Romans 7:1-6

NO LONGER BOUND TO THE LAW

 Romans 7:1-6

Paul was a man that lived by the law. Prior, when he was Saul, he avidly pursued Christians because they were breaking the laws he knew at that time. When Christ met him on the road and blinded him a new set of rules were introduced to him. He became a warrior for Christ he even corrected Peter once when he failed to include Gentiles in a discussion. He again was reacting to the rules that he had been given.

Rom 7:1 Now, dear brothers and sisters—you who are familiar with the law—don't you know that the law applies only while a person is living?

When you are dead your judgement has been given and you are then under God’s control.

Rom 7:2 For example, when a woman marries, the law binds her to her husband as long as he is alive. But if he dies, the laws of marriage no longer apply to her. Rom 7:3 So while her husband is alive, she would be committing adultery if she married another man. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law and does not commit adultery when she remarries. Rom 7:4 So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the One who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God.

“You died to the power of the law”. When we are here alive on earth and we are Christians. We follow God’s word which for us is the Bible. When we join Christ we will have a new set of rules because temptation from Satan is Gone. I have to admit that sounds really good. You don’t have to worry about all the goings on here on earth, the negative news, gossip, temptations, all those things that can cause us heartaches.

Rom 7:5 When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death. Rom 7:6 But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit.

The Life Application New Testament Commentary ended this section this way:” 7:6 This statement anticipates the spiritual solution to the problems Paul will address in this chapter. Because we have been released from the law, we no longer have to serve in the old way by obeying the letter of the law. In other words, the law is not erased, but it is no longer to be obeyed on the superficial level of “works” (the way of obedience familiar to the Jews). Nor are we freed from all responsibility to serve. God still desires our moral obedience, but we are to serve Christ by focusing on his desires, not on a list of commands. We have been released so that we can serve in the new way, by the Spirit living within us, guiding us, and showing us how to please God. We are still called to serve, but our master is gracious, and we are no longer trapped by the cycle of effort, failure, and guilt”.