Romans 7:1-6 – Released from the Law
Paul is
speaking to those who know the law. He
tells them that the law has authority of man only as long as he lives. He uses the example of a married woman being
bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if he dies she is released
from the law of marriage and can remarry.
But if she remarries while her husband is still alive, she is an
adulteress. (Rom. 7:1-3)
Paul
says we also died to the law through the body of Christ so we might belong to
another, the one who was raised from the dead in order that we might bear fruit
to God.
We were
controlled by the sinful nature and sinful passions aroused by the law which
was at work in our bodies so we bore fruit for death. But now by dying to what bound us, we have
been released from the law so we can serve in the new way of the Spirit. (Rom.
7:4-6)
Believers
have died to sin and the law. We have
been freed from sin and are released from the law. We now walk in the newness of life and serve
in newness of the Spirit. This victory
is tied to our union with Christ in His death and resurrection. We are release from the law and the power of
sin like the woman is released when her husband dies. We are now joined to the crucified risen
Lord. We are remarried to Christ so we
might bear fruit for God.
What area
in your life do you need to be widowed from and married to Jesus?
The
Jews thought the law was given to make us holy, but Paul says the law served to
arouse us to sin. The law is holy and
good. We are the problem. Just because we have died to the law doesn’t
mean we can live the way we want and do whatever we please. We died to the law so that we are legally
free to be joined to Christ and His authority and as our husband.
The law
is not the answer to our sin problem, because all of us have violated the law
many times and will continue to do so.
You can post the commandments on your refrigerator and try to keep them
by your own strength, but it won’t work.
The law just arouses our sinful passions and will not quench our sinful
desires. Because of the power of Jesus,
we are free from the condemnation of the law and the power of sin is broken.
Are you
a Christian? You
cannot be partly Christian. You are
either dead or alive, born or not born.
It is not a gradual process. You
are or you are not a Christian. If you
are not a Christian, you are under condemnation of the law. Put your trust in Christ and then you will be
released from the law and joined with Christ.
Then you can bear fruit for God.
Principle: We are released from sin through Christ to
bear fruit for God.
Romans 7:7-13 – The Purpose of the Law
Paul
says the law is not sin and that he would have not known what sin was except
through the law. Apart from the law sin
is dead. He uses the example of “do not
covet”. Once he was alive apart from the
law, but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and he died. The commandment that was intended to bring
life actually brought death. Sin
deceived him and through the commandment put him to death. The law is holy and the commandment is holy,
righteous and good. In order that sin
might be recognized as sin, it produced death in him through what was good so
sin might become utterly sinful. (Rom. 7:7-13)
Paul
said the law isn’t sinful and he chose the commandment of “do not covet” as an
example. To want others possessions is a
sin. He didn’t know this until the law
was shown to him. The law is good, but
it’s our human nature that seems to want things just because God forbids
them. The law is holy and righteous because
God gave it and God is holy and perfect.
God intended the law to help people.
He says the law is good. It is
sin that causes death.
Romans 7:14-25 – The Law and Our Struggles
Paul
says he knows the law is spiritual, but he is unspiritual and sold as a slave
to sin. He doesn’t understand what he
does. For what he wants to do he doesn’t
do and what he hates he does do. It is
the sin living in him and nothing good lives in him in his sinful nature. He has the desire to do good, but doesn’t
carry it out. (Rom. 7:14-25)
Paul is
speaking of the past in 7-13, before
his conversion. Verses 14-25 is after his conversion. There is a lot of controversy of whether Paul
is speaking of himself or not in these verses.
Some think it was before he was saved.
Some think it was when he was a new believer and some when he was a
mature believer.
Either
way I think we can all identify with him.
The Christian life is not easy. Paul
struggled with his own sin conflict with sin.
We all have struggles against sin and we are not perfect. We will continue in conflict with sin as long
as we live in this world. We have to
depend on the Holy Spirit to guide when tempted. We like Paul should give thanks to God for
Jesus who rescued us.
How has
Jesus rescued you?
Where
do you struggle in your Christian life?
I have
been a Christian most of my life and have studied the Bible over the
years. You would think because of this I
would feel better about myself, but I’m like Paul and I don’t. I think it’s because the more I study and
experience Him the more He reveals my sins to me. I
want to do what I should, but my sin nature sometimes keeps me from it. I will never arrive to perfection in this
life. I am constantly learning and
growing in my faith.
This is
a very difficult passage to understand, but that is not Paul’s main
concern. His concern is not to share his
personal experience, but to tell us that God’s law is not evil. He is trying to show that the law bring
conviction of sin and that we are powerless and need Christ’s power to save us.
Principle: The Christian life is a struggle, but Jesus
rescues us.
Next time
we will study Romans 8. Have a blessed day and thanks for visiting my
site. Hope to see you here again. -- I
encourage you to trust in Jesus.
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