Romans 7:1–3: Or do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives? For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man.
These verses actually continue the discussion that Paul began in Romans 6:15, answering the question, “Shall we sin because we are not under the Law, but under grace?” He used the illustration of a master and servant to explain how the Christian should yield himself to God. In this passage he used the illustration of a husband and wife to show that the believer has a new relationship to the Law because of his union with Jesus Christ. The illustration is a simple one, but it has a profound application.
When a man and woman marry, they are united for life. Marriage is a physical union and can only be broken by a physical cause. One such cause is death. (Matt.19:1–12 indicate that unfaithfulness breaks the marriage bond, but Paul does not bring this up. He is not discussing marriage and divorce; he is using marriage to illustrate a point.). 1
Application
- Can living under the law make you into the “perfect Christian?”
- Can living under His grace transform you into a more “fruitful Christian?”
Prayer
Lord, thank You that I am now married to You, and not the demands of the law.
1. Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
