Romans: Theology for Everybody (6-11)ናሙና

The Bible uses a lot of language from marriage and family to help describe our relationship with God. In this section, we are taught that the obligations of marriage come to an end once our spouse dies which explains the vows, “’til death do you part”. 

In this section, the Holy Spirit through Paul will compare and contrast being married to the law versus being married to grace in three ways. 

1) Living under the law is like a bad marriage (Romans 7:1-3). Paul uses the Greek word for law “nomos” some 121 times throughout his letters. The word has a variety of uses, but in this context, it likely refers to the general meaning of God’s universal standards of right and wrong over everyone. The law reflects God’s character as Lawgiver, restrains some evil through our conscience (Romans 2) and government (Romans 13), and also reveals to us our own sin. 

Non-Christians often deny that there is a universal standard of right and wrong, but, when pressed, are forced to acknowledge it in a variety of ways: 

1. We rebel against law as we want to be sovereign and not under authority

2. We feel guilty when we violate the law 

3. We appeal to the law to criticize and judge others when they violate the law

4. When we do well, we appeal to the law to show our success 

5. When we fail to obey the law, we try to ignore or hide the law so we don’t get caught 

6. When we fail the law and are found out, we feel defeat and depression for our shortcoming 

The law is good, and we are bad. The law is like an MRI machine that shows us what is wrong with us but cannot do anything to fix the problem. The law shows us our sin and need for a Savior who fulfils the law and frees us from it. 

Living life under, or to use Paul’s metaphor being married to law, feels a lot like rules, control, punishment, failure, and cheerless constant falling short. This can include increasing rules from a parent or spouse at home, boss at work, overreach from government, or laws and legalisms at church. Thankfully, when Jesus died, we too died to the law and are now free to a new relationship with Jesus Christ by grace. 

2) Living under grace is like a great marriage (Romans 7:4-6). The Bible often uses the metaphor of marriage to the Christian faith. Jesus is portrayed as a faithful groom, and the Church as His beloved bride. In marriage there is a sacred moment where the covenant is made, a new legal status is conferred, and a new name is taken by the bride. The same is true for the believer as we are in covenant with Jesus, receive His legal status of eternal righteousness as our inheritance, and take the name Christian to honor Him. 

3) We live under the law or in the Spirit (Romans 7:7-13). The two primary purposes of the law are to name our sin and aggravate our sin nature. Paul makes this issue personal, referring to himself nearly thirty times in Romans 7. He says that once he heard about coveting, his sinful nature immediately and passionately started to violate the 10th Commandment. The same is true of us. Every parent knows the reality of the sin nature well – as a child tends to do exactly the opposite of what they are told. 

Since laws are good and we are bad, more laws tend to result in more rebellion. What we need is a new nature with new desires and new power all possible because of the Holy Spirit. This is precisely where Paul is driving his argument as Romans 8 is about living in the Spirit rather than under the law dead to sin and alive to Christ. 

Reflection:

1. Which of God’s laws do you personally struggle most to not rebel against? 

2. Why is it important that we respect God’s order of right and wrong in our life, family, church, and community? 

3. Are you a person who is more prone to deal with people and problems with law or grace? Why is it important that we deal with people and their problems with grace like God deals with us?