A Translation of Romans 6-8

So, I had an insight today. I've never liked the translation "flesh" for "sarx" in Greek because it's an archaic word which is rarely used in modern vernacular. And there really isn't any good modern literal translation for "sarkikos" either for the same reason. "fleshly" might be accurate, but it's not a word which is used. My insight was to just use the words "biology" and "biological" instead and it flows much better. Also, I've elected to use the words "energy" and "energy-based" for "pneuma" and "pneumatikos" given my recent observations of the meaning and worldview behind these words. Here then is Romans 6-8. The words in brackets are there for flow and clarity of meaning.

6

What are we saying then? We continue in the disorder, so that His charity would increase? Absolutely not. Such ones as we who died to the disorder, how will we still live by it? Or are you ignorant that, as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus, we were baptized into His death? We then were interred together with Him through the [act of] baptism into [His] death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, in the same way we also should walk in a fresh newness of life. Because if we had become grafted together [with Him] in the likeness of His death, then we should also be [grafted together in the likeness] of His resurrection; knowing this, that our old humanity was crucified together with [Him], so that the malfunctioning body would be nullified for us to no longer be slaves to the disorder; because a person who has died had been corrected from the disorder. And if we died together with Christ, we believe that we will also live together with Him, having seen that Christ no longer dies being raised from the dead, death no longer owns Him. Because the person who died has died to the disorder once and for all; and the person who lives, lives to God. You also in the same way figure yourselves to be dead in the way to the disorder and living to God by means of Christ Jesus.

Don't then allow the disorder to reign in your dying body resulting in obedience to its longings, neither offer your body-parts [to be] armaments of incorrect behavior to the disorder, but offer yourselves to God like living from the dead and your body-parts armaments of correct behavior to God. Because the disorder will not be your owner; because you are not subject to the rule but subject to His charity.

What then? Should we give in to the disorder because we're not subject to the rule but subject to His charity? Absolutely not. Haven't you seen that to whom you offer yourselves slaves for obedience, you are slaves to whom you obey, either [slaves] of the disorder resulting in death or [slaves of] obedience resulting in righteousness? And thank God that [though] you were slaves of the disorder, you obeyed from the heart the type of teaching to which you were surrendered. I am speaking humanly because of the frailty of your biology. Because just as you offered your body-parts [to be] slaves to dirtiness and [from one] lawlessness into [another] lawlessness, in the same way you now offer your body-parts slaves to correct behavior for being made devoted to God. Because when you were slaves of the disorder, you were free to correct behavior. What fruit did you have at that time? You are now ashamed by them, because the goal of those things is death. And at present being freed from the disorder and being slaves to God you have your fruit resulting in being made devoted to God, and the goal eternal life. Because the compensation of the disorder is death, yet the charitable gift of God is eternal life with Christ Jesus our Owner.

7

Or are you ignorant, brothers (because I speak to those knowing the Torah), that the Torah dominates a human being for as long of a time as he is alive? Because the married woman has been bound to the living man by the Torah; but if the man should die, she is nullified from the Torah’s rule regarding the man. Therefore then when the man is living she is revealed an adulteress if she comes to be with a different man; but if the man dies she is free from the Torah’s rule, so as for her to not be an adulteress when she comes to be with a different man. So as, my brothers, you have been put to death to the Torah’s rule by means of the body of Christ for the purpose of you coming to be with a different person who is raised from the dead, so that we should produce fruit for God. Because when we used to be in the biology, the malfunctioning emotions of that bioogy were, by means of the Torah’s rule, produced within our body-parts, resulting in the production of fruit for death; yet at present we have been nullified from the Torah’s rule having died by means of what we were held down, so as for us to be slaves with energy-based newness and not lettered oldness.

What then are we saying? Is the Torah’s rule a malfunction? Absolutely not. But I didn't used to know my own disorder except by means of the rule; because I didn't perceive the longing for something if the rule didn't used to say, “you will not long for things.” And taking the excuse, the disorder achieved in me every longing by the command; because without the Torah’s rule the disorder was dead. And I was living at one time without the Torah’s rule, yet when the command came the disorder lived again, but I died and the command which was found for me for the purpose of life, this [command brought] death, because taking occasion by the command, the disorder deceived me and by it killed [me]. So as the Torah’s rule is holy and the command is holy and right and good.

Has the good thing then become death for me? Absolutely not. But the disorder, so that the disorder would shine, achieved death in me through the good thing, so that the disorder might become overblown malfunctioning by means of the command. Because we have seen that the Torah’s rule is energy-based, but I [myself] am biological having been sold [as a slave] to the disorder. I don't know what thing I'm accomplishing; because I am practicing what I don't want, but I am doing this thing I hate. And if I am doing this thing I don't want, I am agreeing with the rule that it is good. And at present I [myself] am no longer accomplishing it but the disorder residing within me. Because I saw that the good thing doesn't reside within me, that is, in my biology; because the willingness is at hand in me, but the accomplishing the good is not; Because I am not doing what good thing I want, but I am practicing this bad thing I don't want. But if I [myself] am not doing this thing I want, I [myself] am no longer accomplishing it but the disorder residing within me. I am finding therefore the rule, for me who is willing to do the good thing, that the bad thing is at hand in me; because I sympathize with the rule of God with regards to the inner human being, but I look at a different rule among my body-parts at war against the rule of my mind and taking me prisoner to the rule of the disorder being in my body-parts. I am a miserable human being; who will rescue me from the body of this death? But thank God because of Jesus Christ our Owner. Therefore then I myself am on the one hand by the mind a slave to the rule of God, yet on the other hand by the biology to the rule of [my] disorder.

8

Nothing therefore [is] a judgment against those who are not walking according to the biology but according to the energy within Christ Jesus. Because the rule of the energy of the life in Christ Jesus set me free from the rule of the disorder and of the death. Because the powerless thing of the rule by which it was frail because of the biology... God, having sent the Son of Himself in the same form as malfunctioning biology and about the disorder, judged against the disorder within the biology, so that the requirement of the rule would be fulfilled within us who don't walk according to the biology but according to the energy. Because those existing according to the biology think about the things of the biology, and those according to the energy the things of the energy. Because the mind of the biology is death, and the mind of the energy is life and peace; because the mind of the biology is an enemy for God, because it doesn't submit to the rule of God, neither is it capable; and those existing in the biology are not capable of pleasing God. Also, you do not exist in the biology but in the energy, since the energy of God resides among you. And if someone doesn't possess the energy of Christ, this one is not His. Yet if Christ is among you, the body is indeed a corpse because of the disorder but the energy is life because of the correct behavior. And if the energy of the One who raised Jesus from the dead resides within you, the One who raised Jesus from the dead will also make your dying bodies alive through His indwelling energy within you.

Therefore then, brothers, we are debtors not to the biology because of living according to the biology. Because if you live according to the biology, you intend to die; yet if you put the practices of the biology to death by the energy, you will live. Because as many as are led by the energy of God, these people are sons of God. Because you didn't receive an energy of slavery again for fear but you received an energy of adoption with which we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The energy Himself testifies together with our energy that we are God's young. And if [His] young, then also [His] heirs; heirs indeed of God, and co-heirs of Christ, since we suffer together with [Him] so that we will also be glorified together with [Him].

Because I figure that the emotions of the time now aren't worth it compared with the glory intended to be unveiled for us. Because the creation's earnest eager expectation waits for the unveiling of the sons of God. Because the creation was submitted to pointlessness, not willingly but through the one who made it submit, because the same creation will also be set free from the slavery of the corruption into the freedom of the glory of God's young. Because we saw that all the creation laments together and suffers agony together up til the present; and not just [this], but possessing the birth certificate of the energy we also ourselves lament within ourselves waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our bodies. Because we have been saved with hope; yet hope being looked at isn't hope; because who hopes for what he is looking at? And if we are hoping for what we're not looking at, we wait for it with endurance.

And in the same way also, the energy comes to our aid in dealing with our frailty; because we haven't seen what thing we should pray for insofar as it is necessary, but the energy Himself pleads with unspoken groanings; and the Person who investigates hearts perceives what the mind of the energy is, because in relation to God He appeals [to Him] for the saints. And we have seen that, for those who love God everything works together for a good thing, for those being summoned according to public plan. Because those whom He knew about ahead of time, He also decided ahead of time for them to have the same form as the image of His Son, for Him to be firstborn among many brothers; and those whom He decided ahead of time, these He also summoned; and those whom He summoned, these He also corrected; and those whom He corrected, these He also glorified.

What then are we saying with these things? If God is on our side, who is against us? The Person who indeed did not spare His own Son, but surrendered Him for us all, how will He not charitably give us everything together with Him? Who brings charges against God's chosen people? God is the one who makes [them] correct. Who is the person who judges against [them]? Christ Jesus is the person who died, and more was raised, who is also at the right side of God, who also appeals on our behalf. Who would separate us from the love of Christ? Tribulation? Or distress? Or persecution? Or hunger? Or a lack of sufficient clothing? Or danger? Or the sword? Just as it had been written that, “For your sake we are put to death the whole day, we have been figured as sheep for the slaughter.” But in all these things we are superconquerors through the Person who loved us. Because I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor rulers, neither thing imminent nor things intended, neither powers nor height nor depth nor some different creation will be capable of separating us from the love of God which is by means of Christ Jesus our Owner.