Romans 7:1-6
1Do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to men who know the law—that the law has authority over a man only as long as he lives? 2For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage. 3So then, if she marries another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress, even though she marries another man.
4So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God. 5For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death. 6But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.
So we start here in the seventh chapter of Romans with Paul drawing a comparison between a man and a woman who are married and our relationship with Christ. This comparison will be for us about our spiritual selves dealing with our sin nature before we had come to Christ and now after our conversion being bound to Christ now and not any longer being bound to sin.
Romans 7:1-3 1Do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to men who know the law—that the law has authority over a man only as long as he lives? 2For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress, even though she marries another man.
Now Paul back in chapter six has been talking to us about freeing ourselves from the bondage of sin as non believers and now as Christians being a willing slave to Christ. That is turning from a life of sin, and through our faith in Christ to now live a new life of righteousness through Him.
So Paul here in my opinion is just using a common situation such as marriage, as an illustration so that he can make a point. Of course keep in mind that back in Paul’s time marriage was something that was more binding than what many see marriage as today.
Here are a few points that I see Paul making here.
Romans 7:1Do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to men who know the law—that the law has authority over a man only as long as he lives?
Paul is asking the question if the law has authority over people. He is asking this question to those who know the law well because they were Jews. I am sure they would have answered Paul yes, but Paul is going to teach them that it doesn’t have authority over those who are in Christ.
Remember that the law was given to us by God to show us our sin and our slavery to it. But now as Christians Christ has freed us from that slavery through His sacrificial death on the cross for the payment of our sins.
In fact, through our faith in Him our old selves as sinners has died along with Christ and that is what frees us from that bondage.
Paul is showing us that we now have a new authority over us. It is no longer sin but now it is Christ. 1 Corinthians 6:20 “You were bought at a price." Christ purchased us.
So Paul gives us an illustration using marriage to show us how we once were married to sin, bound to it. Then that marriage was dissolved because sin died in us once we gained faith in Christ. We were no longer bound to it. At that point not being bound to sin any longer we now are able to marry another.
Romans 7:2-3 - 2For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage. 3So then, if she marries another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress, even though she marries another man.
Christ calls all believers in Him His bride.
Me being someone’s bride was a little hard for me to understand at first. But Christ wanted us to understand the relationship we now had with Him. That Christ and us have now been joined together forever. They way a true marriage should be.
Ephesians chapter 5 talks a little about husbands and wives.
For the husband
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.”
For the wife
“Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.”
Christ loves us and cleansed us from our sin, and we as Christians will submit to Christ for He is our savior.
Romans 7:4-5 - 4So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God. 5For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death.
For those of you who say what is my purpose here? What does God want from me? Here it is right in verse 4. You have been saved from the wrath of God so that you may bear fruit for Him.
Need it a little clearer?
God has saved your soul so that you can do the work He has called you to do. What is the work He has called you to do? He has saved you from an eternity in hell so that you can be a tool used in bringing others that He has called to Him. And that brings Him glory.
John Piper says this about verse 4 …… The Passion of Jesus Christ page80.
Romans 7:6 But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.
“We serve in the new way of the Spirit.” The Holy Spirit given to us by the grace of God now leads our life for us. We have become a new person who is not lead by our old sinful ways anymore but lead by a true passion and desire to serve God and Christ.
If that isn’t a miracle then I don’t think there is any such thing. Looking back on my life I can say that it is for sure a true miracle.
God chose me, a sinner that only deserved his wrath and not any of the many great and loving things that He has given me.
He has given me my beautiful wife, all of you, this church to serve in, the list goes on and on.
All of these undeserved gifts are a testament of Gods love for me.
It is important for us to always reflect on and understand our unworthiness. It is also important for us to reflect on Gods love and grace for us.
