I read this last week about a pastor who was
standing at the door. Romans chapter 7, beginning
in verse 1, will be our text for today. The subject
is, free from the law. Do you not know, brethren,
for I am speaking to those who know the law?
that the law has jurisdiction over a person as
long as he lives. For the married woman is bound
by the law to her husband while he is living.
But if her husband dies, she is released from
the law concerning the husband. So then, if,
while her husband is living, she is joined to
another man, she shall be called an adulteress.
But if her husband dies, she is free from the
law, so that she is not an adulteress, though
she is joined to another man. Therefore, my brethren,
you also were made to die to the law through
the body of Christ, that you might be joined
to another, to him who was raised from the dead,
that we might bear fruit for God. For while we
were in the flesh, the sinful passions which
were aroused by the law, were at work in the
members of our body to bear fruit for death.
But now we have been released from the law, having
died to that by which we were bound, so that
we serve in newness of the Spirit, not in oldness
of the letter. God's righteousness which saves
us, and we call that justification, is also that
righteousness which is experienced in our daily
lives, which we call sanctification. In chapter
3, verse 21, up through the end of chapter 5,
the Apostle talks about God's saving righteousness.
Beginning in chapter 6, on through chapter 8
then, he is speaking about God's sanctifying
righteousness. This righteousness God wants us
to know, both in position and in experience,
And we can know it because of our union with
Jesus Christ, chapters 6 and 7, and our being
indwelt by the Holy Spirit, chapter 8. Let me
repeat that. God wants us to know and to experience
His righteousness. We can because of our identity
or our union with Jesus Christ, chapters 6 and
7, and our being indwelt by the Holy Spirit,
chapter 8. Now as Paul preached this message
of salvation by grace through faith without works,
and apart from the law, the Jew in particular
had two problems. These questions came to his
mind. They heard Paul say, where sin abounds,
grace is what? Much more abounds. And so they
logically figured, well, Paul, if you're saying
if we sin this much that God's grace abounds
that much, then shouldn't we sin this much so
that God's grace will be magnified even more?
That's what chapter 6, verse 1 asks. Shall we
continue in sin, Paul, that grace may abound?
And in chapter 6 he answers that question. As
we come to chapter 7, the apostle deals with
the second problem that the Jew had. What about
the law, Paul? Where does it fit in? If you're
saying we are saved apart from the law, then
what was its purpose in the first place? Where
does the law fit into God's plans? And you must
remember that this was important not only to
Jew but to Gentile. Because the Roman church
was made up of both. And the only written revelation
they had from God at that time was the Old Testament.
The New Testament was still in the process of
being written. And so they studied the Old Testament.
The Jew knew it well. The Gentile who had been
saved was learning about it. And so the apostle
now wants them to see that the sanctions of that
law of the Old Testament were no longer binding
on their relationship to God. Now let me approach
the overview of these chapters from a little
different perspective. In chapter 6, he tells
us the believer is free from what? From sin.
In chapter 7, he tells us the believer is free
from the law. So that's a way to divide these
two chapters. The subject of chapter 6 is sin.
For example, look in verse 1, he uses that word.
Are we to continue in sin? that grace may abound,
may increase. So sin is the subject of chapter
6. In chapter 7, verse 1, he uses the keyword
law. He says, I'm speaking to those who know
the law. And so sin, the subject of chapter 6.
Law, the subject of chapter 7. Now there are
other parallels between the two chapters, and
let me just go over them briefly, and you're
going to have to really listen closely. For example,
look in verse 2 of chapter 6. He says, How shall
we who what? Died to sin still live in it. And
so he says we died to sin. In chapter 7, verse
4, in the text we read, he says that we were
made to die to the law. So there's a parallel.
Chapter 6, we died to sin. Chapter 7, we died
to the law. Again in chapter 6, this time in
verse 4, he says, we have been resurrected that
we might walk in newness of life. See that? The
end of the verse. We ought to walk in newness
of life. In chapter 7, verse 6, he puts it this
way. We serve in newness of the Spirit. So he
talks about a new walk in chapter 6. A new way
of serving. Chapter 7. In chapter 6, verse 7,
he says, He who has died is freed from sin. So
we've died and we are free from sin. In chapter
7, verse 6, just the reverse, he says we have
died to the law and therefore we are released
from it. We are free from the law. So in chapter
6, we're free from sin. Chapter 7, free from
the law. And one more parallel, verse 18 of chapter
6, says that we have been set free from sin.
Having been freed from sin, you became slaves
of righteousness. Chapter 7, verse 3, uses that
same phrase, that we are free from the law, as
in the illustration that he gives. And again,
I point out verse 6, released. from the law,
having died to it. To say it very simply, chapter
6 tells us how to stop doing bad things. Chapter
7 tells us how not to do good things. Chapter
6 tells us how to stop sinning. There are some
things we are to know, we are to consider them
to be true, and we are to present ourselves to
God as His servants. Chapter 7 tells us how we
are not to do good things. And essentially the
apostle tells us in this chapter that we are
neither saved nor are we sanctified by keeping
the law. When we keep law, we are doing good
things the wrong way. That's kind of the subject
we're going to look at this morning. The theme
for our text today, verses 1 through 6, is found
back in chapter 14, chapter 6 rather, verse 14,
where he says, you are not under law. In other
words, the apostle says, you are not under law
as a means or a method of acquiring salvation
or experiencing God's righteousness in your life.
You are not under law. Now to enforce that truth,
the apostle first gives us an illustration, verses
1 through 3. And then he applies it. The illustration,
very clearly, is marriage, right? He talks about
marriage in verses 1 through 3. Now how does
Paul use the illustration of marriage to show
that we are no longer under law, that we're free
from it? Well, as we look at the illustration,
I want you to notice five things about it. I
think five reasons why he uses this illustration.
Reason number one, marriage represents a lifelong
union between two parties. In the marriage vows,
part of them say, so long as you both shall live.
These days it's being changed by some to say,
so long as you both shall love. Which cheapens
the whole idea of marriage. The vow should say,
so long as you both shall live. It is a lifelong
commitment. And that is emphasized in verse 2
when it says, the woman is bound. That word,
that verb, means permanently bound. Marriage
is intended by God to be a lifelong relationship,
union between two parties. Reason number two
for the illustration, it is a physical union
which is broken by a physical cause. In the context
of the illustration, it's death. He says that
death breaks the physical union called marriage.
Now people say, well, what about divorce? What
about remarriage? Well, that is not Paul's subject
here. There are those people who take this illustration
and say, this is God's only law about marriage.
And that is not true. What he's giving us here
is the general principle that marriage is to
be a lifelong relationship. But there are exceptions
to that. In the beginning, marriage was not just
to be lifelong, but it was to be a permanent
thing, wasn't it? There was no death. But sin
entered the picture. Sin ruined the ideal because
death came and ended that relationship. Just
as sin has marred and ruined every other aspect
of God's creation, it has marred and affected
marriage as well. In my ministry I teach that
God does allow divorce. And the reasons are physical.
It is a physical union. It is broken only by
a physical cause. God allows divorce on the one
hand in the case of adultery. Matthew chapter
19, Jesus says that. Argued as it may be argued,
and it is argued. That's what he says. And in
1 Corinthians 7, he indicates that when two people
are married and one of them becomes a believer
and the unbeliever deserts, leaves, says, I don't
want any more of you. You're a different person
than I married. that that believer is free from
the law of marriage. Divorce is allowable in
that case. Beyond that, there is no allowance
for divorce. The idea of incompatibility is outlawed.
There is no such thing as that in God's word.
But for those two specific physical reasons,
in addition to death, there is an end to the
marriage union. But in the context of the illustration,
the apostle... He was simply pointing out the
general principle that marriage is intended by
God to be a lifelong relationship. It is broken
by physical death. In heaven, the marriage relationship
will not be carried on. Yes, I think we will
know those who are our spouses, our children,
aunts, uncles, so on in heaven. We're not going
to be more ignorant there, surely, than we are
here. But you see, the relationship there will
be a different kind of relationship, a different
basis. Will there be the redeemed, glorified
children of God? Though we may remember our earthly
relationships. But physical death breaks the
union. Reason number three, when death breaks
the union, it is broken forever. In other words,
it cannot be rekindled. Once death occurs on
the part of one of the parties, that marriage
is ended forever. The one who has died cannot
be resurrected and brought back so that the marriage
could continue. Death ends it for good. And then
reason number four, he uses this illustration
because when marriage is broken, the possibility
exists for another union. In the illustration,
in other words, the survivor, in the case of
the illustration, the wife, has the right for
remarriage. Doesn't have to use it, but she can
be joined in another union. In the Lord, of course,
if she's a Christian. So when the marriage is
broken, the possibility exists for a brand new
union. in the blessing of God. There is no adultery
involved in that kind of thing. And then in verse,
in the fifth reason, why he uses this illustration
is because the purpose of marriage is in part
propagation. That is, we're to bear fruit. God
said in the garden that man and woman were to
replenish the earth, be fruitful, multiply in
other words. As for the completion of the two,
yes. But it's for the carrying on of the human
race there is to be fruit. And I hope you wrote
those five reasons down as we talk about the
five reasons why he uses this illustration of
marriage. Because now we're going to carry it
over into the application. And I'm going to give
five corresponding truths dealing with the application
spiritually that we are free from the law. Truth
number one. When we were unsaved, or as he says
in verse 5, in the flesh, and by the way that
becomes a very important term, you might want
to underscore that. When we were unsaved in the
flesh, we were under the law. That is, we were
married to the law, united to it. It was, spiritually
speaking, our spouse. Now what did the law do
for us? What did our marriage partner, spiritually
speaking, do for us? Three things. Number one,
it aroused our sinful passions. That's what he
says in verse 5. When we were in the flesh, the
sinful passions were aroused by the law. God
did not give the law to subdue our sinful tendencies.
In fact, the law was given that transgressions
might increase, that sin might really be exposed.
And so our spouse, so to speak, the law, stimulated
our sin. And we get more into that next week
in what Paul says in that text. What else did
the law do for us? Well, it bound us with its
obligations that we were unable to keep. The
law is able to express what we should do, but
it cannot empower us to do it. It holds us down
and fast. That's what it says in verse 6. That
we were bound in the law. And the third thing
the law does for us or did for us before we were
saved is that it condemned us to death. The law
said do this and you will live. We couldn't do
it. Therefore the law says you shall die. That's
why the apostle in 2 Corinthians 3 .9 calls it
the ministry unto or of condemnation. In verse
5 here, he talks about the fact that we bear
fruit for death because of the law working in
us. So what did the law do for us? Well, it bound
us. It held us down with its obligations. It
aroused our sinful tendencies and caused us to
be stimulated to sin even more. And it condemned
us to judgment, to death, eternal separation
from God. So truth number one is that when we
were unsaved, we were married to that spouse.
We were united to it. Truth number two. This
spiritual union with the law was broken by spiritual
identification with Christ in his death. We're
talking now not about a physical union, as in
the illustration, but about a spiritual union.
And he tells us that that spiritual union we
had with the law was broken because we died with
Christ. Look in verse 4. My brethren, you also
were made to die to the law. How? Through the
body of Christ. In other words, when Jesus Christ
died on the cross, we what? We died with him.
We've said that before in chapter 6, applying
it there to sin. He says we died with Christ
in his body when he died. And when we were saved,
we were identified with him at that death. And
that old marriage, that old union to the law
was severed. It was broken. Actually, in the
illustration that he gives, we correspond to
the husband, not to the wife. Because you see,
the law didn't die. We died. when we were saved.
Are you following me? This is such important
truth, and it really takes people who are thinking
to get it. And it's a little warm in here, and
you may be tempted to let your mind wander, so
stick with it here and let the Spirit of God
speak to you. When you and I were saved, we were
identified with Jesus Christ and His death. And
when we died with Christ, that old relationship
to the law was severed. Truth number three. Once
broken, that union was forever ended. As he says
in verse 6, we have been released from the law.
That is discharged from it, delivered from it.
It's not that we have become anti -law. It's
just that now there's no relationship with the
law that once condemned us. We have nothing to
do with it. There's no need for it. The law is
for the unrighteous. Truth number four. A new
union now exists because of our resurrection
with Christ. Now this is where the illustration
that he uses breaks down. Because once a husband
or a wife dies, they're gone. But when you and
I died with Jesus Christ, we died to that old
union with the law. And then we were resurrected
at the same time. So that we can have a new marriage,
a new union. And he tells us in verse 4 that
that union is with Jesus Christ. Look at it.
You were made to die to the law through the body
of Christ, that you might be joined to another,
to him who was raised from the dead. If you are
saved today, you are united with Jesus Christ.
You are one with him in his resurrection life.
And that brings us to truth number five that
corresponds to the illustration. The purpose
of our union with Jesus Christ is that we might
bear fruit for God. Look at verse four. He says,
you've been joined to him who was raised from
the dead. Why? that we might bear fruit for God.
That contrast to what he says in verse 5, where
he says that we once bore fruit for death. That
was under the law. But now being married to Jesus
Christ, the purpose of that is that you and I
might bear fruit for God. And he talks about
this further in verse 6 by saying, we have been
released from the law, having died to that, by
which we were bound, so that we serve in newness
of the Spirit. You see, the law was unable to
produce righteousness, but grace working in us
does produce it. And now we serve God, not in
the capabilities of our flesh, but in the power
of the Holy Spirit who lives in us. That's what
he means here. The word newness there doesn't
mean new in time. It means new in quality. We
don't serve God under that which is worn out,
that is the legal obligations of the law, the
letter. But we serve God a new way, the new way
of the Spirit. God does not now give us an external
code and say to us, live up to that and you'll
be righteous. But He lives in us. He brings His
own righteousness to us. The Holy Spirit lives
in us. And now we serve Him not because of some
external demands, but rather because of an internal
power. The power of the Holy Spirit. Now we're
going to be coming back over some of these things
because they're kind of deep. And they're hard
to grasp the first time. I pray God will give
you spiritual ears to hear it. I want now to
apply in two or three specific ways what I've
been talking about. Let's talk about some life
action. Number one, as you think about this truth
that you are free from the law, that you are
no longer under legal obligation to God, as you
think about that truth, be careful of extremes.
and seek a balance. There are extremes present
in fundamentalism and evangelicalism these days,
and both extremes are unscriptural. On the one
hand, there is the extreme of license. These
are those people who say, well, praise God, I'm
free from the law, now I'm going to do what I
want to do. I will do as I please. I don't have
to obey any law anymore. God doesn't care how
I live. And so they feel that this truth, you
are no longer under the law, gives them the license
to do as they will. That's wrong. That's unbalanced.
And it leads to self -centered living and careless
and sinful living, which does not please God.
The other extreme is what we call legalism. And
this perhaps is more prominent than the first,
but it says basically, this person would say,
I must keep rules to please God. And he goes
a step further and he says, and you must keep
my rules in order to please God. The legalist
measures the spirituality of other people by
a list of do's and don'ts that he creates. The
legalist judges on the basis of outward appearance
rather than on the basis of inward realities.
And I'll tell you what, the legalist eventually
becomes a hypocrite. And the reason for that
is that he's unable to live up to the own code
that he creates. And so he pretends to, he builds
a shell about him. But he lives a different way.
He's a hypocrite. And ultimately it can lead
to a complete collapse. And I can illustrate
that for you today. A people that I have known
who were very legalistic in their approach to
the Christian life and who down the road completely
gave it up and went the other direction because
of the dissatisfaction of legalism. Legalism
leads to a critical, judgmental attitude. based
upon personal preference, not upon what the Word
of God says. And so being free from the law doesn't
mean that I am free to be lawless. But it means
rather that now God has put in me an inward control,
so I don't need an outward restraint. God has
written His law where? Upon my heart. And I want
to do the right thing. And I am empowered to
do the right thing because the Holy Spirit is
in me. I don't always. But I want to. The power
is there if I will but appropriate it. We do
not please God when we either live carelessly
or we live under a set of do's and don'ts that
are man -made. Now there are times when we voluntarily
do live under certain rules. We have to live
under the rules of government. The government
says you're going to pay a higher Social Security
tax next year. Can you imagine writing to the
director of Social Security saying, Sir, you
are a legalist, and I am free from the law, and
therefore I refuse to pay that tax. You know
what will happen? You'll be in trouble. We live
in a society in which we must keep the laws.
We voluntarily submit ourselves to the laws of
government for the glory of God. You go to college,
your college may have certain rules. They may
tell you when to be in. They may tell you the
kind of clothing you can wear, the places you
can go or you can't go. You're going to go to
your dean of students and say, you know, dean,
you're a legalist, and I am free from the law.
Take your rules and shove them. I'm going to
live the way I want to do. You know what's going
to happen? He's going to shove you right out
of school. You know why that is? Because you
have voluntarily chosen to go to that college
and to live under their rules, which they've
established for good reasons. And for the glory
of God, you should do that. Comply to the home.
You say, my folks aren't going to tell me when
I have to be in. I'm free from the law. I'm a
Christian, and my parents are legalists. They
have rules. We see once again, parents have the
right to set rules. And for the glory of God,
we voluntarily submit to those rules. Sometimes
churches have rules, too. And we need to voluntarily
submit to those rules. I know of one church in,
well, I won't even name the city, where... It
is unlawful for people to wear wire -rimmed glasses
because that is unspiritual. You say, where do
they get that? Where are they coming from? Well,
I think they're coming off the wall, frankly.
But that's what they say, see? If a person goes
to that church, he better wear plastic glasses,
I suppose. There are times where I'm saying is
that we need to voluntarily live under rules.
It's not that we're without rules. In fact, the
apostle says, though I am not under the law,
I am still under the law of Christ. 1 Corinthians
9. But the blessed truth is, as far as the Old
Testament obligations and the whole mental framework
of trying to please God by living up to certain
rules that are man -made, all of that is bunked.
And we begin to understand that we are free from
the law. But be careful of extremes and seek
a balance in that, will you? Immaturity goes
to extremes. Maturity finds the balance. Second
application. Be willing to place yourself under
law if the situation demands it so that you may
witness effectively. In other words, be willing
to give up your rights if necessary so that you
can be an effective witness. That was Paul's
attitude when he wrote what he did in 1 Corinthians
9, verses 19 to 23. We don't have time to look
at it today. Paul says there, when I am with
those who are without law, then I live that way.
When I'm with those who are under the law, then
I submit myself to the law so that I can effectively
minister to them. And he practiced that. In Acts
21, when he went back to Jerusalem, you remember
after his third missionary journey, There was
the rumor going around that Paul was anti -Moses.
He was anti -law. And it was harming his ministry
among the Jews. And so Paul chose to go to the
temple and to pay for the vows of some men who
were believers who had taken a certain Jewish
vow, the Nazarite vow. And when Paul did that,
was he contradicting himself when he preached
in other places free from the law? No. But so
that he might minister to the Jews, he was willing
to submit himself to the law in that case. Not
compromising his convictions. Sometimes there
are rights or freedoms that we grasp tightly
to and we say, I will not do this or I will not
do that. I don't care what. And maybe in that
very area where God is saying, look, are you
willing to submit your rights? that you might
minister effectively. Let me just kind of give
you an illustration of this. Last September,
I was invited to preach in a church in Ohio,
a very fine church, a growing church, ministering
effectively, I believe. But in that church, they
believe the King James Version is the one that
the Apostle Paul wrote. And to use another version,
in their church would be akin to committing the
unpardonable sin, probably. I'm exaggerating
a little there, but not much. When I went there
to preach, I was preaching out of the New International
Version here in this church. And you know what
I was tempted to do? To march to the pulpit down
there with the NIV and teach those people a thing
or two about Christian freedom. There was nothing
wrong with that translation, the NIV. And it's
not sinful to preach out of a different version.
And I'd tell them a thing or two about the king.
And you know what the Spirit of God said to me?
He said, Galen, if you're going to minister to
those people, don't get in a fight with them.
You take your New Schofield Bible down here and
preach out of the King James Version. And that's
what I did. Now, did I compromise? I don't think
so. I don't agree with them and their position
on the King James Version. But I'm willing to
preach out of the King James Version if that's
where they are, because I want to minister effectively
to those people. How can you apply that to your
life? What rights is God telling you today you
need to give up in order to be a more effective
Christian? Where are you off balance in your
Christian life? Where are you reacting rather
than being spiritual and balanced and mature?
Finally, I would say, be sure that you're a genuine
Christian. And I emphasize this because, folks,
I am alarmed. I'm alarmed in our day that being
born again has become so popular that there are
people who think they are born again who are
not. There are people who think that by... Doing
good things or law keeping, if you please, they're
going to be acceptable to God. My friend, a real
Christian is one who's had a radical change.
He's died. He's been resurrected. He has a new
relationship to God based on grace, not doing
good things. He has a new purpose to bear fruit
for God. He has a new power within him, the power
of the Holy Spirit. Is that you? Or are you somehow
still thinking that by doing good things or keeping
the law, you're going to earn your way to God?
We are not saved, nor are we sanctified by the
law. You are not under the law. Are you saved?
Are you a Christian? Do you have that confidence
with Him? Father in Heaven, I pray that you'll
make the application of this truth to our lives
as you see the needs. And I pray that we may
begin to understand in a mature, balanced way
what it means in your word when it says you are
no longer under the law. There are some of my
brothers and sisters here who have struggled
for years under legalism. They've been discouraged
because they haven't been able to live up to
the rules that men have set for them. I pray
that they may understand that their only law
is the law of Jesus Christ. And it's a law that
you've written into their hearts. Free them,
I pray, from the discouragement and the obligation
of rule keeping. And free others, I pray, from
the equal mistake of living carelessly in sin,
thinking that it makes no difference how we live.
Help us to respond to you, Lord, this morning
as we ought to. In Jesus' name, amen.