Click to Play
0 plays
“Let us look at what the Word of God says.”
> “For the married woman is bound by law to her husband while he is living; but if her husband dies, she is released from the law concerning the husband.
> So then, if while her husband is living she is joined to another man, she shall be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress though she is joined to another man.
> Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.”
> — Romans 7:2–4 (NASB)
The central theme of this song is captured in one phrase: “Bound and released.” Paul uses the picture of marriage to explain a deep spiritual reality:
The lyrics echo this truth:
> “In death comes freedom,
> In Spirit we draw.”
The Word of God presents a divine order:
If we do not understand this divine order, we will live in spiritual confusion—loving Christ, but still trying to relate to God as if we were under the old marriage, under the Law.
Romans is Paul’s most systematic exposition of the gospel. In chapters 1–3, he shows that all humanity is guilty before God. In chapters 4–5, he unfolds justification by faith. In chapter 6, he explains our union with Christ in His death and resurrection. Then, in chapter 7, he addresses a crucial question:
If we are saved by grace, what is our relationship to the Law?
The specific context of Romans 7:2–4:
He uses a simple, everyday illustration: marriage.
> “For the married woman is bound by law to her husband while he is living; but if her husband dies, she is released from the law concerning the husband.” (v. 2)
In Israel, marriage was a legally binding covenant. A woman could not lawfully belong to two husbands at once. She was bound by law as long as her husband lived. Only death could dissolve that covenant bond.
Paul applies this:
> “Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another…” (v. 4)
Notice:
Paul is not attacking the Law. He says elsewhere:
> “So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.” (Romans 7:12)
The problem is not with the Law. The problem is with us—our flesh. The Law can diagnose sin, but it cannot deliver from sin. Under the Law, our fallen nature is exposed, but not changed.
So Paul presents God’s solution:
This is the background of the song’s chorus:
> “Bound and released,
> Life and the law,
> In death comes freedom,
> In Spirit we draw.”
Let us take two key words from Romans 7:2–4 that illuminate the lyrics.
### 1) “Bound” – δέω (*deō*)
> “For the married woman is bound (δέδεται, from *deō*) by law to her husband…” (Romans 7:2)
Deō means:
It is a legal and binding term. It describes something that is tied and held by a legal or moral claim.
So, when Paul says the woman is “bound by law,” he means:
In spiritual terms:
The song’s phrase:
> “Bound and released,
> Life and the law…”
mirrors this. We were bound to the Law’s rightful requirements and claims. That binding was not evil. It was lawful, righteous, and holy. But because of our sinful nature, that lawful bond became a trap we could not escape by our own strength.
### 2) “Released / Free” – καταργέω (*katargeō*) & ἐλευθέρα (*eleuthera*)
Paul uses different words to express release and freedom. In Romans 7:2 he says:
> “…she is released from the law concerning the husband.”
The idea is that the death of the husband annuls the law’s claim. In verse 3:
> “…if her husband dies, she is free (*eleuthera*) from the law…”
Eleuthera (from *eleutheros*) means:
This is not a vague emotional feeling of freedom. It is legal freedom. The law no longer has jurisdiction over her in that specific covenant. The bond is severed by death, and she is legally at liberty to enter a new union.
Applied spiritually:
This deepens the line:
> “In death comes freedom,
> In Spirit we draw.”
Freedom is not gained by effort. It is gained by death—Christ’s death, in which we share by faith. And once we are legally free from the Law as covenant, we are free to come under a new authority: the Holy Spirit.
Now we will walk through the lyrics and connect them with the teaching of Scripture.
### 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.”
Paul says exactly this:
> “So then, if while her husband is living she is joined to another man, she shall be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress though she is joined to another man.” (Romans 7:3)
This is not merely about morality in marriage. It is a spiritual warning.
To try to:
and at the same time
is spiritual adultery.
You cannot have Christ as your new covenant Husband while still letting the Law function as your primary covenant authority and source of righteousness.
Paul confronts this in Galatians:
> “You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.” (Galatians 5:4)
To seek justification by the Law while professing faith in Christ is to attempt a double marriage. God does not accept that. His order is clear:
So, the first verse states the legal reality: no double marriage. Spiritually, we must choose the covenant under which we live.
### Chorus
> “Bound and released,
> Life and the law,
> In death comes freedom,
> In Spirit we draw.”
This chorus encapsulates Romans 7 and 8.
1. “Bound and released”
2. “Life and the law”
Paul says:
> “…the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” (2 Corinthians 3:6)
> “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.” (Romans 8:2)
The Law is good, but when it meets our sinful flesh, it results in death. The Spirit, operating in the new covenant, brings life.
3. “In death comes freedom”
Romans 6 teaches that we were united with Christ in His death:
> “Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him.” (Romans 6:8)
God’s way of freedom is not to improve the flesh, but to execute it in Christ. Our “old man” is crucified (Romans 6:6). In that death, the claim of the Law over us is satisfied and terminated.
4. “In Spirit we draw”
Once released from the Law’s covenant, we are not left in a vacuum. We are brought under a new ruling principle:
> “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” (Romans 8:14)
We no longer relate to God by external rules written on stone, but by the internal law of the Spirit written on our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33; 2 Corinthians 3:3). We draw near, we live, we walk, we obey in the Spirit.
### Verse 2
> “She is not an adulteress,
> If she marries another man.
> So, brothers and sisters,
> You died to the law through Christ.”
Here Paul makes the spiritual application explicit:
> “Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another…” (Romans 7:4)
Observe the wording:
“You were made to die to the Law.”
This is something God has done for us in Christ.
How did this happen?
> “…through the body of Christ…”
When Christ’s physical body was crucified:
By faith, we were:
Thus, the old covenant bond is ended. We died, legally, in Christ. A dead person has no more obligations toward the Law as a covenant husband.
The lyric says:
> “So, brothers and sisters,
> You died to the law through Christ.”
This is not a feeling. It is a judicial fact. Whether we feel it or not, if we are in Christ, God has reckoned our old covenant status as terminated. We must now accept and act on that reckoning.
### Chorus (Repetition)
The repetition underlines the key divine pattern:
Many believers try to skip the death stage. They want:
But they are not willing to accept their death to the Law and to the fleshly effort that goes with it.
Paul’s pattern:
> “For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God.
> I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me…”
> — Galatians 2:19–20
If you want the life of Christ, you must accept the cross of Christ. That cross ends the old marriage and inaugurates the new.
### Outro
> “Through Christ we are new,
> In Spirit we soar,
> Bound and released,
> Forevermore.”
This takes us from Romans 7 into Romans 8:
> “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
> For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”
> — Romans 8:1–2
“Through Christ we are new”:
> “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”
“In Spirit we soar”:
> “…walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16)
> “…set your mind on the things of the Spirit.” (Romans 8:5)
“Bound and released, forevermore”:
> “…so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.” (Romans 7:4)
Now we come to the practical side. How do we live this truth? I will give you four clear steps.
### 1) Acknowledge the Old Bond and Its Failure
First, we must acknowledge that:
Paul says:
> “For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death.” (Romans 7:5)
We must renounce the idea that we can earn God’s acceptance by performance. As long as you rely on your own effort to maintain righteousness before God, you are functioning as if you are still married to the Law.
Practical act:
Say to God, in clear words:
“Lord, I acknowledge that in myself I cannot keep Your Law. I renounce self-righteousness and confidence in my own works.”
### 2) Accept Your Death with Christ to the Law
Second, we must accept what God says:
> “You also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ…” (Romans 7:4)
This is not something we do. It is something God has done, which we must believe and confess.
Romans 6:11 gives the principle:
> “Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
Similarly, we are to consider ourselves dead to the Law as a covenant of justification and condemnation.
Practical act:
Confess aloud:
“Through the body of Christ, I died to the Law. Its claim over me as a covenant has ended. I am no longer under the Law, but under grace.”
### 3) Present Yourself to Christ as Your New Husband
Third, we must actively embrace the new relationship.
Paul gives the purpose:
> “…so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.” (Romans 7:4)
You are not simply freed from something. You are freed for Someone. You are now joined to the risen Christ, to live under His headship, His love, His Spirit.
Practical act:
In prayer, present yourself to Christ:
“Lord Jesus, I acknowledge You as my new covenant Husband, my Lord, my Head. I belong to You. I submit to Your authority and welcome Your Spirit to rule my life. Produce Your fruit in me for God.”
### 4) Choose Daily to Walk by the Spirit, Not by the Flesh
Fourth, this new relationship must be expressed daily in how we live.
Paul sets the contrast:
> “For we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh.” (Philippians 3:3)
And:
> “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.” (Galatians 5:18)
To live as if you are still under the Law is to:
To walk by the Spirit is to:
Practical act (daily):
Pray:
“Holy Spirit, I choose today to be led by You. I refuse to trust my flesh. Guide my thoughts, my words, my decisions. Produce in me the fruit of love, joy, peace, and all that pleases God.”
### Proclamation of Faith
Say this out loud, thoughtfully and deliberately:
> **In the name of Jesus, I proclaim:
> I was once bound by the Law, unable to fulfill its righteous demands.
> Through the body of Christ, I died to the Law.
> Its legal claim over me as a covenant has ended.
> I am now released from the Law as a means of righteousness and no longer live under its condemnation.
> I am joined to another—to Jesus Christ, who was raised from the dead.
> I belong to Him as a bride to her husband.
> The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death.
> I do not trust in my flesh or my works.
> I walk by the Spirit, and I bear fruit for God.
> I am bound to Christ and released from condemnation,
> now and forevermore. Amen.**
### Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ,
I thank You that in Your death, You bore the curse and satisfied the Law on my behalf. I thank You that through Your body I died to the Law and that in Your resurrection I am joined to You in a new covenant.
Father, I renounce all trust in my own righteousness. I lay down every attempt to earn Your favor by my works. I receive, by faith, the truth that I am no longer under the Law, but under grace.
Holy Spirit, come and take full control of my life. Lead me, teach me, empower me to walk in obedience. Write God’s law on my heart. Produce in me the fruit that pleases the Father.
Let my life demonstrate that I am truly bound to Christ and released into the liberty of the Spirit. I ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Deepen your worship with these related songs:
No more songs available