We continue our systematic study of the Book of Romans by turning to Chapter 6 in the Book of Romans, Chapter 6. The text is found at the beginning of Chapter 7. But really, for full context, we need to read, pick up our reading right away at verse 1 and not 11, as published on the bulletin, verse 1. So we read chapter 6, verse 1, through to 7, verse 6. The text is verse 4 of chapter 7, but really it's the first six verses of Romans 7. This is God's inspired Word. What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid! How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein? Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore, we are buried with him by baptism into death that, like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection. Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more, death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once, but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lust thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin, but yield yourselves unto God as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then, shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid, knowing not that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey, whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness. But God be thanked. that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh. For as ye have yielded your members, servants, to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity, even so now yield your members, servants, to righteousness unto holiness. For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. but now be made free from sin and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ Our Lord. And the first six verses of chapter seven, which form the basis of the sermon tonight, particularly verse four. 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 a 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 the 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. For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins which were by the law did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. But now we are delivered from the law. that being dead wherein we were held, that we should serve in newness of spirit and not in the oldness of the latter. Thus far we read from God's holy inspired word. May he bless the reading of his word. Beloved congregation, shall we sin that grace may abound? That is the question that every enemy of God's gospel righteousness, past and present, asks, and to which we answer, no, no. And for two reasons, which the holy apostle gives in chapter six and seven, First one being this, that as we considered last week, we have been baptized into the risen Christ. That's the verses three and four of chapter six. That is to say, we are joined, we are connected to, we are linked to our victorious Lord and Savior. for being baptized into the risen Christ has all kinds of practical implications. One huge one being this, that whatever happens to him also happens to us. That is the case because we are joined to him. And so, because he died, We who are baptized and joined into Him also die. We die to sin. The Apostle Paul makes that point several times in chapter 6. We die to sin. We are dead to sin. And because He is risen, our Savior is risen, we too who are baptized into Him are risen in Him. We will rise bodily. from death and the grave, one day in future, when he shall come again. But now, even now already, you and I, beloved, are risen. That is, risen spiritually. That is to say, we are no longer dead in trespasses and sins, but alive in Jesus Christ. And so, how shall we sin that grace abounds in this new and risen nature which we have on account of Christ, that is, dead to sin? That's the first reason that the inspired Apostle Paul gives in chapter 6. But there is also a second reason to which the Apostle gives to answer no to the question, shall we sin that grace may abound? And he gives that second reason in verses 14 and 15. No, because we are not under the law, but under grace. Now, he then goes on to explain the logical end to that statement in the remainder of chapter 6 and ends on a high with verse 23, for the wages of sin, he says, is death. But, and this is the high part, the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord. But one thing he does not do by the end of chapter six is that he does not explain what being not under the law, but under grace means. Nor does he go deeper into the reason and purpose for it. This he does in the opening verses of chapter seven, namely the first six verses, heart of which is verse four. So we devote our attention squarely to verse four. And the reason we are not under the law but under grace is because we are married, married to the risen Christ. It is this marriage that frees us from the law. And so we consider what exactly this means, first of all, this evening. And then secondly, we consider the nature of this blessed marriage union we have with our risen Christ. And finally, third, last but not least, we conclude with its purposes. So notice with me, married to the risen Christ. asking and answering three questions. What does this free us from? What is the nature of this union? And finally, what is its purpose? Believers, you and I are married to the risen Christ, and what does this free us from? Well, the inspired apostle Paul answers the question rather plainly back in verses 14 and 15 of chapter 6, it frees us from the law. It frees us from the law, but what exactly does he mean by that? Now, to be clear and sure, let's understand that he does not mean that in every sense of the word. For consider with me the sweet psalmist's delightful confession in relation to the law in Psalm 119. In fact, all 176 verses of that beautiful psalm. Here now are just three of those verses. Verse 18. Open thou mine eyes, says the sweet psalmist, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. And again, verse 97, oh how love I thy law, it is my meditation all the day. And again, for a final time now, for our purpose this evening, verse 168, great peace, have they which love thy law and nothing shall offend them. And so these three verses are just a sample, you see, of the 176 in Psalm 119, which demonstrate clearly that in some sense, the psalmist was attached and attracted to God's law, that he took great delight in it, and therefore, in that sense, is not freed from it. He was happily attached to it and not divorced and free from it. To be precise, when the Apostle Paul says that we believers are free from the law, he does not mean that we are freed from it as the expression of God's good, wise, and merciful will in our hearts and lives. And that is because at bottom, for the believer, the law of God is the law of love. Law of love. That's what we read every Sunday morning in this church. It's the law of love. Love to Him and love to the neighbor. in ten words or ten commandments. Seeing the law in that way, the psalmist then was attracted to it. He delighted in it. He was not freed from it. Rather, he was bound, happily bound to it. For him and for us, believers in Jesus Christ, it is the rule of gratitude to God for his salvation. It is the answer to the Psalmist's question in Psalm 116, what shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits to me? So, positively now, when the apostle speaks of being freed from God's law, he is referring now to the law as a code that must be followed in order to earn and obtain salvation. It is in this sense and this sense alone that the believer is freed from the law. Children, are you with me at this time? Are you listening? The Apostle Paul is here thinking of the law, saying to us, do this and live. Or to put it in another way, the law is saying to us, fail the law. fail to keep it at any point, and you are cursed. And that's not very nice, is it, children? Now, the effect of regarding the law in this way is burdensome. Burdensome, for what does it do? It creates a huge crushing yoke upon a person trying to merit and to earn and to obtain and earn and earn a righteousness from God and with God. For try as we might, the truth is that at the end of the day, we will never be able to satisfy God in and of ourselves. The more we try, the more we dig ourselves deeply into a pit. Just ask Martin Luther how crushing this yoke was to him when he was a monk and looked at the law as something urging him, urging him to perform it, to do it himself in order to be right with God. How he tried. how he outmounted every colleague in his monastery. But at the end of the day, he found no peace. But now, the apostle tells us, we have been freed from the law. Why? All because we have been married to the risen Christ. That's the answer given by our text this evening in verse four, but first you will notice that the words in verse four, wherefore, my brethren, ye also, notice that, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ. That takes us back to the first three verses of chapter seven, which sets forth an analogy that of another marriage and its law that explains this answer. These verses, verses 1 through 3, set forth the law of earthly marriage for a wife. And what does it teach? Plainly this, that as long as her husband is alive, this woman is bound to that man as her husband. That is, she is bound to him for life. Just take a look at verses 1 and 2 plainly from your Bible. That is exactly what it is saying. So now, if she marries another while he is alive, she is an adulteress. She may not marry another. That's verse 3. The language of verse 3 is as plain, as clear, and as simple and direct as that. This law, you understand, is in harmony with what Jesus taught in the Gospels, with what he taught in Matthew 19. We had a sermon on that two years ago, on that text, the three eunuchs, the three kinds of eunuchs. Mark chapter 10 and also Luke chapter 16 verse 18, the last two passages don't even have anything on remarriage. This Romans 7 statement in verse 3 is in harmony with these verses. But also and more, it is pointed out because it was well recognized and a commonly accepted norm in society. That is, in Jewish society, but not only Jewish society, but across various cultures and ethnicities at the time of the writing of the Bible. But sadly, of course, beloved, we don't live in that day anymore. Sadly, that is something that's no longer to be assumed and accepted in society as the norm today. And even more sadly, it is that this teaching is rejected and denied by the church world at large today, even very conservative, confessional, Presbyterian, and Reformed churches. Beloved, the doctrine of marriage in the church today is in a sad state, a sad state of confusion and compromise. But scripture is plain and clear. As long as her husband is alive, a woman is bound to him in marriage. She may not marry another. But her husband's death frees her from this law of marriage. By that death, she is divorced. Discharged, according to that diagram as you see, she is discharged or free from the law of marriage. She may now marry another. Romans 7 verses 1 through 3 is plain. Would to God that those who would teach otherwise re-examine their teaching position and be led by the Spirit and the Word of God to join us in the teaching of the sacred scriptures here at this point of instruction. But that, beloved, is just the basis for the apostle to argue on to the main thing he is after in the text. That earthly marriage is an analogous explanation when it is now applied to us spiritually. That is, to us, the believer, in spiritual marriage to the risen Christ. Two things here, one with regard to binding, and the other with regard to freeing. So first, binding. Just as in earthly marriage, the law of marriage binds the wife to the husband for life, So also in our marriage to the law, so to speak, the law in its demand, do this and live, and in its curse, fail and be cursed, is permanently binding upon us. That's the first part, but also second, and now freeing, just as in earthly marriage, the death of the husband, and this alone, and not divorce, that is earthly marriage divorce, frees the wife from the law of marriage. So also the death and victorious resurrection of Jesus Christ frees us from being under the law. For you see, we are now in union with Christ. We have now been married to the risen Christ. And therefore, we are now no longer under the law, that is its demand and curse upon us. We are no longer under the law, for we are under His rule. the rule or reign of grace. This is what Paul means in Romans chapter 6 when he says that believers are, quote, not under the law, but under grace. And this also explains in what sense we have been freed from the law. We have been freed from its demand and curse because of our marriage. to the risen Christ. That's the gospel. That's the good news of Jesus Christ. But there is more. And there is more to being married to the risen Christ for us believers besides being freed from the law. This becomes clear to us when we consider the very nature of this marriage union we have with Jesus Christ. What is the nature of this union? Two things here in regard to this question. First, let's understand that this is a legal union with a legal significance. As our legal and therefore rightful husband, he is our head, meaning he's our law. Or in the language of the Heidelberg Catechism, our beloved catechism, we belong to Him. He owns us. We are His property. And the reason why He owns us is because He bought us. And He bought us not with silver or gold. or any other earthly precious item, but with His precious blood. He paid with His very life. He did that on the cross, suffering the agonies of hell, freeing us from our sins and from having to obtain righteousness for ourselves out of the law. And in so doing makes this a legal union between us and him. He is our husband. He is our husband and therefore legally head, lord and owner of us. That first. Second, this is a real, spiritual, organic union between Christ and us. And this means three things concerning this union now. First of all, it is a union of life, meaning His life flows forth to us. That's why the apostle ends chapter six the way he does. He talks about eternal life through Christ Jesus. That's the high point and conclusion of chapter six. His life flows forth to us. As Jesus puts it to us in John chapter 15, he says, I am the vine and ye are the branches. As branches joined to him, in living organic union with Him, His life flows forth to us so that we live out of Him. And just as branches are dead and nothing when they are disconnected to and apart from the tree, we too are dead and nothing apart from Him. We live, you and I live, but only because we are now in union with Him, connected with Him, for His life flows forth to us to make us alive in Him. This is, first of all, a union of life. And then secondly, this is an exclusive union. An exclusive union, and that ought to be clear because Jesus Christ, our Head and Husband and Lord, is holy. Perfectly holy. And so He will not have us love, cherish, and serve someone or something else. As our holy, holy, holy head and husband, he insists that our marriage union to him be exclusive. We are married to him and him alone and no other. We're not married to a beer bottle. We're not married to drugs and substances. We're not married to self-importance. We are not married to anything else but Him. We're married to Him and no other. We love, cherish, and serve Him alone and no other. So this is, secondly, an exclusive union. And third and finally, this union that we have with Jesus Christ is a union that abides forever. And for two reasons. Because number one, him to whom we are married to lives and abides forever. For Jesus himself tells us that when he says, I am the resurrection and the life. Meaning he is the resurrection because he is the life. He is the undying, original source of all life. That's the first reason. This union, secondly, abides forever because the bond to which we are attached to Jesus Christ is formed by Him, is divinely formed. Therefore, our union with Him is that which abides forever. And bear in mind, beloved, we are married to the risen Christ, not a dead Christ, but the risen Christ. And that has two so very important implications right here. First one being this, because He, the risen Christ, is righteous and we are joined to Him, we are righteous in Him. For the righteousness that is imputed to us from Him has been accepted and approved by God. What is the proof? He's being raised from the dead. Yes, he died, but God has accepted his sacrifice and has raised him from the dead. God has highly exalted him, so that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow. Philippians chapter 2, and every tongue confess that he is Lord. God would not have raised Jesus Christ if he didn't approve of the righteousness which He had earned and obtained for us by His death on the cross. That first. And then second, because He is the source and possessor of life which Father gives to Him, and we are joined to Him, we are partakers of that life through Him. In other words, We therefore no longer live to our sinful selves, but having this new risen life of Jesus Christ, we live no longer that old life, but the new and risen life. We seek things which are above and not below, and our affections are set on them and not the things below. For our life is hid with Christ in God, Colossians chapter 3. And that, beloved, is the nature of the union that we have with the risen Christ. And that means, beloved, of course, wonderful and blessed results for us in this marriage union which we have with Jesus Christ, especially in relation to the former marriage we had with the law. So now when the law says to us as believers now, do this and live, what do we say? What do we say to the law and that demand? We say two things. We say first, we are righteous with a righteousness that you can never give. And then we say, number two, we have a life and blessedness which you could never give. And this is all because you and I are married to the risen Christ. And then here, beloved, we realize, don't we, just how blessed we are. when we understand that this union that we have with Jesus Christ is entirely gracious, entirely undeserved by us. From all eternity, God the Father graciously planned it. And 2,000 years ago, Christ graciously sealed it with His precious blood. And now, He graciously realizes that marriage union with us and in us by His Spirit and Word. Grace, grace, grace reigns. You and I are married to the risen Christ. What then is its purpose? What is the purpose of our marriage? In the context of Romans 6 and 7, we give a twofold answer. First of all, a negative one. It is to provide a blessed answer to the question given by all our detractors, detractors from the gospel of grace. Shall we sin that grace may abound? The answer is, it will be simply and absolutely absurd. for us to even think about that. For we are now freed from the law. We have been freed from its demand and curse, its crushing demand and terrible curse. We have been freed from those terrible chains of condemnation which will never set us free. And we are free because of Christ's great and gracious marriage. to us. We are no longer under the law, but under grace. Shall we then repay His great love for us which we don't deserve by sinning that grace may abound? Certainly not. The fact is that in Jesus Christ and in that marriage, we are now righteous and moreover, we now have life. eternal life, sweet communion with God in and through Jesus. How shall we say that we live a life of sin so that grace may abound in these circumstances? That's the first purpose. But really, second and positively, the purpose of our marriage to our risen Christ is to bring forth fruit. to God. Good, pleasing fruits to God. Fruits of good works. Fruits of gratitude to Him for His great salvation of us through His marriage with us. Jesus is divine and we are the branches. Without him we are nothing. So these are fruits of thankfulness. That's what our good works are, beloved. Fruits, just that, fruits of thankfulness. They are done in loving response to the righteousness and life we now have and will always have. through Jesus Christ, our Head, our Husband, our Lord. Accordingly, then, we are now no longer servants to sin and of sin, but servants of righteousness. We are new creatures in Christ. Yea, His blessed, unspotted bride, without spot or wrinkle, robed in His righteousness, washed and made beautiful by Him. Him to whom we are happily and will forever be married to, our risen Christ Jesus, husband and Lord. Praise God, from whom all blessings flow. Amen. Let us pray. Gracious Lord, our Father in heaven, bless this word, a word which is simply and clearly set forth in the scriptures, a word that is so much needed in our day. And we pray, Lord, that the preaching of this word might have not only strengthened our conviction in the truth and to be determined to walk according to them, but might also be helpful to others who hear this word proclaimed. to receive that truth and to practice it in their own walk of life. Bless it, O Lord, to us and to the church world. For Jesus' sake. Amen.