Your May 5th Expository Sermon

Released and Reborn (Romans 7:1-6)

Sermon Outline: [NOTE to Paid subscribers — scroll down for the full manuscript sermon].

Sermon Title: Released and Reborn (Romans 7:1-6)

Introduction:

Romans 7:1-6 addresses a pivotal shift from living under the law to living in the Spirit. In this passage, Paul uses the analogy of marriage to elucidate how believers are released from the law through Christ's death, enabling them to serve in the new way of the Spirit. This teaching helps clarify the transition from the old covenant bound by law to the new covenant characterized by grace and Spirit-led living.

I. Law’s Legal Authority (Romans 7:1-3)

• Binding Power of the Law: 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? (Romans 7:1, ESV). Paul begins by affirming the authority of the law over individuals, emphasizing that its jurisdiction extends only over the living. This sets the stage for understanding our release from its demands.

• Marital Metaphor: Through the analogy of marriage, Paul illustrates how the law binds like a marriage contract: Thus 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 (Romans 7:2-3, ESV). This comparison conveys how death dissolves legal obligations, including those of the law.

II. Liberated by Christ’s Death (Romans 7:4)

• Released from the Law: 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 (Romans 7:4, ESV). Paul declares that through Christ's death, believers are freed from the law’s grip, enabling them to be joined with Christ. This liberation is not just a release but a redirection to belong to Christ and live for God.

• Fruitful for God: The purpose of this release is not to live lawlessly but to produce spiritual fruit. Being joined to Christ, who is alive, empowers believers to live in a way that truly honors God, contrasted with the fruitless efforts under the law.

III. Living in the New Way of the Spirit (Romans 7:5-6)

• Contrast Between the Old and New: 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 (Romans 7:5-6, ESV). Paul contrasts the old life under the law, marked by sinful passions and death, with the new life in the Spirit.

• Service in the Spirit: The new way of the Spirit involves a transformation of how believers serve: not through the old code, but through the dynamic and life-giving presence of the Holy Spirit. This shift signifies a deeper, more genuine adherence to God’s will, one that the law could never inspire on its own.

Conclusion:

In Romans 7:1-6, Paul masterfully illustrates the transition from bondage under the law to freedom in Christ. This passage invites us to embrace our new identity in Christ—released from the old constraints and reborn to a vibrant, Spirit-led existence. As we reflect on our own lives, let us consider how we, too, can move beyond mere adherence to rules and step into a fruitful relationship with God, powered by the Spirit. This is the essence of the new life Christ has won for us—a life of freedom, fruitfulness, and fulfillment in the Spirit.

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