Romans 7:1-25
Now, verses 2 and 3 of Romans chapter 7 is where most of these so called
marriage experts hang their religious hat, and completely rape to ribbons
the entire 7th chapter of Romans. During one of my last speaking engagements
I shared with the people how I had been married for so many years, and
the reason why I still looked so young was because I had gotten married
at age 6. Everyone got a good laugh out of it. I then proceeded by saying
that the reason why my marriage has lasted as long as it had, was simply
because I stayed away from religious marriage seminars.
I have spoken with many married couples who were going through difficulties in their relationship. One of my first question to many of these married couples has been: "When do you believe your marriage problems started?" About the most popular answer given is: "Well, as a married couple we began attending many marriage seminars, and then made every effort to live by what the bible says concerning marriage, but the more we tried to follow and live by the marriage commandments of the bible, the more difficult our relationship became." Friends, I don't oppose marriage counseling, nor do I discourage married couples who are having problem from seeking counseling.
However, I believe that these so called biblical marriage retreats and seminars do more harm than good. For the simple reason that they are filled with all sorts of legalistic marriage 'do's and don't.' These marriage seminars are not only costly, but I feel that they add more to the problem than solves the problem. I mean, think about it. Here we have a couple who after 5 years of marriage find that they really didn't have much in common and somehow feel that they have fallen out of love. Then they attend one of these religious marriage seminars and the speaker begins to tell them that God hates divorce. That they will sin against God and commit adultery before God if they break up.
Worse even yet, the speaker then takes them to Romans chapter 7 and quotes to them verses 2 and 3, makes a marriage doctrine out of it, the couple begin to feel guilty, and out of fear of what God might do to them, they are forced to remain together and unhappy in their relationship for many years after that. Now, I don't advocate divorce, but I have seen couples stretch their marriage relationship to an additional 5 years after feeling condemned at one of these religious seminars, only to find out later on that after 10 years of trying they have divorced. Friends, it is not a marriage of love and grace when the marriage is kept together by force, guilt, fear and condemnation.
In verses 2 and 3 of Romans chapter 7 Paul is still dealing with the subject of 'law versus grace.' He has not changed topics. He is simply using an illustration and a comparison of what it was like being married to the law of Moses, but since the law of Moses has been put to death at the cross, we are now the new bride of the lamb. Just as a woman is bound to her husband as long as the husband lives, so were we bound or in bondage to the law since Jesus had not died to fulfill it as of yet. But when Jesus died on the cross and fulfilled the law, the prophets and the Psalms through His death, the old husband (law) died, and we were set free to married Christ.
In other words, as it says in verse 2 "We were loosed from the law."
So if we have been loosed from the law, why would anyone in their right
mind want to married their old dead and gone husband again? Our new
husband, Christ, is a sweet smelling fragrance of grace. Why would anyone
one want to go back to an old husband (the law) that smells like a dead
rat? As long as the law of Moses was in place, we were all guilty sinners
before God. But when Christ came, and fulfilled the requirements and
demands of the law, the which none of us could keep, then we became
the righteous bride of God in Christ.
Friends, if Christ is now our new husband, and we keep messing around with our old husband (the law), then we are in an adulterous relationship. Friends, there's no question that the law was our school master at one time. There's no question about Paul saying that the law was good, and there's no question that we ought to do our best to do good, live a moral life and express our best behavior. However, as good as all of these things are, yet Christ and Paul have made it very clear in their teachings that our relationship with God is not based on any of our good or bad performance. If it were, then Jesus would have told us that is ok to have and serve 2 husbands.
to be continued....
Grace N Peace
Eddie Narvaez