Romans 7:1-6
Delivered to a New Husband
In 1 Samuel 25, we find the story of a wife bound to a terrible husband, a harsh, conceited, foolish man by the name of Nabal. In those days, wives like Abigail did not have many rights or privileges that would protect them from bad husbands. But God had a plan for this woman that she’d never dreamed of. Eventually she would be delivered from this foolish husband, and become the wife of a KING!
In previous messages, we’ve noticed Paul using metaphors of death, bondage and slavery to describe our relationship to sin and our original sin nature. Last time, he told the Roman believers that they’d been “delivered” to a “form of doctrine” which they’d “obeyed from the heart.” This doctrine was the saving truth of the gospel: Trust in Jesus Christ alone as Lord and Savior, and you will receive forgiveness of sin and eternal life, based on His saving work!
To “deliver” something or someone, is to transfer that thing or person from an old state, or place, or ownership to a new one. All who believe in Christ are united to Him, both in the present, and in His past works of obedience, His death, and His resurrection. So, when Jesus died to sin once for all, the believer also died to sin along with Him. When Jesus rose again to a new, resurrected humanity, all those united to Him were delivered from their sinful past to “newness of life.”
In chapter 7 of Romans, Paul continues explaining the sanctification phase of our salvation. Our new life in Christ gives us a new freedom of choice: no longer forced to sin by our sinful desires, we now have the option of freely choosing to please and serve God. The remaining sin of our flesh still cries out to be fed but cannot gain final victory. We have God’s promise: “Sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace” (6:14).
Not being “under law” means that Christians no longer are eternally judged by their failure to perfectly keep the law. The law of God is no longer the basis for a curse against us. That curse, and God’s wrath brought on by it, has been lifted from us because God’s Son suffered and died on our behalf. Being “under grace” means that all the privileges, promises and heavenly glories that are due to Jesus because of His perfect obedience are now ours as well. We are “joint heirs with Christ.”
Paul now introduces a new metaphor, that of marriage. Once we were “married” to the moral law of God. We were tied to the law as our only means of being justified before a holy God. There was no other “spouse” we could turn to because perfect
obedience was the only option. The only way to be freed from this deadly marriage was for one of the two spouses to die. Paul tells his readers that “you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ” (7:4).
Years before David became King of a united Israel, he spent time as an outlaw, leading a large group of men who were dedicated to following him. It had become well known that God had chosen David to one day replace King Saul, but David was forced to hide in the wilderness with his army and find food and shelter for his men’s families, even sometimes in the land of Israel’s enemies.
David found shelter in some of the desolate caves in the Paran wilderness, and he found that some herdsmen in the area of the village of Maon were shearing their sheep and goats, thousands of them! Obviously their owner was a very wealthy man and perhaps he could provide some food for David and his men, especially as they were taking care to protect the rich man’s flocks from possible invaders.
But as is often the case, this rich fool Nabal had become conceited and mean. He sent David’s men away with ridicule and scorn, and sent a message back to the future king: “Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants are breaking away from their masters these days. Why should I take my bread and water, and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where?”
When Nabal’s wife found out what her husband said, she immediately did a very wise thing: she sent a large gift of food to David and his men, before he could come with his army and take revenge on her husband. Soon after this, Nabal died, perhaps because of a heart attack or a stroke. And David took Abigail as his wife. We could definitely say that God permitted this wise lady to “marry up!” And the Apostle Paul will tell his readers, and you and me, that this is true of us as well…
The body of Christ was a true human body--a body with passions, desires and emotions like ours. Yet Jesus never polluted that body through disobedience. The body He offered up on the cross as our sin offering was completely sinless. He totally fulfilled the law of God. His marriage to the law was successful and pure where ours was hopelessly impure and lethal. But when He died, we who trust in Him were free to be “married to another.”
Paul writes of marriage from the standpoint of a woman taking on a new husband. It is a woman in a marriage who bears fruit (children) for her husband. Paul has already written in terms of bearing fruit for God in chapter 6. In this analogy, being married to the law meant that we were aroused by that “husband” to bear fruit of unrighteousness, leading to death. What should have been a harvest of good, obedient behavior, turned out bad and shameful.
“Him who was raised from the dead”--Jesus Christ--is now the Christian’s new “husband.” And because we are eternally united to Him, the fruit we now bear can be “to God.” Suitable and pleasing to our heavenly Father. Our old husband (the law) only served to awaken sinful passions in us, producing things that God hated. Our new Husband (Jesus) works through His Spirit to produce in us behaviors God loves.
So once again, Paul presents us with a contrast between two options. There are two ways we can offer service to God. Either we can remain in an old marriage to “the letter” of the law--a relationship that only produces imperfect, unacceptable fruit, leading to death and judgment… Or we can be united by faith with the crucified Christ, and be raised with and married to Him. This is the way we can serve God in the “newness of the Spirit” (v. 6).
Paul will continue to clarify the believer’s new relationship to God’s law, making it plain that there is nothing inherently bad or wrong about it. The only reason law makes us sin is that our natures are fallen and corrupt. The law reveals God’s holy character and our own unholiness; it instructs humanity in ways that crime and lawlessness can and should be limited; and the law continues to show believers what does and doesn’t please their gracious Lord and King.
There’s a big difference between David choosing to marry Abigail, a wise, noble woman; and Jesus choosing to marry us, we who were much like foolish Nabal, who wanted nothing to do with his rightful king, but spurned and ridiculed him. Jesus chooses to save and unite with lost sinners and rebels who once hated Him, until they receive “newness of life” and the forgiveness that Christ provided for them. He gives his Bride all of His eternal, heavenly riches, even though we have failed miserably to keep His good, holy laws.
If you’ve never turned from your sins and your inability to keep God’s law, to the gracious Son of God who died on the cross for sinners, may today be the day you repent and trust the Lord Jesus Christ, a new “husband” who will never fail you!
Amen.
