[English Sermon 영어 설교]
Sunday, Spetember 1, 2024 - Sermon by Rev. Jinkook (Danny) Sohn
The Old Husband and the New Husband
(Romans 7:1-12)
2024. 9. 1. 주일예배 설교- 로마서 강해 13
본문: 로마서 7:1-12
제목: 옛 남편과 새 남편
설교자: 손진국 목사
Who Do You Think Christians Live Under the Rule Of? The Apostle Paul clearly explained the Christian's allegiance in Romans 6:14: "For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace." This was the main content of last week's sermon. In other words, Christians live under grace and are therefore ruled by grace. But in reality, what happens? As we live our faith, joy disappears, the sense of wonder fades, and life lacks freedom. Why is this? What is the reason? Simply put, it is because we are not living under grace but are still bound to the law in every aspect of life. The Apostle Paul, who also wrestled with this issue, provides a clear solution through today’s passage. Specifically, Paul uses the example of a marriage relationship to explain this issue. Thus, I have titled today’s message “The Old Husband and the New Husband” to share the grace of the Word.
1. Under the Law, We Cannot Be Free from Sin
Everyone lives within the boundaries of some form of law. A country has its constitution, a school has its rules, and a church has its laws. It is natural that when these laws are broken, punishment follows. We should faithfully obey these laws. However, we are not just talking about worldly laws here but God’s law, the law, so we need to consider our relationship with the law.
To be under the law means that we are guilty of sin. Why? Because the law applies only to those who have sinned, and the law is meaningful only to those who have broken it. Who knows the law well? Certainly, lawyers, prosecutors, and judges do. But among ordinary people, who knows the law best? It is the one who breaks the law. Criminals know how many years they will spend in prison if they commit a certain crime. They also know how to reduce their sentence if caught. On the other hand, those who do not break the law often do not even know what the law is. If we do not commit a crime, the law does not apply to us, and we can live a life largely unconcerned with the law. For instance, I used to get speeding tickets quite often, especially when I lived in Invercargill. My Home stay father once said to me, "Danny, you contribute a lot to the government." From this, I learned a lot about the penalties for speeding, how much a fine would be for a certain speed, and how many demerit points would lead to a license suspension.
In reality, this is how we stand before God under the law. When we look at the commandments, especially the Ten Commandments, they all apply to us. Is there anyone who can say, "These commandments have nothing to do with me"? No one can say that. "You shall have no other gods before me"—does this commandment about idolatry have nothing to do with us? Is there anyone among us who is free from greed? Isn’t greed a form of idolatry?
What about the commandment "You shall not murder"? Is it irrelevant because we have not broken it? 1 John 3:15 says, "Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him." Is there anyone among us who has not hated? Is there anyone completely free from hatred? There is not.
What about the commandment "You shall not commit adultery"? Jesus said in Matthew 5:28: "But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Is there even one person among us who can confidently say they have never committed adultery?
Ultimately, every aspect of the law applies to us. Is there anyone who can say, "What is hatred? I don’t know what that means. I have never hated anyone"? No one can say that. The reality is that we live each day with hatred and anger in our hearts. This is why Romans 3:10 declares, “There is no one righteous, not even one.” This is our condition under the law.
Under the law, we cannot be free from sin. Under the law, we are oppressed by sin and live as its slaves. The Apostle Paul explains our condition under the law using the analogy of a marriage relationship.
There was once a husband who was a perfectionist. His wife was initially attracted to him because of his flawless appearance, and they got married. But this husband was merciless whenever his wife fell short of his standards. The wife, unable to meet his high expectations, was beaten daily and lived like a slave. Even the slightest disobedience was met with physical punishment. Could anyone live with such a husband? Unable to endure the daily beatings, the wife demanded a divorce, but the husband refused to grant it. In such a state, she couldn’t marry another man because that would be considered adultery, punishable by death by stoning. Unable to meet the perfect and flawless husband’s demands, she continued to sin and, as a result, lived constantly under his abuse like a slave.
[Application] Is there something in your life that you do out of obligation, feeling oppressed and not free, as if you were still under the law?
2. The Way to Be Free from Sin Is by Dying
What is the way for this woman, who cannot meet the demands of the perfect husband, to be freed from his chains? Verse 3 gives us the answer: "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."
What is the only way to be freed from these chains? Death. Who needs to die? If the husband dies, she is freed. Then, she can marry another man without being considered an adulteress.
But what is the problem? The law, represented by the husband, never dies. The law will remain on this earth, unchanged, until the Lord returns. It cannot be hurt or altered. Why? Because the law is God’s principle; it cannot die or change. So, what is the only way to break the relationship with the husband, the law? There is only one way: I must die. Here lies the heart of the Christian gospel: "Everything begins with my death."
Galatians 2:20: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." It is to proclaim that I have died with Christ. We are free when we die. This is the gospel. Without the cross, we can never taste the joy of liberation. The way to resist the temptation of sin is to die.
For example, in the past, eunuchs lived in palaces. To become a eunuch, one had to be castrated to lose all male functions. Therefore, no matter how many women surrounded the eunuch, he was not tempted at all. Why? Because he had already experienced death as a man. When one dies, there is no more temptation. It’s the same for believers. The way to be free from the evil one is death. Even if the devil tempts us with money, fame, or power, when we declare that we are dead, such temptations no longer have any effect on us.
Paul clearly explains this point again in Galatians 5:24: "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." We are already dead. Since we are already dead, nothing can affect us. Dear saints, please remember this: The way to be free from sin is to die with Christ.
[Application] Is there something that still draws you into the temptation of sin because you have not yet died?
3. The New Husband Was Given to Us to Bear Fruit for God
Romans 7:4 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.
Through the body of Christ, who was put to death on the cross, we have died to the law. The marriage relationship with the law has been completely ended by the cross. Believers have been set free from all condemnation, bondage, and curse of the law.
If we misunderstand this, we might think that since we are free from the law, we can sin freely and live our faith as we please. But that is not why we were given a new husband. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones referred to Romans 7:4 as the core of the gospel. To reiterate, God’s desire in freeing us from the law through Jesus Christ, our new husband, is so that we might bear fruit for God.
How can we bear fruit for God? It is possible when it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. Therefore, we must die daily so that Christ in us may live, and when He lives as the Lord of our lives, we can bear fruit for God.
However, we often forget this. When we do, we start living for ourselves and end up bearing fruit for ourselves, not for God.
There is a story we all know about a frog. There was a frog who wanted to fly in the sky. After pondering how he could fly, one day he saw a crane flying gracefully in the sky. The frog quickly called out to the crane and made a request: “Please let me fly in the sky just once. I have a long stick; if I bite one end, and you bite the other end, you can fly in the sky, and I will be able to fly thanks to you.” The crane agreed and started flying just as the frog had suggested. The frog also began flying in the sky. Many frogs on the ground watched in amazement as the frog flew, exclaiming, “Wow, that’s incredible! Frogs can fly too!” As they praised the flying frog, they asked, “Who came up with this brilliant idea?” The frog, feeling proud, responded, “It was me!” And at that moment, he fell and died.
Do you want to bear fruit for God? Remember that the moment we think, “I did it. It was my idea. It’s my strength,” we are no longer bearing fruit for God. The Bible teaches that unless we die to ourselves, we cannot bear fruit for God. The apostle Paul understood this principle and declared, 1 Corinthians 15:31 ...I die daily. We can do nothing if we live for ourselves. As we live by declaring, “I have been crucified with Christ,” we no longer live under the law but under grace, and Jesus Christ, our new husband, will rule over us. When we dwell under grace, we can bear fruit for God. Please remember this.
To conclude: Under the law, our old husband, there was no freedom. Only sin and death oppressed us. But Jesus Christ, by dying on the cross in our place, severed our relationship with the old husband. When we accept Him as our Lord and declare daily that we are dead and Christ lives in us, the Lord will produce fruit in our lives for God.
I pray that the lives of all believers will glorify God, as we, like the apostle Paul, die daily in the Lord, and Christ, our new husband, lives within us.
[Application] Do you have a desire to serve the Lord and bear fruit as the bride of Christ? What are you doing to achieve this?
하늘소망교회(담임 손진국 목사)는 뉴질랜드 오클랜드 북부 실버데일에 세워진 한인교회로 '하나님의 마음으로 사람을 살리는 교회'입니다.
Hope of Heaven Baptist Church (Senior Pastor: Rev. Jinkook Sohn) is a Korean church established in Silverdale, Auckland, New Zealand. It is a church that saves people with the heart of God.