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Our Fight Against Sin

·You might think I am saying that sin and the law are the same thing [L What, 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].” 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 [L produce in me all kinds of desires/coveting]. But without the law, sin ·has no power [L is dead]. I was alive ·before I knew [or before I recognized the demands of; L apart from] the law [C Paul thought he was righteous; see Phil. 3:6]. But when the law’s command ·came to me [or came to my attention; L came], then sin ·began to live [sprang to life], and I died [C the 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.

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What tis then oun shall we say legō? Is the ho law nomos sin hamartia? By no means ! On the contrary alla, I would ginōskō not ou have known ginōskō · ho sin hamartia except ei mē through dia the law nomos; · ho that gar is , I would oida not ou have known oida what it means to covet epithumia had not ei mē the ho law nomos said legō, “ You shall not ou covet epithumeō.” But de sin hamartia, seizing lambanō the opportunity aphormē · ho through dia the ho commandment entolē, produced katergazomai in en me egō all pas kinds of covetousness epithumia. ( For gar apart chōris from the law nomos, sin hamartia is dead nekros.) I egō · de was once pote alive zaō apart chōris from the law nomos, but de when the ho commandment entolē came erchomai, · ho sin hamartia came to anazaō life 10 and de I egō died apothnēskō. · kai I found heuriskō that the ho very houtos commandment entolē that ho promised eis life zōē brought eis death thanatos to me egō! 11 · ho For gar sin hamartia, seizing lambanō the opportunity aphormē through dia the ho commandment entolē, deceived exapataō me egō and kai through dia it autos killed apokteinō me. 12 So hōste then , the ho law nomos is holy hagios, and kai the ho commandment entolē is holy hagios and kai righteous dikaios and kai good agathos.

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