Friday, February 6, 2015

Romans 7:1-3

Romans 7:1-3 Do you not know, brothers and sisters—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law has authority over someone only as long as that person lives?  For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law that binds her to him.  So then, if she has sexual relations with another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress if she marries another man.

Paul gives an example of how believers have died to the law and are no longer under the law.  This means the whole law as Paul never divides the law into three parts and brings one part over into the New Covenant as many do.  Even the Ten Commandments are no longer applicable for New Covenant believers.  This is clearly shown in 2 Corinthians 3 which states: Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?"    

This does not mean lying, stealing, murder, adultery, etc. are now OK.  But it does mean these principles are restated and in most cases strengthened in the New Covenant era as given in the New Testament.  With the New Covenant there is a change in the law [Hebrews 7:12].

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