1Or do you not know, 1brethren (for I am speaking to those who know the law ), that the lawhasjurisdictionover a person as long as he lives?
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For 2the marriedwoman is bound by law to her husband while he is living; but if her husbanddies, she is released from the law concerning the husband.
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Sothen, if while her husband is living she is joined to anotherman, she shall be called an adulteress; but if her husbanddies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress though she is joined to anotherman.
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Therefore, my brethren, you also were 3made to die4to the Law5through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bearfruit for God.
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For while we were 6in the flesh, the sinfulpassions, which were 7aroused by the Law, were at work8in the members of our body to bearfruit for death.
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But now we have been 9released from the Law, having 10died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in 11newness of 12the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.
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13What shall we saythen? Is the Lawsin? 14May it never be! On the contrary, 15I would not have come to knowsinexceptthrough the Law; for I would not have knownaboutcovetingif the Law had not said, "16YOU SHALL NOT COVET."
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But sin, 17takingopportunity18through the commandment, produced in me coveting of everykind; for 19apart from the Lawsin is dead.
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I was oncealiveapart from the Law; but when the commandmentcame, sinbecamealive and I died;
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and thiscommandment, which was 20to result in life, proved to result in death for me;
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for sin, 21taking an opportunity22through the commandment, 23deceived me and through it killed me.
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24Sothen, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.
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Therefore did that which is goodbecome a cause of death for me? 25May it never be! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by effecting my deaththrough that which is good, so that through the commandmentsin would becomeutterlysinful.
The Conflict of Two Natures
14 For we know that the Law is 26spiritual, but I am27of flesh, 28sold29into bondage to sin.
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For what I am doing, 30I do not understand; for I am not practicing31what I would like to do, but I am doing the verything I hate.
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But if I do the verything I do not want to do, I agree with 32the Law, confessing that the Law is good.
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Sonow, 33nolonger am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.
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For I know that nothinggooddwells in me, that is, in my 34flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.
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For 35the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the veryevil that I do not want.
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But if I am doing the verything I do not want, 36I am nolonger the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.
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I findthen37the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to dogood.
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For I joyfullyconcur with the law of God in 38the innerman,
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but I see39a differentlaw in the members of my body, wagingwaragainst the 40law of my mind and making me a prisoner of 41the law of sin which is in my members.
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Wretchedman that I am! Who will set me free from 42the body of this43death?
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44Thanks be to GodthroughJesusChrist our Lord! Sothen, on the onehand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh45the law of sin.