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 Awadeɛ Yɛ Mfatoho
1Nokorɛm, me nuanom, ɛsiane sɛ mo nyinaa nim Mmara no enti, mote deɛ mepɛ sɛ meka no ase; mmerɛ dodoɔ a onipa te ase no, mmara di ne so. 2Ɔbaa warefoɔ sei, sɛ ɔte ase nko ara deɛ a, ɔhyɛ ne kunu mmara ase, na sɛ okunu no wu deɛ a, na ɔnhyɛ ne kunu mmara ase bio. 3Ɛno enti, sɛ ɔkɔ ɔbarima foforɔ ho ɛberɛ a ne kunu te ase a, wɔfrɛ no ɔwaresɛefoɔ; na sɛ ne kunu no wu a, na ɔnhyɛ saa mmara no ase bio, ɛno enti sɛ ɔware ɔbarima foforɔ a, ɔnyɛ ɔwaresɛefoɔ.
4Afei me nuanom, mo nso, Yesu wu a ɔwuiɛ enti moawu afiri mmara no tumi aseɛ. Ne saa enti, mone ɔno a wɔnyanee no firii awufoɔ mu abom sɛdeɛ mobɛtumi asom Onyankopɔn. 5Ɛberɛ a na yɛte ase ma yɛn ho no, yɛn bɔnesu nam mmara no so kanyanee yɛn wɔ yɛn mu maa yɛyɛɛ adwuma maa owuo. 6Afei deɛ, yɛnhyɛ mmara biara ase ɛfiri sɛ, yɛwu firii deɛ ɛkyekyeree yɛn sɛ nneduafoɔ no ase. Afei deɛ, yɛnhyɛ mmara biara a wɔatwerɛ no dada ase bio, na mmom, yɛnam honhom foforɔ kwan so na ɛsom.
Yɛne Bɔne Di Apereapereɛ
7Enti, asɛm bɛn na yɛnka? Mmara no yɛ bɔne anaa? Dabi! Mmom, ɛnam mmara so na mehunuu sɛdeɛ bɔne teɛ. Sɛ ɛnyɛ mmara no na ɛkaa sɛ, “Mma wʼani mmere obi adeɛ” a, anka mennim anibereɛ. 8Bɔne nyaa kwan nam mmaransɛm no so kekaa ne ho wɔ me mu, maa mʼani beree nneɛma ahodoɔ bebree. Sɛ mmara no nni hɔ a, bɔne nso nni tumi. 9Ansa na mɛhunu mmara no na mewɔ nkwa. Nanso mmaransɛm no baeɛ no, metee bɔne ase, na mewuiɛ. 10Mehunuu sɛ, mmaransɛm a anka ɛde nkwa bɛba no de owuo baeɛ. 11Bɔne nam mmaransɛm no so nyaa ɛkwan daadaa me; ɛnam mmaransɛm no so ma bɔne kumm me. 12Nanso mmara no yɛ kronkron; na mmaransɛm no nso yɛ kronkron. Ɛtene na ɛyɛ nso.
13Adeɛ a ɛyɛ no bɛyɛɛ owuo maa me anaa? Dabi! Nanso sɛdeɛ ɛbɛyɛ a yɛbɛhunu bɔne sɛ bɔne no, ɛfaa deɛ ɛyɛ so de owuo brɛɛ me. Enti bɔne nam mmaransɛm so maa me hunuu sɛ bɔne yɛ adeɛ a ɛyɛ hu.
14Yɛnim sɛ mmara no yɛ honhom mu adeɛ nanso meyɛ ɔhonam muni a wɔatɔn me sɛ akoa ama bɔne. 15Mente deɛ meyɛ ase; ɛfiri sɛ, menyɛ deɛ ɛsɛ sɛ meyɛ, na mmom, meyɛ deɛ mekyi. 16Sɛ meyɛ deɛ mempɛ sɛ meyɛ a, na ɛkyerɛ sɛ, mepene so sɛ mmara no yɛ. 17Sɛdeɛ ɛteɛ no, ɛnyɛ mʼankasa na meyɛ yei; na mmom bɔne a ɛte me mu no. 18Menim sɛ ade pa biara nte me mu, me bɔne nipasu yi mu. Ɛfiri sɛ, mepɛ sɛ meyɛ deɛ ɛyɛ, nanso mentumi nyɛ. 19Papa mepɛ sɛ meyɛ no, menyɛ; mmom bɔne a mempɛ sɛ meyɛ no na meyɛ. 20Sɛ meyɛ deɛ mempɛ sɛ meyɛ a, na ɛkyerɛ sɛ ɛnyɛ me na meyɛeɛ, na mmom ɛyɛ bɔne a ɛte me mu no.
21Mmara no ama mahunu sɛ biribi te me mu a ɛmma mennyɛ deɛ menim sɛ ɛyɛ. 22Mʼakoma nyinaa mu, megye Onyankopɔn mmara to mu. 23Nanso, mefiri mʼakwaa nyinaa mu hunu sɛ biribi ne mʼadwene di apereapereɛ. Ɛma me yɛ bɔne akoa, na ɛno na ɛhyɛ me ma me yɛ biribiara. 24Menni ahotɔ! Hwan na ɔbɛgye me afiri saa ɔhonam a ɛde me rekɔ owuo mu yi? 25Menam yɛn Awurade Yesu Kristo so meda Onyankopɔn ase.
Na afei, mʼankasa mʼadwene mu, meyɛ akoa ma Onyankopɔn mmara, nanso bɔne nipasu mu no, meyɛ akoa ma bɔne.
