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.

Certainly not! For otherwise, how will God judge the world?

Then do we make void the law through faith? It could not be so: but 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? can we commit sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? it could not be so.

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.

Then what shall we say? is the law sin? It could not be so; but I did not know sin except through the law: for indeed I had not known lusts, unless the law said, Thou shalt not covet.

Was this [commandment] then, which was intended for my good, [actually] responsible for my [spiritual] death? Certainly not! But so that sin could be seen as [truly] sinful, it produced [spiritual] death in me through something that was good [i.e., the commandment against sinning]. This was so that, by means of the commandment [against sinning], sin could be seen as extremely 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:

Then what shall we say? Is there unrighteousness with God? It could not be so.

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,

while the descendants of Israel, who were in pursuit of a Law that could give righteousness, have not arrived at one.

And why not? Because it was not by faith [that they pursued it], but as though it were by works [relying on the merit of their works instead of their faith]. They stumbled over the stumbling Stone [Jesus Christ].

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].”

Then I say, Did God cast away his people? it could not be so. For I am indeed an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.

as it is written, "God hath given them up to a state of insensibility, so that their eyes could not see, and their ears could not hear."

I say then, did the Jews trip [over Jesus] just so they could fall [away from God]? Certainly not! [There was another reason]: Instead, it was by means of their sin that salvation was made available to the Gentiles, so that the Jews might become jealous of them [i.e., causing them to want what the Gentiles now had].

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 broken off in order 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,