Our Fight Against Sin

⁷ ·You might think I am saying that sin and the law are the same thing [^LWhat, then, shall we say? Is the law sin?]. ·That is not true [Absolutely not!; May it never be!; 6:15]. But the law was the only way I could learn what sin meant. I would never have known what it means to ·want to take something belonging to someone else [selfishly desire; covet] if the law had not said, “You must not ·want to take your neighbor’s things [selfishly desire; covet; Ex. 20:17; Deut. 5:21].” ⁸ And sin ·found a way [seized the occasion/opportunity] to use that command and ·cause me to want all kinds of things I should not want [^Lproduce in me all kinds of desires/coveting]. But without the law, sin ·has no power [^Lis dead]. ⁹ I was alive ·before I knew [or before I recognized the demands of; ^Lapart from] the law [^CPaul thought he was righteous; see Phil. 3:6]. But when the law’s command ·came to me [or came to my attention; ^Lcame], then sin ·began to live [sprang to life], and I died [^Cthe law revealed Paul’s sinfulness and confirmed he was spiritually dead]. ¹⁰ The command was meant to bring life, but for me it brought death. ¹¹ Sin ·found a way [seized the occasion/opportunity; v. 8] to ·fool [deceive] me by using the command to make me die.

¹² So the law is holy, and the command is holy and ·right [righteous] and good.