⁷What should we say, then? Are the laws in Moses’ Teachings sinful? That’s unthinkable! In fact, I wouldn’t have recognized sin if those laws hadn’t shown it to me. For example, I wouldn’t have known that some desires are sinful if Moses’ Teachings hadn’t said, “Never have wrong desires.” ⁸But sin took the opportunity provided by this commandment and made me have all kinds of wrong desires. Clearly, without laws sin is dead. ⁹At one time I was alive without any laws. But when this commandment came, sin became alive ¹⁰and I died. I found that the commandment which was intended to bring me life actually brought me death. ¹¹Sin, taking the opportunity provided by this commandment, deceived me and then killed me.

¹²So the laws in Moses’ Teachings are holy, and the commandment is holy, right, and good. ¹³Now, did something good cause my death? That’s unthinkable! Rather, my death was caused by sin so that sin would be recognized for what it is. Through a commandment sin became more sinful than ever.

God’s Standards Are at War with Sin’s Standards

¹⁴I know that God’s standards in Moses’ Teachings are spiritual, but I have a corrupt nature, sold as a slave to sin. ¹⁵I don’t realize what I’m doing. I don’t do what I want to do. Instead, I do what I hate. ¹⁶I don’t do what I want to do, but I agree that God’s standards are good.

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