8:10a

But: There is contrast between “anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ” (8:9c) and “Christ is in you” here. For that reason many English versions translate the Greek word here as But.

if Christ is in you: Here the word if introduces a situation that is true. If this first part is true, that supports the second part (“your spirit is alive because of righteousness…your body is dead because of sin” 8:10c,b).

In some languages, using an if -clause would have a different meaning. If that is true in your language, translate the correct meaning. For example:

Christ lives within you, so (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
should ⌊Jesus⌋ Christ be in you
-or-
if ⌊you agree that⌋ Christ is in you ⌊and I know that you do⌋, then ⌊you should also agree that⌋

Christ is in you: There is no verb in the Greek, but is is clearly implied (for natural English). Here are other ways to translate this clause:

Cristo remains in you
-or-
Christ lives in your hearts/insides

8:10b

your body is dead: There is no verb in the Greek here. Many English versions add is, in accord with adding “is” in 8:10a. But here the clause needs to be understood in a figurative sense, because Paul was speaking of believers who were still alive. They do not live according to human nature, so in that way their human nature (or body) is dead. Other English versions add a different word or phrase to avoid the figurative use of is. For example:

is subject to death (New International Version (2011))
-or-
your body will die (New Living Translation (2004))

body: This word refers to the physical body of a human being. Some languages must add a possessive pronoun. For example:

your bodies

because of sin: Sin leads to death (5:12 and 6:23). In some languages it is more natural to add a possessive pronoun to the word sin. In some languages it is more natural to make the word sin plural. For example:

because of your sins (Contemporary English Version)

8:10c

your spirit is alive: There are three ways to interpret this clause:

(1) It indicates that the Holy Spirit provides life to believers here. For example:

the Spirit is life for you (Good News Translation)

(New International Version (2011), Good News Translation, New Living Translation (2004), NET Bible, Revised English Bible, New Century Version)

(2) It indicates that the human spirit of believers is alive here. For example:

your spirits are alive (God’s Word)

(Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New International Version (1984), New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition, New American Standard Bible, God’s Word, Contemporary English Version)

(3) It indicates that the Holy Spirit is life in some general way. For example:

the Spirit is life (King James Version)

(King James Version, New Revised Standard Version, English Standard Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), because these verses are talking about the relationship of the Holy Spirit to believers.

is alive: Again, the Greek does not have a verb here. Many English versions add is, in accord with adding “is” in 8:10a and 8:10b. However, here the implied connection is probably that the Holy Spirit gives life, implying new life. For example:

gives life (New International Version (2011))

because of righteousness: God has declared believers to be righteous (3:21). The Holy Spirit then indwells them and gives them life (8:11).

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