But I have written more boldly to you on some points so as to remind you, because of the grace given to me by God

but as it is written: “Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand.” ¹ 

What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Absolutely not! Certainly, I ¹  would not have known sin except through the law. For indeed I would not have known what it means to desire something belonging to someone else ²  if the law had not said, “Do not covet.” ³ 

We know ¹  that since Christ has been raised from the dead, he is never going to die ²  again; death no longer has mastery over him.

For the death he died, he died to sin once for all, but the life he lives, he lives to God.

For sin, seizing the opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it I died. ¹ 

For Christ is the end of the law, with the result that there is righteousness for everyone who believes.

Just as you were formerly disobedient to God, but have now received mercy due to their disobedience,

For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these natural branches be grafted back into their own olive tree?

and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for an image resembling mortal human beings ¹  or birds or four-footed animals ²  or reptiles.

but also for our sake, to whom it will be credited, those who believe in the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.

For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be united in the likeness of his resurrection. ¹ 

But thanks be to God that though you were slaves to sin, you obeyed ¹  from the heart that pattern ²  of teaching you were entrusted to,

so that the righteous requirement of the law may be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery leading again to fear, ¹  but you received the Spirit of adoption, ²  by whom ³  we cry, “Abba, Father.”

because those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that his Son ¹  would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. ² 

It is not as though the word of God had failed. For not all those who are descended from Israel are truly Israel, ¹ 

nor are all the children Abraham’s true descendants; rather “through Isaac will your descendants be counted.” ¹ 

Why not? Because they pursued ¹  it not by faith but (as if it were possible) by works. ²  They stumbled over the stumbling stone, ³ 

as it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, to this very day.” ¹