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Romans Lesson 12 (2008)

NEW LIFE OF THE JUSTIFIED – III
(IN THE NEW WAY OF THE SPIRIT)
Romans 7:1-6
Key Verse: 7:6

“But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.”

In chapter 6, Paul defended the gospel of grace by clarifying that it never meant to promote or encourage us to sin, but instead lead us to sanctification. In verses 1-14, he explained that we, as Christians, are no longer to continue sinning because we died to sin through baptism with Christ. In verses 15-23, he again explained from a slightly different perspective that we are living a new life as slaves to righteousness because we are set free from sin, our old master, and have now become slaves to righteousness.

In today’s passage, 7:1-6, he explains that we are no longer under the obligation of the law. In fact, Paul has been repeatedly saying that we are not under law but under grace. (5:20-21; 6:14,15) Since Paul preached the gospel of grace to the Gentiles, many orthodox Jews misunderstood and criticized him, accusing him of disregarding the law of God. Many of them were very angry and eager to kill him. Why were they so mad? It’s because Jewish religion was based on the law of God. In fact, ever since the law was given to the people of Israel through Moses, the law was highly regarded among them. For example, Psalm 19:7-8 reads, “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.” After all, Psalm 1:2 clearly states that the blessed are those who delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. In some sense, the law of God was not only adored but also idolized by them, almost equal with God Himself. Therefore, when Paul said that Christians are no longer under law but under grace, Paul had a lot of explaining to do. What does it mean that we are no longer under law but under grace? Does it mean that we can ignore the law of God, even the Ten Commandments? What kind of relationship do we, as Christians, have with the law of God in the Old Testament? What is the place of the law in Christian discipleship? In chapter 7, Paul explains what it means for Christians to be free from the law of God.

The word “law” is repeated 23 times in chapter 7 and 8 times in verses 1-6.
Look at verse 1. “Do you not know, brothers – for I am speaking to men who know the law – that the law has authority over a man only as long as he lives?” Whether it is Jewish law, Greek law, Roman law or American law, the law is a standard of conduct by which we live. But it has its legal power and authority over us only as long as we are alive. It has no legal power or authority over us when we are dead. For example, let’s say that a drunk driver runs a red light, gets into a horrible accident, causing so much damage on others, and dies as a result. When the police officer arrives at the scene, does the officer give the dead driver a ticket for violating traffic laws? No. Why not? It’s because the law has no legal power over him anymore when he is dead. The law has authority over a man only as long as he lives. This does not need explanation. However, Paul starts his argument by saying this because he wants to explain that the law has no legal power over Christians who have died with Christ.

Look at verses 2-3. “For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage. So then, if she marries another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress, even though she marries another man.” As mentioned in verse 1, the bond of marriage is effective while both partners are alive. When one partner in that marriage dies, the bond of marriage is nullified. So during a wedding ceremony, the newly wed couple makes a vow by saying that they will be faithful to their partner “till death do us part.” However, if a woman goes out and marries another man while her husband is still alive, the law calls her an adulteress. Here, Paul wasn’t talking about the issue of marriage, divorce or remarriage. He was talking about our new relationship with our new husband Christ Jesus after being released from Mr. Law.

How have we been released from the law? Look at verse 4. “So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, I order that we might bear fruit to God.” We have been released from the law not because the law died, but because we died with Christ. As a result, the relationship that once existed between us and the law no longer exists. Now, we have new obligation to our new husband, Christ Jesus who is full of grace.

It does not mean that we can now ignore the law of God and live as we please. In fact, Paul already mentioned in Romans 3:31 that those, who live by faith in Jesus Christ, do not nullify the law of God but rather uphold it. In other words, God did not lower the standard of Christian living. As a matter of fact, according to the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapters 5-7, the disciples of Jesus are required to have a higher standard of living. For example, the law of Moses says in Exodus 20:14, “Do not commit adultery.” According to the old Law of Moses, as long as you didn’t actually commit sexual sin, you were fine. But Jesus said to his disciples that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Mt 5:27-28) Jesus said in Matthew 5:17-19 that we should not think that he came to abolish the Law or the Prophets because he didn’t come to abolish them but to fulfill them. He also said that until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches

If Christians are still expected to abide by the highest requirements of the law, why do we need to be released from the law in the first place? First of all, it’s because the purpose of God’s giving His law was not to save us from sin by it. Instead, it was to show that we could not live up to His high standard. Look at verse 5. “For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death.” In fact, because of the sinful nature within us, the law actually stimulated evil desires and made us more rebellious toward God. However, what the law was powerless to do in us, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteousness requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature ut according to the Spirit. (Romans 8:3-4) According to Paul, keeping the law of God was never meant to be God’s way of salvation, not even for the people of Israel. And it was always through faith that God wanted to save both Jews and Gentiles from sin.

According to verse 4, we are released from the law in order that through remarriage with Christ we may bear fruit to God. God’s initial purpose of creation has never been changed. Jesus said in John 15:16-17, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other.”

What kind of fruit does God want us to bear? Basically there are two dimensions in fruit bearing; action and attitude. Action fruit is the kind of fruit we can bear as a result of good works, like sharing the gospel with someone, leading someone to Christ, doing a good deed, helping the poor and caring for the needy. Jesus said in Matthew 5:14-16, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” There is also another kind of fruit, the attitude fruit, the fruit of good character, the fruit of the Spirit in us, like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control. (Gal 5:22)

How can we bear these fruits, the action fruit and the attitude fruit? The secret is to enter into a new and dynamic relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. As Jesus said in John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” Also in 15:7-8, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” Jesus clearly taught us that we cannot bear good fruit by ourselves. We need to remain in him by having intimate fellowship with Christ.

According to Paul, that intimate fellowship with Christ is possible when we live by the Spirit not by legalism. Read verse 6. “But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.” Verse 6 summarizes verses 1-5. We died to the law just as we died to sin (6:5). Now, we who are released from the law have a new way of living and serving the Lord through the new way of the Spirit. Paul was saying that Christians are to live by the Spirit. Paul said the same thing in Galatians 5:16, “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” He also said in 5:18, “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.” (5:17-18) It’s still not easy to understand what he meant by “living by the Spirit.”

What does it mean to live by the Spirit? Does he mean that we should live by the Holy Spirit or by the spirit of the law? Paul said in verse 6 that we have been released from the law, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit. So he could have meant to live both by the Holy Spirit and according to the spirit of the Lord. Jesus is a perfect example of a fruit-bearing life. Unlike most of the religious leaders of his time, who served God in the old way of the written code, Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit and kept the spirit of the law. In fact, the Spirit of the Lord came onto Jesus to preach good news to the poor, proclaimed freedom for the prisoners and released the oppressed. (Lk 4:18) Paul also said in 2 Corinthians 3:17 reads, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” Here, we learn that the life lived by the Spirit of God brings freedom. In fact, when we live according to the spirit of the law, we are also living by the Holy Spirit. And when we are living by the Holy Spirit, we are also living according to the spirit of the Lord. There is no conflict between the two.

Before conversion, we used to be controlled by the sinful nature. The law only convicted us and yet could not save us from the power of sin. But now, the Holy Spirit dwells in us. If we are willing to let him control us, we can bear good fruit in our lives. Amazing thing is that people who have begun their intimate love relationship with Christ will also be led to follow God’s moral law and live up to a higher standard than they could ever have lived up to before because it is the Spirit of God who is leading them. Sanctification is not done by rules and regulations but by the powerful work of the Holy Spirit. It’s an ongoing process that transforms us in every aspect of our lives through the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit. If we again live by the law, rules and regulations we make, we are not living by the Spirit.

Therefore, we are not to be a legalistic Christian but be a Spirit-filled Christian. However, when we are not mature in faith, we tend to be a legalistic person. We tend to become proud. Even though we ourselves are not meeting our own standards, we are still critical and judgmental of others. Even though we know that we are justified only by God’s grace, and the Christian life is not about keeping the law or regulations, we somehow are bound by certain form of legalism. We don’t want to be legalistic Christians. But it’s hard to break the bondage of legalism in us. Therefore, we need to understand what it means to live in the new way of the Spirit, not in the old way of the written code.

On the other hand, when someone says that they are led by the Holy Spirit, we tend to put a question mark on their faith. In fact, some people misunderstand the meaning of living by the Spirit and will go out and do all kinds of crazy things. In some sense, living by the Spirit sounds uncertain. So we tend to make rules and a code of ethics for our healthy Christian living. It looks good outwardly because people start behaving better. We try to fix ourselves and others as quickly as possible by using certain rules and regulations. But soon we discover that it does not really work. Sometimes, certain rules and regulations may be helpful to have a certain form of Christian living, but they don’t have the power to change our inner person. Therefore, we have to be very careful to make too many rules and regulations, because there is a danger for us to go back into the bondage of legalism. That was the problem that the Pharisees had who made too many rules and blindly followed them, which were actually far from the intention of the law of God.

We are released from the law so that we may not live by the written code like slaves anymore. We are called to live by the Spirit of God in us. Living by the Spirit of God does not mean to ignore the law of God. Instead, it means to uphold the law of God by living in the Spirit of God. Although we cannot change ourselves, the Spirit of God can change us. Therefore, we need to learn to submit ourselves to the authority, power and guidance of the Spirit. And we can experience the transforming power in us. To live in the new way of the Spirit may be confusing at a time. And breaking the bondage of legalism is not easy because it is very subtle. Rather we may feel comfortable to follow our self-made rules and regulations rather than truly follow the spirit of the law and live by the Spirit of God. But that’s what Christian discipleship really means. We need to ask ourselves a question, “Do I truly live and serve in the new way of the Spirit or in the old way of rules and regulations?” We should remember that where there is the Spirit of the Lord, there is freedom and the fulfillment of the law of God. The Christian discipleship that is to live and serve in the new way of the Spirit, breaking the bondage of legalism, may be difficult. But it is an adventure which is always led by the Holy Spirit and transforms us day by day into the image of our Lord Jesus Christ. We need to challenge ourselves not to remain in our old self with old rules and regulations but be renewed by the power of the Holy Spirit. May the Lord help us to have desire to take this lifelong journey of adventure, trusting in the power of the Holy Spirit.

 
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