Romans 8

So there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

1There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Note"Flesh" is Paul's shorthand all through this chapter, and it does not mean the body or skin. It means human life as it is actually lived, weak, mortal and bent on running itself, as opposed to life shaped by God's Spirit. So "walk not after the flesh" is about which of the two sets the direction, not about avoiding physical things. Note also that the earliest manuscripts end the verse at "Christ Jesus"; the clause about walking appears to have been copied in later from verse 4.

2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death.

2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

Note"Law" shifts meaning here. It is not the law of Moses but a governing principle or controlling power, the way we speak of the law of gravity. Two such powers are being contrasted. The manuscripts also differ over the pronoun: some read "made me free," others "set you free," others "us."

3What the law could not do, because the flesh made it weak, God did. He sent his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and as an offering for sin, and he condemned sin in the flesh.

3For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

Note"For sin" translates a Greek phrase that is the standard Old Testament Greek term for a sin offering, the sacrifice brought to deal with a specific wrong. It can also mean simply "concerning sin." Both senses are live, and translations split between them.

4This was so that what the law rightly requires might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

4That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

5For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

5For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

6To have the mind set on the flesh is death, but to have the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.

6For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Note"Carnal" comes from the Latin word for flesh, and in 1611 it meant simply "of the flesh," with none of the narrowly sexual sense it carries today. "Carnally minded" means having the mind set on the flesh in the sense described at verse 1.

7This is because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God. It does not submit to the law of God, and in fact it cannot.

7Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

8So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

8So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

9But you are not in the flesh. You are in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, that person does not belong to him.

9But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

Note"If so be that" renders a Greek word that can mean either "if in fact" or "since, as is indeed the case." The Greek does not settle which, so the sentence can be read as a test or as a given.

10And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

10And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

NoteGreek was written without capital letters, so "the Spirit is life" can mean either God's Spirit or the reader's own human spirit, now alive. Translators have to choose; the original does not.

11But if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.

11But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

Note"Quicken" is ordinary 1611 English for "make alive." It has nothing to do with speed. The same root survives in the old phrase "the quick and the dead," meaning the living and the dead.

12So then, brothers, we owe something, but not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.

12Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.

Note"Debtors" is the language of an obligation you are legally bound to pay. Paul starts to name two parties, says we owe nothing to the flesh, and then never finishes the other half of the sentence. Readers are left to supply "but to the Spirit" from the next verse.

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.

13For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

Note"Mortify" is from the Latin for "put to death," and that is all it meant in 1611. The modern sense of "embarrass" did not exist yet.

14For all who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God.

14For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Note"Sons" is not a statement about gender. In this culture the son was the one who inherited, so "sons of God" is legal and financial language about who receives the estate, which is exactly where verse 17 goes. Paul switches to "children" two verses later with no change of meaning.

15For you did not receive a spirit of slavery that brings you back into fear. You received the Spirit of adoption, and by him we cry out, "Abba, Father."

15For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

Note"Bondage" means slavery, not a lesser kind of restriction. Adoption in the Roman world was a formal legal act, often performed on an adult rather than a child, which transferred a person permanently into a new family with full standing and full inheritance rights; the old debts and obligations were canceled. "Abba" is Aramaic, the everyday household word a child or a grown son would use for his own father. Paul leaves it untranslated and then translates it, which suggests it was a familiar phrase in the churches.

16The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are the children of God.

16The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

NoteThe King James says "the Spirit itself" because the Greek word for spirit is grammatically neuter, and the pronoun simply agrees with it. It is a fact of Greek grammar, not a statement that the Spirit is a thing rather than a person.

17And if we are children, then we are heirs: heirs of God, and heirs together with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him, so that we may also be given glory together with him.

17And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

NoteUnder Roman inheritance law, co-heirs each held the estate jointly rather than each taking a separate slice, so "joint-heirs" means sharing in the whole of it, not dividing it up.

18For I judge that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

18For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Note"I reckon" is an accounting word: to add up and arrive at a figure. "Not worthy to be compared" continues the image, of setting two things on a balance and finding one side does not register against the other.

19For creation waits with eager longing for the sons of God to be revealed.

19For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

Note"The creature" in 1611 English means the whole created order, everything that has been made, not an animal. "Earnest expectation" translates a vivid Greek word for craning the head forward to watch for something coming.

20For creation was made subject to emptiness, not by its own choice, but because of him who subjected it, in hope,

20For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,

Note"Vanity" here means emptiness or futility, the state of not arriving at what something was made for. It does not mean conceit. The text does not say who "him who hath subjected the same" is, and readers have taken it as God, as Adam, or as the one who tempted Adam; the Greek leaves it open.

21because creation itself will also be set free from its slavery to decay, into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

21Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

Note"Corruption" means decay, the process by which living things break down and perish. "Bondage" again means slavery.

22For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together and suffering pains like those of childbirth, right up until now.

22For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

Note"Travaileth in pain" is standard 1611 English for going through the labor of childbirth. Both Greek verbs in this line carry the prefix "with," so the whole created order is groaning and laboring together, in one body.

23And not only creation. We ourselves also, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inside ourselves as we wait for adoption, that is, for our body to be redeemed.

23And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

Note"Firstfruits" is a farming and temple term: the first part of a harvest, brought to God as proof that the rest of the crop is real and on its way. The word functions here as a down payment. "To wit" is old English for "that is to say." "Redemption" is commercial language, the paying of a price to buy a slave out of slavery or to ransom a prisoner.

24For we are saved by hope. But hope that is seen is not hope, because why would anyone still hope for what he can already see?

24For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?

NoteThe Greek phrase can mean "we were saved by hope" or "in hope we were saved," that is, saved into a situation where something is still pending. The King James takes the first, most modern versions the second.

25But if we hope for what we do not see, then we wait for it with patience.

25But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

26In the same way, the Spirit also helps us in our weaknesses. We do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself pleads for us with groans that cannot be put into words.

26Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

Note"Infirmities" means weakness, of any kind, not specifically illness. "Maketh intercession" is what a friend at court does: steps in and speaks on your behalf before someone who can act. The phrase "which cannot be uttered" can mean either that the groans are wordless or that they are beyond putting into speech; the Greek word allows both.

27And he who searches hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because the Spirit pleads for God's holy people in keeping with the will of God.

27And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Note"He that searcheth the hearts" was a common Jewish way of naming God. In this idiom the heart is where a person thinks and decides, not where they feel, so searching hearts means knowing what someone truly intends. "Saints" in the King James is not a special class of exceptional Christians; it simply renders a word meaning those set apart for God, and Paul uses it for all the believers in a city, whatever their character.

28And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose.

28And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

NoteThe Greek here is genuinely ambiguous and some manuscripts differ. It can read "all things work together for good," with the things themselves as the actors, or "God works all things together for good," with God as the subject. Ancient copies support both. "The called" is Paul's regular term for those summoned by God, not a comment on their vocation.

29For those he knew beforehand, he also decided beforehand would be shaped into the likeness of his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers.

29For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Note"Foreknow" is literally "know beforehand," but in the Hebrew idiom behind it, to know a person often means to single them out and commit to them rather than merely to have information about them. "Predestinate" translates a verb meaning to mark out a boundary in advance, to set the limits of something before it happens. "Firstborn" is a rank as much as a birth order: the firstborn son held first place in the family and a double share of the inheritance.

30And those he decided on beforehand, he also called. Those he called, he also made righteous. And those he made righteous, he also gave glory.

30Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

Note"Justified" is courtroom language. It means declared to be in the right by a judge, a verdict announced about a person, rather than a description of their improvement.

31What then shall we say about all this? If God is for us, who can be against us?

31What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

32He did not spare his own Son, but handed him over for us all. How will he not also, along with him, freely give us all things?

32He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

33Who will bring any charge against those God has chosen? It is God who makes them righteous.

33Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.

Note"Lay any thing to the charge" is the formal act of bringing an accusation in court. "Elect" simply means chosen ones. Verses 31 to 34 are staged as a trial scene, with an accuser, a judge and a defense.

34Who is the one who condemns? It is Christ who died (more than that, who is risen) who is even at the right hand of God, and who also pleads for us.

34Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

NoteThe right hand of a king was the place occupied by the second in command, the one who acted with the king's authority. "Maketh intercession" again means pleading on someone's behalf, here the role of the defense counsel in the trial scene Paul has set up.

35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or being without clothes, or danger, or the sword?

35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Note"Tribulation" translates a word meaning pressure or crushing weight. "Nakedness" means lacking clothing you need, a standard ancient shorthand for destitution rather than a reference to shame. "Sword" here means execution or violent death at official hands; the sword was the Roman instrument of capital punishment.

36As it is written: "For your sake we are killed all day long; we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered."

36As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

NoteThe quotation is Psalm 44:22. That psalm is the complaint of people who insist they have kept faith with God and are being slaughtered anyway, so Paul is quoting suffering that the sufferers themselves could not explain. "Accounted as" means reckoned or valued at, as on a ledger.

37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

37Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

Note"More than conquerors" is one compound Greek verb, built by putting "over and above" in front of "we conquer." It is rare enough that Paul may have coined it, and it means winning by an overwhelming margin.

38For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

38For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

Note"Principalities" and "powers" are terms for ranks of authority. In Paul's letters they usually refer to unseen spiritual powers rather than to human governments, though the words can cover both. The manuscripts vary in where "powers" falls in the list.

39nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

39Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Note"Height" and "depth" were technical terms in ancient astronomy for the highest and lowest points of a star's course, and astrologers used them for the moments when a heavenly body exerted most influence over a person's fate. Paul may be naming those powers here, or may simply mean the extremes of space. "Any other creature" means any other created thing, not any other animal.