Romans 7:1-6
Contrary to what it is often used for, these first several verses of Romans 7 are not Paul’s treatise against divorce. Within the context of the entire book, this illustration of marriage and divorce is meant to work as a metaphor for Paul’s teaching on freedom from the Law of Moses. When viewed through this lens, these verses speak volumes as to what truly happened to us when we received Christ.
Paul’s audience is the Jewish people (“I speak to them that know the law” verse 1) and he reminds them that the Law dominates them as long as they are alive. Just as a woman is bound to her husband by the covenant of marriage as long as he is lives (verse 2). If the husband dies, she is loosed from that covenant.
If a woman runs off with another man while she is still married, she is called an adulteress (verse 3), 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).
Our first husband was a tough taskmaster. He made loud 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 day and night trying to live up to his standards and we constantly fell short. 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.
Then he died, and our life started brand new again. Our old husband was the Law and our salvation sounded his death sentence. Jesus, having 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 (Ephesians 5:26).
We have been joined together to Christ through the marriage of salvation (Ephesians 5:31). This marriage has delivered us from the bondage of the Law (Romans 7:6). Don’t think that you will run away and “sin like crazy” now that you are free from the trappings of the Mosaic Law. Actually, the contrary is true. We once served our husband in the letter of the Law, with its demands written in stone. Now, we serve our new husband with a new spirit (verse 6). Quite literally, we served the first husband because we had too. We serve the new husband because we truly want to, in our heart.
Contrary to what it is often used for, these first several verses of Romans 7 are not Paul’s treatise against divorce. Within the context of the entire book, this illustration of marriage and divorce is meant to work as a metaphor for Paul’s teaching on freedom from the Law of Moses. When viewed through this lens, these verses speak volumes as to what truly happened to us when we received Christ.
Paul’s audience is the Jewish people (“I speak to them that know the law” verse 1) and he reminds them that the Law dominates them as long as they are alive. Just as a woman is bound to her husband by the covenant of marriage as long as he is lives (verse 2). If the husband dies, she is loosed from that covenant.
If a woman runs off with another man while she is still married, she is called an adulteress (verse 3), 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).
Our first husband was a tough taskmaster. He made loud 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 day and night trying to live up to his standards and we constantly fell short. 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.
Then he died, and our life started brand new again. Our old husband was the Law and our salvation sounded his death sentence. Jesus, having 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 (Ephesians 5:26).
We have been joined together to Christ through the marriage of salvation (Ephesians 5:31). This marriage has delivered us from the bondage of the Law (Romans 7:6). Don’t think that you will run away and “sin like crazy” now that you are free from the trappings of the Mosaic Law. Actually, the contrary is true. We once served our husband in the letter of the Law, with its demands written in stone. Now, we serve our new husband with a new spirit (verse 6). Quite literally, we served the first husband because we had too. We serve the new husband because we truly want to, in our heart.
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