1. Then, what shall we say? Shall we keep on sinning so that grace may come more abundantly?

2. Can we live again in sin? Of course not: we are now dead regarding sin.

3. You know that in baptism which unites us to Christ we are all baptized and plunged into his death.

4. By this baptism in his death, we were buried with Christ, and, as Christ was raised from among the dead by the Glory of the Father, so we begin walking in a new life.

5. It was an image of his death when we were grafted in him, and so we will also share in his resurrection.

6. We know that our old self was crucified with Christ, so as to destroy what of us was sin, so that we may no longer serve sin -

7. if we are dead, we are no longer in debt to sin.

8. But if we have died with Christ, we believe we will also live with him.

9. We know that Christ, once risen from the dead, will not die again and death has no more dominion over him.

10. There has been death: a death to sin once for all; there is life: a life in God.

11. So you, too, must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

12. Do not allow sin any control over your mortal being; do not submit yourselves to its evil inclinations,

13. and do not give your members over to sin, as instruments to do evil. On the contrary, offer yourselves as persons returned from death to life, and let the members of your body be as holy instruments at the service of God.

14. Sin will not lord it over you again, for you are not under the law, but under grace.

15. I ask again: are we to sin because we are not under the Law, but under grace? Certainly not.

16. If you have given yourselves up to someone as his slave, you are to obey the one who commands you, aren't you? Now with sin you go to death, and by accepting faith you go the right way.

17. Let us give thanks to God for, after having sin as your master, you have been given to another, that is, to the doctrine of faith, to which you listen willingly.

18. And being free from sin, you began to serve true righteousness -

19. you see that I speak in a very human way, taking into account that you are not fully mature. There was a time when you let your members be slaves of impurity and disorder, walking in the way of sin; convert them now into servants of righteousness, to the point of becoming holy.

20. When you were slaves of sin, you did not feel under obligation to righteousness,

21. but what were the fruits of those actions of which you are now ashamed? Such things bring death.

22. Now, however, you have been freed from sin and serve God. You are bearing fruit and growing in holiness, and the result will be life everlasting.

23. So on one side is Sin: its reward, death; on the other side is God: he gives us, by grace, life everlasting in Christ Jesus, our Lord.





“Viva sempre sob o olhar do Bom Pastor e você ficara’ imune aos pastos contaminados.” São Padre Pio de Pietrelcina