Romans 7:1-6

Released to Serve in Newness

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1Do you not know, brothers (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law has authority over a man only as long as he lives?

2For instance, a married woman is bound by law to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage.

3So then, if she is joined to another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law and is not an adulteress if she marries another man.

4Therefore, 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 lived according to the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, bearing fruit for death.

6But now, having died to what 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.

Berean Standard Bible

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Paul speaks to people who know the law and uses marriage as an illustration. A married woman is bound to her husband while he lives, but if he dies she is released from the law concerning marriage. If she belongs to another man while her husband lives, she is called an adulteress.

Through the body of Christ, believers have died to the law so that they may belong to another—to Him who has been raised from the dead. This new belonging is meant to bear fruit for God.

When believers lived in the flesh, sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in their members and bore fruit for death. Now they are released from the law, having died to what held them captive, so that they serve in the new way of the Spirit and not the old way of the written code.

Death changes which relationship binds a person. Paul applies that point to believers who have died with Christ. He is not declaring God's commands worthless. He is explaining their release from the law's condemning authority so that they belong to the risen Lord.

Notice the purpose of their freedom: they now serve. The law could name their duty but could not give sinful people the life to fulfill it. Christ gives them a new relationship, and the Spirit enables obedience that bears fruit for God.

Questions

1 What illustration does Paul use?

AnswerHe uses the legal bond of marriage and death to explain how a person is released from one binding relationship. The illustration serves his argument; it is not a complete teaching about marriage.

2 To whom do believers now belong?

AnswerThey belong to Christ, who was raised from the dead. The new belonging is not aimless freedom; it is meant to bear fruit for God.

3 What did sinful passions do under the old condition?

AnswerThey worked through the members and bore fruit for death. Paul describes the law's inability to produce life in people still ruled by the flesh.

4 How do believers serve now?

AnswerThey serve in the new way of the Spirit rather than the old way of the written code. The new life is active service, not simply release from a former obligation.

What This Means for Us

Serving God can become an anxious attempt to make ourselves acceptable. Paul begins elsewhere: believers belong to the risen Christ. From that relationship comes a life that bears fruit for God.

Think of a responsibility you have been treating as a chance to prove your worth. Bring it to Christ as someone who belongs to Him. Ask the Spirit to help you do it faithfully, whether anyone notices or not. The freedom Paul describes has room for patient, ordinary service.

The marriage example supports this argument about belonging to Christ. These few verses are not a complete treatment of marriage, separation or the care a person in an unsafe home needs.

Prayer

Risen Lord Jesus, thank You that we belong to You. Give us the Spirit's help to serve with willing hearts. Let our ordinary responsibilities bear fruit for God instead of becoming attempts to earn His welcome. Amen.

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