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Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers Romans 7:1–6. His three-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
Among other arguments used in the foregoing chapter to persuade us against sin, and to holiness, this was one (Rom 7:14), that we are not under the law; and this argument is here further insisted upon and explained (Rom 7:6): We are delivered from the law. What is meant by this? And how is it an argument why sin should not reign over us, and why we should walk in newness of life? 1. We are delivered from the power of the law which curses and condemns us for the sin committed by us. The sentence of the law against us is vacated and reversed, by the death of Christ, to all true believers. The law saith, The soul that sins shall die; but we are delivered from the law. The Lord has taken away thy sin, thou shalt not die. We are redeemed from the curse of the law, Gal 3:13. 2. We are delivered from that power of the law which irritates and provokes the sin that dwelleth in us. This the apostle seems especially to refer to (Rom 7:5): The motions of sins which were by the law. The law, by commanding, forbidding, threatening, corrupt and fallen man, but offering no grace to cure and strengthen, did but stir up the corruption, and, like the sun shining upon a dunghill, excite and draw up the filthy steams. We being lamed by the fall, the law comes and directs us, but provides nothing to heal and help our lameness, and so makes us halt and stumble the more. Understand this of the law not as a rule, but as a covenant of works. Now each of these is an argument why we should be holy; for here is encouragement to endeavours, though in many things we come short. We are under grace, which promises strength to do what it commands, and pardon upon repentance when we do amiss. This is the scope of these verses in general, that, in point of profession and privilege, we are under a covenant of grace, and not under a covenant of works - under the gospel of Christ, and not under the law of Moses. The difference between a law-state and a gospel-state he had before illustrated by the similitude of rising to a new life, and serving a new master; now here he speaks of is under the similitude of being married to a new husband.
I.Our first marriage was to the law, which, according to the law of marriage, was to continue only during the life of the law.
The law of marriage is binding till the death of one of the parties, no matter which, and no longer. The death of either discharges both. For this he appeals to themselves, as persons knowing the law (Rom 7:1): I speak to those that know the law. It is a great advantage to discourse with those that have knowledge, for such can more readily understand and apprehend a truth. Many of the Christians at Rome were such as had been Jews, and so were well acquainted with the law. One has some hold of knowing people. The law hath power over a man as long as he liveth; in particular, the law of marriage hath power; or, in general, every law is so limited - the laws of nations, of relations, of families, etc.
1.The obligation of laws extends no further; by death the servant who, while he lived, was under the yoke, is freed from his master, Job 3:19.
2.The condemnation of laws extends no further; death is the finishing of the law. Actio moritur cum person - The action expires with the person. The severest laws could but kill the body, and after that there is no more that they can do. Thus while we were alive to the law we were under the power of it - while we were in our Old Testament state, before the gospel came into the world, and before it came with power into our hearts. Such is the law of marriage (Rom 7:2), the woman is bound to her husband during life, so bound to him that she cannot marry another; if she do, she shall be reckoned an adulteress, Rom 7:3. It will make her an adulteress, not only to be defiled by, but to be married to, another man; for that is so much the worse, upon this account, that it abuses an ordinance of God, by making it to patronise the uncleanness. Thus were we married to the law (Rom 7:5): When we were in the flesh, that is, in a carnal state, under the reigning power of sin and corruption - in the flesh as in our element - then the motions of sins which were by the law did work in our members, we were carried down the stream of sin, and the law was but as an imperfect dam, which made the stream to swell the higher, and rage the more. Our desire was towards sin, as that of the wife towards her husband, and sin ruled over us. We embraced it, loved it, devoted all to it, conversed daily with it, made it our care to please it. We were under a law of sin and death, as the wife under the law of marriage; and the product of this marriage was fruit brought forth unto death, that is, actual transgressions were produced by the original corruption, such as deserve death. Lust, having conceived by the law (which is the strength of sin, Co1 15:56), bringeth forth sin, and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death, Jam 1:15. This is the posterity that springs from this marriage to sin and the law. This comes of the motions of sin working in our members. And this continues during life, while the law is alive to us, and we are alive to the law.
II.Our second marriage is to Christ: and how comes this about? Why,
1.We are freed, by death, from our obligation to the law as a covenant, as the wife is from her obligation to her husband, Rom 7:3. This resemblance is not very close, nor needed it to be. You are become dead to the law, Rom 7:4. He does not say, "The law is dead" (some think because he would avoid giving offence to those who were yet zealous for the law), but, which comes all to one, You are dead to the law. As the crucifying of the world to us, and of us to the world, amounts to one and the same thing, so doth the law dying, and our dying to it. We are delivered from the law (Rom 7:6), katērgēthēmen - we are nulled as to the law; our obligation to it as a husband is cassated and made void. And then he speaks of the law being dead as far as it was a law of bondage to us: That being dead wherein we were held; not the law itself, but its obligation to punishment and its provocation to sin. It is dead, it has lost its power; and this (Rom 7:4) by the body of Christ, that is, by the sufferings of Christ in his body, by his crucified body, which abrogated the law, answered the demands of it, made satisfaction for our violation of it, purchased for us a covenant of grace, in which righteousness and strength are laid up for us, such as were not, nor could be, by the law. We are dead to the law by our union with the mystical body of Christ. By being incorporated into Christ in our baptism professedly, in our believing powerfully and effectually, we are dead to the law, have no more to do with it than the dead servant, that is free from his master, hath to do with his master's yoke.
2.We are married to Christ. The day of our believing is the day of our espousals to the Lord Jesus. We enter upon a life of dependence on him and duty to him: Married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, a periphrasis of Christ and very pertinent here; for as our dying to sin and the law is in conformity to the death of Christ, and the crucifying of his body, so our devotedness to Christ in newness of life is in conformity to the resurrection of Christ. We are married to the raised exalted Jesus, a very honourable marriage. Compare Co2 11:2; Eph 5:29. Now we are thus married to Christ,
(1.)That we should bring forth fruit unto God, Rom 7:4. One end of marriage is fruitfulness: God instituted the ordinance that he might seek a godly seed, Mal 2:15. The wife is compared to the fruitful vine, and children are called the fruit of the womb. Now the great end of our marriage to Christ is our fruitfulness in love, and grace, and every good work. This is fruit unto God, pleasing to God, according to his will, aiming at his glory. As our old marriage to sin produced fruit unto death, so our second marriage to Christ produces fruit unto God, fruits of righteousness. Good works are the children of the new nature, the products of our union with Christ, as the fruitfulness of the vine is the product of its union with the root. Whatever our professions and pretensions may be, there is no fruit brought forth to God till we are married to Christ; it is in Christ Jesus that we are created unto good works, Eph 2:10. The only fruit which turns to a good account is that which is brought forth in Christ. This distinguishes the good works of believers from the good works of hypocrites and self-justifiers that they are brought forth in marriage, done in union with Christ, in the name of the Lord Jesus, Col 3:17. This is, without controversy, one of the great mysteries of godliness.
(2.)That we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter, Rom 7:6. Being married to a new husband, we must change our way. Still we must serve, but it is a service that is perfect freedom, whereas the service of sin was a perfect drudgery: we must now serve in newness of spirit, by new spiritual rules, from new spiritual principles, in spirit and in truth, Joh 4:24. There must be a renovation of our spirits wrought by the spirit of God, and in that we must serve. Not in the oldness of the letter; that is, we must not rest in mere external services, as the carnal Jews did, who gloried in their adherence to the letter of the law, and minded not the spiritual part of worship. The letter is said to kill with its bondage and terror, but we are delivered from that yoke that we may serve God without fear, in holiness and righteousness, Luk 1:74, Luk 1:75. We are under the dispensation of the Spirit, and therefore must be spiritual, and serve in the spirit. Compare with this Co2 3:3, Co2 3:6, etc. It becomes us to worship within the veil, and no longer in the outward court.
Historical interpretation
Two Centuries of Reception
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If, however, the husband shall have died, she has been freed from (his) law, (so) that she is not an adulteress if made (wife) to another husband." But read the sequel as well in order that this sense, which flatters you, may evade (your grasp).
Wherefore the apostle says: "The wife is bound by the law so long as her husband liveth; but if he be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband."
The law of the letter must die so that, free at last, the soul may marry the spirit and receive the marriage of the New Testament.
This law comes from the gospel, not from Moses or from human justice. For those who learned something from the guidance of nature and those who learned something from the law of Moses have both been made perfect by the gospel of Christ.
Next, after hinting this at the commencement, he carries on what he has to say by way of proof, in the woman's case, in the following way. "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 is 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." He keeps continually upon this point, and that with great exactness, since he feels quite sure of the proof grounded on it: and in the husband's place he puts the Law, but in the woman's, all believers. Then he adds the conclusion in such way, that it does not tally with the premiss; for what the context would require would be, "and so, my brethren, the Law doth not rule over you, for it is dead." But he does not say so, but only in the premiss hinted it, and in the inference, afterwards, to prevent what he says being distasteful, he brings the woman in as dead by saying, "Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the Law." As then the one or the other event gives rise to the same freedom, what is there to prevent his showing favor to the Law without any harm being done to the cause? "For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the Law to her husband as long as he liveth." What is become now of those that speak evil of the Law? Let them hear, how even when forced upon it, he does not bereave it of its dignity, but speaks great things of its power; if while it is alive the Jew is bound, and they are to be called adulterers who transgress it, and leave it whiles it is alive. But if they let go of it after it has died, this is not to be wondered at. For in human affairs no one is found fault with for doing this: "but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband."
By analogy, Paul calls the commandment of the law a “husband” in order to demonstrate that, without the power to punish, the law (being already dead, as it were) cannot stop us (who have already been put to death) from going over completely to Christ, who has risen from the dead. For the law would quite rightly go on living in us if it could find something in us to punish.
The apostle says that as long as a man lives in sin he lives under the law, just as the woman lives under her husband’s law as long as he is alive.
Note how this analogy is different from the subject it refers to. Paul says that the husband dies, so that the woman, freed from the law of her husband, can marry whomever she likes. Paul compares the soul to the woman and thinks of the husband as the passions of sin which work in our members to produce the fruits of death, which are the offspring worthy of such a marriage. The law is given not to take away sin nor to deliver us from it but to reveal what sin is before grace comes. The result is that those who are placed under the law are seized by an even stronger desire to sin and sin even more because of the trespass. But in making this triple analogy—the soul as the woman, the passions of sin as the man and the law as the law of the husband—Paul does not conclude that the soul is set free when its sins are put to death in the way that the woman is set free when her husband is dead. Rather, he says that the soul itself dies to sin and is set free from the law in order that it might belong to another husband, who is Christ. The soul has died to sin, but in a sense sin is still alive. Thus it happens that although desires and certain encouragements to sin remain in us, we do not obey or give in to them because we have died to sin and now serve the law of God.
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Summary
Romans 7:2 presents a legal analogy from the institution of marriage to illustrate a profound theological truth about the believer's relationship to the Mosaic Law. Paul establishes the principle that a woman is legally bound to her husband for the duration of his life, but his death dissolves this bond, freeing her from that specific legal obligation. This foundational premise sets the stage for Paul's subsequent argument that believers have died to the Law through their identification with Christ's death, thereby becoming free to be united with Him and bear fruit for God.
Context
Literary Context
Romans 7:2 is an integral part of Paul's intricate argument in Romans 7, which seeks to clarify the Law's role and the believer's freedom from its condemning power. Following his discussion of sanctification and freedom from sin's dominion in Romans 6, Paul anticipates a potential objection: if believers are free from sin, does that mean the Law is bad or abolished? Paul uses the marriage analogy in Romans 7:1-6 to explain that just as death dissolves a legal bond, so the believer's spiritual death with Christ dissolves their former bond to the Law, enabling a new union with Christ. This verse specifically lays the groundwork for the pivotal statement in Romans 7:4, where the analogy is directly applied to the believer's union with Christ.
Historical & Cultural Context
In both ancient Jewish and Roman legal traditions, marriage was understood as a lifelong covenant. The wife was legally "bound" to her husband, and this bond was considered indissoluble except by death. Divorce was permissible under certain conditions, particularly for men, but remarriage while the first spouse was alive was generally viewed as adultery, especially for women. Paul draws upon this universally understood legal and social reality to make his point. The audience, comprising both Jewish and Gentile Christians in Rome, would have readily grasped the binding nature of marriage and the definitive release that death provided. This common understanding provides a robust and relatable framework for Paul's theological analogy, making his abstract argument about the Law more concrete.
Key Themes
This verse contributes significantly to several key themes in Romans. Firstly, it underscores the binding nature of the Law itself, illustrating how legal covenants create inescapable obligations until a specific condition (death) is met. Secondly, it introduces the theme of death as a means of release, which is central to Paul's theology of salvation and sanctification. Just as physical death frees a spouse from a marital bond, spiritual death with Christ frees the believer from the Law's dominion and condemnation. This concept is foundational to understanding the believer's new identity "in Christ" and their freedom from the Law's power to condemn, as elaborated in Romans 8:1-4. Finally, it sets the stage for the theme of new spiritual union and fruitfulness, as the freedom from the old bond allows for a new, life-giving relationship with Christ, leading to a life that bears "fruit unto God" (Romans 7:4).
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
This term refers to a female, specifically a wife in this context, emphasizing her legal status within the marriage covenant. Paul uses this common social role to represent the individual under the Law.
This verb signifies being tied, bound, or obligated. It highlights the legal and moral constraint that the Law imposes, illustrating how the individual is held firmly within its jurisdiction and demands.
This powerful verb means to be rendered entirely idle, useless, abolished, or made of no effect. It denotes a complete and definitive cessation of the legal bond, emphasizing that death utterly nullifies the previous obligation, leaving no lingering claim.
Verse Breakdown
"For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to [her] husband so long as he liveth"
This clause establishes the first part of the legal premise. It describes the state of a married woman, whose legal and social obligation to her husband is absolute and continues for the duration of his life. The phrase "bound by the law" underscores the legal authority and permanence of the marital covenant.
"but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of [her] husband"
This clause presents the counter-condition and its consequence. It states that the death of the husband is the sole event that dissolves the marital bond, thereby freeing the woman from her legal obligation to him. The use of "loosed" (κατήργηται) emphasizes the complete and final termination of the legal tie, making her free to remarry without being considered an adulteress.
Literary Devices
Paul employs a powerful Analogy in Romans 7:2, comparing the legal bond of marriage and its dissolution by death to the believer's relationship with the Mosaic Law. This analogy serves as a Pedagogical Tool, making an abstract theological concept (freedom from the Law) more accessible and understandable through a concrete, universally recognized social institution. The verse also utilizes Contrast, setting the state of being "bound" against being "loosed," and the condition of the husband "living" against his being "dead." This stark opposition highlights the definitive nature of death as the ultimate release from legal obligation, preparing the reader for the profound theological application in subsequent verses.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Romans 7:2, though an analogy, carries profound theological implications for understanding the Christian's position. It serves as a crucial bridge in Paul's argument, demonstrating how a legal bond can be definitively broken, thus paving the way for a new relationship. The principle established here—that death dissolves a binding legal obligation—is directly applied to the believer's spiritual death with Christ, which frees them from the dominion and condemnation of the Law. This liberation is not an abolition of God's moral standards but a release from the Law's power to condemn and to incite sin, allowing for a new, Spirit-empowered life of righteousness.
Reflection and Application
This verse, while part of a complex theological argument, offers profound insights for personal reflection and application. It reminds us that true freedom often comes through a form of "death" – a dying to old ways, old allegiances, or old understandings. For the believer, this means recognizing that our old self, bound by sin and the Law's condemnation, has died with Christ. This spiritual death is not merely theoretical but has real implications for how we live. We are no longer obligated to a system that exposed our sin and condemned us, but are now free to live in a new relationship of grace and love with Christ. This freedom is not a license for lawlessness, but an empowerment for genuine righteousness, flowing from a heart transformed by the Spirit rather than from a fear of legal repercussions. It calls us to consider what old bonds we might still be clinging to, consciously or unconsciously, that prevent us from fully embracing the new life and freedom offered in Christ.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Does this verse imply that the Law is bad or that Christians should disregard it?
No, Romans 7:2 does not imply that the Law is bad or that Christians should disregard it. Paul explicitly states later in Romans 7:7 that the Law is "holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good." The purpose of the analogy is not to malign the Law but to explain its function and the believer's changed relationship to it. The Law, while good, could not give life and, in fact, highlighted sin. Christians are not "under the law" as a means of justification or condemnation, but are now under grace. This means our relationship to God is no longer based on our ability to perfectly keep the Law, but on Christ's perfect obedience and sacrifice. Our freedom from the Law's condemning power allows us to fulfill its righteous requirements through the power of the Holy Spirit, as described in Romans 8:4.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
Romans 7:2, with its analogy of a woman freed from her marital bond by her husband's death, finds its profound Christ-centered fulfillment in the believer's union with Christ. The "death" that releases us from the "law of the husband" (representing the Mosaic Law's dominion) is our spiritual identification with Christ's death on the cross. When Christ died, He died to the Law's demands and its curse (Galatians 3:13). Because believers are "in Christ," His death becomes our death. As Paul declares in Romans 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." This means our old identity, bound by the Law's condemnation and the power of sin, has been crucified with Him (Galatians 2:20). The death of Christ, therefore, is the ultimate act that "loosed" us from the Law's power, not so that we might live lawlessly, but so that we might be united to the resurrected Christ and live a new life, empowered by the Spirit, bearing the fruit of righteousness for God's glory (Romans 6:22).