
7 Or
do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), that the law
has dominion over a man as long as he lives? 2 For the woman
who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long
as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. 3 So then if,
while her husband lives,
she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband
dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has
married another man.4 Therefore, my
brethren, you also have become 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.5 For when we
were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at
work in our members to bear fruit to death. 6 But now we have
been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we
should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of
the letter.
Romans 7:1-6
This passage is not Paul’s write up on the issue of divorce
as many have taught. If you at it in context of the entire book of Romans, this
concept of marriage and divorce is employed by the Apostle Paul to teach on the
freedom from the Law of Moses. When you at it from this angle you will get the
revelation of what truly happened to us when we received Christ.
The little was written to a Jewish audience that’s why he
said “I speak to them that know the law” and he reminds them that the Law
dominates them as long as they are alive. In the same way a woman is bound to
her husband by the covenant of marriage as long as he is lives as seen inverse
2. If the husband dies, she is free from that covenant.
If a woman decides to run off with another man while she is
still married, she is called an adulteress, but if she were to wait until her
husband was dead and then remarry, she “is no adulteress” (Romans 7:3). Using
this example, Paul concludes that we are dead to the marriage that we had with
the Mosaic Law due to the “body of Christ” (Romans 7:4). The phrase “body of
Christ” speaks of the death of our Lord on the cross. We were baptized into His
death at salvation (Romans 6:3), thus we are as dead to the Law as He is. Now
that we have died to the Law, we are free to marry another, and the one that we
are married to is the one “who is raised from the dead” (Romans 7:4).
A confused Christian who is now married to the law and but
still dates the law. That person would only end up cheating his/herself of the fullness
of the relationship and fellowship in Christ. This mixture relationship will
produce confusion and keep you out of rest.
Our first husband, The Law was a tough taskmaster. He made impossible
demands on us that we could never keep. He was perfect and just and good but he
always reminded us that we were none of those things. We spent all our lives
trying to live up to his standards and we constantly fell short in one way or
the other. When we were unable to perform just right, he provided us with no
mercy or help. He spoke the truth to us, but it always cut and hurt because it
exposed our flaws and our problems. He wore us out, and we were constantly
tired and beat down. The relationship was lop-sided because both parties could
not enjoy a beneficial relationship.
Then one day the tyrant died, and our life started brand new
again. Our old husband was the Law and his death sentence was pronounced in our
salvation. Jesus took our place and kept the demands of the Law perfectly, paid
the price for all of our Law-breaking, which freed us from that Old Covenant.
Now we are married to our new husband, Jesus Christ. He puts
no hard demands on us; in fact, He is easy and His burdens are light. We serve
Him in every way though He never demands it. His loving presence brings forth
wonderful fruit from our lives (Romans 7:4). We are a better spouse to Him than
we ever were to our old husband, because this husband washes us with the water
of words, speaking sweet nothings into our ear.
6 “that
He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,"
(Ephesians 5:26).
There is no place for fear in this sweet relationship. Unfortunately
some Christians still see Jesus as the harsh old man. They are afraid of being
beaten and thrown into the streets for not being good. They suffer from
abusive-spouse syndrome.
We have been joined together to Christ through the marriage
of salvation. This marriage has delivered us from the bondage of the Law
(Romans 7:6). This divorce is not a license to sin but to freedom. Now, we
serve our new husband with a new spirit (verse 6). We served the first husband of
out obligation but we serve our new husband because out of relationship and
fellowship. Our husband doesn’t just want to be in the house because he needs
someone to clean the dishes but because he values us himself that is why we are
called his body.