12So then, brothers, we are under obligation — not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. [8:13] For 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. [8:14] For all who are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. [8:15] For you did not receive a spirit of slavery leading again to fear, but you received the Spirit of divine adoption as sons, by whom we cry, 'Abba, Father!' [8:16] The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. [8:17] And if children, then also heirs — heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.
ROM 8:12-17
Heirs with Christ
In the world it was spoken into
In the Roman world, adoption was a formal legal act that conferred full rights and inheritance upon the adopted individual, severing ties to their previous family and integrating them into a new lineage. This practice carried significant social and legal weight, as it ensured the continuation of a family’s name and estate. Paul’s audience, familiar with Roman legal customs, would have understood the gravity of being adopted as sons of God—a status that granted them full inheritance rights alongside Christ . The term (debtors) would evoke the cultural expectation of fulfilling obligations, whether financial, social, or moral. Paul contrasts the spirit of bondage, which aligns with the fear-driven obligations of slavery or debt, with the Spirit of adoption, which brings freedom and familial intimacy, marked by the cry “Abba, Father.” This language reflects the Jewish practice of addressing God with familial closeness, while also resonating with Roman legal and social norms of inheritance and status.
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How other translations render this
ROM 8:12
- KJV
- Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
- BSB
- Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation, but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it.
- Koinōnos
- So then, brothers, we are under obligation — not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.
ROM 8:13
- KJV
- For 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.
- BSB
- For 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.
- Koinōnos
- For 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.
ROM 8:14
- KJV
- For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
- BSB
- For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
- Koinōnos
- For all who are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
ROM 8:15
- KJV
- For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
- BSB
- For you did not receive a spirit of slavery that returns you to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption to sonship, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
- Koinōnos
- For you did not receive a spirit of slavery leading again to fear, but you received the Spirit of divine adoption as sons, by whom we cry, 'Abba, Father!
ROM 8:16
- KJV
- The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
- BSB
- The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are Godʼs children.
- Koinōnos
- The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.
ROM 8:17
- KJV
- And 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.
- BSB
- And if we are children, then we are heirs: heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with Him, so that we may also be glorified with Him.
- Koinōnos
- And if children, then also heirs — heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.
Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.
Translator's notes
ROM 8:12
- debtors:The word translated 'debtors' here refers to someone under obligation or bound by duty, not necessarily someone owing money. It implies a moral or legal responsibility.
ROM 8:13
- you put to death,:The phrase 'you put to death' uses a strong term that means to kill or cause to die. It emphasizes a decisive and complete termination of the 'deeds of the body.'
ROM 8:15
- of divine adoption as sons:The term 'adoption as sons' refers to the legal act of taking someone who is not one's natural child and establishing them as a full heir with all the rights and privileges of a natural-born son.
ROM 8:17
- joint-heirs:The word translated 'joint-heirs' emphasizes sharing an inheritance equally with others. It highlights the full and equal participation in the inheritance alongside Christ.