Romans 7:1-6 Sinners require justice from others, but the sons of God release sinners from justice.
Romans 7:1-6 Sinners require justice from others, but the sons of God release sinners from justice.
1 Or do you not know, brethren (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law has jurisdiction over a person as long as he lives? 2 For the married woman is bound by law to her husband while he is living; but if her husband dies, she is released from the law concerning the husband. 3 So then, if while her husband is living she is joined to another man, she shall be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress though she is joined to another man.
4 Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. 5 For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.
Background
The Law in itself is good for it shows the yardstick of righteousness. However, the Law does not give life, it reminds sinners of the punishment that awaits them. For some, the Law even becomes a cloak to hide their sins. Often times, sinners use the Law to prosecute others without applying the Law to themselves. Jesus, having fulfilled the Law perfectly, has put an end to the operation of the Law through His death. By His resurrection, the Spirit of God indwells us, making us sons of God. As sons, we are no longer compelled by the Law, but by love. And in forgiving those who sin against us, we open a window for the Spirit to touch their lives. Today’s devotion teaches us: Sinners require justice from others, but the sons of God release sinners from justice.
Observation
For the married woman is bound by law to her husband while he is living; but if her husband dies, she is released from the law concerning the husband.
This section applies particularly to the Israelites. The Jews had long operated under the mindset of the Law ever since Moses gave it, with the Law as the central focus of life. They went to great lengths to avoid breaking it. Yet the time has come for them to be freed from this mindset. The old husband of the Law is now dead, and the new husband has come. With the old husband gone, they are released from the obligations Moses imposed. Therefore, it is time for the Jews to set aside the mindset of the old husband and embrace the mindset of the new husband of the Spirit—marked by the regeneration of the heart.
Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another.
How did Jesus’s death bring about the end of the old husband, the Law? Galatians 4:4 identifies Jesus as being “born under the Law,” making Him, in a sense, the old husband. Paul writes:
“But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law…” – Galatians 4:4
Jesus came to fulfill the Law, as He Himself declared:
“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.” – Matthew 5:17
His death signified the death of the old husband. With it came the removal of the old covenant and its mindset, which had emphasized external conformity over inward transformation. Through His resurrection, however, Jesus became the new husband of the Spirit, to whom believers are joined. His resurrection ushers in a new mindset—life under the new husband—where righteousness of the heart, rather than outward appearances, becomes central. Jesus perfectly fulfilled the Law through His love for God and sinners, granting Him both the authority to end the old covenant and to inaugurate the age of the Spirit.
For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death.
Here, Paul explains how a mindset governed by the Law can actually stir up sinful desires. The Law places its emphasis on outward conformity—on visible compliance rather than inward transformation. This fixation on external behaviour fosters a concern with appearances and can cultivate a false sense of righteousness, allowing inner darkness to flourish beneath the surface. A person may meticulously fulfil every requirement of the Law, imagining that such precision makes him righteous. He may offer sacrifices, yet remain devoid of mercy toward others and without genuine repentance toward God. In this condition, he becomes blind to the sinful passions within him. Instead of exposing sin, the Law becomes a veil that hides it, permitting these inner corruptions to grow unchecked.
Furthermore, the one who enters the covenant God made with Moses becomes bound to its limitations. Under the old covenant, he is cursed with spiritual stagnation: he cannot advance toward the cleansing of his sinful passions or grow into the perfect image of God. This is not merely a cultural issue, nor a psychological limitation—it is a spiritual bondage. Only by dying to the Law through the body of Christ can this covenantal constraint be annulled, opening the way for true transformation and spiritual renewal.
But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.
When a person follows Jesus all the way to the cross, he dies with Him to the old covenant and is released from the Law’s authority. The Law does not merely pronounce blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience—it also imposes the curse of spiritual stagnation. Under it, a person remains tethered to the earth, unable to ascend toward the life of heaven or grow into the fullness of God’s likeness.
But the one who has died to the Law is liberated. He is freed to be shaped, moulded, and transformed into the image of God. Through Jesus’ blood covenant, he is released from spiritual stagnation, and his sinful passions begin to be cleansed. No longer fixated on merely keeping commandments, he is empowered to follow Jesus upward—to aspire to sit with Him in heavenly places and to share in His rule.
Truth
Sinners require justice from others, but the sons of God release sinners from justice.
The Law in itself is good. But the mindset of the Law is a product of sinners. Often times, we use the Law to prosecute others. We require justice from people while being unjust ourselves. We cannot fulfil the Law, yet we expect others to fulfil it. But Jesus fulfilled the Law perfectly by being just in all that He did. At the same time, He did not require justice from those who are unjust towards Him. The mindset of the Law requires justice from others. But being recipients of the Spirit, we must forgive and release others from debts owed us. Jesus said,
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you. – Matthew 5:38-42
Here, Jesus describes what life in the Spirit is like. We are not to count people’s sins, but to release them from just retribution. But we do not stop there, we are to repay their evil with good. The execution of the Law does not bring life and transformation. Instead, it brings regrets, sorrows, and death. But God, who is the source of life is kind and merciful even to ungrateful and evil men. Jesus said,
But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. – Luke 6:35-36
Indeed, sinners require justice from others, but the sons of God releases sinners from justice. By releasing sinners from just retribution, we open a window for the Spirit to change their lives.
Forgiveness opens a window for the Spirit to touch lives.
The Jews brought a woman caught in adultery to Jesus, intending to lay a trap for Him. Indeed, Moses has commanded in the Law that such a woman be stoned to death. Because Jesus fulfilled the Law perfectly, He has full authority to judge and decide if the woman should be punished according to the Law. However, Jesus knew that the Law cannot transform the woman’s life. Jesus challenged those who thought they have fulfilled the Law to throw the first stone. One by one, the people left. Jesus said,
“Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.” – John 8:10-11
That said, the sinful nature will continue to plague the woman until it is once and for all removed by Jesus’s death. However, what is important is Jesus’s own forgiveness of the Jews who put Him on the cross. Although the Law requires their just punishment, Jesus forgave them. By forgiving them, Jesus opened a window that ushered in the age of the Spirit (Luke 23:34). As sons of God, we no longer operate by the Law. Neither do we use the Law to prosecute others. Instead, by graciously forgiving them, we open windows through which the Spirit can work.
Application
On a scale of one to ten, how just and lawful are you?
Are you actively looking for justice? Or are you looking for windows to touch lives?
Dear Lord, help me to be just and lawful in all that I do. At the same time, give me the grace to be kind, merciful and wise in all that I do. I release the people who have harmed me from having to repay me. I ask the Spirit to touch them, to move them towards repentance. In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.