ΡΩΜΑΙΟΥΣΡΩΜΑΙΟΥΣ

1. Swali Lisiloepukika (6:1-2)1. The Inevitable Question (6:1-2)

Mwanzo wa Warumi 6 unatokana moja kwa moja na mwisho wa Warumi 5. Paulo ametoka kutangaza kwamba dhambi ilipozidi, neema ilizidi kuwa nyingi zaidi. Mtu yeyote anayesoma sentensi hiyo kwa uaminifu atafikia swali dhahiri linalofuata — na Paulo analijua. Yeye mwenyewe analiweka swali hilo mezani katika mstari wa kwanza kabisa: "Tuseme nini basi? Tudumu katika dhambi ili neema izidi kuwa nyingi?"The opening of Romans 6 grows directly out of the closing of Romans 5. Paul has just declared that where sin abounded, grace abounded all the more. Anyone honestly reading that sentence will arrive at an obvious follow-up question — and Paul knows it. He puts the question on the table himself in the very first line: "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?"

Hili ni mojawapo ya maswali ya balagha zaidi ya sabini ambayo Paulo anayatumia katika waraka huu, na kama mengine, lilihitaji kuulizwa ili lipate kujibiwa. Ikiwa neema hufurika kupita dhambi kila mara, kwa nini tusiipe neema nafasi zaidi ya kufurika? Kwa nini tusitende dhambi kwa uhuru zaidi ili Injili ing'ae zaidi?It is one of seventy-some rhetorical questions Paul uses in this letter, and like the others, it needed to be raised so that it could be answered. If grace overflows past sin every time, why not give grace more opportunity to overflow? Why not sin more freely so the gospel can shine more brightly?

Jibu la Paulo ni mojawapo ya maneno makali kabisa ya kukana katika Agano Jipya lote la Kigiriki. Maneno anayoyatumia ni mē genoito — "hasha!" au "Mungu apishe mbali!" au "isiwe hivyo kamwe!" Ni kulikataa wazo lililo baya kiasi kwamba ni lazima mlango wake ufungwe kwa nguvu mara moja.Paul's response is one of the strongest expressions of denial in the entire Greek New Testament. The phrase he uses is mē genoito — "by no means!" or "God forbid!" or "may it never be!" It is the rejection of an idea so wrong it must be slammed shut immediately.

Sababu ya wazo hilo kufungiwa mlango kwa nguvu si ya kubahatisha. Ni ya kimaumbile. Mkristo ameifia dhambi. Kuendelea kuishi katika dhambi baada ya kuifia si tu kukosa msimamo kimaadili — ni jambo lisilowezekana kibaiolojia. Maiti haiwezi kuishi nyumba moja na kitu kilichoiua. Lakini Paulo bado hajaeleza anamaanisha nini kwa "kuifia dhambi." Hilo ndilo mistari sita inayofuata inalifafanua.The reason the idea must be slammed shut is not arbitrary. It is anatomical. The Christian has died to sin. To go on living in sin after dying to it is not just morally inconsistent — it is biologically impossible. A corpse cannot keep house with the thing that killed it. But Paul has not yet explained what he means by "died to sin." That is what the next six verses unpack.

2. Kuzikwa na Kufufuliwa Pamoja na Kristo (6:3-7)2. Buried and Raised with Christ (6:3-7)

Ili kueleza kifo cha mwamini kwa dhambi, Paulo anaitumia ishara iliyojulikana zaidi katika kanisa la kwanza — ubatizo. Kila mtu aliyesoma waraka huu alikuwa amebatizwa; walizifahamu picha hizo kwa undani wa nafsi zao. Walikuwa wameshushwa ndani ya maji na kuinuliwa tena. Paulo anasema sasa wanapaswa kuelewa ishara hiyo ilimaanisha nini.To explain the death of the believer to sin, Paul reaches for the most familiar symbol in the early church — baptism. Every person reading this letter had been baptized; they knew the imagery viscerally. They had been lowered into water and lifted out again. Paul says they should now understand what that symbol meant.

Ubatizo wa kuzamishwa huchora picha mbili kwa wakati mmoja. Kushuka ndani ya maji ni maziko — mwamini anashuka pamoja na Kristo katika mauti. Kutoka katika maji ni ufufuo — mwamini anainuka pamoja na Kristo katika uzima mpya. Huu si mfano ambao kwa bahati unafaa tu. Ndiyo maana ambayo ibada hiyo ilipewa.Baptism by immersion paints two pictures at once. The descent into the water is a burial — the believer goes down with Christ into death. The emergence from the water is a resurrection — the believer rises with Christ into new life. This is not a metaphor that happens to fit. It is the meaning the rite was given.

Jambo ambalo Paulo analisisitiza baadaye ni kwamba kuna jambo halisi lililotokea katika kuunganishwa huku. "Utu wetu wa kale ulisulibiwa pamoja naye, ili mwili wa dhambi ubatilike, tusiwe watumwa wa dhambi tena." "Utu wa kale" ni nafsi ambayo haijaokoka — mtu anayetawaliwa na Adamu, aliyeelekezwa kwenye dhambi kwa asili yake, asiye na msaada chini ya utawala wa dhambi. Mtu huyo alipigiliwa msalabani pamoja na Kristo. Kuzaliwa upya kulimweka mahali pake mtu ambaye Kristo Mwenyewe alimfufua ili aenende katika upya wa uzima.The point Paul presses next is that something real has happened in this identification. "Our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin." The "old man" is the unconverted self — the person ruled by Adam, oriented toward sin by nature, helpless under sin's dominion. That person was nailed to the cross with Christ. The new birth replaced him with someone Christ Himself raised up to walk in newness of life.

Hii haimaanishi kwamba mwamini hawezi tena kujaribiwa. Haimaanishi kwamba dhambi imeondolewa kabisa katika uzoefu wa mwamini. Inamaanisha kwamba nguvu ya kutawala ambayo dhambi ilikuwa nayo juu ya asiyeamini imevunjwa. Minyororo imefunguliwa. Bwana wa zamani hatumiliki tena. Sisi si watumwa wa dhambi tena hata tunapoendelea kushindana na majaribu yake.This does not mean the believer can no longer be tempted. It does not mean sin has been removed entirely from the believer's experience. It means the dominating power sin once held over the unbeliever has been broken. The chains are off. The old master no longer owns us. We are no longer slaves of sin even when we still wrestle with its temptations.

3. Jihesabuni Kuwa Wafu kwa Dhambi, Hai kwa Mungu (6:8-14)3. Reckon Yourselves Dead to Sin, Alive to God (6:8-14)

Kisha Paulo anamwomba mwamini afanye jambo mahususi: jihesabu kuwa mfu kwa dhambi. Neno la Kigiriki hapa ni lile lile ambalo Paulo alilitumia kwa Ibrahimu katika sura ya 4 — logizomai, kitenzi cha mtunza hesabu chenye maana ya kuhesabu jambo kuwa kweli katika daftari la hesabu. Mungu alimhesabia Ibrahimu haki katika akaunti yake kwa msingi wa imani. Sasa Paulo anamwambia mwamini ajiwekee katika akaunti yake uhalisi unaofanana na huo: kwa sababu ya muungano na Kristo, wewe ni mfu kwa dhambi na hai kwa Mungu.Paul then asks the believer to do something specific: reckon yourself dead to sin. The Greek word here is the same word Paul used of Abraham in chapter 4 — logizomai, the bookkeeper's verb meaning to count something as true on the ledger. God credited righteousness to Abraham's account on the basis of faith. Now Paul tells the believer to credit a parallel reality to his own account: because of union with Christ, you are dead to sin and alive to God.

Kujihesabu huku si kujifanya. Ni kutambua kile ambacho tayari ni kweli. Mwamini alisulibiwa pamoja na Kristo. Mwamini alifufuka pamoja na Kristo. Anwani ya kiroho ya mwamini imebadilika. Sasa mwamini anaombwa kutenda kulingana na ukweli huo.This reckoning is not pretending. It is recognizing what is already true. The believer was crucified with Christ. The believer rose with Christ. The believer's spiritual address has changed. Now the believer is asked to act in accord with the facts.

Kutokana na kujihesabu huko, Paulo anatoa mfululizo wa amri. "Dhambi isitawale ndani ya miili yenu ipatikanayo na mauti." "Msiendelee kumtolea dhambi viungo vyenu kuwa silaha za dhuluma." "Jitoeni wenyewe kwa Mungu kama walio hai baada ya kufa." Angalia kauli ya kutenda. Mwamini ana wajibu halisi hapa. Utakaso si mpango wa kungoja tu ambao Mungu anautekeleza huku mwamini akitazama; ni uamuzi wa kila siku unaofanywa kwa msingi wa utambulisho uliothibitika. Dhambi haitawatawala ninyi; kwa sababu hamwi chini ya sheria, bali chini ya neema. Minyororo imefunguliwa. Enenda huru.From that reckoning, Paul issues a series of commands. "Do not let sin reign in your mortal body." "Do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin." "Present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead." Notice the active voice. The believer has real responsibility here. Sanctification is not a passive program God performs while the believer watches; it is a daily decision made on the basis of a settled identity. Sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. The chains are off. Walk free.

4. Wewe ni Mtumwa wa Nani? Mabwana Wawili (6:15-19)4. Whose Slave Are You? Two Masters (6:15-19)

Paulo anatarajia pingamizi la pili. Ikiwa hatuko chini ya sheria bali chini ya neema, je, tunaweza kutenda dhambi kwa uhuru? Anajibu kwa mē genoito nyingine — Mungu apishe mbali. Kisha analieleza swali hilo kwa maneno tofauti. Swali halisi si kama utatumikia, bali utamtumikia nani.Paul anticipates a second objection. If we are not under law but under grace, can we sin freely? He answers with another mē genoito — God forbid. Then he frames the question in different terms. The real question is not whether you will serve, but whom you will serve.

Hakuna uwanja wa kati usioegemea upande wowote. Utakuwa mtumwa ama wa dhambi ama wa haki. Dhana potofu ya kujitawala binafsi — ndoto ya kisasa kwamba hakuna mtu anayemtumikia mtu yeyote — ni hivyo hasa, dhana potofu tu. Kila mwanadamu amefanywa mtumwa wa kitu fulani. Swali pekee ni bwana yupi.There is no neutral middle ground. You will be the slave either of sin or of righteousness. The myth of personal autonomy — the modern dream that nobody serves anybody — is precisely that, a myth. Every human being is enslaved to something. The only question is which master.

Hapa ndipo uhuru wa Injili unapotofautiana kabisa na ule wa ulimwengu. Ulimwengu unasema, "Kuwa huru; usitumikie chochote." Paulo anasema, "Utatumikia. Mchague Bwana wako. Yule utakayemchagua ataunda umbo la wewe ulivyo." Itumikie dhambi, nayo dhambi itakuangamiza hatua kwa hatua. Mtumikie Mungu, naye Mungu atakuumba hatua kwa hatua ufanane na Mwana wake.This is where the gospel's freedom is so radically different from the world's. The world says, "Be free; serve nothing." Paul says, "You will serve. Choose your Master. The one you choose will become the shape of who you are." Serve sin, and sin will steadily destroy you. Serve God, and God will steadily form you into the likeness of His Son.

5. Mshahara na Karama (6:20-23)5. The Wages and the Gift (6:20-23)

Sura inafungwa kwa mojawapo ya maelezo mafupi kabisa ya Injili katika Biblia nzima. Paulo analinganisha matokeo mawili ya aina hizo mbili za utumwa. Mtumwa wa dhambi huvuna kile ambacho dhambi hulipa. Mtumwa wa haki huvuna kile ambacho Mungu hutoa.The chapter closes with one of the most concise gospel statements in the entire Bible. Paul contrasts the two outcomes of the two slaveries. The slave of sin reaps what sin pays. The slave of righteousness reaps what God gives.

Soma nusu hizo mbili kwa makini. Nusu ya kwanza inataja kile ambacho dhambi huchuma — mshahara. Dhambi si bahili kwa wafanyakazi wake. Inawalipa sawasawa na kile walichokifanyia kazi, kikamilifu, bila makato yoyote: mauti. Mauti ya kiroho sasa, mauti ya kimwili baadaye, mauti ya milele mwishoni.Read those two halves carefully. The first half names what sin earns — wages. Sin is not stingy with its workers. It pays them exactly what they have worked for, in full, with no withholdings: death. Spiritual death now, physical death eventually, eternal death in the end.

Nusu ya pili inataja kile ambacho Mungu hutoa — karama. Uzima wa milele si mshahara. Hatukuuchuma. Hatungeweza kuuchuma. Unatolewa bure, katika Kristo Yesu Bwana wetu, kwa yeyote atakayeupokea.The second half names what God gives — a gift. Eternal life is not a wage. We did not earn it. We could not earn it. It is delivered freely, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to anyone who will receive it.

Mstari huu mmoja umetumika kuwaleta watu wengi kwenye imani pengine kuliko mstari mwingine wowote katika Warumi. Unachora mstari waziwazi. Barabara mbili. Hatima mbili. Moja inachumwa, nyingine inatolewa. Uchaguzi sasa unakuwa kama utaendelea kufanya kazi kwa ajili ya mshahara au utaipokea karama.This single verse has been used to bring more people to faith than perhaps any other in Romans. It draws the line clearly. Two roads. Two destinations. One earned, one given. The choice now becomes whether to keep working for the wage or to receive the gift.

6. Kufunguliwa Kutoka kwa Sheria Kupitia Kristo (7:1-6)6. Released from the Law Through Christ (7:1-6)

Mwanzoni mwa sura ya 7 Paulo anahamia kwenye kipengele cha tatu cha uhuru mpya wa mwamini. Kama vile mwamini amefunguliwa kutoka katika utawala wa dhambi, mwamini pia amefunguliwa kutoka katika utawala wa sheria. Analieleza hili kwa mfano wa ndoa, ulioandikwa hasa kwa ajili ya waamini Wayahudi miongoni mwa wasikilizaji wake waliozijua sheria za ndoa za Musa.Paul moves at the start of chapter 7 to a third aspect of the believer's new freedom. Just as the believer has been freed from sin's dominion, the believer has also been freed from the law's dominion. He illustrates this with a marriage analogy, written specifically for the Jewish believers in his audience who knew Mosaic marriage law.

Mwanamke amefungwa na mumewe maadamu mume yu hai. Akijiunga na mwanamume mwingine wakati mumewe yu hai, ataitwa mzinzi. Lakini mumewe akifa, amefunguliwa — na yuko huru kuolewa na mwingine bila dhambi.A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. If she joins herself to another man while her husband lives, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released — and is free to marry another without sin.

Jambo kuu linafika katika mstari wa 4. Ninyi nanyi mmeifia sheria kwa mwili wa Kristo, mpate kuwa mali ya mwingine, yaani, yeye aliyefufuka katika wafu, ili tumzalie Mungu matunda. Mfano huo ni sahihi kabisa. Mwamini amekufa pamoja na Kristo. Uhusiano uliomfunga mwamini na sheria umekomeshwa na kifo hicho. Sasa mwamini yuko huru kuunganishwa na Kristo — ndoa mpya, uhusiano mpya, chanzo kipya cha uzima na kuzaa matunda.The point lands in verse 4. You also became dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another — to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God. The illustration is precise. The believer has died with Christ. The relationship that bound the believer to the law has been ended by that death. The believer is now free to be united with Christ — a new marriage, a new relationship, a new source of life and fruitfulness.

Angalia kwamba kufunguliwa kutoka kwa sheria hakumaanishi kufunguliwa kutoka kwa huduma. Kunamaanisha njia mpya ya kutumikia. Njia ya zamani ilikuwa hali ya zamani ya andiko — kanuni za nje zikijaribu kutawala mioyo isiyobadilika. Njia mpya ni hali mpya ya Roho — badiliko la ndani linalozaa utii wa hiari kutoka katika asili iliyobadilishwa. Hatutumikii kidogo chini ya neema. Tunatumikia zaidi, na kutoka katika chanzo tofauti.Notice that release from the law does not mean release from service. It means a new way of serving. The old way was the oldness of the letter — external rules trying to govern unchanged hearts. The new way is the newness of the Spirit — internal transformation producing willing obedience from a changed nature. We do not serve less under grace. We serve more, and from a different source.

Warumi 6 na mwanzo wa Warumi 7 ndilo jibu kwa yeyote anayeshuku kwamba neema huenda ikawafanya Wakristo wawe wazembe kuhusu dhambi. Kinyume chake ndicho kweli. Neema, ikieleweka vizuri, huwafanya Wakristo waichukulie dhambi kwa uzito zaidi sana kuliko sheria ilivyowahi kufanya. Chini ya sheria, dhambi ilikuwa uvunjaji wa kanuni ya nje. Chini ya neema, dhambi ni usaliti wa Yule aliyekufa ili kutuweka huru mbali nayo. Msukumo wa ndani kabisa wa mwamini kwa ajili ya utakatifu si hofu ya adhabu. Ni upendo kwa Bwana aliyeununua uhuru huo.Romans 6 and the opening of Romans 7 are the answer to anyone who suspects that grace might make Christians casual about sin. The opposite is true. Grace, properly understood, makes Christians far more serious about sin than the law ever did. Under the law, sin was a violation of an external code. Under grace, sin is the betrayal of the One who died to set us free from it. The believer's deepest motive for holiness is not fear of punishment. It is love for the Master who purchased the freedom.