Romans 3:8

3:8 And why not say, “Let us do evil so that good may come of it”? – as some who slander us allege that we say. ¹  (Their ²  condemnation is deserved!)

Romans 7:4

7:4 So, my brothers and sisters, ³  you also died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you could be joined to another, to the one who was raised from the dead, to bear fruit to God. ⁴ 

Romans 11:25

11:25 For I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, ⁵  so that you may not be conceited: A partial hardening has happened to Israel ⁶  until the full number ⁷  of the Gentiles has come in.

Romans 12:1-2

Consecration of the Believer’s Life

12:1 Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, ⁸  by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice – alive, holy, and pleasing to God ⁹  – which is your reasonable service. 12:2 Do not be conformed ¹⁰  to this present world, ¹¹  but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve ¹²  what is the will of God – what is good and well-pleasing and perfect.

Romans 15:30

15:30 Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, ¹³  through our Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit, to join fervently with me in prayer to God on my behalf.

Romans 16:19

16:19 Your obedience is known to all and thus I rejoice over you. But I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil.

¹ tn Grk “(as we are slandered and some affirm that we say…).”

² tn Grk “whose.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, this relative clause was rendered as a new sentence in the translation.

³ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.

⁴ tn Grk “that we might bear fruit to God.”

⁵ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.

⁶ tn Or “Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.”

⁷ tn Grk “fullness.”

⁷ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.

⁸ tn The participle and two adjectives “alive, holy, and pleasing to God” are taken as predicates in relation to “sacrifice,” making the exhortation more emphatic. See ExSyn 618-19.

⁹ tn Although συσχηματίζεσθε (suschmatizesqe) could be either a passive or middle, the passive is more likely since it would otherwise have to be a direct middle (“conform yourselves”) and, as such, would be quite rare for NT Greek. It is very telling that being “conformed” to the present world is viewed as a passive notion, for it may suggest that it happens, in part, subconsciously. At the same time, the passive could well be a “permissive passive,” suggesting that there may be some consciousness of the conformity taking place. Most likely, it is a combination of both.

¹⁰ tn Grk “to this age.”

¹¹ sn The verb translated test and approve (δοκιμάζω, dokimazw) carries the sense of “test with a positive outcome,” “test so as to approve.”

¹¹ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.