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.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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This verse reveals that our "death to the law" isn't about the law ceasing to exist, but about us being united to Christ's death and resurrection. This union frees us from the law's claims as a way to earn favor with God, allowing us to be joined to Christ as our new "husband" and bear spiritual fruit for God.
Paul is continuing the analogy of marriage from the previous verses to explain how believers are no longer bound by the law. He's just shown that a law only has authority over a person while they are alive. Now he explains that through Christ's death, believers have "died" to the law's authority, freeing them to be joined to Christ. This new union with the resurrected Christ is intended to produce spiritual fruit for God.
Have you ever felt trapped by rules or obligations, only to be freed by a change in circumstances? Paul uses a powerful analogy to describe our relationship with God.
Paul explains that through Christ’s death, believers are no longer bound by the law. The law, in this context, represents a binding agreement or covenant that we were under.
The Old Binding Agreement
Think of marriage. When someone is married, they are bound by the law of that marriage. They belong to their spouse.
Death Dissolves the Bond
But what happens if the husband dies? The law of that marriage is dissolved. The wife is no longer bound and is free to marry again.
Our New Covenant
Paul applies this to us. We have ‘died to the law through the body of Christ.’ This means Christ's death, in which we are united, has broken our ties to the law as a way to earn God’s favor. We are now free from its condemnation and obligation for salvation. This freedom isn't a license to sin, but a release to enter into a new, life-giving relationship.
Freedom is amazing, but what are we freed for? Paul doesn't leave us hanging; he tells us the ultimate purpose of our new life in Christ.
Our release from the law isn't an end in itself. It's the necessary step to enter into a vibrant relationship with the resurrected Christ.
United with the Risen King
Because Christ was raised from the dead, our union with Him is not a union with death, but with life. He is alive, and because we are united to Him, we are also alive to God.
Bearing Fruit for His Glory
The whole point of this new life and this new 'marriage' is to produce 'fruit for God.' This refers to the qualities and actions that honor God and reflect His character – things like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Understand the original words
sōma · Greek Noun
Refers to the physical body of Jesus, particularly as the sacrifice offered on the cross. It is the means by which the debt of sin was paid and the old covenant relationship was terminated.
karpophoreō · Greek Verb
Spiritual productivity or the manifestation of the Holy Spirit’s character in a believer's life. It signifies actions and attitudes that are pleasing to God as a result of a new union with Christ.
This passage describes the 'fruit of the Spirit' which directly relates to the 'fruit for God' mentioned in Romans 7:4, showing what that spiritual fruit looks like in a believer's life.
Ephesians 5:25This passage uses the imagery of marriage, comparing Christ's love for the church to a husband's love for his wife, which parallels the 'married to another' concept in Romans 7:4.
Colossians 2:14This verse speaks about Christ canceling the record of debt against us, which is intimately connected to dying to the law through Christ's body, effectively nullifying its claims.
John 15:5Jesus states 'apart from me you can do nothing,' which echoes the theme that bearing fruit for God is only possible through union with Christ, who is the 'another' believers are married to.
Romans 6:4This verse talks about being 'buried with him through baptism into death' to live a 'new life,' mirroring the idea in Romans 7:4 that union with Christ's death and resurrection leads to bearing fruit.
barnesRomans 7:4: "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."
Wherefore - This verse contains an application of the illustration in the two preceding. The idea there is, that death dissolves a connection from which obligation resulted. This is the single point of the illustration, and consequently there is no need of inquiring whether by the…
bensonRomans 7:4: "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 7:4 . Wherefore, my brethren — Hence it follows, or by this comparison it appears; ye also — Believing Jews, and much more believing Gentiles; are become dead to the law — Taken off from all hopes of justification by it, and confidence in your obedience to it: and so likewi…
This verse reveals that our "death to the law" isn't about the law ceasing to exist, but about us being united to Christ's death and resurrection. This union frees us from the law's claims as a way to earn favor with God, allowing us to be joined to Christ as our new "husband" and bear spiritual fruit for God.
Paul is continuing the analogy of marriage from the previous verses to explain how believers are no longer bound by the law. He's just shown that a law only has authority over a person while they are alive. Now he explains that through Christ's death, believers have "died" to the law's authority, freeing them to be joined to Christ. This new union with the resurrected Christ is intended to produce spiritual fruit for God.
Paul is continuing the analogy of marriage from the previous verses to explain how believers are no longer bound by the law. He's just shown that a law only has authority over a person while they are alive. Now he explains that through Christ's death, believers have "died" to the law's authority, freeing them to be joined to Christ. This new union with the resurrected Christ is intended to produce spiritual fruit for God.
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A New Source of Life
Unlike the law, which could only reveal sin and bring condemnation, this new life in Christ empowers us to live a life that is genuinely pleasing to God. Our ability to bear fruit comes from our connection to Him, the source of all life.
"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." — This verse reveals that our "death to the law" isn't about the law ceasing to exist, but about us being united to Christ's death and resurrection. This union frees us from the law's claims as a way…
