When we consider the Apostle Paul’s language in Romans 7, he reminds us of the centrality of our new identity as those united to Christ. This union to Christ is a life-altering reality. God makes demands of us as His people. Romans 7:1-5 can be summarized under this central idea: You must live according to your new status since you are united to Christ, have died to sin, and are now free to live fruitful lives to God by the Holy Spirit.
United to Christ Completely: After using a marriage illustration, the Apostle Paul wrote, “you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead” (Romans 7:4) What does that mean? Because we are united to Christ like a bride to her groom, we desire to honor, cherish, love, serve, and give ourselves wholly to Him. This is what a godly marriage looks like: unreserved selflessness and entire commitment.
Our understanding of our union with Christ fuels our desire to live for Him. The believer wants to live for Christ because they know Christ is united to them. He is with them everywhere they go. Christ is a witness to them in every situation. We may be crushed by this reality because we are still those who struggle with the on-going remnants of sin in our hearts even though we are born again. We need Him to help. We need Him to come and do a radical work in us because our efforts only always leave us sinfully stained.
Until Christ cleanses us, we can only continue our sinful acts. This is why vague morality or bare virtue is pointless before our holy God. Only by the blood of Christ can our filthy hands be cleansed. There is no holiness without the Holy Spirit’s work in us. Something has to be done about our sin. Thankfully, God has done something for us by forever bringing us marred, sinful, and wretched to His son for regeneration, purification, and cleansing.
Dead to Sin Unreservedly: As we consider Paul’s statements about the law of God from the earlier sections of Romans, we can only come to one conclusion: the law of God can never save us. The law leaves us condemned. So what can we do? We have only two choices: 1) to die condemned in our sin; 2) to be united to the One who was willing to die for us.
The Apostle tells us that he accommodates our limitations by returning to an earthly illustration: marriage. In marriage, you are only free to live and sleep with your spouse and such an act is holy. If you are married and you live and sleep with someone who is not your spouse, this is unholy and called adultery. This is a breach of the seventh commandment and this sin lies at the heart of many evils in our day. All sex outside the confines of God’s definition of marriage is sinful and self-destructive. As believers, sexual purity is an evidence of our holiness before God and a fruit we strive to maintain.
Returning to the marriage illustration, the Apostle tells us that this law is in force as long as the husband is alive. If the spouse dies, the living spouse is free to remarry. In marriage, death is the defining factor for determining whether an action is worthy of God’s condemnation or delight. We must remember that God is the One who designed marriage. As its author, He alone has the authority to determine what is right, good, and legitimate. Not you, me, or any other creature. Feelings are not the final judge in the pursuit of truth. God alone has this sovereign and ultimate role.
Paul uses this illustration to tell us what has happened to us in our union with Christ. “we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive.” (Romans 7:6) Your baptism signifies your death to the power of the law to condemn you. Why? Because Christ was already condemned for your sakes. The Son of God drank the full cup of God’s wrath so that we could drink the sweet wine of the Lord’s Supper and be cleansed by His blood. Paul reminds us that this all occurred “so that you may belong to another, to him.” (Romans 7:4) God has forever united you to His Son, and Himself, by the Holy Spirit. This is His glorious work of praise, not yours. It is the work of His choice and will, not yours. Do not rob God of His glory. Praise Him for His sovereign grace.
Freed to Live Fruitfully: The horror of our natural estate apart from Christ is one of sin, dread, misery, sorrow, and self-destruction. When we’ve spent long enough fighting in our own strength we can begin to move into hopelessness. And to be frank, our situation on our own is properly hopeless. But the promises of God only become sweet to us when we come to the end of ourselves. Only then can we can see ourselves and God rightly. The Bible cuts through the horror of our sin with two powerful words, “But now”. Yes we were hopeless, “But now” everything is different.
In our union with Christ, we are no longer under the horror of the condemnation of the law, nor are we held captive by sin. This means simply that God’s supreme work of salvation in your hearts and lives has two necessary consequences: 1) the power of sin no longer dominates you; 2) the power of the Spirit now empowers you to bear spiritual fruit. We learn what such fruit looks like by seeing the law through the lens of Christ. We do not desire to keep the law of God, that is the Ten commandments, in order to be saved but because we are saved. In Christ, the law is sweet and our guide. We do not serve to be loved but serve because we are loved by God. May such news lead you into greater faith, hope, and love.