Death to the law through Christ brings true spiritual freedom.
The law is binding on a person only as long as he lives. Just as a married woman is bound to her husband while he lives but is released if he dies, so too are we released from the law through our death with Christ. This death is not physical but spiritual—our old self, bound to sin and the law’s demands, is crucified with Christ. In this way, the law no longer has any claim or condemnation over us. We are no longer held captive by its requirements or by the guilt of our failures. Instead, we are set free to live a new life, no longer defined by striving to meet impossible standards, but by the grace and power of Christ’s sacrifice. [03:40]
Romans 7:1-3 (ESV)
"Or do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress."
Reflection: In what area of your life do you still feel bound by guilt or the demands of “measuring up”? How might you surrender that to Christ today, trusting that you are truly free from condemnation in Him?
We are freed from the law to belong to Christ and bear fruit for God.
Having died to the law through the body of Christ, we are not left in a void but are brought into a new, living relationship with Jesus. This union is like entering a new covenant, where we now “belong to another”—to Him who has been raised from the dead. The purpose of this new relationship is not just freedom from condemnation, but that we might bear fruit for God. Our lives, once marked by fruitlessness and death, are now empowered by the Spirit to produce love, joy, peace, and all the fruit that comes from being united to Christ. This is not achieved by our own effort, but by the life of Christ within us, transforming us from the inside out. [21:25]
Romans 7:4 (ESV)
"Likewise, my brothers, 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, in order that we may bear fruit for God."
Reflection: What is one area of your life where you long to see more of Christ’s fruit? How can you invite the Spirit to work in you today, trusting Him to bring about real transformation?
We now serve God in the new way of the Spirit, not the old way of the written code.
The old way—living under the written code of the law—only magnified our inability to keep God’s commands and left us in frustration and defeat. But now, having died to what held us captive, we are released to serve in the new way of the Spirit. This means our obedience is no longer about external conformity or trying to earn God’s favor, but about a heartfelt response to His grace. The Spirit empowers us to live for God with joy and freedom, not out of compulsion or fear, but out of love and gratitude for what Christ has done. This is a life marked by genuine transformation, where the Spirit leads us into deeper obedience and delight in God’s will. [27:17]
Romans 7:5-6 (ESV)
"For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code."
Reflection: Where do you find yourself slipping back into “old way” thinking—trying to earn God’s approval or relying on your own strength? What would it look like to serve God today in the freedom and power of the Spirit?
Though not under the old covenant, we honor God’s law by living out its fulfilled purpose in Christ.
Being released from the Mosaic Law does not mean we disregard God’s commands or the wisdom of the Old Testament. Instead, we recognize that Christ has fulfilled the law, and we are now under the law of Christ—called to love one another as He has loved us, empowered by the Spirit. The moral principles of God’s law still reveal His character and guide us in holy living, but our motivation is transformed. We obey not to earn blessing, but because we are already blessed in Christ. Our giving, serving, and loving flow from hearts changed by grace, not from compulsion or fear. This is a higher calling, one that invites us to deeper generosity, compassion, and obedience, all rooted in the love of Christ. [36:54]
John 13:34 (ESV)
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another."
Reflection: Is there a specific way you can show Christlike love or generosity to someone today—not out of obligation, but as a joyful response to God’s grace?
God desires joyful, heartfelt obedience that flows from His grace, not grudging conformity.
God is not seeking mere external obedience or ritualistic rule-keeping; He wants your heart. The old covenant people were experts at outward conformity, but their hearts were often far from God. In Christ, we are called to a new way of living—one where obedience springs from gratitude and love, not from fear of punishment or desire for reward. This means our giving, serving, and daily choices are motivated by the joy of belonging to Christ and the freedom He has given us. When we live by grace, empowered by the Spirit, we find that God’s commands are not burdensome, but become a delight as we walk in step with Him. [38:13]
2 Corinthians 9:7 (ESV)
"Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."
Reflection: What is one area where you have been obeying God out of duty rather than delight? How can you ask God to renew your heart so that your obedience flows from joy in His grace?
Romans 7:1-6 invites us to consider the profound transformation that takes place when we come to Christ. Paul uses the illustration of marriage to help us understand our relationship to the law before and after faith in Jesus. Just as a spouse is bound by the law of marriage only as long as both partners live, so too were we bound to the law until a death occurred. In Christ, we have died to the law—our old self, with all its inability to meet God’s perfect standard, has been crucified with Him. This death is not merely symbolic; it is the only way to be truly free from the law’s demands and condemnation.
The law, with its relentless requirements, could only ever expose our sin and our inability to save ourselves. No amount of effort, religious observance, or self-improvement could ever bring us into right standing with God. In fact, the more we strive in our own strength, the more we find ourselves entangled in guilt and shame. But through union with Christ—by faith in His death and resurrection—we are released from the law’s bondage. We are not left in a vacuum; we are brought into a new covenant, a living relationship with the risen Christ.
This new relationship is not governed by external rules but by the Spirit. The fruit that comes from this union is not the result of our striving, but the natural outworking of the Spirit’s presence in us: love, joy, peace, patience, and all the virtues that mark a life transformed by grace. We are called to serve in the new way of the Spirit, not in the old way of the written code. This means our obedience flows from gratitude and love, not from fear or compulsion.
The law still has value—it reveals God’s character and wisdom—but it no longer holds us captive. Instead, we look to Christ, who fulfilled the law on our behalf, and we walk by the Spirit, empowered to live for God’s glory. Our giving, our service, our love for one another—all of it springs from hearts set free by grace, not from a checklist of requirements. The call is to rest in Christ’s finished work, to rejoice in our freedom, and to bear fruit for God as those who belong to Him.
Romans 7:1-6 (ESV) — Or do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress.
Likewise, my brothers, 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, in order that we may bear fruit for God. For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.
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