“Know ye not, Brethren, (for I speak to them that know the Law,) how that the Law has dominion over a man as long as he lives?

² For the woman which has an husband is bound by the Law to her husband so long as he lives; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the Law of her husband.

³ So then if, while her husband lives, 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.

⁴ Wherefore, my Brethren, you also are become dead to the Law by the Body of Christ; that you should be married to another, even to Him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.”  Romans 7:1-4

To be frank and honest, almost the entirety of the Church tries to live for God by means of the Law…which guarantees failure.  Just because it is not the Mosaic Law presented but other religious laws man has conjured up to live a victorious Christian life, makes them no less of a “law”.  Some examples include 40 days of purpose, Daniel Fast and other methods of humanistic psychology with a little Scripture added to deceive the Believer.  As a Child of God, we are under Grace or under law and sadly, as previously stated many remain under law.

These religious laws are more akin to Cain’s sacrifice because of the appeal to the flesh.  The sacrifices are made with our own hands, our own way following these prescribed methods and presented to God as holy.  Not so my friends.  Simply not so.  They are as filthy rags.

The analogy of the marriage bond given in Romans 7:1-4 shows us our marriage to the Law before Salvation.  The woman, being bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives, just as we are bound to the Law as long as we live.  As long as the Law lives, we are married to the Law.  How does a Believer reconcile this marriage analogy to Grace?

“³ Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? ⁴ 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.” Romans 6:3-4

At Salvation, we are baptized into the death of Jesus Christ, Who fulfilled the Law in it’s entirety.  The Law is not dead but through the Blood of Jesus, “in Him”, we are dead to the law.  Just to be sure, we are only “in Him” when our faith is placed in His atoning work…not our religious laws that seem right but lead to death.  When we go back under law, any law, we are committing spiritual adultery.  Being bought, redeemed and now married to Christ Jesus through His finished work on Calvary’s Cross, religion will lead the sincerest of Believers back into religious laws and cause them to fall from Grace.  Again, we are either under law or under Grace.

“For the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:2

When the Believer goes back under law, committing spiritual adultery, they remain bound by the law of sin and death.  Sadly and unknowingly their faith is shifted from the finished work of Jesus to their 40 days of purpose, religious ceremonies, etc.  When presented with this reality, they will quickly deny.  Their faith is indeed in the finished work of Christ for Salvation but I’m speaking here of Sanctification, victorious Christian living…living free from the dominion of sin (Romans 6:14).

Some religious folks will be angry and believe this is giving one permission to sin.  The fact of the matter is, they are the very ones who do not believe in the power of the Holy Spirit to do that which He is commissioned to do in the heart and life of the Believer to free us from the law of sin and death and create in us a new creature.  The religious will sincerely but wrongly place their religious laws on the new Believer causing them to fail.

“⁵ For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His Resurrection:

⁶ 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.

⁷ For he that is dead is freed from sin.”  Romans 6:5-7

Only in Jesus Christ are we dead to the law and we are only “in Him” when our faith is placed in His finished work…not our religious works.  The majority of the church has lived under religious laws in order to sanctify themselves.  Many have fallen away because of failure.  There is victory for the Believer over the world, the flesh and the devil in Christ Jesus.  By Grace through faith are we Saved and by Grace through faith are we Sanctified.  Any other way is considered spiritual adultery.  This is why we preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified…the power of God for whosoever will believe.

“²³ But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; ²⁴ But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:23-24.

-Donna Clark Warren