An Example From Marriage
1Brothers and sisters, I am speaking to you who know the law. Don’t you know that the law has authority over someone only as long as they live? 2For example, by law a married woman remains married as long as her husband lives. But suppose her husband dies. Then the law that joins her to him no longer applies. 3But suppose that married woman sleeps with another man while her husband is still alive. Then she is called a woman who commits adultery. But suppose her husband dies. Then she is free from that law. She is not guilty of adultery if she marries another man.
4My brothers and sisters, when Christ died you also died as far as the law is concerned. Then it became possible for you to belong to him. He was raised from the dead. Now our lives can be useful to God. 5The power of sin used to control us. The law stirred up sinful desires in us. So the things we did resulted in death. 6But now we have died to what used to control us. We have been set free from the law. Now we serve in the new way of the Holy Spirit. We no longer serve in the old way of the written law.
The Law and Sin
7What should we say then? That the law is sinful? Not at all! Yet I wouldn’t have known what sin was unless the law had told me. The law says, “Do not want what belongs to other people.” (Exodus 20:17; Deuteronomy 5:21) If the law hadn’t said that, I would not have known what it was like to want what belongs to others. 8But the commandment gave sin an opportunity. Sin caused me to want all kinds of things that belong to others. A person can’t sin by breaking a law if that law doesn’t exist. 9Before I knew about the law, I was alive. But then the commandment came. Sin came to life, and I died. 10I found that the commandment that was supposed to bring life actually brought death. 11When the commandment gave sin the opportunity, sin tricked me. It used the commandment to put me to death. 12So the law is holy. The commandment also is holy and right and good.
13Did what is good cause me to die? Not at all! Sin had to be recognized for what it really is. So it used what is good to bring about my death. Because of the commandment, sin became totally sinful.
14We know that the law is holy. But I am not. I have been sold to be a slave of sin. 15I don’t understand what I do. I don’t do what I want to do. Instead, I do what I hate to do. 16I do what I don’t want to do. So I agree that the law is good. 17As it is, I am no longer the one who does these things. It is sin living in me that does them. 18I know there is nothing good in my desires controlled by sin. I want to do what is good, but I can’t. 19I don’t do the good things I want to do. I keep on doing the evil things I don’t want to do. 20I do what I don’t want to do. But I am not really the one who is doing it. It is sin living in me that does it.
21Here is the law I find working in me. When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22Deep inside me I find joy in God’s law. 23But I see another law working in me. It fights against the law of my mind. It makes me a prisoner of the law of sin. That law controls me. 24What a terrible failure I am! Who will save me from this sin that brings death to my body? 25I give thanks to God who saves me. He saves me through Jesus Christ our Lord.
So in my mind I am a slave to God’s law. But sin controls my desires. So I am a slave to the law of sin.
Wɔde Aware Yɛ Mfatoho
1Me nuanom, munim sɛ esiane sɛ mo nyinaa nim mmara no nti, mote nea mepɛ sɛ meka no ase sɛ; mmere dodow a onipa te ase no, mmara di ne so ana? 2Te sɛ ɔbea warefo, mmere dodow a okunu no te ase no de, ɔhyɛ ne kunu mmara ase, na sɛ okunu no wu de a, na ɔnhyɛ ne kunu mmara ase bio. 3Ɛno nti sɛ ɔkɔ ɔbarima foforo ho wɔ bere a ne kunu te ase a, wɔfrɛ no ɔwaresɛefo; na sɛ ne kunu no wu a na ɔnhyɛ saa mmara no ase bio; ɛno nti sɛ ɔware ɔbarima foforo a, ɔnyɛ ɔwaresɛefo.
4Afei me nuanom, mo nso, Kristo wu a owui nti moawu afi mmara no tumi ase. Ne saa nti, mone ɔno a wonyan no fii awufo mu abom sɛnea mobetumi asom Onyankopɔn. 5Bere a na yɛte ase ma yɛn ho no, yɛn bɔne su nam mmara no so kanyan yɛn wɔ yɛn mu ma yɛyɛɛ adwuma maa owu. 6Afei de, yɛnhyɛ mmara biara ase efisɛ yewu fii nea ɛkyekyeree yɛn sɛ nneduafo no ase. Afei de, yɛnhyɛ mmara biara a wɔakyerɛw no dedaw ase bio, na mmom yɛnam honhom foforo kwan so na ɛsom.
Yɛne Bɔne Di Aperepere
7Enti asɛm bɛn na yɛnka? Mmara no yɛ bɔne ana? Dabi da! Mmom, ɛnam mmara so na mihuu sɛnea bɔne te. Sɛ ɛnyɛ mmara no na ɛkaa sɛ, “Mma wʼani mmere obi ade” a, anka minnim anibere. 8Bɔne nyaa kwan nam mmara nsɛm no so kekaa ne ho wɔ me mu, maa mʼani beree nneɛma ahorow bebree. Sɛ mmara no nni hɔ a, bɔne nso nni tumi. 9Ansa na mehu mmara no na mewɔ nkwa. Nanso mmaransɛm no bae no, metee bɔne ase, na miwui. 10Mihuu sɛ mmaransɛm a anka ɛde nkwa bɛba no, de owu bae. 11Bɔne nam mmaransɛm no so nyaa kwan daadaa me; ɛnam mmaransɛm no so maa bɔne kum me. 12Nanso mmara no yɛ kronkron; na Mmaransɛm no nso yɛ kronkron, ɛteɛ na eye nso.
13Ade a eye no bɛyɛɛ owu maa me ana? Dabi da! Nanso sɛnea ɛbɛyɛ a yebehu bɔne sɛ bɔne no, ɛfaa nea eye so de owu brɛɛ me. Enti bɔne nam mmaransɛm so maa me huu sɛ bɔne yɛ ade a ɛyɛ hu.
14Yenim sɛ mmara no yɛ honhom mu ade nanso meyɛ ɔhonam muni a wɔatɔn me sɛ akoa ama bɔne. 15Mente nea meyɛ ase; efisɛ menyɛ nea ɛsɛ sɛ meyɛ na mmom, meyɛ nea mikyi. 16Sɛ meyɛ nea mempɛ sɛ meyɛ a, na ɛkyerɛ sɛ mepene so sɛ mmara no ye. 17Sɛnea ɛte no, ɛnyɛ mʼankasa na meyɛ eyi; na mmom bɔne a ɛte me mu no. 18Minim sɛ ade pa biara nte me mu, me bɔne nipasu yi mu. Efisɛ mepɛ sɛ meyɛ nea eye nanso mintumi nyɛ. 19Papa a mepɛ sɛ meyɛ no, menyɛ; mmom bɔne a mempɛ sɛ meyɛ no na meyɛ. 20Sɛ meyɛ nea mempɛ sɛ meyɛ a, na ɛkyerɛ sɛ ɛnyɛ me na meyɛe, na mmom ɛyɛ bɔne a ɛte me mu no.
21Mmara no ama mahu sɛ biribi te me mu a ɛmma mennyɛ nea minim sɛ eye. 22Me koma nyinaa mu, migye Onyankopɔn mmara to mu. 23Nanso mifi mʼakwaa nyinaa mu hu sɛ biribi ne mʼadwene di aperepere, ɛma meyɛ bɔne akoa, na ɛno na ɛhyɛ me ma meyɛ biribiara. 24Minni ahotɔ! Hena na obegye me afi saa ɔhonam a ɛde me rekɔ owu mu yi mu? 25Menam yɛn Awurade Yesu Kristo so meda Onyankopɔn ase.
Na afei mʼankasa mʼadwene mu no, meyɛ akoa ma Onyankopɔn mmara, nanso bɔne nipasu mu no, meyɛ akoa ma bɔne.
