Without Law

Do you not know…that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives? For the woman that has a husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he lives, but if the husband is dead she is loosed from the law of her husband. If while her husband lives she is married to another she shall be called an adulteress, but if her husband is dead she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress if she is married to another

Therefore, 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 to God. (Rom 7:1-4).

This passage tells us that we were once married to the law. We were in debt to it, to keep our obligations to it. It then says that we were put to death in Christ, so that we are no longer married to or under the law. This means that we do not live in any reference to any part of the law. This includes the Ten Commandments. Our death to the law is complete and total. We are not partially dead. In putting us to death, Jesus Christ has taken us from the law, to make us His.

We are now married to another, i.e. Christ. Now, we cannot be married to two, to be both in Christ and also under all or some part of the law. That would be polygamy or adultery. Neither are we free to please ourselves. We are not a bachelor or spinster. We are married to, and so obliged to, please the other - Christ. We are not our own. We are to bring forth fruit to God.

We live not by the law, but by the Spirit, bringing faith and love to our heart, to move us to good works which He has prepared for us. As Christ lives in us we thus fulfil the law, but not in reference to the letter. Christ is Lord of our lives, not the law. We still have a Lord. We are not free. But we live by the law of Christ, meaning “Your will be done” and this is not a burden to us, for we want to please Him who gave Himself for us.

So for us to go back to the law would be adultery against Him who died for us.