Roma 8:23

8:23 Not only this, but we ourselves also, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, ¹  groan inwardly as we eagerly await our adoption, ²  the redemption of our bodies. ³ 

Roma 8:2

8:2 For the law of the life-giving Spirit ⁴  in Christ Jesus has set you ⁵  free from the law of sin and death.

1 Korintus 1:22

1:22 For Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks ask for wisdom,

Efesus 1:13-14

1:13 And when ⁶  you heard the word of truth (the gospel of your salvation) – when you believed in Christ ⁷  – you were marked with the seal ⁸  of the promised Holy Spirit, ⁹  1:14 who is the down payment ¹⁰  of our inheritance, until the redemption of God’s own possession, ¹¹  to the praise of his glory.

[8:23]  ¹ tn Or “who have the Spirit as firstfruits.” The genitive πνεύματος (pneumatos) can be understood here as possessive (“the firstfruits belonging to the Spirit”) although it is much more likely that this is a genitive of apposition (“the firstfruits, namely, the Spirit”); cf. TEV, NLT.

[8:23]  ² tn See the note on “adoption” in v. 15.

[8:23]  ³ tn Grk “body.”

[8:2]  ⁴ tn Grk “for the law of the Spirit of life.”

[8:2]  ⁵ tc Most mss read the first person singular pronoun με (me) here (A D 1739^c 1881 Ï lat sa). The second person singular pronoun σε (se) is superior because of external support (א B {F which reads σαι} G 1506* 1739*) and internal support (it is the harder reading since ch. 7 was narrated in the first person). At the same time, it could have arisen via dittography from the final syllable of the verb preceding it (ἠλευθέρωσεν, hleuqerwsen; “has set free”). But for this to happen in such early and diverse witnesses is unlikely, especially as it depends on various scribes repeatedly overlooking either the nu or the nu-bar at the end of the verb.

[1:13]  ⁶ tn Grk “in whom you also, when…” (continuing the sentence from v. 12).

[1:13]  ⁷ tn Grk “in whom also having believed.” The relative pronoun “whom” has been replaced in the translation with its antecedent (“Christ”) to improve the clarity.

[1:13]  ⁸ tn Or “you were sealed.”

[1:13]  ⁹ tn Grk “the Holy Spirit of promise.” Here ἐπαγγελίας (epangelias, “of promise”) has been translated as an attributive genitive.

[1:14]  ¹⁰ tn Or “first installment,” “pledge,” “deposit.”

[1:14]  sn Down payment. The Greek word ἀρραβών (arrabwn) denotes the first payment or first installment of money or goods which serves as a guarantee or pledge for the completion of the transaction. In the NT the term is used only figuratively of the Holy Spirit as the down payment of the blessings promised by God (it is used also in 2 Cor 1:22 and 5:5). In the “already – not yet” scheme of the NT the possession of the Spirit now by believers (“already”) can be viewed as a guarantee that God will give them the balance of the promised blessings in the future (“not yet”).

[1:14]  ¹¹ tn Grk “the possession.”