The fourth argument (5:11–7:1) of the probatio, according to Long, focuses on “Paul, persuasion, and the new covenant.”614 This is equivalent to sections F–I in this commentary. Barrett calls the passage (5:11–21) “one of the most pregnant, difficult, and important in the whole of the Pauline literature.”615 Of this passage, 5:11–15 forms a foundational part. One aspect of Paul’s thought, found in earlier parts of this epistle, continues in these verses. The apostle’s penchant