Romans 7
Romans 7:1-6
How can you live outside of the law's jurisdiction?
#law
#fruit
Published June 14th, 2017; Updated June 14th, 2017
Main point summary
V1-6
Notes
notes
Main point summary
As a wife is only bound to the law of marriage why her husband is alive, so we are only bound to law while we are alive. And we have died to the law and have remarried Christ for the purpose of bearing fruit to God and life. For we could only bear fruit to death under law because of the passions of the flesh. But now that we are under grace we can bear fruit to God and life.
editing
NT
Romans 7:1-6
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Or do you not know, brothers 1 —
Alternative : arising from 6:16 (as do you not know rep) also pointing back to 6:14. First he used a slave analogy for gentiles- here uses marriage analogy for Jews
for I am speaking to those who know the law—
Ground: You know the law- speaking now to his Jewish audience
that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives?
Inference: That the law only has authority over someone as long as they are alive
For e a married woman is bound by law to her husband
Ground: Analogy of marriage. Woman bound by law to husband
while he lives,
Temporal: Not forever- only while he lives
temporal
but if her husband dies
Concessive and Conditional: however if the husband dies
she is released from the law of marriage. 1
Then: The the law of marriage is abolished/rendered useless/ obsolete (katergeo -G2673 -same word used in 6:6 referring to our sinful nature)
conditional
Accordingly, f she will be called an adulteress
Alternative: On the other hand, she breaks the law
if she lives with another man
Conditional: If she lives with another man
while her husband is alive.
Temporal: While her husband is still alive
But if her husband dies,
Concessive/Conditional : However if her husband dies
she is free from that law,
Then she is freed from the law of marriage
and if she marries another man
Series/Condition : And if she now marries another man
she is not an adulteress.
Then She has not broken the law
Likewise, my brothers, g you also have died h to the law
MAIN POINT/Comparison: Likewise you also have died to the law . note in example husband died but here we died- done deliberately by Paul to show that the law hasn't altogether died, but we have died to it
i through the body of Christ,
How died? Through the body of Jesus
actionmanner
so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead,
Result : We died 4a so that we may marry/belong to Jesus
actionresult
j in order that we may bear fruit for God.
Purpose of death/remarriage: To enable us to live and bear fruit to God
For while we were living in the flesh,
Why? Because when ( Temporal) we were alive to the flesh
our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work k in our members
Action: Our sinful desires, aroused by law were working inside us
l to bear fruit for death.
Result: we bore fruit for death
But now we are released from the law,
Concessive: but now (not temporal) we are delivered from the law
having died to that which held us captive,
How? By our death to the law which held us captive
so that we serve in the m new way of n the Spirit
Result-positive: we serve in the new way of the Spirit
and not in the old way of the written code. 1
Result - negative: we do not serve in the old way of the law
negativepositive
concessive
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Notes
This passage is crucial for understanding the rest of the chapter especially verses 4-6. We have died to the law , while we were in the flesh sinful passions were aroused, bearing fruit to death; BUT NOW we are released from law we serve in the spirit and bear fruit to God. The point of the passage is that while married to law we bore fruit to death verse 5 and ch. 5:21 but now we are married to Christ we bear fruit to God unto eternal life verse 4 and ch. 5:21.
Comments
Disclaimer: The opinions and conclusions expressed on this page are those of the author and may or may not accord with the positions of Biblearc or Bethlehem College & Seminary.