Romans 7:1-6 "Dying to Be Freed From the Law

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.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Death to the Law Brings True Freedom Only by dying with Christ are we released from the law’s demands and condemnation. This is not a call to self-improvement, but to a radical surrender—recognizing that our old self cannot be reformed, only crucified. True freedom is found not in escaping God’s authority, but in being united to Christ, who fulfilled the law for us. [08:14]
• 2. New Covenant, New Fruitfulness Our union with Christ brings us into a new covenant, where the Spirit produces fruit in us that the law never could. The Christian life is not about external conformity, but about inward transformation that overflows in love, joy, and obedience. The Spirit’s work is both the power and the pattern for our lives. [22:26]
• 3. The Law’s Value and Its Limits Though we are no longer under the law’s covenant authority, the law still reveals God’s character and wisdom. We do not discard the Old Testament, but read it through the lens of Christ’s fulfillment and the Spirit’s guidance. The law points us to our need for grace and shapes our understanding of holy living, but it cannot empower us to obey. [34:13]
• 4. Obedience Flows from Grace, Not Obligation In Christ, we obey not to earn God’s favor, but because we have already received it. The motivation for Christian living is gratitude for what God has done, not fear of punishment or hope of reward. This distinction is crucial: God desires our hearts, not mere external compliance. [36:40]
• 5. Generosity and Service in the Spirit Our relationship to giving, serving, and loving others is transformed by grace. No longer bound by a legalistic standard, we are called to cheerful, Spirit-led generosity and sacrificial love. The Spirit frees us to give and serve beyond what the law required, as an overflow of God’s provision and love in our lives. [41:02]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:23] - Introduction to Romans 7
• [01:09] - Resurrection Life in Christ
• [02:19] - Marriage as an Illustration
• [03:55] - Death Brings Freedom
• [05:00] - Understanding the Law’s Principle
• [08:14] - The Law’s Power Ends at Death
• [10:23] - The Law and the Death of a Spouse
• [12:26] - Dying to the Law, United to Christ
• [16:46] - The Futility of Escaping the Law
• [19:26] - Freedom Only Through Christ’s Death
• [21:25] - Purpose: Bearing Fruit for God
• [24:29] - Life in the Spirit, Not the Law
• [27:17] - Old Way vs. New Way
• [32:00] - No Condemnation in Christ
• [34:13] - The Law’s Ongoing Value
• [36:40] - Obedience from the Heart
• [39:13] - Giving: Law vs. Grace
• [42:15] - Living by the Spirit’s Leading
• [43:30] - Two Closing Questions
• [44:54] - Closing Prayer

Bible Reading

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.

Observation Questions

1. What illustration does Paul use in Romans 7:1-3 to explain our relationship to the law, and what is the main point of that illustration? [02:19]
2. According to verse 4, what is the purpose of dying to the law through the body of Christ?
3. In verse 6, what is the difference between serving “in the new way of the Spirit” and “in the old way of the written code”?
4. The sermon mentions that the law exposes our sin but cannot save us. What evidence from the passage or sermon supports this idea? [15:27]

Interpretation Questions

1. Why does Paul compare our old relationship to the law to a marriage that ends with death? What does this say about the nature of our “bondage” to the law? [03:12]
2. The sermon says, “No amount of effort, religious observance, or self-improvement could ever bring us into right standing with God.” Why is this the case, according to Romans 7:1-6? [15:44]
3. What does it mean to “serve in the new way of the Spirit”? How is this different from following a list of rules? [27:17]
4. The pastor said, “True freedom is found not in escaping God’s authority, but in being united to Christ, who fulfilled the law for us.” How does this change the way we think about obedience and freedom? [08:14]

Application Questions

1. The sermon described how trying to keep the law in our own strength leads to frustration, guilt, and shame. Have you ever experienced this in your own walk with God? What did it look like, and what helped you move forward? [24:01]
2. Paul says we are now called to “bear fruit for God.” What is one area of your life where you see the Spirit producing new fruit? Is there an area where you still feel stuck in old patterns? [23:00]
3. The pastor emphasized that our obedience should flow from gratitude and love, not fear or compulsion. What motivates you most often to obey God? How can you shift your motivation toward gratitude? [36:40]
4. The sermon talked about generosity and service being transformed by grace, not by a legalistic standard. How does this affect the way you think about giving, serving, or loving others? Is there a specific way you feel called to give or serve more cheerfully? [41:02]
5. The law still has value in showing us God’s character and wisdom, but it no longer condemns us. How can you use the Old Testament law in your personal Bible reading without falling back into legalism? [34:13]
6. The pastor asked, “Are you walking by the Spirit seeking to serve the Lord? Or have you found yourself getting very comfortable and turning back to the old way of the flesh?” What are some practical steps you can take this week to walk more closely with the Spirit? [44:11]
7. Think about a time when you felt “set free” in your relationship with God. What changed for you, and how did it impact your daily life and relationships? [20:42]