Romans 7, part 1- Two Marriages!

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?
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.
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.

I love how Paul uses illustrations to help us understand deep spiritual truths. Paul uses the marriage covenant to help us understand how we are bound to sin. Sadly, in our culture we do not have a godly view of marriage, divorce is so rampant. But if we can understand for a moment the kind of marriage Paul is referring to it will help us better understand the bondage of sin. The kind of marriage is the type that doesn't divorce, the kind that is until death do us part. It is a lasting promises; one that takes death to dissolve it.

Marriage to the Law

When the law (Moses Law) was given we became married to it. The law is written on our hearts, it reveals our sin. The law also defined what sin was; so our human nature wanted to sin all the more. In this marriage with the law is lead to more sinfulness. It produced a "harvest of sinful deeds". Our sinful man cannot understand it's true purpose all we want to do is disobey it or obey it in word only not in our hearts.

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.

Marriage to Christ

But when we believed in Christ we died in that marriage and then became released from that promise. (Remember Romans 6:8-11?)We then enter a new covenant with Christ a marriage that will never die. Now we can produce a "harvest of good deeds" for God. We are no longer bound by sin but free in the Spirit. In some ways it is ironic because we now understand the heart of the law. God gave the law to protect us; because He loves us. We obey the law because we love God in return; we now understand it.

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.

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.

Oooooo good stuff, this portion is really going to help us with tomorrows study! One of my favorite parts of scripture....I can't wait!

GET JOY!

Check out Jenilee's study on Romans, today!