The apostle Paul has a brilliant metaphor in Romans 7: the image of marriage to explain our relationship with the law and how it is transformed through Christ.
Paul begins by illustrating that the law has authority over a person only as long as they live, just like how marriage binds a spouse until the other dies. He writes:
“The woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth…” (Rom. 7:2)
Likewise, the law won’t die—but we do, through identification with Christ’s death. That’s the key.
The Law’s Limit and Christ’s Fulfillment
Paul’s analogy isn’t about literal marriage, but about covenantal bondage. The law reveals sin and condemns it—but it offers no power to overcome it. The law is holy, but it only magnifies guilt.
The only way out is death—not physical, but spiritual:
“You also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another…” (Rom. 7:4)
Christ fulfilled the law and took on sin’s penalty. Believers, united with Him in death and resurrection (Rom. 6:4-11), are now free from the law’s jurisdiction. We belong to Christ in a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit.
“The letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life.” (2 Cor. 3:6)
A New Way of Living
To “die to the law” is to stop relying on it for righteousness. Instead, we walk in newness of life—empowered not by rules, but by the Holy Spirit. Obedience now flows from transformation, not mere regulation.
Paul’s teaching reflects the shift from Old Covenant law to New Covenant grace and Spirit. Believers are no longer condemned by the law but empowered to live righteously through Christ.
Not Just a Book, But a Voice
Because we walk by the Spirit, not every command from Jesus is recorded word-for-word in the Bible. What He calls one believer to do, He may not call another.
But the Spirit never contradicts Scripture. We’re not following a book-based religion. We are led by the Living Lord Jesus, speaking by His Spirit in harmony with His Word.
“And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it…” (Isa. 30:21)
“I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes…” (Ezek. 36:27)
Jesus said:
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27)
Even John, in exile on Patmos, wrote:
“I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice…” (Rev. 1:10)
Final Thought
May we all continue to be sensitive to His voice in these days. Let us walk in freedom, dead to the law, alive to Christ, and guided by His Spirit.
“If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” (Gal. 5:25)