Romans chapter 7. The title of the message this morning,
free from the dominion of the law. The scripture says in Romans
chapter 7 in verse 1, know you not brethren where I speak to
them that know the law, how that the law hath dominion over a
man as long as he liveth. The apostle having showed to
us who are believers in Christ that we have been freed from
the guilt of sin by the death of the Lord Jesus Christ and
are now alive unto God by the resurrection of Christ does not move us to sin, but
rather to serve God. Look at that in chapter 6 in
verse 1. He says, what shall we say then?
Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid.
How shall we that are dead to sin dead to sin live any longer
therein." This salvation, this freedom from the guilt of sin,
Paul shows, does not move us to sin, but rather we live to
serve God. And because we are still in this
body, the apostle in chapter 6 also exhorts us He exhorts
us to yield our members as instruments of righteousness. He says in
verse 13, neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness
unto sin, but yield yourselves unto God as those that are alive
from the dead. We as believers in Christ are
free from the guilt of sin, but we need the exhortation. We need
the exhortation to yield our members, this body, to righteousness
and not to sin, because we still have the old flesh that resides
in us. In the last verse of chapter
6, Paul reveals to us the truth of the two religions, works and
grace. He said, For the wages of sin
is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Works religion is always based
on wages, on merit. It is the religion of law or
either the unholy mixture of grace and law. which is the message of all free
will false free will works religion of our day is a mixture of the
two but there's only one true religion and that is grace only
one religion that saves and that is the gift of God through Jesus
Christ our Lord the only gospel is by the grace of God through
Christ and now in beginning in chapter 7 Paul addresses those
brethren who were tempted tempted. You have to understand that in
this time there was a transitional period of sorts. There was a
time where the instruments of the temple and the sacrifices
were still going on. And so these brethren who were
Jews at that time were tempted to go back, to go back to the
law. And even the Gentiles, we read
in Galatians, were deceived to try to bring them in under the
law. But Paul says this, he says to
anybody, brethren, I want to ask you a question. He says,
no, you're not brethren. And I'm speaking to anybody who
understands a little bit about law. He's not just talking to
the Jews, he's talking to the Gentiles as well. He asks the
question, don't you know that a law is only good as long as
a man's alive? That's a very simple statement,
isn't it? The law of the Gentiles, they
had laws, and everyone knew this, that the law of the Gentiles
only existed as long as a man lived. He couldn't be under the
law after he was dead. The law could do nothing to a
dead man. And he says, so it is in the
law of Moses. He said, you know that a law
is only as good as long as a man liveth. The Scripture says, "...for it
is appointed unto man once to die, and after that, the judgment."
Do you realize that the souls in hell are not accumulating
sin? They're not accumulating sin. They're not under the law. They're
under the condemnation of what they have already committed.
They're under the sentence of God in hell. They're suffering
for what they have done in breaking the law while they were alive.
They are not under the law, but rather under the judgment of
the law, the condemnation of the law. And the Apostle illustrates
this point by the law of marriage. Look at that in verse 2. He says,
For a woman, for the woman which hath a husband is bound by the
law to her husband so long as he liveth. But if the husband
be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So then,
if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another, she
shall be called an adulteress. But, if her husband be dead,
she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though
she be married to another man. A woman who is married to a man
is bound to that man. How long? By the law, how long
is she bound to that man? As long as he lives. As long
as he's alive. When Cheryl and I were married,
we included these vows to one another. Until death do us part. And we did that for a very specific
reason because that is the word of God concerning marriage. The
law of God concerning marriage was that a man should be with
his wife until they depart, until they die. And so then we are bound by our
vow before God and before men. We are bound by this vow. Now, if I were to die before
her, If I were to die, she then would be free from that vow,
would she not? She would have honored that commitment
to me. If I die, she is now free from
her husband because I would be dead. She would owe me nothing,
nothing. And I tell you, if I were to
die and she were to show up the very next day and marry another,
you should not say one word to her. You shouldn't say one word
to her because I am dead. She is no longer bound to me. She is not obligated. I've met
some people who have done that. They've had a marriage and they've
honored that marriage vow. And then some people, they sit
with their watch and they say, well, how long should they mourn?
Well, I think they should mourn a month or a year. And man, if
they get married before that time some people are so angry
with, why? Why, if their husband is dead,
why would you be upset? Don't be upset with her if she
comes in the next day with another man. Because she's not bound
to me. She has fulfilled that commitment. Even so, believer, consider this.
Even so, with us who are believers in Christ, look at that, wherefore,
verse 4, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by
the body of Christ see again the picture we are by nature
we are by nature bound to a husband which is the law we are bound
to the law by nature and under its curse we are born we're born
bound to that law And in our first father, Adam, we were made
sinners and subject to death. We are by nature, as a man, imprisoned,
being convicted and sentenced to death and waiting for the
final execution. When then will this man be free
from the justice of God? If a man were convicted of a
crime, a murder, and sentenced to death, he is on death row,
and he is waiting for what? The execution. Now, if a man
is under death sentence, and then death is executed, what
more can the law demand of that fellow? Nothing. Nothing. When he is dead, the sentence
of the law is carried out and justice is satisfied and he's
no longer under that law. Even so, believer, we are free
from the guilt and burden of the law. How? By the death of
another. By the death of Jesus Christ. We are free from the law by the
body of Christ that you should be married to another. The law
of God says, Cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things
which are written in the book of the law to do them. No son of Adam has ever been
able to fulfill the law. No son of Adam has ever been
able to continue in perfect obedience for all of sin and come short
of the glory of God. All our righteousnesses are as
filthy rags, and therefore by the deeds of the law shall no
flesh be justified. But seeing that Jesus, being
the eternal Son of God, was made flesh by the seed of the woman,
not the seed of man, He has come to be our representative. Our representative man. And by
one man's sin, we were made sinners by the offense of one man. Even
so, by the righteousness of one man, by the obedience of one
man, many are made righteous. Believer, consider that Jesus
Christ, as the representative man in the flesh, honored the
law. honored and magnified the law.
He said, which of you convinces me of sin? Who convinced Christ
of sin? Who can convict Him of sin? No
one. Therefore He said, I came not
to destroy the law, but to fulfill the law, to honor it, to magnify
it, to glorify the law in His what? Body. In the body of His
flesh He magnified the law as a man. as a representative man. And
so obedient was the Lord Jesus Christ that God the Father purposed
Him to be the sin offering, the offering for sin, that He should
bear our sins. Where? In His own body. In His own body. On the tree. Friends, the law of God could
not be manipulated. Did you hear that? The law of
God cannot be manipulated. It cannot be bribed. Nor could God wink at sin. The soul that sinneth, it shall
surely die. So then all who are born again
of the Spirit of God through faith in Christ, we are not free
from the law by some technicality. You're not free from the law
by some sleight of hand or some shady deal. Believer, you are
free from the law because of the death of the body of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Do you see that the law demanded
death? And God has given the law its
just due by giving His Son in your stead. In your stead. By strict, absolute justice,
and satisfaction of the law of God, Jesus Christ paid our sin
debt. See the great wisdom of God in
the death of Christ. For God made Him. God made Him to be sin for us. Who knew no sin. For what purpose
that you should be made the righteousness of God in Him? The Father in holiness before
there was any sin, purpose that Christ should be your sin offering. And He gave all of us, all of
His elect to His charge and Christ became responsible. Isn't that a burden off of your
shoulders, believer? That you are not responsible
for your salvation. Christ is. Christ willingly took
the responsibility to save you. How? By the death that he should
die. Therefore, Jesus in the eternal
covenant of grace said, I would be their substitute and bear
their sins in my own body on the tree. So God at Calvary imputed
our sins to His Son and He was made to bear the guilt of our
sin under the justice of God. So then, our union, being in
union with Christ, when He died, you died. How long is the law over or have
dominion over a man? As long as he liveth. But praise God, by the body of
Christ we are dead. Dead to the law. The law sees
us as dead. Justice satisfied. And now that Christ has been
raised from the dead, even so have we been raised from the
dead. so that we are married not to
the law, but to grace, married to Christ. Being in union with Christ, our
sins being made His own when His body died, His blood was
shed, justice was poured out, and God was satisfied. Therefore,
believer, when the body of Christ died for sins, When his soul
was made an offering for sin, even so, we are now free. Free from the law. The law has
no more dominion over you. Over you. So then, God raised him up from
the dead. It says in verse 4, it says,
that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised
from the dead, that you should bring forth fruit. Consider this,
my soul, thy happy union with Christ. Is that not something we could
meditate on forever? I will, Father, that they be
one as we are one, I in them, thou in me. We are one with God. One with God. And what is the
thing here of marriage? What is the purpose of marriage?
Was it not to bring forth life? Isn't that what the purpose of
marriage? That they would be fruitful and multiply. This is
a picture when we are in union with Christ. We are given life. Life. Under the law, there was nothing
but the fruit of death. For when you were in the flesh,
in our nature, in verse 5. For when you were in the flesh,
the motions of sin, which were by the law, did work in our members
to bring forth what? Fruit unto death. When we were
in bondage to the law, it only brought forth death. Remember
in our nature, before we believed in Christ, what did the law do
for us? The law could only stir up and
provoke us to more sin. Isn't that what the law did?
When the law comes to a sinner, what does it do? It makes them
rebel more. I always use the illustration.
Wet paint, do not touch. And what is the inclination of
the nature? The nature is touch. Not because
you wanted to touch it, but because it says don't touch it. Now is there anything wrong in
the commandment, don't touch? No! That's perfectly right. Somebody
else painted it. You're not supposed to mess it
up. There was nothing wrong in the commandment. There was something
wrong in us. Sin. Law only provoked us, only
increased us in our sin. Law, as Paul later shows us,
is not to blame because the law is holy. The problem was our
sins. But now, Paul says, you are delivered
from the law. Delivered from the law, that
being dead therein where you were held, that we should serve
in newness of spirit and not in the oldness of the letter. When we were in the flesh we
served only sin, but now by the grace of God we are delivered
from the law, delivered from its curse, and we desire to walk
in newness of life. The law of God is written on
the hearts of men, and yet we could not obey it. But now, We are delivered from the letter
of the law and given a new law. The believer in Christ is free
from the law. But I tell you, we're not lawless,
are we? You who believe in Christ, you
know that to be so. You're not free from all law,
but you are given a new law. This is what Paul later calls
the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus. The Law of the
Spirit of Life. We're not lawless, but we are
bound to a law. And it is the Law of the Spirit.
What is the Law of the Spirit? The Law of the Spirit binds us
by eternal cords of love. You see, we're not constrained
by do this and live, don't do this and die. We're constrained
by the love of Christ. We're constrained by the love
of Jesus Christ, by the grace of Jesus Christ. It is this love, eternal love,
that is revealed to us in the inner man that restrains us from
evil, that keeps our eyes looking to Christ and not to the letter. Believers, I know we are free
from the law and we desire to do what is right. We desire to
serve God and to please Him. But I tell you, Because of the
old nature, because of the old man, we are at times fearful,
troubled, and the flesh, the old man, always desires to be
entangled again with that yoke of bondage. And we should be
aware of this. That's why Paul says in Galatians,
be not entangled with the yoke of bondage. Stand fast in the
liberty of Christ. Don't be entangled by the yoke
of bondage. You're not under the letter of
the law, but under the law of the Spirit, the law of faith
in Christ. And so when you're tempted to
look for assurance, and I know you are, Because I am. A lot of times we begin to look
at what we're doing. How we're acting. To try to find
assurance. Will you find it? No. Don't go back to the letter of
the law. Look to the grace of God. Look to the body of Christ. that was crucified, that made
us free from the law, dead to the law. You are married to another,
to Christ. Serve Him. How? Faith. Faith. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. And when you've believed, believe
again. And what's the other letter?
Believe again. And believe again until He comes
and receives us unto Himself. That's our law, faith. May God
bless this to your hearts.