律法的关系与范围 The relationship and scope of the law

罗马书 7:1-6 Romans 7:1-6

1弟兄们，我现在对明白律法的人说，你们岂不晓得律法管人是在活著的時候吗？ 2 就如女人有了丈夫，丈夫还活著，就被律法约束；丈夫若死了，就脱離了丈夫的律法。3 所以丈夫活著，她若归於别人，便叫淫妇；丈夫若死了，她就脱離了丈夫的律法，虽然归於别人，也不是淫妇。

4 我的弟兄们，这样说来，你们藉著基督的身体，在律法上也是死了，叫你们归於别人，就是归於那从死里复活的，叫我们结果子给神。5 因为我们属肉体的時候，那因律法而生的恶欲就在我们肢体中发动，以致结成死亡的果子。6 但我们既然在捆我们的律法上死了，现今就脱離了律法，叫我们服事主，要按著圣灵的新样，不按著仪文的旧样。

¹ Now, dear brothers and sisters - you who are familiar with the law - don’t you know that the law applies only while a person is living? ² For example, when a woman marries, the law binds her to her husband as long as he is alive. But if he dies, the laws of marriage no longer apply to her. ³ So while her husband is alive, she would be committing adultery if she married another man. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law and does not commit adultery when she remarries.

⁴ So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God. ⁵ When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death. ⁶ But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit.

对于我们与律法的关系 －

1）律法对我们有效是当我们还活着。（第2节）

2）因律法所产生的恶欲在我们肢体中发动，以致结成死亡的果子。（第5节）

3）当我们与基督一起死，我们也在律法上死了。（第4节）

4）现今我们已经脱離了律法，在捆我们的律法上死了。（第六节）

我们在律法上死了的后果是我们能自由的服事主，不按著仪文的旧样，要按著圣灵的新样， （第六节）并为神结好果子 。

对于奸淫的范围 －

1） 奸淫是在婚姻律法范围之外。 （第三节）

2） 在婚姻的律法上，若有一方死了，再娶再嫁不算是奸淫。（第二节）

3） 若双方还活着，婚姻与奸淫的律法继续生效。夫妇必需勤守律法。（第二节）

4） 若是夫妇有一方死了，另一方能从婚。在这种情形，先前的婚姻律法被取消，活的一方已经在婚姻的律法得释放，能自由的从婚。（第三节）

律法的引用是在于活着的人，不是死去的人。对于守婚姻的律法，基督徒也不例外。我们当对我们的丈夫或妻子忠诚，守我们向他们所立的约， “只要我们都将活着”。现今的社会，基督徒也不例外，对神的话语和婚约的态度实在是太轻易了。

Concerning our relationship with the law –

1) Application of the law to us only when we were alive. (v. 2)

2) The law aroused evil desires in us to produce sinful deeds that lead to dead. (v. 5)

3) We died to the power of the law when we died with Christ. (v. 4)

4) Now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. (v. 6)

As a result of our death towards the law, we are able to freely serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit. (v. 6) and produce a harvest of good deeds for God.

Concerning the scope of adultery –

1)   Adultery exists outside the law of marriage. (v. 3)

2)  Adultery is not in effect if one party in the law of marriage is dead. (v. 2)

3)  The law of marriage and adultery is in force as long as both parities are alive. They have to abide by the law. (v. 2)

4)  A person is allowed to remarry only when the spouse is dead. In this case, the earlier law of marriage is annulled, and the spouse who is alive is released from the law of marriage, thus free to remarry. (v. 3)

The law is applicable only to living persons and not dead people. As Christians, we are not exempt from the law of marriage. We must keep our vows to our spouse as long as “we both shall live.” The sin of our modern society, even among Christians, is taking God’s word and the marriage vows too lightly.