Rom 7:4-6 “Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.”
In the first few verses of this chapter, Paul clarifies that he is speaking to people who know the law. They understand that if a woman is married to a man and he dies, she is free from that marriage. Not only is she free from that marriage, but she is free to marry again. It is with this understanding firmly in place that Paul begins his exhortation in verse four.
Just like the woman in the natural illustration that Paul used, we are become dead to the law that had us bound in a relationship that demanded righteousness from us. We failed time and time again to meet this demand for righteousness under the requirements of the law. Thankfully, we have become dead to the law. However, this was not what we would call a death by natural causes.
The phrase “are become dead” carries the idea of being put to death or killed. The law that we could not keep did not simply choose to die. It was not by our choice that we became dead to the law. We became dead to the law by the body of Christ.
David tells us that “For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee (Psalms 5:4).” Since the law is used to make sin apparent, we could never expect to dwell with God as long as we were under the law. God, in His mercy, sent His only begotten Son to satisfy the law so that He might be the end of the law for righteousness. God’s purpose in this is that we “should be married to another.”
The phrase “should be” carries the meaning “caused to be.” By the body of Christ, we are caused to be married to Him who is raised from the dead. This is a fruitful union that caused us to bring forth fruit unto God. Our fruit-bearing is totally changed when we are married to Christ.
If we live according to the flesh (after the carnal man), the motions (influence) of sins work in us. The fruit of that work is unto death. It is the law that manifests the working of sins. Christ, with His body, satisfied the whole law of God and imputed His righteousness unto us.
We are delivered from the law. We did not escape from the law, but we were rescued from the law by Jesus. The law that held us is dead to us, and we are alive in Christ. We are blessed to serve God in newness of Spirit (out of love), and not in the oldness of the letter (out of duty-bound legality).
May we always give God the glory for being made free from the law that we might be married to Jesus who loves us with an everlasting love!
