Today we’re in Romans chapter 7:1-6. These verses actually continue the discussion that Paul began in Romans 6:15, answering the question, “Shall we sin because we are not under the law, but under grace?” He used the illustration of a master and servant to explain how the Christian should yield himself to God. In this passage he used the illustration of a husband and wife to show that the believer has a new relationship to the law because of his union with Jesus Christ. The illustration is a simple one, but it has a profound application. When a man and woman marry, they are united for life. Marriage is a physical union (“...and they shall become one flesh” Gen. 2:24) and can only be broken by a physical cause. One such cause is death. (Matt. 5:31–34; 19:1–12 indicate that unfaithfulness also breaks the marriage bond, but Paul does not bring this up. He is not discussing marriage and divorce; he is using marriage to illustrate a point.) Let’s talk more about it.
