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Venerdi, 29 marzo 2024 - Santi Simplicio e Costantino ( Letture di oggi)

Romans 8


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1Thus, condemnation wil never come to those who are in Christ Jesus,2because the law of the Spirit which gives life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin anddeath.3What the Law could not do because of the weakness of human nature, God did, sending his own Sonin the same human nature as any sinner to be a sacrifice for sin, and condemning sin in that human nature.4This was so that the Law's requirements might be fully satisfied in us as we direct our lives not by ournatural inclinations but by the Spirit.5Those who are living by their natural inclinations have their minds on the things human nature desires;those who live in the Spirit have their minds on spiritual things.6And human nature has nothing to look forward to but death, while the Spirit looks forward to life andpeace,7because the outlook of disordered human nature is opposed to God, since it does not submit to God'sLaw, and indeed it cannot,8and those who live by their natural inclinations can never be pleasing to God.9You, however, live not by your natural inclinations, but by the Spirit, since the Spirit of God has made ahome in you. Indeed, anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.10But when Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin but the spirit is alive because you havebeen justified;11and if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead has made his home in you, then he whoraised Christ Jesus from the dead wil give life to your own mortal bodies through his Spirit living in you.12So then, my brothers, we have no obligation to human nature to be dominated by it.13If you do live in that way, you are doomed to die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the habitsoriginating in the body, you will have life.14Al who are guided by the Spirit of God are sons of God;15for what you received was not the spirit of slavery to bring you back into fear; you received the Spiritof adoption, enabling us to cry out, 'Abba, Father!'16The Spirit himself joins with our spirit to bear witness that we are children of God.17And if we are children, then we are heirs, heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ, provided that weshare his suffering, so as to share his glory.18In my estimation, al that we suffer in the present time is nothing in comparison with the glory which isdestined to be disclosed for us,19for the whole creation is waiting with eagerness for the children of God to be revealed.20It was not for its own purposes that creation had frustration imposed on it, but for the purposes of himwho imposed it-21with the intention that the whole creation itself might be freed from its slavery to corruption andbrought into the same glorious freedom as the children of God.22We are wel aware that the whole creation, until this time, has been groaning in labour pains.23And not only that: we too, who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we are groaning insideourselves, waiting with eagerness for our bodies to be set free.24In hope, we already have salvation; in hope, not visibly present, or we should not be hoping -- nobodygoes on hoping for something which is already visible.25But having this hope for what we cannot yet see, we are able to wait for it with perseveringconfidence.26And as wel as this, the Spirit too comes to help us in our weakness, for, when we do not know how topray properly, then the Spirit personal y makes our petitions for us in groans that cannot be put into words;27and he who can see into al hearts knows what the Spirit means because the prayers that the Spiritmakes for God's holy people are always in accordance with the mind of God.28We are wel aware that God works with those who love him, those who have been cal ed inaccordance with his purpose, and turns everything to their good.29He decided beforehand who were the ones destined to be moulded to the pattern of his Son, so thathe should be the eldest of many brothers;30it was those so destined that he cal ed; those that he cal ed, he justified, and those that he hasjustified he has brought into glory.31After saying this, what can we add? If God is for us, who can be against us?32Since he did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for the sake of all of us, then can we not expectthat with him he wil freely give us al his gifts?33Who can bring any accusation against those that God has chosen? When God grants saving justice34who can condemn? Are we not sure that it is Christ Jesus, who died -- yes and more, who was raised from the dead and is at God's right hand -- and who is adding his plea for us?35Can anything cut us off from the love of Christ -- can hardships or distress, or persecution, or lack offood and clothing, or threats or violence;36as scripture says: For your sake we are being massacred al day long, treated as sheep to beslaughtered?37No; we come through al these things triumphantly victorious, by the power of him who loved us.38For I am certain of this: neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nothing already inexistence and nothing stil to come, nor any power,39nor the heights nor the depths, nor any created thing whatever, wil be able to come between us andthe love of God, known to us in Christ Jesus our Lord.