RUM. 7
Mfano kutoka kwa Sheria ya Ndoa
1 Ndugu zangu, hamjui (maana nasema na hao waijuao sheria) ya kuwa torati humtawala mtu wakati anapokuwa yu hai? 2 Kwa maana mwanamke aliye na mume amefungwa na sheria kwa yule mume wakati anapokuwa yu hai; bali akifa yule mume, amefunguliwa ile sheria ya mume. 3 Basi wakati awapo hai mumewe, kama akiwa na mume mwingine huitwa mzinzi. Ila mumewe akifa, amekuwa huru, hafungwi na sheria hiyo, hata yeye si mzinzi, ajapoolewa na mume mwingine. 4 tKadhalika, ndugu zangu, ninyi pia mmeifia torati, kwa njia ya mwili wa Kristo, mpate kuwa mali ya mwingine, yeye aliyefufuka katika wafu, kusudi tumzalie Mungu matunda. 5 tKwa maana tulipokuwa katika hali ya mwili, tamaa za dhambi, zilizokuwako kwa sababu ya torati, zilitenda kazi katika viungo vyetu hata mkaizalia mauti mazao.
6 tBali sasa tumefunguliwa katika torati, tumeifia hali ile iliyotupinga, ili sisi tupate kutumika katika hali mpya ya roho, si katika hali ya zamani, ya andiko.Sheria na Dhambi
7 tTusemeje, basi? Torati ni dhambi? Hasha! Walakini singalitambua dhambi ila kwa sheria; kwa kuwa singalijua kutamani, kama torati isingalisema, Usitamani. 8 tLakini dhambi ilipata nafasi kwa ile amri, ikafanya ndani yangu kila namna ya kutamani. Kwa maana dhambi bila sheria imekufa. 9 Nami nalikuwa hai hapo kwanza bila sheria; ila ilipokuja ile amri, dhambi ilihuika, nami nikafa. 10 tNikaona ile amri iletayo uzima ya kuwa kwangu mimi ilileta mauti. 11 tKwa maana dhambi, kwa kupata nafasi kwa ile amri, ilinidanganya, na kwa hiyo ikaniua. 12 tBasi torati ni takatifu, na ile amri ni takatifu, na ya haki, na njema.
13 tBasi je! Ile iliyo njema ilikuwa mauti kwangu mimi? Hasha! Bali dhambi, ili ionekane kuwa ni dhambi hasa, ilifanya mauti ndani yangu kwa njia ya ile njema, kusudi kwa ile amri dhambi izidi kuwa mbaya mno.Mzozo wa Kindani
14 tKwa maana twajua ya kuwa torati asili yake ni ya rohoni; bali mimi ni mtu wa mwilini, nimeuzwa chini ya dhambi. 15 tMaana sijui nifanyalo, kwa sababu lile nilipendalo, silitendi; bali lile nilichukialo ndilo ninalolitenda. 16 Lakini kama nikilitenda lile nisilolipenda, naikiri ile sheria ya kuwa ni njema. 17 Basi sasa si mimi nafsi yangu ninayetenda hilo, bali ni ile dhambi ikaayo ndani yangu 18 tKwa maana najua ya kuwa ndani yangu, yaani, ndani ya mwili wangu, halikai neno jema; kwa kuwa kutaka nataka, bali kutenda lililo jema sipati. 19 Kwa maana lile jema nilipendalo, silitendi; bali lile baya nisilolipenda ndilo nilitendalo. 20 Basi kama lile nisilolipenda ndilo nilitendalo, si mimi nafsi yangu nilitendaye, bali ni ile dhambi ikaayo ndani yangu. 21 Basi nimeona sheria hii, ya kuwa kwangu mimi nitakaye kutenda lililo jema, lipo lililo baya. 22 Kwa maana naifurahia sheria ya Mungu kwa utu wa ndani, 23 tlakini katika viungo vyangu naona sheria iliyo mbali, inapiga vita na ile sheria ya akili zangu, na kunifanya mateka ya ile sheria ya dhambi iliyo katika viungo vyangu. 24 Ole wangu, maskini mimi! Ni nani atakayeniokoa na mwili huu wa mauti? 25 tNamshukuru Mungu, kwa Yesu Kristo Bwana wetu. Basi, kama ni hivyo, mimi mwenyewe kwa akili zangu naitumikia sheria ya Mungu, bali kwa mwili wangu sheria ya dhambi.
ROMANS 7
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 t 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 t 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 t 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.