Or do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is master over a person as long as he lives? 2 For the married woman has been bound by law to her husband while he is living, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law concerning the husband. 3 So then, if while her husband is living she is joined to another man, she shall be called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress though she is joined to another man.
4 So, my brothers, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. 5 For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were constrained, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.
7 What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! Rather, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law. For I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, worked out in me coveting of every kind. For apart from the Law sin is dead. 9 Now I was once alive apart from the Law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died; 10 and this commandment, which was to lead to life, was found to lead to death for me. 11 For sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. 12 So, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. Romans 7: 1-12 LSB
Romans 7: 1-12
Or do you not know - This takes us back to the end of Romans 6 and the reality of sanctification, that we are no longer slaves to sin, that our bodies will die, but our spirits are now alive unto righteousness. Paul has already made it clear that we are not to continue in sin, that the law was good in it's purpose of revealing the trespass, and that Christ died not for us to continue sinning, but to be redeemed from sin and death. Paul is helping those who would err to either side of this, the legalist who would appeal to his preference, rejoicing as if in his own works or what he chooses not to do has somehow saved him, or the liberal, who thinks they have a license to do the things that Christ had to die for, making light of His sacrifice.
…13Do not present the parts of your body to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and present the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness. 14For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. 15What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law, but under grace? Certainly not!… Romans 6: 13-15
That the law has jurisdiction - While a criminal is alive, he is subject to prosecution and punishment. When he dies he obviously can no longer be prosecuted or punished.
Jurisdiction (2961) (kurieuo from noun kurios = master - power of control rather than physical strength) means to rule or have dominion over and speaks of individuals who exercise authority or have control over others (Lk 22:25, Ro 14:9, 2Co 1:24). To be lord of, to rule over, to have dominion over or to exercise lordship over. Scripture personifies various things which control human life including law (Ro 7:1), Sin (Ro 6:14) and death (Ro 6:9). Here clearly Paul personifies the Law as that which controls human life.
What Paul is saying is that the law (speaking of law in general, not just the "Ten Commandments") is like a lord who rules over a man and that man remains subject to the lordship of the law as long as he lives (in Adam). The only thing that can severe a man's relationship with "Lord Law" is a death! And that death came about when the believer died with Christ on the Cross (Ro 6:6-11, cp Gal 2:20, Col 2:20). Since the believer has died with Christ, the power of the old ruler "Lord Law" has been broken (forever)! The law can no longer "prosecute or punish" us so to speak. This freedom from the ruling power which law previously exercised over us (When we were still "in Adam" and were not yet believers alive "in Christ" 1Cor 15:22), is one of the great truths of the Good News, the Gospel.
Ironside comments that Paul's
argument here is that the law has dominion over men until death ends its authority or ends their relationship to it. But he has just been showing us in the clearest possible way that we have died with Christ; therefore we died not only to sin, but we have died to the law as a rule of life. Is this then to leave us lawless? Not at all: for we are now, as he shows elsewhere (1Cor 9:21), "under the law to Christ", or "enlawed" - that is, legitimately subject - to Christ our new Head. He is husband as well as Head, even as Ephesians 5 so clearly shows. (Romans Commentary) - Precept Austin
…8Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it legitimately. 9We realize that law is not enacted for the righteous, but for the lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinful, for the unholy and profane, for killers of father or mother, for murderers, 10for the sexually immoral, for homosexuals, for slave traders and liars and perjurers, and for anyone else who is averse to sound teaching… 1 Timothy 1: 8-10
Vs. 1b-3 The law is master over a person as long as he lives - Paul moves into a word picture using the marriage covenant. The Bible is filled with such pictures to help us understand these doctrines, all the way back to the OT. While your spouse is alive you would be bound to them, and it's not saying this as a horrible thing, but to show the strength of the bond, that it is only broken by death. In our case it is us identifying with Christ in His death that releases us from the law of sin to serve righteousness instead. There is another beautiful picture of this in the OT law, that of the Sanctuary or City of Refuge, the manslayer and the Avenger of blood. This picture takes everything to a whole other level when realize the reality of Christ and His death. The Sanctuary City was a place where someone who had killed another person, but not maliciously, like in a farming accident, or in the case of self defense, could flee. He needed to run because of the avenger of blood, like for us, the wages of sin is death and it is coming for us with the full force of the law. Blood had been spilt, and those who spill blood, the Scriptures are clear, by man shall their life be taken. But in the story of the Cities of Refuge we see that intent is also important, negligence too, but the spiller of blood in this case did not set out to murder, yet blood had been spilt. In each of these cities was a priest, and here is the beautiful picture, probably 1200 or more years before Christ came. The manslayer flees to that city and the Avenger of blood is not aloud to pursue him in that city, so he is safe as long as he stays there and as no irrefutable proof is shown to the contrary of his claim. But there is a way he can leave there and that the Avenger of Blood will lose his jurisdiction over him. There is a way for the manslayer, the sinner, you, me, to be free, and that is when the priest of that city dies. We have a High Priest, Who is Jesus Christ the righteous, and He has died on our behalf. Paul is showing it yet another way, look, you identify with Christ in His death and you walk away a free man.
…3The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife. 5Do not deprive each other, except by mutual consent and for a time, so you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again, so that Satan will not tempt you through your lack of self-control.… 1 Corinthians 7: 3-5
…38So then, he who marries the virgin does well, but he who does not marry her does even better. 39A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, as long as he belongs to the Lord. 40In my judgment, however, she is happier if she remains as she is. And I think that I too have the Spirit of God.… 1 Corinthians 7: 38-40
14Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we profess. 15For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who was tempted in every way that we are, yet was without sin. 16Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.… Hebrews 4: 14-16
Vs. 4-6 For while we were in the flesh - The law was beautiful when God used it to bring Godly sorrow, to show us that we were trespassers, but before He awakened in us a desire for good, the law was not only a burden but a temptation to us. Think about it, you tell your child, "no, don't touch that, it's an owee!" Your child looks at you, acknowledges that you are there and said something in the negative, but when you leave she grabs a pair of tweezers and sticks it in the electrical outlet. The law wasn't bad, but it was only as useful as her ability to obey it. Fortunately the repercussions weren't permanent, but sometimes I do wonder. We have laws that are to protect other people from us too, that's why we have street lights, but if you don't obey the red light you may get T-boned or do that to someone else as you fly through an intersection, and yet we test the boundaries of such things all the time. We question God as the law giver when he tells us not to do something because it defies the natural order, His creative intent, and we argue from our feelings, from culture, or look, I'm still physically alive, so this must be okay. Remember, the law is for the lawless, so if you are alive to Christ, then you naturally will grieve over the things of your former nature, the sin that He had to die for, and you won't need the law because even when you stumble you will quickly come under conviction, confess your sin, and ask for more grace to help you avoid it and all else that is contrary to Him. You come to realize that the God that made you knows more than you.
…5Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh is born of flesh, but spirit is born of the Spirit. 7Do not be amazed that I said, ‘You must be born again.’… John 3: 5-7
16So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17For the flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are opposed to each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.… Galatians 5: 16-18
…20idolatry and sorcery; hatred, discord, jealousy, and rage; rivalries, divisions, factions, 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,…
…23gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us walk in step with the Spirit.… Galatians 5: 20-25
Vs. 7-12 So, the law is holy - We can see has all this is building, from defining the sins they were in bondage to back in Romans 1, to showing that we are saved by grace and not of our own works. So why doesn't he just say just that? Because of the excesses, because Paul is inspired of the Holy Spirit, Who knows that men will run to the legalism of the Pharisees or the wantonness of the pagans. He is cutting off all these avenues. The law didn't create sin, it revealed it, but our fallen natures saw it also as an enhancement to sin. Men desire to make themselves little gods, to rebel, to chase what calls from the pit. We love lies by nature, and we are at enmity with the law giver. When He says, "don't", then like Lucifer, we say, "did He really mean that?"
1Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field that the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’ ” 2The woman answered the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden, 3but about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You must not eat of it or touch it, or you will die.’ ”…
…4“You will not surely die,” the serpent told her. 5“For God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom, she took the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.… Genesis 3: 1-6
23But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me. For you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” 24Then Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. 25For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.… Matthew 16: 23-25
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