Romans 7: Belong to Another

  I know it looks like i skipped Romans 3-6, but I didn't. There's so much gospel goodness in those chapters it was overwhelming. But today, Romans 7:4-6 stopped me. Sometimes, you plan to read for 30 minutes, or read 3 chapters, and other days like today, the Holy Spirit wants you to rest in 3 short verses.

Romans 7:4 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. 5 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. 6 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.

  Paul starts chapter 7 with an example of being released from the law. In marriage, if one of the spouses passes away, the one remaining is no longer married. Through death they are now a widow(er), freed from the bonds of matrimony. In the same way, when we accept the free gift (Rom 6:23) of God, salvation through Jesus Christ, making him the Lord of our life, we are released from the bond of the law. Released from that perfect code of God that I could never come close to upholding. Released from the death that I earned for myself through failing to fulfil the law. Praise God that I am released from the law because:

Romans 6:3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

I have been crucified with Christ (Gal. 2:20)! I have died to self and died to the law because the death and resurrection of Christ have secured my release. It gets better.

  Jesus didn't just die for my sins so that I could only be justified before the Holy Father. Verse 4 says "so that you may belong to another." Chapter 6 says that I am now dead to sin and alive to God. I am no longer a slave to sin, but a slave to righteousness. This means that God is not wiping his hands of me, he wants me. God has holy plans for me. God desires my sanctification. God has adopted me into his royal family, and the royal family gets all the fancy things but also big responsibility. I now belong to Jesus, and my new satisfying purpose is to "bear fruit for God." Verse 6 says I have been released from bondage, released from captivity that sin and the law held me under. But again, not released to serve myself (because that's what I was already doing while in sin, I am selfish by sinful nature), but freed to "serve in the new way of the Spirit."

  Christian, remember that Jesus did not die for you so that you could get into heaven only. Jesus died for you to release you from the captivity of selfishness, sin, pride, the law. Now as an adopted child of the King, you have a new way of living. Stop trying to go back to your life as a peasant, you are royalty now. But not in the snobby way. This royal family serves in a new way. This family loves enemies, forgives betrayals, gives open-handedly, because we are empowered with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit reminds us of our adoption, leads us into good works, pours God's love into our hearts, and produces that fruit mentioned in verse 4.

Galatians 5:16
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.