Romans: But Now

Romans 7:1-6 

Every believer has two conflicting natures. Our human nature, created to reflect God's character (Gen. 1:26-27), has been corrupted by sin (Gen. 3). As a result, the human nature, or “sin nature,” now acts in rebellion against God. However, when we trust in Jesus, we receive a new nature; we become a new creation. Now alive in Christ, we have the desire and ability to respond to God. Yet, the sin nature is not eradicated.

Our two natures directly oppose each other within us. In every believer, “reactions, motives, desires, values, and behavior become channels through which God will express himself in righteousness, or evil will express itself in sin.”[1]

The great preacher and theologian, J. C. Ryle, describes the life of a Christian as a constant struggle.

The true Christian is called to be a soldier, and must behave as such from the day of his conversion to the day of his death. He must never imagine for a moment that he can sleep and doze along the way to heaven…. If he takes his standard . . . from the children of the world, he may be content with such notions…. If the Bible is the rule of his faith and practice, he will find his course laid down very plainly in this matter. He must fight. [2]

In Romans 6, Paul teaches us how to put our faith into action. He explains that God has disconnected our hearts from the source of the sinful nature and connected them to the power of Jesus. As his children, God gives us the responsibility to choose which source we will rely on. The old master calls us back to sin; the new master calls us forward into obedience. 

In Romans 6:14, Paul said, “For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.” After an inspired digression in Romans 6:15-23, the apostle returns to explain how we are freed from the law. 

Romans 7:1
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? 

Let’s expand on Paul’s statement: While I am alive, I must pay taxes, respect other people’s property, follow traffic signs, and so on. However, when I die, rules and regulations no longer apply to me. To illustrate this further, Paul gives the example of marriage. 

Romans 7:2-3
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. 

A biblical marriage is considered a lawful, lifelong commitment between a man and a woman. However, when one spouse passes away, the surviving spouse is released from the covenant and is free to remarry. Straightforward, right? Now, Paul shifts back to discussing the believer’s new spiritual nature.  

Romans 7:4
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. 

We were once under the law—controlled and limited by it. We tried to be good enough for God by following it, but on our own, the law's standard was impossible for us to meet. However, as believers, we have now died to the law through Christ's work. 

Let’s remind ourselves again how Paul explained it in Romans 6:3-4: 

Romans 6:3-4
Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

Just as someone whose spouse has died is free to remarry, our death with Christ frees us from trying to earn God's favor through the law. Our new relationship now connects us to Jesus, who “was raised from the dead,” so that “we too might walk in newness of life.” 

Up to this point in Romans 7, Paul has explained that we can be released from the law. Now he emphasizes that we must be released from the law. 

Roman 7:5
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. 

Before we became Christians, we were “under the law,” which meant our sinful nature controlled us. The law told us how to live, but didn’t give us the desire or the power to obey. Instead, it “aroused” our sinful passions. Our rebellion was fueled by being told we couldn’t do something we wanted to do. 

Lori enjoys baking cookies, and one of her favorite recipes is called “Cowboy Cookies”—large chocolate-chip oatmeal cookies with a sprinkle of coarse salt on top that practically melt in your mouth. When I see these cookies, my appetite kicks in, and I reach for one, especially when they’re fresh out of the oven. But she says, “Don’t think about it! These are for later.” Now, a few reactions happen. I still crave that cookie, and I don’t like being told, “Don’t think about it.” Being denied only makes me want what I can’t have even more. Now, a battle starts inside me. Do I listen to Lori, or do I sneak a cookie… and run?

Returning to Paul’s spiritual point, the law stirs up sin in me. This is especially true before we were believers, “while we were living in the flesh.” But now…

Romans 7:6
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. 

When we died with Christ (Rom. 6:3-4), we were released from the law, just as someone is no longer bound by their marriage commitment when their spouse passes away. We have died to the law that held us captive. 

How did the law keep us in captivity? We were caught in an endless cycle of trying to earn our way to God through it. The law stirred our passions to rebel against God. Our death with Christ sets us free from the “old way of the written code” that enslaved us to our sinful nature. We are no longer connected to the power source of our sinful nature, so we can serve God “in the new way of the Spirit.” Through Jesus, we are now dead to sin and alive to God (Rom. 6:11)!

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD 
Time in the Word: Read and reflect on Romans 7:1-6. Focus on the powerful truth of being released from the power of the sinful nature.

Talking to God: Are there areas where your old nature is still responding to the law rather than walking in the Spirit?

Zoom Call: We’re excited to invite you to a special Zoom call on Monday, October 6, 2025 at 7:00 PM as we come together to reflect on what we’ve learned in our study of John and take a midpoint review of the book of Romans. The link to join the call will be found in the October 6 Daily Devotion email.

Have questions? Please send your questions to our team. We're happy to help as we study God's Word together. Submit your question below, and we'll respond soon. Please let us know if you would like to learn more about a relationship with Jesus or if you are seeking spiritual guidance.