An Illustration from Marriage
1 Certainly you will understand what I am about to say, my friends, because all of you know about law. The law rules over people only as long as they live. 2 A married woman, for example, is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives; but if he dies, then she is free from the law that bound her to him. 3 So then, if she lives with another man while her husband is alive, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is legally a free woman and does not commit adultery if she marries another man. 4 That is how it is with you, my friends. As far as the Law is concerned, you also have died because you are part of the body of Christ; and now you belong to him who was raised from death in order that we might be useful in the service of God. 5 For when we lived according to our human nature, the sinful desires stirred up by the Law were at work in our bodies, and all we did ended in death. 6 Now, however, we are free from the Law, because we died to that which once held us prisoners. No longer do we serve in the old way of a written law, but in the new way of the Spirit.
Law and Sin
7 Shall we say, then, that the Law itself is sinful? Of course not! But it was the Law that made me know what sin is. If the Law had not said, “Do not desire what belongs to someone else,” I would not have known such a desire. 8 But by means of that commandment sin found its chance to stir up all kinds of selfish desires in me. Apart from law, sin is a dead thing. 9 I myself was once alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life, 10 and I died. And the commandment which was meant to bring life, in my case brought death. 11 Sin found its chance, and by means of the commandment it deceived me and killed me.
12 So then, the Law itself is holy, and the commandment is holy, right, and good. 13 But does this mean that what is good caused my death? By no means! It was sin that did it; by using what is good, sin brought death to me, in order that its true nature as sin might be revealed. And so, by means of the commandment sin is shown to be even more terribly sinful.
The Conflict in Us
14 We know that the Law is spiritual; but I am a mortal, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do; for I don't do what I would like to do, but instead I do what I hate. 16 Since what I do is what I don't want to do, this shows that I agree that the Law is right. 17 So I am not really the one who does this thing; rather it is the sin that lives in me. 18 I know that good does not live in me—that is, in my human nature. For even though the desire to do good is in me, I am not able to do it. 19 I don't do the good I want to do; instead, I do the evil that I do not want to do. 20 If I do what I don't want to do, this means that I am no longer the one who does it; instead, it is the sin that lives in me.
21 So I find that this law is at work: when I want to do what is good, what is evil is the only choice I have. 22 My inner being delights in the law of God. 23 But I see a different law at work in my body—a law that fights against the law which my mind approves of. It makes me a prisoner to the law of sin which is at work in my body. 24 What an unhappy man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is taking me to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who does this through our Lord Jesus Christ!
This, then, is my condition: on my own I can serve God's law only with my mind, while my human nature serves the law of sin.
1 Jūs jau zināt, brāļi, es jau runāju uz tādiem, kas pazīst bauslību, - ka bauslībai pār cilvēku ir noteikšana vienīgi tik ilgi, kamēr tas ir dzīvs. 2 Piemēram, precēta sieva pēc bauslības saistīta ar vīru, kamēr tas dzīvs, bet, kad vīrs mirst, viņa kļūst brīva no bauslības, kas viņu saista pie vīra. 3 Tātad, ja tā, vīram dzīvam esot, nodosies citam vīram, viņu sauks par laulības pārkāpēju; bet, ja vīrs ir miris, viņa ir brīva no bauslības saistībām, un viņa, piederēdama citam vīram, nav vairs laulības pārkāpēja. 4 Tāpat arī jūs, mani brāļi, līdz ar miesīgo Kristu esat nonāvēti bauslībai un piederat citam, Tam, kas uzmodināts no mirušiem. Tāpēc nesīsim augļus Dievam! 5 Jo, kamēr mēs dzīvojām miesā, bauslības modinātās grēcīgās kaisles spēcīgi darbojās mūsu locekļos, tā ka mēs nesam augļus nāvei. 6 Tagad turpretim bauslība zaudējusi savu spēku pār mums, jo mēs viņai, kas mūs saistīja, esam miruši, tā ka nu varam kalpot jaunā garā un nevis pēc vecā burta. 7 Kas nu no tā izriet? Vai pati bauslība ir grēks? Nekādā ziņā ne! Bet to gan varu teikt: es nebūtu pazinis grēka, ja nebūtu bijis bauslības, jo es nebūtu zinājis, kas ir iekāre, ja bauslība nesacītu: tev nebūs iekārot! 8 Bet grēks, šī baušļa ierosināts, modināja manī visādas iekāres. Jo bez bauslības grēks ir nedzīvs. 9 Es kādreiz dzīvoju bez bauslības, bet, kad nāca bauslis, grēks kļuva dzīvs, bet es nomiru. 10 Tā izrādījās, ka bauslis, kam vajadzēja nest dzīvību, man atnesa nāvi. 11 Jo grēks, baušļa aizlieguma ierosināts, pievīla mani un ar to man atnesa nāvi. 12 Tātad bauslība kā tāda ir svēta un bauslis kā tāds - svēts, taisns un labs. 13 Vai tad labais man varēja atnest nāvi? Protams, ka ne! To ir darījis grēks. Tas, lai atklāti parādītos kā grēks, izlietodams labo par līdzekli, man ir nesis nāvi, lai, darbojoties bauslim, kļūtu pārpārim grēcīgs. 14 Mēs zinām, ka bauslība ir garīga, bet es esmu miesīgs, pārdots grēka varā. 15 Jo es pats nesaprotu, ko daru; jo nevis to, ko gribu, es daru, bet, ko ienīstu, to es daru. 16 Bet, ja es to daru, ko negribu, es piebalsoju bauslībai un atzīstu, ka tā ir laba. 17 Bet tad jau vairs es tas neesmu, kas dara ļaunu, bet manī mītošais grēks. 18 Jo es zinu, ka manī, tas ir, manā dabīgajā miesā, nemīt nekas labs. Labu gribēt man ir dots, bet labu darīt ne. 19 Jo labo, ko gribu, es nedaru, bet ļauno, ko negribu, to es daru. 20 Bet, ja es to daru, ko negribu, tad darītājs neesmu vairs es, bet manī mītošais grēks. 21 Tad nu šādu bauslību es atrodu, ka, gribot darīt labu, man iznāk ļaunais. 22 Mans iekšējais cilvēks ar prieku piekrīt Dieva bauslībai. 23 Bet savos locekļos es manu citu bauslību, kas karo ar mana prāta bauslību un padara mani par grēka bauslības gūstekni, kas ir manos locekļos. 24 Es, nožēlojamais cilvēks! Kas mani izraus no šīs nāvei lemtās miesas? 25 Pateicība Dievam mūsu Kungā Jēzū Kristū! Tā nu es ar savu prātu kalpoju Dieva bauslībai, bet ar savu miesu grēka bauslībai.
