¹⁶ Do you not know that when you continually offer yourselves to someone to do his will, you are the slaves of the one whom you obey, either [slaves] of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness (right standing with God)?

³⁴ Jesus answered, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, everyone who practices sin habitually is a slave of sin.

⁸ The one who practices sin [separating himself from God, and offending Him by acts of disobedience, indifference, or rebellion] is of the devil [and takes his inner character and moral values from him, not God]; for the devil has sinned and violated God’s law from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.

²⁴ And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the ^[a]sinful nature together with its passions and appetites.