There is a phrase in Romans seven that I think most Christians completely miss. And when you understand it, it will change how you think about the Christian life.
Paul writes:
"My brothers and sisters, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God."
Romans 7:4You have died to the law. Not you are trying to keep the law better. Not you are adding grace to the law. You have died to it.
The word is clear. We died. Past tense. Already done.
What Does It Mean to Die to the Law?
Let me explain what Paul is not saying. He is not saying we are still under the law but grace helps us keep it better. He is not saying the law is still our standard and we just need to try harder.
He is saying we died to it. The law no longer has any claim on us. We are not under its jurisdiction. We are not obligated to follow it. We are free from it.
Paul uses the word apothnesko here, which means to die, to die away from, to be severed from. We are not improving at living under the law. We have been cut off from it entirely. Like a branch that has been severed from the tree.
Why Does This Matter?
Here is why this matters so much. Most Christians are still living like the law applies to them. They are still trying to earn God's approval through their behavior. They are still beating themselves up when they fail to keep some rule.
But Paul says that way of living is over. You died to that. You are not under the law anymore. You are under grace.
And that is not permission to sin. That is the opposite. When you understand you are free from the law, you are free to live for something much bigger. You are free to bear fruit for God.
From Death to Life
Paul explains this in the next verse:
"For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death."
Romans 7:5When we were under the law, trying to keep the law, all we produced was death. The more we tried, the more we failed. The law showed us our sin, but it could not save us from our sin.
But now:
"But now we have died to what once bound us, so that we may serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code."
Romans 7:6We serve in the new way of the Spirit, not the old way of the written code. The law showed us what God wanted. The Spirit enables us to do it. That is the difference.
Try This Today
You are not trying to earn God's love. You already have it. You are not trying to become good enough for God. You are already made right in Christ. The law served its purpose to show you your need. But now you have died to it. You are free. Now live like it.
The Freedom You Have Been Given
I want to be careful here, because some people hear "we are not under the law" and immediately think that means anything goes. That is not what Paul is saying.
We are not under the law as a system of earning salvation. But we are not free to sin. We are free to bear fruit. We are free to live by the Spirit. We are free to become who God created us to be.
The law said do not murder. The Spirit produces love that would never think of murdering. The law said do not commit adultery. The Spirit produces a purity that goes far beyond the letter of the law.
We died to the law so we could bear fruit for God. That is the exchange. And it is a far better deal.
"For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace."
Romans 6:14Father, thank you that I have died to the law and now live under grace. Help me to stop trying to earn your approval through my behavior. Teach me to live by the Spirit and bear fruit for you. I am free. Help me to live like it. In Jesus Name, Amen.
With honesty and hope,
Claire