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“Let us look at what the Word of God says.”
The central truth in these lyrics is the relationship between the believer, the Law, and death with Christ. Two key passages set the foundation:
> “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.”
> — Romans 7:2–4 (NIV)
> “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God.”
> — Galatians 2:19 (NIV)
The song “Bound and Released” is built on this spiritual principle:
We were once bound to the Law as a covenant husband. In Christ’s death, we died to that old relationship so that we might be released to belong to Another—Jesus, risen from the dead—so that we might bear fruit to God in the power of the Holy Spirit.
This is not a small adjustment to our life. It is a complete change of spiritual relationship, legal status, and source of life.
The lyrics summarize this tension and transition:
> Bound and released,
> Life and the law,
> In death comes freedom,
> In Spirit we draw.
We will see that the way to true freedom is not by bypassing death but by passing through death with Christ. Death is the doorway to release. The Spirit is the new power by which we live.
---
Romans and Galatians were both written by the apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to address one central problem: How can a guilty sinner be made right with a holy God? And once made right, how is that person to live?
### Context of Romans 7:2–4
Romans is Paul’s great systematic exposition of the gospel. Chapters 1–3 reveal the universal guilt of both Jew and Gentile. Chapters 3–5 explain justification by faith. Chapter 6 deals with our union with Christ in His death and resurrection as the answer to sin’s power. Then in chapter 7 Paul turns to another problem: the Law.
Many Jewish believers thought the Law of Moses was God’s ultimate system. The Law was holy, righteous, and good (Romans 7:12). But Paul demonstrates that though the Law reveals sin, it cannot deliver us from sin. It can expose guilt, but it cannot impart life.
In Romans 7:1–6, Paul addresses those “who know the law” (v.1). He uses an everyday analogy from marriage law. In Jewish and Roman law, a woman was bound to her husband as long as he lived. Only death could dissolve that binding legal relationship.
Paul is not primarily teaching about marriage here. He is using marriage as an illustration of our relationship to the Law. The woman represents the believer. The husband represents the Law as a binding covenant. Only death can break that bond so that she is free to marry another.
Then Paul applies it:
> “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…” (Romans 7:4)
The believer’s old legal relationship to the Law has ended because of death—our death with Christ.
### Context of Galatians 2:19
The churches in Galatia were being troubled by Judaizers—false teachers insisting that Gentile believers must keep the Law of Moses (especially circumcision) to be fully acceptable to God.
Paul confronts this. He shows that righteousness does not come through the Law but through faith in Jesus Christ alone. In Galatians 2:19 he makes this clear, personal statement:
> “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God.”
The Law itself, by exposing sin and condemning the sinner, drove Paul to the end of himself, to death. In Christ’s crucifixion, the sentence of the Law was carried out. Therefore, Paul could say, “I died to the law.” The result: “that I might live for God.”
Notice the order:
Death to the Law → True life for God.
This is the same pattern as Romans 7: bound, then released; life, then death, then new life.
Paul is not promoting lawlessness. He is saying that the Law is no longer the covenant husband, no longer the controlling principle. The new controlling principle is union with the risen Christ through the Holy Spirit.
---
To understand these truths more clearly, we must look at a couple of key Greek words.
### 1. “Bound” – *deo* (δέω)
In Romans 7:2:
> “by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive…”
The word “bound” is *deo* (δέω). It means “to bind, tie, fasten, imprison, put under obligation.” It is a legal and relational binding. It is not merely emotional attachment; it is covenant obligation, enforceable by law.
When Paul uses this word, he is saying the Law truly held us. It had a legal claim over us. We were under obligation, under its authority, and under its penalty.
This is the starting place of the gospel: we are not free agents drifting around morally. We are bound. We stand under the righteous claims of God’s Law and under its righteous sentence of death.
### 2. “Released” – *katargeō* (καταργέω)
In Romans 7:2, “she is released from the law that binds her.”
The underlying verb used in this context (Romans 7:2, 6) is related to *katargeō*. In verse 6:
> “But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released (*katargeō*) from the law…”
*Katargeō* means “to render inoperative, to abolish, to make idle, to bring to nothing, to make of no effect.” It does not mean the Law ceases to exist, but that its jurisdiction and its claim over that person have been annulled.
The Law still exists. It still witnesses to God’s righteousness. It still convicts the sinner. But for the person who has died with Christ, the Law no longer has the right to condemn, the right to command as covenant husband, or the right to demand righteousness as the basis of acceptance.
It has been rendered inoperative as a covenant over the believer.
This deepens the impact of the lyrics: “Bound and released.”
Not by gradual improvement, not by religious effort, but by a decisive legal act: death and release through the body of Christ.
---
Now we will work through the lyrics and see the theology that undergirds them.
### Verse 1
> So then, if she lives with another
> While her husband is alive,
> She is called an adulteress,
> But if her husband dies, she's free.
This is almost a direct paraphrase of Romans 7:2–3:
> “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…”
Paul is using a human example “to make a point” (Romans 6:19). The key principle is this:
Lawful covenant obligations last as long as both parties live. Only death dissolves them.
Spiritually, Israel—and, in principle, every person under God’s moral Law—is like the woman. The Law is like the husband. The Law is righteous but without power to impart life. It can demand, but it cannot enable. It can condemn, but it cannot transform.
Now consider the spiritual danger implied here: If a person tries to relate to Christ (the new husband) while still legally bound to the Law (the old husband) as the basis of righteousness, that person is in “spiritual adultery.” Trying to be justified both by Christ and by the Law at the same time is spiritual unfaithfulness.
Paul warned the Galatians:
> “You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.”
> — Galatians 5:4
You cannot be married to both. There must be a death.
This is why so many believers live in inner conflict. They profess faith in Christ, yet inwardly they are still trying to earn God’s acceptance by performance, rule-keeping, or religious effort. In effect, they are still tied to the old husband.
Paul’s illustration is radical: Only death ends that first marriage.
### Chorus
> Bound and released,
> Life and the law,
> In death comes freedom,
> In Spirit we draw.
Each phrase summarizes a key biblical truth.
#### “Bound and released”
We were *deo*—bound, legally obligated—to the Law. But in Christ’s death, we were *katargeō*—released from its claim and dominion (Romans 7:6).
Notice: we are not released from holiness. We are not released from obedience to God. We are released from the Law as the covenant through which we seek righteousness and acceptance.
#### “Life and the law”
The Law is good, but it cannot impart life:
> “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.”
> — Romans 8:2 (NKJV)
There are two “laws” or principles:
Trying to get life out of the Mosaic Law is like trying to squeeze water out of a stone. Life does not come from the Law. It comes from Christ, by the Spirit.
#### “In death comes freedom”
This is central. God’s way of freedom is not self-improvement; it is execution.
Our old man, our old identity in Adam, our old legal position under the Law, was brought to an end in the death of Jesus.
> “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ…”
> — Galatians 2:19–20
You do not negotiate with the Law. You satisfy it. The sentence of the Law is death. In Christ’s death, that sentence was fully carried out. Therefore, for the believer, the Law has no more claim to condemn.
#### “In Spirit we draw”
Now a new relationship and a new resource: the Holy Spirit.
> “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.”
> — Romans 7:6
We no longer serve God in the “old way” of external written commandments, approached in our own strength. We serve in the new way of inner life: the Holy Spirit writes God’s law on our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33; 2 Corinthians 3:3).
“In Spirit we draw” means we now draw near to God, draw our strength, draw our guidance, draw our capacity for obedience, not from the Law, but from the Spirit of God indwelling us.
### Verse 2
> She is not an adulteress,
> If she marries another man.
> So, brothers and sisters,
> You died to the law through Christ.
Here is Paul’s application in Romans 7:4. The woman whose husband has died is now free to marry another without being an adulteress.
Spiritually, this “another man” is Christ:
> “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.”
> — Romans 7:4
Notice three vital truths:
1. You died to the law through the body of Christ.
This is objective spiritual reality. When Christ died, you died with Him, as far as God is concerned. His body on the cross was the place where the Law’s sentence was served and finished.
2. That you might belong to another.
The goal is not just release. The goal is remarriage. We are set free from the Law in order to be joined to Christ. Christianity is not just freedom from something; it is union with Someone.
3. To bear fruit for God.
Fruit is the product of a living union, not of external pressure. A wife does not produce children by obeying rules; she produces children by being in a living union with her husband. In the same way, spiritual fruit (holiness, obedience, good works, love) is the result of our union with Christ through the Spirit.
This is why Galatians emphasizes the “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22–23), not “works of the Law.”
### Repeated Chorus
> Bound and released,
> Life and the law,
> In death comes freedom,
> In Spirit we draw.
The repetition of the chorus mirrors the constant battle of Romans 7 and 8:
Romans 8:1–4 summarizes this new life:
> “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life has set you free from the law of sin and death.
> For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending His own Son… in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
We are not lawless. The righteous requirement of the Law is fulfilled in us—not by striving under the Law, but by walking in the Spirit.
### Outro
> Through Christ we are new,
> In Spirit we soar,
> Bound and released,
> Forevermore.
This corresponds to 2 Corinthians 5:17:
> “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
“Through Christ we are new” points to new creation. New identity. New covenant. New husband.
“In Spirit we soar” reflects the upward life of Romans 8—where the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace (Romans 8:6). We are no longer crawling under the weight of condemnation. We are lifted by the Spirit into a new dimension of relationship and power.
“Bound and released, forevermore” shows the permanence of the change. Our old bond to the Law as covenant has ended in death. Our new bond to Christ is eternal. He is:
> “a priest forever” (Hebrews 7:17).
> “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of My hand.” (John 10:28)
We are forever joined to the risen Christ. The Law’s jurisdiction over our standing before God is past. The Spirit’s indwelling becomes our ongoing reality.
---
These truths must not remain theory. They must be applied. I will outline four practical steps—each can become a proclamation.
### 1. Acknowledge Your Death with Christ to the Law
First, we must accept what God says has already happened.
> “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ…”
> — Galatians 2:19–20
This is not a feeling. It is a legal and spiritual fact. You must take your stand on it.
Proclamation:
“Through the Law, I died to the Law, so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ. My old relationship to the Law as the basis of righteousness is finished.”
When condemnation, legalism, or self-righteousness try to rise, answer them with this truth.
### 2. Renounce Mixture: Stop Trying to Be Married to Both
Second, we must renounce the attempt to relate to God partly by grace and partly by Law.
Paul said:
> “You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ…”
> — Galatians 5:4
You cannot trust Christ for salvation and at the same time trust your performance as the basis of acceptance. That is spiritual adultery.
Ask the Holy Spirit to show you where you are still clinging to Law as your ground of confidence. It may appear in thoughts like:
Prayer, fasting, devotion are right and good—but not as grounds of righteousness. They are fruits, not roots.
Proclamation:
“I renounce every attempt to be justified by my works or by any law. I am accepted by God solely on the basis of the finished work of Jesus Christ.”
### 3. Present Yourself to Christ as Belonging to Another
Third, you must consciously “marry” yourself, so to speak, to the risen Christ.
Romans 7:4 says:
> “that you might belong to another—to Him who was raised from the dead…”
This is covenant language. The Christian life is not primarily about rules. It is about belonging to a Person. You are not just free from the old husband; you are joined to the new Husband.
Practically, this means a daily yielding to Christ:
> “present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life…”
> — Romans 6:13
Proclamation:
“Lord Jesus, I belong to You. I died to the Law through Your body, that I might belong to You, the risen One. I yield myself—spirit, soul, and body—to You as Your bride, to bear fruit for God.”
### 4. Walk in the Spirit, Not in the Old Way of the Written Code
Fourth, we must learn a new way of living—“the new way of the Spirit” (Romans 7:6).
This involves:
This does not mean we ignore Scripture. Rather, we read Scripture as those who are alive in Christ, indwelt by the Spirit, expecting Him to illuminate and empower, not simply to command.
Proclamation:
“I choose to walk in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code. Holy Spirit, write God’s law on my heart, empower me to obey, and produce Your fruit in my life.”
---
### Proclamation
Say this aloud, thoughtfully and in faith:
“I testify before God and before the unseen spiritual world:
Through the Law, I died to the Law, that I might live for God.
I have been crucified with Christ; I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.
In Christ’s death, my old relationship to the Law was brought to an end.
I am no longer bound to the Law as my covenant husband.
I am released from its claim, its condemnation, and its jurisdiction over my standing before God.
Now I belong to Another—to Jesus, who was raised from the dead.
Through Christ I am a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.
I serve God not in the old way of the written code, but in the new way of the Spirit.
In death comes my freedom; in the Spirit I draw near and live.
I am bound to Christ and released from the Law—forevermore.
Amen.”
### Prayer
“Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You for the perfect wisdom of Your plan. You did not lower Your Law, and You did not excuse my sin. You satisfied Your righteous Law fully in the death of Your Son.
I acknowledge before You that, in Christ, I died to the Law so that I might live for You. Forgive me for every way I have tried to relate to You on the basis of my own performance. Forgive me for mixtures of grace and Law, of faith and self-righteousness.
Lord Jesus, I affirm that I belong to You. You are my covenant Lord, my risen Husband. I yield myself to You for Your purposes, that I might bear fruit for God.
Holy Spirit, I welcome You as my Teacher, my Helper, my power to live this life. Write God’s law on my heart. Set my mind on the things of the Spirit. Deliver me from condemnation and from striving. Enable me to walk each day in the new way of the Spirit.
Let the reality of being bound and released—bound to Christ and released from the Law—become effective in every area of my life: in my thoughts, my emotions, my relationships, and my service.
I ask it in the name of Jesus.
Amen.”
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