13. If you use your lives to do what your sinful selves want, you will die spiritually. But if you use the Spirit’s help to stop doing the wrong things you do with your body, you will have true life.
14. The true children of God are those who let God’s Spirit lead them.
15. The Spirit that we received is not a spirit that makes us slaves again and causes us to fear. The Spirit that we have makes us God’s chosen children. And with that Spirit we cry out, “Abba, Father.”
16. And the Spirit himself speaks to our spirits and makes us sure that we are God’s children.
17. If we are God’s children, we will get the blessings God has for his people. He will give us all that he has given Christ. But we must suffer like Christ suffered. Then we will be able to share his glory.
18. We have sufferings now, but these are nothing compared to the great glory that will be given to us.
19. Everything that God made is waiting with excitement for the time when he will show the world who his children are. The whole world wants very much for that to happen.
20. Everything God made was allowed to become like something that cannot fulfill its purpose. That was not its choice, but God made it happen with this hope in view: