“Freedom Through Death”

Attention

Basic training story

Need

We all know what it feels like to be stuck in a cycle of trying to live up to impossible standards, weighed down by guilt, frustration, and the feeling that we’ll never be good enough. Spiritually, many of us experience this same bondage. We try to earn God’s favor by doing good things or following all the rules perfectly, but it always feels like we fall short. This type of bondage—being bound to the law, which only serves to show us how far we are from God’s standard.

God never intended for us to live in this kind of bondage. Through Christ’s death, we have been freed from the law and the burden of trying to earn God’s approval. This freedom doesn’t just save us from bondage; it empowers us to serve Christ and produce fruit that glorifies God. We aren’t just freed from something but freed for something—to live a life that bears fruit for His kingdom.

The question we must ask ourselves is, are we living well in this freedom? Are we producing fruit that reflects Christ’s love and grace, or are we still caught in the cycle of striving and frustration? Today, we’ll explore how this freedom through Christ leads us to a life of purpose, serving Him and producing fruit for God’s glory.

Passage

Romans 7:1–6 ESV

Or do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress. Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.

Text Idea

Our main idea for today is this

Sermon idea

Believers are free from the law through Christ’s death, enabling them to live a Spirit-filled life for God.

Interrogative

How ought Christians live their life free from the law?

Division Statement

God gave us freedom through death to bear fruit for Himself.

Explanation

In Romans 7:4-6, Paul explains that our death to the law through Christ has a specific purpose: "that we might bear fruit for God." This stands in direct contrast to our former state, where we were "married to the law," and our sinful passions, aroused by the law, led to actions that resulted in death.

Paul uses the metaphor of marriage to show that just as death frees a spouse to remarry, our death to the law frees us to belong to Christ. The one to whom we are now joined is Christ, who was raised from the dead. This new relationship is eternal because Christ will never die again. This means that our bond with Him is secure, and through this relationship, we can now bear fruit for God.

Before this transformation, our sinful passions, which were stirred up by the law, were at work in us, leading us toward death. The law, while good, actually intensified our sinful desires. Our natural inclination to rebel against rules meant that the law, instead of making us righteous, made our sin even more apparent. The result was that our lives bore fruit for death, constantly revealing our inability to meet God’s perfect standards.

However, through Christ’s death, we have been released from the power of the law. We now live in the new way of the Spirit rather than the old way of trying to follow the written code. This new relationship with Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit, allows us to live lives that reflect God's character. Our freedom from the law isn't just an escape from guilt; it's an invitation to live productive, Spirit-filled lives that bear fruit for God.

God’s purpose in giving us this freedom is clear: He frees us from the law’s bondage not only to save us from sin but also to enable us to live in a way that honors Him. Our lives are meant to be fruitful, reflecting the transformation that has occurred through Christ’s death and our new life in Him. We are no longer stuck in the cycle of sin and death but are empowered to live in a way that glorifies God and advances His kingdom.

Illustration

When I married Emma 11 years ago, my life changed in so many ways. Before marriage, I made decisions based on what worked for me—what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go. But once I married Emma, all of that changed. Suddenly, I had to consider her in every decision. I couldn’t just make plans without thinking about how they would affect her. I had new responsibilities to love her, care for her, and make sure our relationship stayed strong. But even with these responsibilities, I can say without a doubt that being married to Emma has changed me for the better. It’s made me a better person, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Paul uses the same picture of marriage in Romans 7 to describe our new relationship with Christ. Before, we were bound to the law, which only brought death. But through Christ’s death, we are freed from that old relationship and are now "married" to Jesus, who was raised from the dead. Just like marriage changes everything in your life, being joined to Christ transforms us. It gives us a new purpose and a new way of living, empowering us to bear fruit for God and making our lives so much richer and more meaningful than before.

Argumentation

Argumentation

In Romans 7:4-6, Paul makes it clear that believers are freed from the law’s bondage through Christ’s death, not just to escape condemnation but to live a new life that bears fruit for God. This change in our relationship with the law shifts us from producing sinful actions leading to death to producing the fruit of righteousness and life through the Spirit.

Before we knew Christ, we bore fruit for death, as Paul says in verse 5. Our sinful nature, aroused by the law, led to actions that resulted in spiritual death. Paul echoes this idea in Galatians 5:19-21, where he describes the “acts of the sinful nature” as immorality, impurity, idolatry, and other behaviors that are in direct opposition to God’s will. These sinful acts are the inevitable outcome of life lived under the power of sin and the law. As Paul states, without being freed from the law, we are trapped in a cycle of sin, leading only to death.

However, in verse 6, Paul points to the glorious truth that through Christ, we are released from the law so that we can serve God in the “new way of the Spirit.” This transformation enables us to bear fruit for God. Paul contrasts the "fruit of death" with the "fruit of the Spirit" in Galatians 5:22-23—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These characteristics are the evidence of a life empowered by the Holy Spirit, no longer subject to the condemnation of the law but transformed to live according to God’s will. Paul emphasizes that “against such things, there is no law,” meaning that the fruit of the Spirit operates outside of the constraints of the law because it reflects the very nature of God’s Spirit.

This idea of serving God in the new way of the Spirit is echoed in 2 Corinthians 3:6, where Paul explains that “the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” The law, while good, brings death because it exposes our sin and inability to fulfill its demands. But the Spirit brings life by transforming us from within and empowering us to live in a way that pleases God. This new life in the Spirit is the foundation for bearing fruit that brings glory to God, as Paul says in Romans 6:22: “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.”

Therefore, the believer's release from the law is not an escape from accountability but an invitation to live in the power of the Holy Spirit. This new life allows us to bear fruit that reflects God’s kingdom and character. The fruit we bear through the Spirit is the evidence of our transformation, a life that honors God and leads to eternal life rather than the death that sin and the law produce. The only way to truly bear fruit for God is through Christ’s death, which frees us from the law and empowers us by the Spirit to live a life that glorifies Him.

Application

The reality is that we can only bear the kind of fruit that pleases God—love, joy, peace, and all the fruits of the Spirit—by staying close to Christ. Just as a tree needs to be rooted in good soil to produce healthy fruit, we need to be deeply connected to Jesus in order to see His character develop in us. If we try to live a godly life without relying on Christ and the Holy Spirit, we’ll find ourselves stuck in old patterns, bearing fruit that leads to frustration and spiritual death.

So the question we need to ask ourselves is: Are we staying close to Christ? Are we cultivating a relationship with Him through prayer, studying His Word, and seeking His guidance in our lives? The more we grow closer to Jesus, the more His Spirit will work in us, producing the fruit that reflects God’s glory. Let’s make it our priority to draw near to Christ each day, trusting that as we do, He will empower us to bear fruit for God.

Visualization

Action

Now that we’ve seen how God has freed us through Christ’s death, the question is, how do we live in this freedom and bear fruit for Him? Here are three specific ways we can respond in faith today:

Deepen your relationship with Christ. Freedom in Christ begins with growing closer to Him. Make it a priority to spend daily time in prayer and Scripture, focusing on knowing Christ more deeply. As you grow in your relationship with Him, His love will fill your heart and overflow into every area of your life. This is how the fruit of the Spirit begins to take root—by staying connected to Jesus. Live out your freedom by serving others. Just as Christ gave His life for us, we are called to use our freedom to love and serve others. Look for ways this week to intentionally serve those around you—whether at home, work or in your community. Ask God to show you opportunities to reflect His love through acts of kindness, patience, and grace. Bear fruit by surrendering to the Holy Spirit. The fruit we are called to bear doesn’t come from our own efforts but from surrendering to the work of the Holy Spirit in us. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you each day and shape your thoughts, words, and actions. As you surrender to His leading, you will begin to see real transformation in your life—one that brings glory to God and points others to Christ.

These are practical steps you can take today to live in the freedom Christ has given you and to bear the fruit God desires. Remember, this is not about striving harder but about staying close to Jesus and letting His Spirit work through you. Let’s commit to living in this freedom, growing closer to Christ, and bearing fruit for His glory.