By Sherri Stevens

"Vegas Baby!" you exclaim as you head off to Las Vegas to celebrate your best friend's birthday. Then, can you imagine your surprise when you wake up just after one night in Vegas to discover that you're wearing a gold band on your wedding ring finger? "Oh no! Who's my husband?" you cry out.

Hopefully, you've avoided accidentally marrying someone while on vacation, but in a spiritual sense, every person ever born has woken up "married" to someone...or, more accurately, something, whether we are aware of it or not.

Most people have heard the biblical concept that the Church is the Bride of Christ. For example, in Revelation 21:9, the angel says to John, "Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife." In Ephesians 5:32, Paul describes earthly marriage as a depiction of the "mystery" of Christ and the Church. This means that every believer is part of the Church and is married to Christ.

What is less well-known is that this marriage to Christ is a second marriage for believers. This passage in Romans 7 describes our second marriage this way:

"Do you not know, brothers and sisters—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law has authority over someone only as long as that person lives? For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law that binds her to him. So then, if she has sexual relations with another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress if she marries another man.

So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death. But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code." - Rom. 7:1-6

WE WERE ALL BORN MARRIED TO MR. LAW

Although Paul explained in previous chapters of Romans that the Israelites had been given the Law by God and were under it, he also clarified in Chapter 1 of Romans that all humanity is accountable to God's perfect standards of holiness. In other words, God's righteous standards weren't only encoded in the Ten Commandments and the rest of the Mosaic regulations. Paul declared that all people could discern God's goodness through the majesty and witness of nature and would be held accountable because of this natural revelation:

"For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse." - Rom 1:17-20

WE WERE RELEASED FROM OUR FIRST MARRIAGE

In the previous passage, we see that long before God carved commandments into tablets of stone for Moses, a form of the Law existed. The Mosaic Covenant simply encoded it into a written form. That's the husband to whom you and I were born married. This is why Paul spent the first four verses of Romans 7 explaining how a spouse is released from all marital obligations if the other spouse dies.

Using an example that everyone could understand, Paul explains that our marriage to the Law is nullified by our own death. That "death" occurs when we are born again by being baptized into Christ. Literal water baptism by immersion is an outward picture of an inward reality, one that involves a symbolic burial. Romans 6 describes it this way:

"Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." - Rom. 6:3-4

He goes on to point out that we were not only released from our original husband but also married to a new husband through the new birth. Who is the "another" to whom we are now married? "...to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God" (Rom. 7:4). 

Let's understand, though, that our ex-husband, the Law, was not bad. On the contrary, the Law was an expression of God's righteousness and holiness and it was perfect. It's just that it was inadequate to restore us to an intimate connection to the Father. That was not the job of the Law. So, what was, and is, the job of the Law? Let's look at the job description of our ex-husband, the Law, according to the truths of Scripture.

THE ROLE OF OUR EX-HUSBAND, THE LAW

1. The Law has a ministry of death and condemnation. "But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?" - 2 Cor. 3:7-9

2. The Law makes you conscious of sin. "Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be justified in His sight by works of the law. For the law merely brings awareness of sin.." - Rom 3:18-20‍

3. The Law cannot justify you. "Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because, "The just shall live by faith" - Gal. 3:11. Also, "You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes, Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? Have you experienced so much in vain—if it really was in vain? 5 So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?" - Gal. 3:1-5

4. The Law cannot change you. The Law acts like a mirror. It can show you that your face is dirty, but it doesn't have the ability to clean you up. Only the Living Savior can cleanse and empower you. 

5. The Law stirs up sin in your life. "The power of sin is in the law" - 1 Cor. 15:56. Also, "But sin, seizing its opportunity through the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from the law, sin is dead." Rom. 7:6

6. The Law cannot impart life or make you righteous. "Is the law, therefore. opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe" - Gal. 3:21-22

7. The Law brings wrath. "The law brings wrath. And where there is no law, there is no transgression" - Rom. 4:15

8. The Law kills. "He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the law kills, but the Spirit gives life" - 2 Corinthians 3:6.

9. Relying on the Law puts you under a curse. "All who rely on works of the law are under a curse. For it is written: Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law" - Gal. 3:10.

SPIRITUAL POLYGAMY

In spite of the preponderance of Scripture teaching that our ex-husband was nothing but a fault-finding, critical, judgmental husband whom we could never please, many Christians believe and behave as if they were still obligated to obey the list of demands of their first husband. It is my contention, however, that we don't want to be following a list of rules and regulations given to us by our slave-driving ex-husband, but that we are simply following the erroneous instruction we may have received while attending mainstream churches or listening to Christian radio. The good news of the gospel, however, reveals that we were never meant to live as spiritual polygamists! We are not meant to be married to Mr. Law while at the same time being married to Mr. Love, Jesus Christ! 

UNDERSTANDING OUR MARITAL PARADIGM SHIFT

The Old Covenant is a paradigm based on man’s own self-effort and his/her attempt to keep the external demands of the law. The New Covenant is a paradigm based on a person trusting in what Christ has accomplished for him/her and receiving the internal supply of God’s abundant grace. The Old Covenant law can only administer condemnation. The grace we receive under the New Covenant provides us with the opportunity for emancipation.

Another way to describe the difference between the two covenants is this: the Old Covenant is based on man’s attempt to earn salvation, whereas the New Covenant is based on individuals learning what Christ has already accomplished for them and learning of their inheritance in Christ so they can appropriate the riches of His grace.

Whenever we read the Bible, it is good for us to ask ourselves which paradigm the passage we are reading belongs to. Is what I am reading part of the Old Covenant (law) or the New Covenant (grace)?” Consider the various keywords used in different translations, which indicate that there has been a paradigm shift from the Old Covenant law to the New Covenant of grace:

“Disannulling of the former commandment” (Heb. 7:18).

“Abolished the law of commandment contained in the ordinances” (Eph. 2:15).

“Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances” (Col. 2:14).

“Took it out of the way, nailing it to the cross” (Col. 2:14).

“End of the Law” (Rom. 10:4).

“Better covenant” (Heb. 8:6).

“He has made the first one [covenant] obsolete” (Heb. 8:13).

All these words are the language of obsolescence! All these words indicate that there has been a paradigm shift. We understand from scripture, therefore, that the paradigm shift instituted a change of the law because Jesus’s priesthood was superior to the Levitical priesthood. “If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood—and indeed the law given to the people established that priesthood—why was there still need for another priest to come, one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron? For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also” (Heb. 7:11–12).

Jesus’s death ushered in a New Covenant of grace, replacing the Old Covenant that was based on the Mosaic law. The law is only an instrument of interpretation to show us our sins; it cannot impart life. The law was intended to lead us to Christ so that we could receive life. Let's consider some more verses of Scripture in their entirety that clearly communicate that we are no longer to be living under the rules and regulations of our ex-husband, Mr. Law, but under the grace of our new husband, Mr. Love!

BIBLE VERSES TEACHING US TO EXIT A RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR "EX" 

1. You died to the law. "For through the law, I died to the law that I might live for God" - Gal. 2:19.

2. You are not under the law. "For sin shall not be your master, because you are no longer under the law, but under grace" - Rom. 6:14

3. You were set free from the law. "The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death" - Rom. 8:2

4. You are no longer under a guardian (the law). "Before the coming of the faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian" - Gal. 3:23-25

5. The law was made obsolete because of the New Covenant. "When God speaks of "a new covenant," He makes the first one obsolete. And whatever is becoming obsolete (out of use, annulled) and growing old is ready to disappear" - Heb. 8:13.

6. The law ended for believers. "For Christ is the end of the law that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes" - Rom 10:4

AND THEY LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER

Hopefully, now that you have a better understanding, according to the teachings of the Bible, that you are no longer obligated to honor and obey a list of demands made by your harsh and unforgiving ex-husband, Mr. Law, you can begin to live out your singular devotion to your new husband, Mr. Love!

...and they lived happily ever after. 

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