DEAD TO THE LAW

"Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth? For the woman which hath an 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 man, 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. Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God." (Romans 7:1-4).

Devotion 9 of 17

GOD REMAINS JUST, WHILE BECOMING THE JUSTIFIER

And what is the outcome of God accomplishing through Christ "what the law could not do"? (Rom 8:3)? What now occurs, since Jesus has taken away the sins of the world? At last God can remain "just," yet be the "Justifier" of the person believing in Jesus. How wonderfully this is stated in Romans 3:24-26. Now we are "justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."

Justification, or thorough acquittal from guilt, is given abundantly. As it is written, "by Him )Jesus) everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses" (Acts 13:39). The rich grace of God has accomplished all of this, and done so "freely," or gratuitously and copiously.

But do not think for a moment "grace" means God has forfeited any part of His character, or denied any portion of His Person. He has remained absolutely righteous in the justification of sinners. In fact, salvation is itself an exhibition of the righteousness of God. Because of Christ, it is now RIGHT for God to exonerate the guilty, completely expunging their iniquity, and writing their names in heaven. He is not only "the Justifier" of the one believing in Jesus, He is "just" and right in that justification.

God's longsuffering with the transgression of men over a period of 4,000 years has now been vindicated. In His "Divine forbearance He had passed over former sins" (Rom 3:25). But it was all in anticipation of the sacrifice of Christ. Now He is shown to have been righteous in passing over those sins. The blood of Christ reached backward, cleansing "the transgressions under the first covenant" (Heb 9:15). He is also righteous in forgiving those who now believe on His Son.

DEAD TO LAW, or DEAD TO GOD

Every person is dead in some sense. Either we are dead to God, or dead to the Law. To put it another way, we are either alive and responsive to God, or alive and responsive to sin.

It is important to note a rather technical point. The Law did not die, we did! The Law was "holy," and there was no cause for it to die. It was "righteous," and the death sentence could not be passed upon it. It was "spiritual," without a capacity to die. On the other hand, man was unholy, deserving to die. He was unrighteous, and thus had to die. He was also unspiritual, and therefore suited for death. How could that death be accomplished without frustrating the purpose of God to save those in Christ Jesus? That was the challenge, so to speak, that stood before the Lord. Viewed from the human point of view, it was a formidable challenge, like Goliath of Gath standing before the armies of Israel.

Our Death Accomplished In Jesus

The death that we deserved was accomplished in "the man Christ Jesus." He died "for us" (Rom 5:8; 1 Thess 5:10). Now, through our identity with that vicarious, or substitutionary, death, we become dead to the Law. This latter death- death to the Law--places us beyond the reach of the condemning Law. It has no power over a dead person!

The Law Has No Power Over the Dead

To bring home the power of this truth, Paul reasons with us. "Do you not know, brothers--for I am speaking to men who know the law--that the law has authority over a man only as long as he 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 of marriage. So then, if she marries 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, even though she marries another man" (Rom 7:1-3).

There is a grand conclusion to this line of reasoning. "Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another; to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God" (Rom 7:4).

This is a powerful argument, not to be reduced by an attempt to justify the sudden spread of divorce in our culture. Nor, indeed, is it intended to condemn all who have been divorced. One must remember that God Himself divorced Israel, as affirmed in Jeremiah 3:8. Paul is showing the uncompromising nature of Law. As relentless and uncompromising as it is, however, the Law has no power over a person who has died, and no applicability to the one formerly married to the dead one. Death ends the authority of Law!

It may appear as though this similitude is stated clumsily--but it is not. Quite to the contrary, it is most precise. In the case before us, the Law did not die, nor did the wife. It was the husband that died--and when he did, the wife was loosed from moral obligation to her husband.

PRAYER POINT: Father, thank You through Jesus for a salvation that is righteous. Now I know why there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.

-- Tomorrow: FOUND IN REMISSION OF SIN --