffers birthing pains until now.
- And not only that, but even we ourselves – though having the firstfruit of the Spirit – even we ourselves groan in ourselves eagerly awaiting the adoption as sons; the ransoming back3“ransoming back” is one word in Greek, typically translated “redemption”. It properly refers to a released secured by paying a ransom. of our body.
- For we were saved in this hope. But hope that’s seen isn’t hope, for does someone hope for what he sees?
- but if we hope for what we don’t see, we eagerly await through patient endurance.
- And likewise also, the Spirit helps our weakness, for we don’t *know what we should pray for as is proper, but the Spirit Himself intercedes with groanings that can’t be expressed in words.
- And the One who searches hearts *knows what’s in the mind of the Spirit, because He intercedes on behalf of the saints before God.
- And we *know that [God] works all things together for good to the men who ^love God, to the men who are being called according to His purpose,
- because those whom He knew beforehand, He also appointed beforehand to be conformed to the image of His Son, for Him to be the firstborn among many brothers.
- And who He appointed beforehand, these He also called. And who He called, these He also made righteous. And who He made righteous, these He also glorified.
Nothing can separate us from God
- What then will we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
- Indeed, He who didn’t spare His own Son but handed Him over for all our sake, how could He not also freely give all things to us with Him?
- Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the One who makes righteous.
- Who is the man who condemns? For Jesus the Anointed – the One who died and was raised [from the dead] and who is at the right hand of God – who also intercedes on our behalf.
- Who will separate us from the ^love of the Anointed? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
- Just as it is *written: “We are put to death all day long for your sake; we were considered like sheep of slaughter.”4quotation/allusion to Psalm 44:22
- But in all these things, we are more than conquerors through the One who ^loved us.
- For I am *convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things which have been present, nor things to come, nor powers,
- nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the ^love of God in Jesus the Anointed, our Lord.
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