Uniting in Death

Some good questions

(insert Death brings uniting picture here?

One more time we come to a bridge section, this time between Rom6:15 and Rom7:1-6.

Maybe give you the other passage as a reminder so you can see the bridge.

Romans 6:15 NASB95

15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be!

Paul loves to build bridges from one section to another , one point leading to another point. Paul also likes using illustrations.

Abraham in chapter 4

Slavery in chapter 6

Well, in reality he had a great teacher who loved to speak in parables and use illustrations.

On one side of the bride we see death to self/life to Christ, and in our section tonight we will see death to the Law for a majority of chapter seven.

First look at the slide, can you answer the question?

Previously in chapter-6 we looked at death, the who, why, what and the benefits of it. This morning we will see an illustration about the death of being under the law of God, dead to sin.

The principle to be illustrated (Rom7:1)

The principle illustrated (Rom7:2-3)

Application of the principle (Rom7:4-6)

Now, of course we need to look at the passage as a whole first; make some observations and ask some questions.

Romans 7:1–2 NASB95

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.

Romans 7:3 NASB95

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.

Romans 7:4–5 NASB95

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.

Romans 7:6 NASB95

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.

What general observations do you make?

Who is Paul addressing (v.1)?

Jewish brethren who know, lived under the law, that the law had jurisdiction over.

What important fact does he make (v.1)?

The law had jurisdiction or dominion over someone only as long as he lives.

A woman is bound to husband while living, but if he dies then what (v.2-3)?

Released from the law for her husband has died.

How did you died according to (v.4)?

You died through the body of Christ

Why did you need to die, what is the “so that” (v.4)?

So that you might be joined to another (to Him; to Christ) so that you may bear fruit,

What did the members of our body do when we lived by the flesh (v.5)?

We were bearing fruit for death

Now being released from the law, what are we to do (v.6)?

Serve in the newness of the Spirit

Principle to be Illustrated

Who likes to talk about death? In the flesh it can be a very hard thing, but spiritually we should be excited to talk about our death, burial and resurrection to a new life in Christ.

Death nullifies all contracts

Have you ever seen a dead person taken to court for breaking a contract? I don’t think so

Law only had jurisdiction while a person is alive.

Death loses dominion over a dead man.

Romans 6:7 NLT

7 For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin.

We are to be reminded we are dead to sin.

Romans 6:11 NASB95

11 Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

In Chapter-6 we looked at death

Whose - YOURS

Why - Because of YOUR faith

When -When baptized

What are results: Newness of life; a resurrected life, a dead body coming back to life

The benefits: YOUR eternal life

It’s not the Law is dead, it is not that sin is dead, it is YOU are dead to sin and the law.

The principle to be illustrated is death nullified all contracts

The Principle Illustrated

If only the law would died we would be free from its hold on us, but it is in excellent health (consider Mt5:18).

Matthew 5:18 NASB95

18 “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

Paul uses the law of marriage as his illustration.

Romans 7:2–3 GNB

2 A married woman, for example, is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives; but if he dies, then she is free from the law that bound her to him. 3 So then, if she lives with another man while her husband is alive, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is legally a free woman and does not commit adultery if she marries another man.

A woman by law if bound to her husband as long as he lives (7:2)

A woman released from the law if he dies (7:2-3)

It is not the law that died, it is the husband

Remember you died to the law to the slave master, to the husband, sin.

Christians are dead to the law through the body of Christ (Rom6:1-7; Col2:13-14)

Colossians 2:13–14 NASB95

13 When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, 14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

I’m not going to put up the Rom6:1-7 passage we have read it many times, used it many times, studied it recently too.

A person cannot be joined to another until the first one is done away with (see Rom6:14-16)

Romans 6:14–15 NASB95

14 For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace. 15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be!

Romans 6:16 NASB95

16 Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?

You needed to be out from under the law to be joined to Christ. You are freed from the law and joined to Christ by faith when you are baptized and your sins are forgiven.

Jon Courson says:

“Because the Christian who finally throws off the yoke of legalism inevitably becomes fruitful, churches grow whenever believers become excited about their relationship with Jesus.”

You died in Christ (Gal2:20)

Galatians 2:20 NASB95

20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

So, don’t sweat it when you fall short in your Christianity at times, you are not bound by law, but by heart. So you fall short in prayer at times, start praying, in studying, study. It’s not about rules it is about heart! You, because of your place in grace now are free to love and serve the Lord, not under compulsion, but freely, cheerfully and willingly.

Principle Applied

What good is a principle stated, illustrated if not then applied? We now get to the focal point of this passage.

Romans 7:4 NLT

4 So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God.

Romans 7:5 NLT

5 When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death.

Romans 7:6 NLT

6 But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit.

How can we be joined together since we are dead to the law (v.4)?

What is the purpose of being joined together (v.4)?

Consider, what kind of fruit are we to bear?

What kind of fruit were we bearing before (v.5)? Why?

What were we bound to before (v.6)? How did we die? where did we die? Why did we die?

Some may think that Paul is confused, we are gentiles never under the law. But we were, the law of God when we were unsaved. We were condemned. But when we trusted Christ by faith and obedience we died to the law just as we died to the flesh (sin).

Remember the graveyard has no security guards, for a dead person cannot do anything. We were delivered from the power of the law, it has no authority over a dead person.

(TIME PERMITTING)

Some comparisons for your consideration.

Death and uniting:

Rom6 Freedom from sin; Rom7 Freedom from law

Rom6 dead to sin (6:2) Rom7 dead to law (Rom7:4)

Rom6 union with Christ (6:3); Rom 7 union through the body of Christ (7:4)

Rom6 shared in the resurrection (6:4-5); Shared with Him who was raised from the dead (7:4)

Unsaved and saved comparisons

Marred to sin, bound by the law,wife to Adam, bringing forth fruit leading to death

Now married to Christ, righteousness, free from the law, wife to Christ, bringing forth fruit resulting in sanctification and eternal life.

Now released to a new way. Dead to the way that bound us, now able to serve in the newness of life through the Spirit, not the oldness of the letter of the law.

Now that we know what we know, what are we going to do with it?

(Prayer) (Close)