He was appointed to be the Son of God with power through the Spirit of holiness [Note: This could refer to the Holy Spirit] when He was raised from the dead.

it could not be so: but let God be true, and every man a liar; as indeed it has been written, In order that you may be justified in your words, and shall prevail, in your judgment.

Not at all! If that were so, how could He judge the world?

Do we, then, make void the law through faith? It could not be! Yea, we establish the law.

And he received the sign of circumcision [as] a seal of the righteousness by faith which [he had] {while uncircumcised}, so that he could be the father of all who believe {although they are uncircumcised}, so that righteousness could be credited to them,

because the effect of the law is punishment: for if there had been no law, there could have been no transgression.

And, without growing weak in faith, he could contemplate his own vital powers which had now decayed--for he was nearly 100 years old--and Sarah's barrenness.

Now the law came in as a side issue, in order that the trespass could increase, but where sin increased, grace was present in greater abundance,

May it never be! We who died to sin, how could we live in it any longer?

What, then? May we sin, because we are not under law, but under grace? It could not be!

So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you could be joined to another, to the one who was raised from the dead, to bear fruit to God.

What, then, shall we say? Is the law sin? It could not be! But I had not known sin, except through law; for I would not know even coveting, if the law did not say, "You shall not covet;"

Did, then, that which is good become death to me? It could not be! But sin, that it might be shown to be sin, by working death to me through that which is good; that sin, through the commandment, might become exceedingly sinful.

For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

so that the requirements of the law could be [considered] fulfilled in us, who do not live according to [the dictates of] the flesh, but according to [the promptings of] the Holy Spirit.

For [that class of] persons whom God knew beforehand He also predetermined to become conformed to the [spiritual] likeness of His Son, so that He could be the firstborn One among [His] many brothers [i.e., so He could be the preeminent example to all His followers. See Heb. 2:11].

Who could bring a charge against God's chosen ones? It is God who justifies.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Could oppression, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:

What, then, shall we say? Is there unrighteousness with God? It could not be!

And [he did so] in order that he could make known the riches of his glory upon vessels of mercy that he prepared beforehand for glory,

But Israel, which followed the law of righteousness, could not attain unto the law of righteousness.

Why? Because they did not try through faith but through what they could do. They have stumbled over the stone that causes people to stumble,

or, ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ that is, to bring Christ up from the dead [as if we had to be saved by our own efforts, doing the impossible].”

I say, then, did God cast off His people? It could not be! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.

(according as it is written, God hath given them a spirit of slumber, that their eyes could not see and their ears could not hear,) even unto this day.

I Say, then, did they stumble, that they might fall? It could not be! But by their trespass salvation has come to the gentiles to provoke them to rivalry.

if somehow I could provoke my people to jealousy and save some of them.

For if their rejection [by God] meant that [the rest of] the world could be restored to favor [with God], what would [God's] receiving the Jews back into fellowship be, except like dead people coming back to life?

Then you will say, "Branches were cut off so that I could be grafted in."

For God confined them all in disobedience, in order that he could have mercy on them all.

Or who has first given to Him that it would be paid back to him?

For this is the reason that Christ died and [now] lives again, so that He could be Lord of both those who have [already] died and those who are [still] alive.

[So], it is better [for you] not to eat bread, nor to drink wine, nor to do anything [else] that could cause your brother to fall [away from God].

For whatever things were written previously [i.e., in the Old Testament], were intended for us to learn from, so that we could have hope [i.e., in the face of difficult times] through remaining steadfast, and through the encouragement [received] from reading the Scriptures.

For I tell you that Christ was [appointed] to be a servant of the circumcised ones [i.e., the Jews], in order to uphold the truth of God. This was so He could confirm [as valid] the promises made to our forefathers,