demanded that he spend quite a lot of time talking about the relationship of sin and the law, it would be a mistake to give the law too much importance in Paul’s theology of sin. Following the Old Testament,9 Paul ultimately defines sin not in relationship to the law but in relationship to God. The justly famous summary claim of Romans 3:23 makes this point: “… all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” The second verb elaborates the first: sin consists in the failure to live in accordance