Poslanica Rimljanima 7

Slobodni od Zakona

1 Ne znate li, braćo - govorim poznavateljima Zakona - da je čovjek podložan zakonskim odredbama samo za života?2 Da pojasnim: udanu ženu zakon veže za muža dok je on živ. Ali ako on umre, zakon o braku više se na nju ne odnosi.

3 Kad bi se udala za drugoga za muževa života, počinila bi preljub. Ali ako joj muž umre, taj ju zakon više ne obvezuje i ne čini preljub ako se uda.
4 Tako ni vas, draga braćo, Zakon više ne obvezuje jer ste umrli njegovoj vlasti kad ste s Kristom umrli na križu. Sada ste ujedinjeni s njim koji je uskrsnuo od mrtvih. Zato možete roditi dobrim rodom, to jest dobrim djelima za Boga.5 Dok je nama još vladala naša stara narav, Zakon je u nama budio grešne želje koje su rodile zlim djelima i donosile smrt.

6 Ali sada smo oslobođeni Zakona jer smo umrli s Kristom i nismo više pod zakonskom stegom. Sada zaista možemo služiti Bogu - ne više na stari način, držeći se slova Zakona, nego na novi način - po Duhu.

Borba s grijehom

7 Znači li to da je Božji zakon grešan? Nipošto! Nije grešan, nego me je upozorio na moj grijeh. Nikada ne bih spoznao da je požuda zlo da Zakon nije rekao: "Ne poželi!"

8 Ali grijeh je iskoristio priliku zbog Zakona i pobudio u meni svakovrsne zabranjene želje. A bez Zakona grijeh ne bi imao takvu moć.
9 Nekoć nisam razumio što Zakon zahtijeva. Ali kad sam spoznao istinu, shvatio sam da sam prekršio Zakon i da sam grešnik osuđen na smrt.10 Tako me je dobar Zakon, koji mi je trebao pokazati put života, umjesto toga osudio na smrt.11 Grijeh je iskoristio Zakon da me prevari; poslužio se dobrim Zakonom da me učini osuđenikom na smrt.

12 Pa ipak, Zakon je svet, pravedan i dobar.
13 Kako je to moguće? Zar me je dobri Zakon natjerao u smrt? Nipošto! Grijeh je iskoristio to što je dobro da na mene navuče smrtnu osudu. Grijeh je dakle najveće zlo: koristi dobre Božje zapovijedi u zle svrhe.

Borba protiv grijeha

14 Zakon je dakle dobar, duhovan. Problem nije u Zakonu, nego u meni jer robujem tjelesnim željama - prodan sam grijehu kao gospodaru.15 Ne mogu sebe razumjeti: zaista želim činiti dobro, ali ne činim ga. Umjesto toga činim baš ono što mrzim.16 A to što jako dobro znam da je ono što činim loše, samo pokazuje kako priznajem da je Zakon dobar.

17 Ali ne mogu sebi pomoći jer me grijeh u meni tjera da činim zlo.
18 Znam da nema dobra u meni, to jest u mojoj grešnoj ljudskoj naravi. Sposoban sam htjeti dobro, ali ne i činiti ga.19 Dobro koje bih htio činiti ne činim, a zlo koje ne bih htio činiti ipak činim.

20 Ali ako činim ono što ne želim, onda to zapravo i ne činim ja, nego grijeh koji je u meni.
21 Zaključujem dakle da vrijedi pravilo: kad želim činiti dobro, nameće mi se zlo.22 Svim svojim nutarnjim bićem uživam u poslušnosti Božjemu zakonu.23 Ali još jedan zakon, koji se bori protiv mojega uma, djeluje u mojim udovima i zarobljuje me grijehom koji je još u njima.

24 Bijedna li mene! Tko će me osloboditi od ovoga smrtonosnog tijela, od života u vlasti grijeha?
25 Hvala Bogu! To čini Isus Krist, naš Gospodin. Umom dakle želim služiti Božjemu zakonu, ali zbog grešne naravi svojega tijela robujem grijehu.

Romans 7

The Believer’s Relationship to the Law

1 Or do you not know, brothers and sisterst (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law is lord over a persons as long as he lives?2 For a married woman is bound by law to her husband as long as he lives, but if hert husband dies, she is released from the law of the marriage.ts3 So then,t if she is joined to another man while her husband is alive, she will be called an adulteress. But if hert husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she is joined to another man, she is not an adulteress.4 So, my brothers and sisters,t you also died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you could be joined to another, to the one who was raised from the dead, to bear fruit to God.t5 For when we were in the flesh,t the sinful desires,t aroused by the law, were active in the members of our bodyt to bear fruit for death.

6 But now we have been released from the law, because we have diedt to what controlled us, so that we may serve in the new life of the Spirit and not under the old written code.t
7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Absolutely not! Certainly, Is would not have known sin except through the law. For indeed I would not have known what it means to desire something belonging to someone elset if the law had not said, “Do not covet.”s8 But sin, seizing the opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of wrong desires.t For apart from the law, sin is dead.9 And I was once alive apart from the law, but with the coming of the commandment sin became alive10 and I died. Sot I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life brought death!t11 For sin, seizing the opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it I died.t

12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good.
13 Did that which is good, then, become death to me? Absolutely not! But sin, so that it would be shown to be sin, produced death in me through what is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful.14 For we know that the law is spiritual – but I am unspiritual, sold into slavery to sin.t15 For I don’t understand what I am doing. For I do not do what I want – instead, I do what I hate.t16 But if I do what I don’t want, I agree that the law is good.t17 But now it is no longer me doing it, but sin that lives in me.18 For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For I want to do the good, but I cannot do it.t19 For I do not do the good I want, but I do the very evil I do not want!

20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer me doing it but sin that lives in me.
21 So, I find the law that when I want to do good, evil is present with me.22 For I delight in the law of God in my inner being.23 But I see a different law in my members waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that is in my members.24 Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?

25 Thanks bes to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then,t I myself serve the law of God with my mind, butt with my flesh I servet the law of sin.