Topic: Freedom from Law
Reading: Romans 7:1-6
Introduction and Overview
Most Christians know that they are set free from law. However, they do not often understand how it works. What is the process that God has put in place to set us free from the law?
Also, knowing that you are set free from law and believing what it means is difficult for some Christians. That is, they know about it, but do not believe it. This is clear because many Christians believe that they are still under the law even though they also know they are set free from it.
That line of thinking is odd. How can you be still under the law when God has set you free from it? Some think that all this freedom from law means is that they are set free from the condemnation under the law. It’s as though they believe they are still under the law, but will not be penalised for breaking it.
But that is not what these scriptures today tell us. This is what you need to understand about this matter. You are no linger under the law AT ALL. You are not condemned by the law, as some recognise, but that is because the law no longer applies to you. The law applies to the citizens and people of this world. But we are no longer citizens of the kingdom of this world, we are citizens of the kingdom of God.
Key points from reading:
- You have died with Christ and by receiving His death as your own, you are dead the law and all aspects of the law.
- You have died to this world with Christ and been raised as members of the kingdom of God.
- We now serve in the new life of the Spirit, not the old life of the flesh under the law.
Discussion:
- Scripture: Romans 7:1
- Paul is quite explicit in this verse about this freedom from law we receive in Christ. He says clearly that the law is binding on a person only while they are alive.
- When a person dies they are no longer under the law. They are dead to the law and the law is dead to them. Consider anyone in this world. Can a dead person be prosecuted under the laws of the land and be held accountable for breaking the law? Of course not because they are dead and buried. They cannot be penalised any further because the laws of the land cannot reach beyond the grave.
- When a person dies they are set free from the law. Paul gives another good example of this in his letter to the Colossians.
- The only thing that has “legal bonds” is the law. And it shows here that when Jesus was nailed up to die, the law was metaphorically nailed up with Him. Jesus passed through death and was resurrected after three days. He was raised a new creation, just as we are in Him. But the law remained nailed where it was because the law cannot pass through death. When you die, the law ceases to exist for you. It has no longer got any power over you. The bondage of the law is ended and you have freedom from law.
- Scripture: Romans 7:2-3
- Now, how does this work in Christ? How does this work for us, because unlike Christ, we do not physically die? In this verse Paul explains using the law of marriage.
- When two people come together to be married, they do so saying the words, “till death us do part.” Under the marriage contract, and as it was originally intended by God, when two people marry, they stay that way until one or the other dies. (Of course many today do not and they get divorced, but the original intent for marriage was a commitment for life).
- The interesting thing about the laws of marriage, especially as they pertain to freedom from law, is that in a marriage, one party is set free from the law of marriage by the death of the OTHER party. It is not their own death that sets them free but the death of their marriage partner.
- If a woman (or a man) strays outside of their marriage while their partner is still alive, then they break the laws of marriage and commit adultery. But when one partner dies, the laws of marriage cease to exist for the living partner and they can re-marry whomever they choose.
- This is important for the process of freedom from law as Christians.
- Scripture: Romans 7:4
- When we accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour, we are baptised into His death. Baptism represents our death with Christ Jesus where God in His grace has allowed us to take the death of Christ as if it were our own. So, we become partnered with Christ Jesus in baptism, much like a marriage. We belong to Christ because we are baptised into His death and we accept Him by faith as our Lord and Saviour.
- But since Jesus has died for us, and we die with Him, like the law of marriage, His death sets us free from the law. We receive His death by proxy and are set free from the law, just as a wife is set free from the law of marriage by the death of her husband. And it is not just the penalty of the law that has been removed, it is EVERY aspect of the law we have had removed in Christ.
- And as this verse tells us, we no longer belong to this world, since we died with the Christ of this world in baptism. We belong to the risen Christ who is seated at the right hand of God and is not of this world.
- Since we are no longer of this world but are children of the kingdom of God, God is now prepared to help us overcome. He gives us His Spirit to overcome the passions of the flesh that drive sinfulness. He has already dealt with sin, taking it away in the death of Christ Jesus. But now He is dealing with our spirits so that we have control over the flesh, rather than pushed and pulled by the passions and emotions of mankind.
- Scripture: Romans 7:5
- This verse gives us an interesting insight into how the law works on human psychology. It tells us that the law often drives our human passions to sinfulness.
- It is not because the law is sinful. It is not. But humans don’t like to be told they can’t do something. Think of a child. As soon as you tell them they can’t do something, that is exactly what they will choose to do. You have made a law for them and they will in many cases seek to do the exact opposite of what they are told. For instance, if you tell them not to touch a hot object, that is exactly what they will do. And they very quickly learn not to do it again!
- Humans will often do the things that they should not do, but even more so when there is a law saying not to do it. As this scripture tells us, our sinful passions of the flesh are aroused by the law, causing us to break the law and commit sin.
- But once we are freed from the law, the law no longer has any power over our passions. We have to believe we are set free from the law and so reject the pull of the law on our passions to do evil This is what God has given us in the freedom from law that we have in Jesus Christ.
- Scripture: Romans 7:6
- Freedom from law is key to overcoming the passions and desires of the flesh. It is bad enough that we have these passions that drive us to sin, but even worse when the law inflames our passions to do wrong.
- In the flesh and under the law we bear fruit for death. But in Christ and under freedom from law, we are able to bear fruit for God.
- As this final verse states, “…we are discharged from the law, dead to that which held us captive.” We are discharged from the law so that we can bear fruit for God. As Christians we do not serve God under “the old written code,” which is the law. You are no longer under the law when you have died with Christ in baptism. You are set free from all aspects of the law.
- Instead, you now serve God in the Spirit. As Jesus said:
- We are no longer living in the flesh. Through freedom from law we do not serve God by following the precepts of the law. We are set free from the law so that we can serve God in the Spirit, through receiving the Holy Spirit and learning how to walk in the Spirit. We do not reject the law because it is good. But we can learn from the law to understand right and wrong without being under the law.
Key Takeaways:
- Freedom from law is received by the gift of God through accepting the death of Jesus as our own in baptism. We have died to the law in His death and are set free, just as a woman is set free from the laws of marriage through death of her husband.
- The law relates to life in this world where sin reigns. But when we die with Christ we cease to be citizens of this world and become citizens of the Kingdom of God. The law no longer has dominion over us as we are discharged from the law in Jesus Christ through baptism into His death and resurrection.
- Freedom from law is given to us so that we can learn to serve God in the Spirit rather than under precepts of law. We are discharged from the law to serve God in the Spirit.
Prayer Points
- Pray and ask God to show you how this works. Ask Him to give you a deep understanding of the freedom from law He offers in Christ Jesus.
- Pray also for the Lord to show you the next steps that freedom from law allows, which are freedom from condemnation, receiving the Holy Spirit and learning to walk in the Spirit.