They know that God’s commands are right, and that people who do wrong things like this deserve to die. But they continue to do those things anyway, and they even approve of others who do them.
The power of sin used to control us. The law told us we couldn’t do certain things, but that only made us want to do them more. So our lives produced only death.
When you worked for sin, the pay you got from it was death. But now you’re working for God because you’ve gotten a gift: eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
But wouldn’t people deserve even more punishment if they’ve trampled the Son of God under their feet, treated the blood of the covenant as unholy, and insulted the Spirit of grace?
Look at what that godly sadness has produced in you. You’re working hard to clear yourselves. You’re upset and alarmed. You’re longing to see me. You’re concerned about what has happened. You want to make sure that the right thing is done. In every way, you’ve shown that you’re not at fault.
Sin came into the world through one man, and death came into the world through that sin. As a result, death affected everyone. It was just as if every person had sinned.
Don’t you know that when you agree to obey someone the way a slave would, you become a slave to that person? If you’re slaves of sin, then you will die. But if you’re slaves who obey God, then you’ll live a godly life.
Instead, we refuse to do secret and shameful things. We don’t trick anyone, and we don’t twist God’s word. We do just the opposite! We present the truth plainly so that everyone can judge us in their own conscience before God.