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No Longer Bound to the Law

Now, dear brothers and sisters[a]—you who are familiar with the law—don’t you know that the law applies only while a person is living? For example, when a woman marries, the law binds her to her husband as long as he is alive. But if he dies, the laws of marriage no longer apply to her. So while her husband is alive, she would be committing adultery if she married another man. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law and does not commit adultery when she remarries.

So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God. When we were controlled by our old nature,[b] sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death. But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit.

God’s Law Reveals Our Sin

Well then, am I suggesting that the law of God is sinful? Of course not! In fact, it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, “You must not covet.”[c] But sin used this command to arouse all kinds of covetous desires within me! If there were no law, sin would not have that power. At one time I lived without understanding the law. But when I learned the command not to covet, for instance, the power of sin came to life, 10 and I died. So I discovered that the law’s commands, which were supposed to bring life, brought spiritual death instead. 11 Sin took advantage of those commands and deceived me; it used the commands to kill me. 12 But still, the law itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good.

13 But how can that be? Did the law, which is good, cause my death? Of course not! Sin used what was good to bring about my condemnation to death. So we can see how terrible sin really is. It uses God’s good commands for its own evil purposes.

Struggling with Sin

14 So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. 15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. 16 But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. 17 So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

18 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[d] I want to do what is right, but I can’t. 19 I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. 20 But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

21 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power[e] within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

Footnotes

  1. 7:1 Greek brothers; also in 7:4.
  2. 7:5 Greek When we were in the flesh.
  3. 7:7 Exod 20:17; Deut 5:21.
  4. 7:18 Greek my flesh; also in 7:25.
  5. 7:23 Greek law; also in 7:23b.

Or ē do you not know agnoeō, brethren adelphos ( for gar I am speaking laleō to those who know ginōskō the law nomos), that hoti the ho law nomos is binding kyrieuō on a ho person anthrōpos only epi so hosos long chronos as he lives zaō? Thus gar a ho married hypandros woman gynē is bound deō by law nomos to ho her husband anēr while he is living zaō; but de if ean her ho husband anēr dies apothnēskō, she is released katargeō from apo the ho law nomos of ho marriage anēr. Accordingly ara oun, if ean she is joined ginomai to anēr another heteros man anēr while her ho husband anēr is alive zaō, she will be called chrēmatizō an adulteress moichalis; but de if ean her ho husband anēr dies apothnēskō, she is eimi free eleutheros from apo that ho law nomos, so ho that she autos is eimi not an adulteress moichalis if she marries ginomai another heteros man anēr. So then hōste, my egō brothers adelphos, you hymeis also kai have died thanatoō to the ho law nomos through dia the ho body sōma of ho Christ Christos that eis you hymeis might belong ginomai to another heteros, to the ho one who was raised egeirō from ek the dead nekros, so hina that we might bear karpophoreō fruit for ho God theos. For gar while hote we were eimi living in en the ho flesh sarx, our ho sinful hamartia passions pathēma, · ho · ho aroused energeō by dia the ho law nomos, were at work in en · ho our hēmeis bodies melos to eis bear karpophoreō fruit for ho death thanatos. But de now nyni we have been released katargeō from apo the ho law nomos, having died apothnēskō to en that which hos held katechō us captive , so hōste that we hēmeis serve douleuō in en newness kainotēs of the Spirit pneuma and kai not ou under the old palaiotēs written gramma code .

What tis then oun shall we say legō? Is the ho law nomos sin hamartia? By no means ! On the contrary alla, I would ginōskō not ou have known ginōskō · ho sin hamartia except ei mē through dia the law nomos; · ho that gar is , I would oida not ou have known oida what it means to covet epithumia had not ei mē the ho law nomos said legō, “ You shall not ou covet epithumeō.” But de sin hamartia, seizing lambanō the opportunity aphormē · ho through dia the ho commandment entolē, produced katergazomai in en me egō all pas kinds of covetousness epithumia. ( For gar apart chōris from the law nomos, sin hamartia is dead nekros.) I egō · de was once pote alive zaō apart chōris from the law nomos, but de when the ho commandment entolē came erchomai, · ho sin hamartia came to anazaō life 10 and de I egō died apothnēskō. · kai I found heuriskō that the ho very houtos commandment entolē that ho promised eis life zōē brought eis death thanatos to me egō! 11 · ho For gar sin hamartia, seizing lambanō the opportunity aphormē through dia the ho commandment entolē, deceived exapataō me egō and kai through dia it autos killed apokteinō me. 12 So hōste then , the ho law nomos is holy hagios, and kai the ho commandment entolē is holy hagios and kai righteous dikaios and kai good agathos.

13 Did ginomai that ho which is good agathos, then oun, become ginomai death thanatos to me egō? By no means ! But alla · ho sin hamartia, in order that hina it might be shown phainō to be sin hamartia, produced katergazomai death thanatos in me egō through dia that ho which is good agathos so that hina sin hamartia, through dia the ho commandment entolē, might be ginomai sinful hamartōlos beyond kata measure hyperbolē · ho 14 For gar we know oida that hoti the ho law nomos is eimi spiritual pneumatikos; but de I egō am eimi unspiritual sarkinos, sold pipraskō as a slave to hypo · ho sin hamartia. 15 For gar I do ginōskō not ou understand ginōskō my own hos actions katergazomai; for gar I am prassō not ou doing prassō what hos I want thelō to do, but alla I am doing poieō what hos I hate miseō. 16 But de if ei I am doing poieō what hos I do not ou want thelō to do, I agree symphēmi with the ho law nomos, that hoti it is good kalos. 17 So de now nyni it is no ouketi longer I myself egō doing katergazomai it autos, but alla · ho sin hamartia living oikeō in en me egō. 18 For gar I know oida that hoti nothing ou good agathos dwells oikeō in en me egō, that houtos is eimi, in en · ho my egō flesh sarx; for gar I egō have parakeimai the ho desire thelō to do what ho is right kalos, · ho but de I am unable ou to do katergazomai it. 19 For gar I do poieō not ou do the good agathos I want thelō, but alla the evil kakos I do not ou want thelō is what houtos I do prassō. 20 Now de if ei I egō do poieō what hos I do not ou want thelō, it is no ouketi longer I egō who do katergazomai it autos, but alla · ho sin hamartia that lives oikeō in en me egō. 21 So ara I find heuriskō it to be a ho law nomos that ho when I egō want thelō to do poieō · ho good kalos, evil kakos is present parakeimai in me egō. · ho 22 For gar I joyfully agree synēdomai with the ho law nomos of ho God theos in kata the ho inner esō man anthrōpos, 23 but de I see blepō a different heteros law nomos in en · ho my egō members melos; it wages antistrateuomai war against the ho law nomos of ho my egō mind nous and kai makes me egō captive aichmalōtizō to en the ho law nomos of ho sin hamartia · ho dwelling eimi in en · ho my egō members melos. 24 Wretched talaipōros man anthrōpos that I egō am! Who tis will deliver rhyomai me egō from ek · ho this houtos body sōma of ho death thanatos? 25 Thanks charis · de be to ho God theos through dia Jesus Iēsous Christ Christos · ho our hēmeis Lord kyrios! So ara then oun, I egō myself autos serve douleuō the law nomos of God theos with ho my mind nous, but de with my ho flesh sarx I serve the law nomos of sin hamartia.