Romans 7:1-6

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.