Romans 7:1-6 – Freedom in Christ

Apart from the peace with Christ and sanctified living, the believers’ new status in Christ brought freedom. In Romans 7:1-6, Paul used a new imagery to talk about freedom as another aspect of a believer’s union with Christ. The imagery Paul used here is that of a marriage. In these Scriptures, he first states a principle and then proceeds to illustrate it before applying to the lives of the believers.

In verse 1, Paul states the principle. He was conveying the fact that the Law can be enforced on one only as long as he is alive. When that person dies, the Law no longer has power or effect over him. Thus, as long as a believer lives by his natural self, he is under the jurisdiction of the Law. But once he is dead to his natural state, the demands of the Law no longer have any effect in him.

In verses 2-3, now Paul illustrated it with the image of a marriage. He tells us that as long as the husband of a woman is alive, the law of marriage would bind her to him. She would be guilty of adultery if she leaves him for another man. But if that husband dies, the law that bound her to that marriage would no longer have any jurisdiction over her. She would be free to marry another man and would not be branded an adulteress. Death has released her from the law pertaining to marriage. Paul’s point was this: the only way to be free from the demands of the Law is for us to be dead. Until that happens, the Law will always be there to make demands that we can never keep.

Paul reminded his hearers in verse 4 that they were dead to the Law through the “body of Christ.” When Jesus died on that cross, believers who are identified in Him also died, and their marriage to the Law and all of its demands were also terminated. Believers had died to the Law in Christ. The Law no longer has any jurisdiction over them. They are now free to belong to another and indeed they did. They now belong to the resurrected Christ and are marked for fruitfulness. 

Verses 5 and 6 made a contrast of the old life of sin to the new life in Christ. In the old life of sin, believers were under the control of the flesh and their sinful appetite. The Law, taking advantage of their sinful nature, goaded the believers to engage in activities that would lead to death. But by dying to the Law, believers are now free from the power of the Law and are released to serve in the liberty of the Spirit.

Being identified with Christ in His death, our marriage to the Law is dissolved. We are released from the Law to serve God in the new way of the Spirit. We have joy and hope, liberty, life, and not hopelessness, nor slavery, nor death. Praise the Lord!