What role does the law play in a believer's spiritual journey? Setting the Scene: Romans 7:1 in Context “Do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to those who know the Law—that the Law has authority over a man only as long as he lives?” (Romans 7:1) Key insight • Paul addresses believers who “know the Law,” reminding them that the Law’s jurisdiction extends only to the living. Death severs that binding authority. The illustration prepares us to see how our death with Christ changes our relationship to the Law (vv. 4-6). The Law’s Purpose Before Conversion • Reveals God’s holy character – Psalm 19:7; Romans 7:12 • Exposes and defines sin – “Through the Law we become conscious of sin” (Romans 3:20). • Provokes conviction – “I would not have known what coveting was if the Law had not said, ‘You shall not covet’” (Romans 7:7). • Restrains outward evil in society – 1 Timothy 1:8-10. • Acts as tutor leading to Christ – “The Law became our guardian to lead us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:24). Released Yet Not Lawless: Freedom in Christ • Our union with Christ’s death ends the Law’s condemnation: “You also died to the Law through the body of Christ” (Romans 7:4). • Freedom is from the Law’s penalty, not from God’s moral will. Jesus fulfills, not abolishes, the Law (Matthew 5:17). • The covenant shift: we serve “in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code” (Romans 7:6). Walking by the Spirit, Fulfilling the Law’s Righteous Requirement • Romans 8:3-4 – “The righteous requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” • Galatians 5:22-23 – The Spirit bears fruit “against such things there is no law.” • Love sums up the commandments: Romans 13:8-10. Practical Takeaways for Today • Let Scripture diagnose sin; don’t dull conviction—embrace it as a gift that drives you to grace. • Rest in Christ’s finished work when the accuser points to your failure to keep the Law. • Cultivate Spirit-led obedience; the Spirit never contradicts the moral heart of the Law. • Measure spiritual growth not by legal checklists but by increasing love for God and neighbor. |
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