1 Jūs jau zināt, brāļi, —es jau runāju uz tādiem, kas pazīst likumu—, ka likumam pār cilvēku ir noteikšana vienīgi tik ilgi, kamēr tas ir dzīvs.
2 Piemēram, precēta sieva pēc likuma saistīta ar vīru, kamēr tas dzīvs, bet kad vīrs mirst, viņa kļūst brīva no likuma, kas viņu saista pie vīra.
3 Tā tad: ja tā, vīram dzīvam esot, nodosies citam vīram, viņu sauks par laulības pārkāpēju; bet, ja vīrs ir miris, viņa ir brīva no likuma 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 miroņiem. 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 Tā tad 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 tādā kārtā, 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, tad 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 likumu es atrodu, ka, gribot darīt labu, man iznāk ļaunais.
22 Mans iekšējais cilvēks ar prieku piekrīt Dieva bauslības likumam.
23 Bet savos locekļos es manu citu likumu, kas kapa ar mana prāta likumu un padara mani par grēka likuma 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 tad nu es ar savu prātu kalpoju Dieva likumam, bet ar savu miesu—grēka likumam.
An Example from Marriage
1 My friends, you surely understand enough about law to know that laws only have power over people who are alive. 2 For example, the Law says that a man's wife must remain his wife as long as he lives. But once her husband is dead, she is free 3 to marry someone else. However, if she goes off with another man while her husband is still alive, she is said to be unfaithful.
4 That is how it is with you, my friends. You are now part of the body of Christ and are dead to the power of the Law. You are free to belong to Christ, who was raised to life so we could serve God. 5 When we thought only of ourselves, the Law made us have sinful desires. It made every part of our bodies into slaves who are doomed to die. 6 But the Law no longer rules over us. We are like dead people, and it cannot have any power over us. Now we can serve God in a new way by obeying his Spirit, and not in the old way by obeying the written Law.
The Battle with Sin
7 Does this mean that the Law is sinful? Certainly not! But if it had not been for the Law, I would not have known what sin is really like. For example, I would not have known what it means to want something that belongs to someone else, unless the Law had told me not to do this. 8 It was sin that used this command as a way of making me have all kinds of desires. But without the Law, sin is dead.
9 Before I knew about the Law, I was alive. But as soon as I heard that command, sin came to life, 10 and I died. The very command that was supposed to bring life to me, instead brought death. 11 Sin used this command to trick me, and because of it I died. 12 Still, the Law and its commands are holy and correct and good.
13 Am I saying something good caused my death? Certainly not! It was sin that killed me by using something good. Now we can see how terrible and evil sin really is. 14 We know that the Law is spiritual. But I am merely a human, and I have been sold as a slave to sin. 15 In fact, I don't understand why I act the way I do. I don't do what I know is right. I do the things I hate. 16 Although I don't do what I know is right, I agree that the Law is good. 17 So I am not the one doing these evil things. The sin that lives in me is what does them.
18 I know that my selfish desires won't let me do anything that is good. Even when I want to do right, I cannot. 19 Instead of doing what I know is right, I do wrong. 20 And so, if I don't do what I know is right, I am no longer the one doing these evil things. The sin that lives in me is what does them.
21 The Law has shown me that something in me keeps me from doing what I know is right. 22 With my whole heart I agree with the Law of God. 23 But in every part of me I discover something fighting against my mind, and it makes me a prisoner of sin that controls everything I do. 24 What a miserable person I am. Who will rescue me from this body that is doomed to die? 25 Thank God! Jesus Christ will rescue me.
So with my mind I serve the Law of God, although my selfish desires make me serve the law of sin.
