til death do us part...

Romans 6:1-6

Observe:
"Law" is used repeatedly, sometimes in contrast to "the Spirit." Death/dying is a concept that is repeated, sometimes in contrast to being alive. Paul uses a word picture of marriage to illustrate our relationship to the law.

Interpret:
Paul is continuing his argument that we are dead to sin but made alive, through faith, to God. We no longer need to obey sin. His illustration may seem a bit strange: in Paul's time, a wife was basically property and was bound to her husband "til death do us part." She had to be obedient to him. But once her husband was dead, she was free to find a new husband. Paul argues that because we have died, we are no longer subject to sin - we are not bound by it any longer.

Apply:
I have been released from my commitment to sin and the law because I have died to sin. I am now bound to Christ and to serve him, not in the old way of the law, but in the new way of the Spirit. As Korey, Mick and I talked this morning, this means that I have a choice: I don't need to automatically sin. It also means that I need to take more responsibility for my actions - I choose to subject myself to my old master (which means I am stupid because he treats me badly).