Freed from the Law

Or do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), that the law [a]has dominion over a man as long as he lives? For (A)the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. So then (B)if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man. Therefore, my brethren, you also have become (C)dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should (D)bear fruit to God. For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law (E)were at work in our members (F)to bear fruit to death. But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve (G)in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.

Sin’s Advantage in the Law

What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, (H)I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, (I)“You shall not covet.” But (J)sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For (K)apart from the law sin was dead. I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. 10 And the commandment, (L)which was to bring life, I found to bring death. 11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me. 12 Therefore (M)the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.

Law Cannot Save from Sin

13 Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful. 14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, (N)sold under sin. 15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. (O)For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. 16 If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17 But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 18 For I know that (P)in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.

21 I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. 22 For I (Q)delight in the law of God according to (R)the inward man. 23 But (S)I see another law in (T)my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me (U)from this body of death? 25 (V)I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!

So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.

Notas al pie

  1. Romans 7:1 rules

Do you not have da’as, Achim b’Moshiach, for I speak to those who know the Torah, that the Torah exercises marut (authority, rule) over a man so long as he lives?

For the agunah (woman whose husband’s whereabouts are unknown) is bound by the Torah to her husband while he lives; but in the case that her husband’s death can be confirmed, she is no longer an agunah and is released from the Torah of her husband.

Accordingly she will be named no’eh-fet (adulteress) if, while her husband lives, she becomes another man’s. But if her ba’al (husband) dies, she is free from the Torah, so that she is no no’ehfet (adulteress) if she becomes another man’s.

So then, Achim b’Moshiach, you also were put to death in relation to the Torah through the basar of Moshiach (TEHILLIM 16:9-10 ), in order that you might become another’s, bound to Moshiach who was given Techiyah (Resurrection) from the Mesim, so that we might bear p’ri for Hashem.

For when we were in the basar (in the fallen condition of the old humanity), through the Torah, the ta’avat besarim, the sinful passions (i.e., Chet Kadmon’s yetzer harah of the fallen human condition) were working in our natural capacities, so as to bear p’ri for mavet (death) [cf. Ro 4:15].

But now we have become niftar (freed, deceased) from the dominating ownership of the Torah, having died to that by which we were confined, so that we might serve in the Ruach Hakodesh of hitkhadshut and newness and not in the yoshen (oldness) of chumra (legalism, strict adherence to the letter of the law) (Ro 2:29).

What then shall we say? That the Torah is considered as chet (sin)? Chas v’shalom! Nevertheless, I would not have experienced chet (sin) except through the Torah; for I would not have known chamdanut (covetousness, greediness) if the Torah had not said, LO TACHMOD ("Thou shalt not covet" SHEMOT 20:17).

But Chet (Sin), seizing its opportunity through the mitzvoh (commandment), stirred up all manner of chamdanut (covetousness) in me. For in the absence of the Torah, Chet (Sin) is dead.

And in the absence of the Torah I was once alive. But when the mitzvoh (commandment) came [BERESHIS 2:16-17), Chet (Sin) became alive,

10 and I died. The mitzvoh (commandment) intended as the Derech L’Chayyim (Way to Life) proved for me a means to mavet (death).

11 For Chet (Sin), seizing its opportunity through the mitzvoh (commandment), deceived me and, through the mitzvoh (commandment), killed me [BERESHIS 3:1-6].

12 So that the Torah is kedoshah (holy) and the mitzvoh (commandment) is kedoshah and yasharah and tovah.

13 Did that which is good, then, become mavet (death) to me? Chas v’shalom! But Chet (Sin), it was Chet, working mavet (death) in me through that which is tovah, in order that Chet might be shown as Chet (Sin), and in order that Chet through the mitzvoh (commandment) might become chata’ah gedolah ad m’od (utterly sinful).

14 For we have da’as that the Torah is Ruchanit (Spiritual, of the Ruach Hakodesh); but I am of the basar (fallen humanity) sold under the power of (slave master Chet Kadmon) Chet.

15 For I do not have da’as what I do. For that which I commit is not what I want; no, it is what I hate that I do!

16 But if that which I do is what I do not want, I agree with the Torah that the Torah is good.

17 But now it is no longer I doing this, but [the power of] Chet (Sin) which dwells within me.

18 For I have da’as that there dwells in me, that is, in my basar (my fallen humanity enslaved to Chet Kadmon) no good thing; for the wish [to do what is right] lies ready at hand for me, but to accomplish the good is not.

19 For I fail to do good as I wish, but HaRah (The Evil) which I do not wish is what I commit.

20 But if what I do not wish is that which I do, it is no longer I doing it but [the power of] Chet (Sin, Chet Kadmon, Original Sin) which dwells within me (cf. Ro 8:7-8).

21 I find then it be a law that for me who wishes to do HaTov (The Good), that for me HaRah (The Evil) lies ready at hand.

22 For I rejoice, I have simcha Torah in the Torah of Hashem, so far as the inner man is concerned,

23 But I see another Chok (decree, law) in my natural capacities at milchamah (war) with the Torah of my mind and making me a prisoner to the Chok (law) of Chet (Sin) which is [a power] in my natural capacities.

24 Wretched man am I! Who will deliver me from the body of this mavet (death)?

25 Hodu l’Hashem (thanks be to G-d) baMoshiach Yehoshua Adoneinu. So then I myself with my mind serve the Torah of Hashem and with my basar I serve the Chok of Chet (the Law of Sin). [T.N. The total spiritual turnaround here described is when the conviction of the intellect, emotion, and will "obey from the heart the form of doctrine laid out here in Scripture" as we are born anew in the humanity of the new Man and die to the old depraved Adam.]