Romans 7:1–25: Released from the Law, and the Law Holy and Good (two sessions)

Says Paul begins from a rule: “the law has authority over a man only as long as he lives” (7:1). A married woman “is bound by law to her husband as long as he lives” (7:2); if he dies, “she is free from that law and is not an adulteress if she marries another man” (7:3). ὁ νόμος κυριεύει (ho nomos kyrieuei, “the law has authority”) uses the verb of 6:9, 14. The words for “married” and “bound” are ὕπανδρος (hypandros, “under a husband”) and δέω (deō, “bind”), and the adulteress is μοιχαλίς (moichalis, “adulteress”).

Implies The chapter takes up “not under law” (6:14–15) and the law that increased the trespass (5:20): believers are released from the law, yet the law is not sin.

Says “Therefore, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God” (7:4). ἐθανατώθητε τῷ νόμῳ (ethanatōthēte tō nomō, “you were put to death in relation to the law”) is aorist passive, with a dative “in relation to” as in 6:2, 10–11. In the picture of 7:2–3 the husband dies; in 7:4 the believers themselves die.

Says “For when we lived according to the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, bearing fruit for death” (7:5). The passions are παθήματα (pathēmata, “passions”), from πάθημα (pathēma, “passion”). The fruit for death in 7:5 stands against the fruit to God in 7:4.

Says “But now, having died to what bound us, we have been released from the law, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code” (7:6). The Greek is ἐν καινότητι πνεύματος … οὐ παλαιότητι γράμματος (en kainotēti pneumatos … ou palaiotēti grammatos): πνεῦμα (pneuma, “Spirit, spirit”) against γράμμα (gramma, “letter, written code”), and παλαιότης (palaiotēs, “oldness”). The verb is δουλεύω (douleuō, “serve”). κατηργήθημεν (katērgēthēmen, “we have been released”) is from καταργέω (katargeō), as in 7:2.

Text note: ἀποθανόντες (apothanontes, “having died”) is printed with high confidence. TR's ἀποθανόντος (apothanontos) would make the law the one that died, and some Western witnesses read “the law of death” (literal).

Uncertain How the marriage picture maps. In 7:2–3 the husband dies; in 7:4 the believers themselves die. The commentary follows the Greek note's lean: the picture illustrates one point, release from the law by a death, and is not an exact allegory, since the application changes who dies. The alternative maps it closely, with the law or the old self (6:6) as the first husband.

Background: Roman marriage ended by death or divorce, and either spouse could send notice of repudiation (Gaius, Inst. 1.137a). In Jewish law the husband gives the bill of divorce (Deut 24:1–4); the Mishnah says a man divorces only by his own will (m. Yebam. 14:1), and Josephus says it is lawful for a husband, not a wife, to do so (Ant. 15.259–260). The background explains the picture; it does not fix how it maps.

Uncertain Which law “those who know the law” (7:1) means: Roman law, the law of Moses, or law in general. The historical note takes no lean; Sanday and Headlam read it as a general principle, that death settles all claims (by reference).

Implies The phrase “through the body of Christ” (7:4) refers to his body given up in death on the cross, not to the church. διά (dia, “through”) names the means of the believers' death, as in their dying with him (6:3–6), and Col 1:22 joins his physical body and his death (ἐν τῷ σώματι τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ διὰ τοῦ θανάτου, en tō sōmati tēs sarkos autou dia tou thanatou). The alternative takes it of the church as his body (12:5; 1 Cor 12:27).

The union with Christ in his death is set out in note.exegetical.Rom.6.5-Rom.6.11.died-with-christ (Romans 6 study, s1.obs.3 and s1.int.1) and is not repeated here.

Implies The chapter takes up 6:14–15 and 5:20: believers are released from the law, yet the law is not sin, and the problem is sin using it. Romans 6 has already said that believers are not under the law as a way to be justified or as sin's ruling power, and that this gives no license to sin (note.exegetical.Rom.6.12-Rom.6.15.not-under-law; Romans 6 study, s2.int.1); that case is not restated here.

Says The release came by a death, “having died to what bound us” (7:6), so that believers now belong to the risen Christ (7:4).

Implies What went wrong lies in sin, which used the law, and not in the law. This is how the law increased the trespass (5:20; note.exegetical.Rom.5.18-Rom.5.21.one-act-of-righteousness; Romans 5 study, s2.int.5), and Paul at once refuses that the law is sin (7:7) and calls it holy (7:12). The grounds are gathered in note.exegetical.Rom.7.7-Rom.7.25.law-holy-sin-deceives and taken up in session 2 (s2.int.3).

Uncertain Whether πνεύματος (pneumatos, “of S/spirit”) in 7:6 is God's Spirit or a new inner spirit. The exegetical and Greek notes lean to God's Spirit (BSB “the new way of the Spirit”): γράμμα (gramma) and πνεῦμα (pneuma) are set against each other in 2:29 and 2 Cor 3:6. The alternative is a new inner spirit.

Rom 8:2–4 takes the contrast up.

Grounding: Says Believers died to the law through the body of Christ, to belong to the risen Christ and bear fruit to God (7:4). Keep the application on belonging to Christ, not on how the marriage picture maps.

Grounding: Says Released from the law, believers serve in newness of πνεῦμα (pneuma), not in the oldness of γράμμα (gramma) (7:5–6). Leave aside whether God's Spirit or a renewed spirit is meant.

Grounding: Implies Nothing in Rom 7 excuses sin: grace gives no license to sin (6:1–2, 15). Says The release is in order that we might bear fruit to God (7:4).