What is the relationship between law and grace? This article shows the relationship through the marriage analogy, as used in Romans 7:1-4.

Source: The Messenger, 2014. 3 pages.

Spiritual Remarriage

Know ye not, brethren ... how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth? For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband ... Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.

Romans 7:1-4

We are all married to a perfect spouse. Yet, his perfection is devastating or liberating, depending on whether we are married or remarried. If you are confused, keep reading because our text uses this illustration to give important instruction. The first husband is the law to whom we are married by nature; the second is Christ, to whom we may be married by grace.

A Demanding Husband🔗

Romans 6:14 states something that is often misunderstood or ignored: “ye are not under the law, but under grace.” One person says, “I like that because then I don’t have to worry about the law.” Another replies, “No, you have to obey the law!” The rest of Romans 6 shows that to be no longer under law is the only way to serve God.

Romans 7 begins with the picture of a woman married to a man. This man is an exact and exacting man. Every waking moment he commands: “Do!” “Obey!” He expects his will to be done promptly, precisely, and perfectly. As her good and authoritative head, he has a right to give his perfect commands.

By nature, we are in this marriage. The law has dominion over us and demands: “Do and live or disobey and die!” When we were created, our delight was to obey, but now we have broken the covenant of works, cannot obey, and must die.

How can any manage to live with the law? Some of us ignore his demands. Others claim to love them, but in practice reduce them to a level they can (almost) reach. Some of us realize they need help to keep the law. Such persons are trying to have two husbands. You try to please your husband, the law, with the help of Christ. You remain under the law’s dominion, while trying to enjoy Christ’s blessings. However, Calvin says: “while the law holds us separated from Christ and bound to itself, it can do nothing but condemn us.”

A Broken Marriage🔗

We need the marriage bond with the law to be broken. However, divorcing the holy law is not allowed. Verse 3 states that death alone can break this marriage bond. The law can never die, but verse 4 says: “wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law.” The law has said, “Disobey and die!” and you have died. The law can no longer demand anything from you or punish you because you are dead in the eyes of the law.

How can that be? “By the body of Christ.” On the cross hung His dead body. The law came to Him, found Him a disobedient one, and carried out its threats. In His death, Christ suffered sin’s punishment in the place of His guilty bride. His death is her death. If you belong to Christ, the law sees you as having died two thousand years ago. The law can no longer condemn you because you have already died with Christ. That breaks the marriage bond with the law.

A Better Union🔗

We must share in Christ’s death through union with Him. Have you learned that the Christian life is more than doing your best to keep God’s law? Have you learned that the law can only condemn you? Have you learned that you need Christ to give you more than only some help to live rightly?

For years, Paul thought he could please the law. He said: “I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died” (Rom. 7:9). When the force of the command came, he tried to obey it, but found he could not because he was dead in sin.

The law is not a crutch to help us limp to God, but it is a slaying sword. By His Spirit, Christ uses the law to expose our inability to keep it and as a liability to its curse. Then the Lord Jesus becomes precious as the One who perfectly obeyed the law and died to satisfy its demands. When you confess before God: “I deserve to die,” the gospel sounds: “when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly” (Rom. 5:6). The law says: “You must die!” The gospel says: “You may die with Christ!” Faith says: “Amen, so let it be. Let His death be my death.”

Bride of Christ, isn’t that liberating? Christ comes between you and the law. Before the law reaches you, it meets the dead body of Christ and realizes, “She has died; I am no longer married to her.”

Maybe you object, “If you stress that too much, people will think they can do what they want.”

Presumption can use this truth to excuse sin, but true faith unites a sinner to the whole Christ. Listen to verse 4: “ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another.”

A Blessed Husband🔗

If you think being dead to the law is a license to sin, you are thinking of believers as independent spiritual widows. However, living as queen of your own life is antinomian presumption and self-deception. All those for whom that first marriage is ended have entered that second marriage with Christ; because spiritual widows do not exist.

If you are married to Christ, you are married to the One who was dead and “is raised from the dead.” If Christ had remained in the grave, none would be married to Him, but He rose to be the bridegroom of His entire bride. He lives, never to die again. Romans 6:9 proclaims: “Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.” Because Christ will never die, His bride will never die. The marriage bond is secure. The law cannot break this just bond and sin cannot break this gracious bond.

What a Husband He is! Husband Law only commands, but Husband Christ promises to care for His bride. He “is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body” (Eph. 5:23). If He is your husband, He deserves all your trust. Do not live as if He were still dead and only left you a list of rules. Do not just go to Christ for pardon when you fail and then run back to the law again to obey it with some help from Christ. Christ is the Husband. Commit all to Him and expect all from Him! May your confession be, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20).

A Fruitful Marriage🔗

“What about godliness?” Christ is the perfection of human life in holiness and obedience to God. Through union with Him, Christ’s bride not only has a perfect obedience in Him, but also receives obedience from Him. Through the bond of communion, His life renews them. He marries them to bring forth fruit to God in them. The law is an impotent husband, but Christ is powerful to beget fruit.

Christ has “loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church” (Eph. 5:25-26). He begins beautifying His bride because He desires His love to flow back in love to Him. Do you desire to bring forth fruit? Seek to know Christ in His sacrificial death and life-giving resurrection, in His offices and His position as husband.

If you have a good marriage and love your husband, you can’t think of going to another man. Christ is the perfect Husband. The more you know Him, the more you will love Him, trust Him, and not be able to think of living in sin.

Love to the living Christ will constrain you to obey Him. That obedience is greater than a legalistic service to the law, because love will constrain you to desire to please Him who gave Himself for you and obey Him who says: “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”

Is there any Husband like Him? Are there any commands and is there any grace like His? We began with the fact that we all are married to a perfect husband, but the law’s perfection condemns while Christ’s perfection saves. Do not try to have two husbands. Give up trying to serve the law directly. You can only begin to bring forth fruit through Christ, the living Bridegroom, who died to break that marriage with the law and lives to lead sinners to live in love to Him who embodies God’s blessed law.

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