婚姻关系的例子

弟兄姊妹,我现在对那些熟悉律法的人说:你们难道不知道律法只在人活着的时候管辖人吗? 比方说,一个妇人结了婚,只要丈夫还在世,她就受律法的约束要与丈夫在一起。如果丈夫死了,她就脱离了与丈夫的婚姻关系。 丈夫还活着的时候,她若与别的男人发生性关系,便算淫妇。丈夫若死了,她就脱离了与丈夫的婚姻关系,即使改嫁,也不是淫妇。

我的弟兄姊妹,同样,你们借着基督的身体向着律法也死了,使你们可以归于那位从死里复活的基督,好为上帝结果子。 从前我们受自己罪恶本性[a]的控制,因律法而激发的罪恶欲望在我们身上发作,以致结出死亡的果子。 但现在,我们既然向着一度捆绑我们的律法死了,就脱离了律法的控制,能够以圣灵所赐的新样式,而不是以拘守教条的旧样式事奉上帝。

律法使人知罪

那么,我们可以说律法本身是罪吗?当然不是!没有律法,我们就不知道什么是罪。律法若不说“不可贪心”,我就不知道什么是贪心。 然而,罪却趁机利用诫命在我里面生出各种贪念,因为没有律法,罪是死的。 我没认识律法之前是活的,但律法来了之后,罪就活了,而我却死了。 10 我发现那本来要使人活的诫命反而叫我死, 11 因为罪利用诫命趁机引诱我,而且借着诫命杀了我。

12 其实律法是圣洁的,诫命也是圣洁、公义、良善的。 13 既然如此,难道是良善的诫命叫我死吗?当然不是!是罪借着良善的诫命叫我死。这样,罪借着诫命叫我死就显出它实在是邪恶至极!

善恶相争

14 我们知道律法是属灵的,我却属乎肉体,已经卖给罪做奴隶了。 15 我不明白自己的所作所为,因为我想做的,我做不到;而我憎恨的恶事,我偏偏去做! 16 既然我不想做的,我反倒去做,我就得承认律法是好的。 17 其实那并不是我做的,而是住在我里面的罪做的。 18 我也知道,在我的罪恶本性里面毫无良善,我有行善的心愿,却没有行善的力量。 19 我想行善,却不能行;我不想作恶,反倒去作。 20 如果我不想做的,我反倒去做,这就不是我自己做的,而是住在我里面的罪做的。

21 因此,我发现一个律:我想行善的时候,恶就不放过我。 22 按着我里面的意思[b],我喜爱上帝的律。 23 然而,我发觉在我身体内另有一个律和我心中的律作战,将我俘虏,使我服从身体内犯罪的律。 24 我真是苦啊!谁能救我脱离这个被死亡控制的身体呢? 25 感谢上帝,祂借着我们的主耶稣基督救了我!这样看来,我的内心服从上帝的律法,但我罪恶的本性却服从犯罪的律。

Footnotes

  1. 7:5 罪恶本性”希腊文是“肉体”,以下皆用相同译法。
  2. 7:22 里面的意思”希腊文是“里面的人”。

Brethren, whether ye know not; for I speak to men that know the law; for the law hath lordship in a man, as long time as he liveth?

For that woman that is under an husband, is bound to the law, while the husband liveth; but if her husband is dead, she is delivered from the law of the husband [soothly if her husband be dead, she is delivered, or unbound, from the law of the husband].

Therefore she shall be called adulteress, if she be with another man, while the husband liveth [Therefore living the man, she shall be called adulteress, if she be with another man]; but if her husband is dead [forsooth if her husband be dead], she is delivered from the law of the husband, that she be not adulteress, if she be with another man.

And so, my brethren, ye be made dead to the law by the body of Christ, that ye be of another, that rose again from death, that ye bear fruit to God. Therefore, my brethren, and ye be made dead to the law by the body of Christ, that ye be another's, that rose from dead, that we bear fruit to God.

For when we were in flesh, passions of sins, that were by the law, wrought in our members, to bear fruit to death.

But now we be unbound from the law of death, in which we were held [in which we were holden], so that we serve in newness of spirit, and not in oldness of letter.

What therefore shall we say? The law is sin? God forbid [Far be it]. But I knew not sin, but by [the] law; for I knew not that coveting was sin, but for the law said, Thou shalt not covet.

And through occasion taken, sin by the commandment hath wrought in me all covetousness [sin by the commandment hath wrought in me all coveting, or covetousness]; for without the law, sin was dead.

And I lived [Forsooth I lived] without the law sometime; but when the commandment was come, sin lived again. But I was dead,

10 and this commandment [and the commandment] that was to life, was found to me, to be to death.

11 For sin, through occasion taken by the commandment, deceived me, and by that it slew me [and by it slew me].

12 Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, and just, and good.

13 Is then that thing that is good, made death to me? God forbid [Far be it]. But sin, that it seem sin, through good thing wrought death to me, that me sin over manner through the commandment [But sin, that it appear sin, through good thing wrought death to me, that there be made sin sinning over manner, or measure, by commandment].

14 And we know, that the law is spiritual; but I am fleshly, sold under sin.

15 For I understand not that that I work; for I do not the good thing that I will, but I do that evil thing that I hate.

16 And if I do that thing that I will not, I consent to the law, that it is good.

17 But now I work not it now, but the sin that dwelleth in me.

18 But I know, that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwelleth no good; for will lieth to me (for will lieth before me), but I find not to perform good thing [truly to perform good thing I find not].

19 For I do not that good thing that I will, but I do that evil thing that I will not.

20 And if I do that evil thing that I will not [Soothly if I do that thing that I will not], I work not it, but the sin that dwelleth in me.

21 Therefore I find the law to me willing to do good thing [Therefore I find a law to me willing to do good thing], for evil thing lieth to me (for evil thing lieth before me).

22 For I delight together to the law of God, after the inner man.

23 But I see another law in my members, fighting against the law of my soul, and making me captive in the law of sin, that is in my members.

24 I am an unhappy man [I am a woeful man]; who shall deliver me from the body of this sin?

25 [Forsooth] The grace of God, by Jesus Christ our Lord. Therefore I myself by the soul serve to the law of God; but by the flesh to the law of sin.

Released from the Law

Or do you not know, brothers[a]—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? For (A)a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage.[b] Accordingly, (B)she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress.

Likewise, my brothers, (C)you also have died (D)to the law (E)through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, (F)in order that we may bear fruit for God. For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work (G)in our members (H)to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the (I)new way of (J)the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.[c]

The Law and Sin

What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, (K)I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if (L)the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, (M)seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. (N)For apart from the law, sin lies dead. I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. 10 The very commandment (O)that promised life proved to be death to me. 11 For sin, (P)seizing an opportunity through the commandment, (Q)deceived me and through it killed me. 12 So (R)the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

13 Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. 14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, (S)sold under sin. 15 For I do not understand my own actions. For (T)I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with (U)the law, that it is good. 17 So now (V)it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells (W)in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 (X)For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, (Y)it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For (Z)I delight in the law of God, (AA)in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members (AB)another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from (AC)this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

Footnotes

  1. Romans 7:1 Or brothers and sisters; also verse 4
  2. Romans 7:2 Greek law concerning the husband
  3. Romans 7:6 Greek of the letter

Released From the Law, Bound to Christ

Do you not know, brothers and sisters(A)—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law has authority over someone only as long as that person lives? For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law that binds her to him.(B) So then, if she has sexual relations with another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress.(C) But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress if she marries another man.

So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law(D) through the body of Christ,(E) that you might belong to another,(F) to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. For when we were in the realm of the flesh,[a](G) the sinful passions aroused by the law(H) were at work in us,(I) so that we bore fruit for death.(J) But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law(K) so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.(L)

The Law and Sin

What shall we say, then?(M) Is the law sinful? Certainly not!(N) Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law.(O) For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.”[b](P) But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment,(Q) produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead.(R) Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. 10 I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life(S) actually brought death. 11 For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment,(T) deceived me,(U) and through the commandment put me to death. 12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.(V)

13 Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! Nevertheless, in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it used what is good(W) to bring about my death,(X) so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.

14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual,(Y) sold(Z) as a slave to sin.(AA) 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.(AB) 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.(AC) 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.(AD) 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[c](AE) For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.(AF) 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.(AG)

21 So I find this law at work:(AH) Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being(AI) I delight in God’s law;(AJ) 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war(AK) against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin(AL) at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?(AM) 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!(AN)

So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law,(AO) but in my sinful nature[d] a slave to the law of sin.(AP)

Footnotes

  1. Romans 7:5 In contexts like this, the Greek word for flesh (sarx) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit.
  2. Romans 7:7 Exodus 20:17; Deut. 5:21
  3. Romans 7:18 Or my flesh
  4. Romans 7:25 Or in the flesh