Reading for August 30th

Read Romans 7.1-13
In verses 1-3: Marriage and the law.
Whether the Jewish law (Ex 20.14; Deut 5.18) or Roman law is in view is not clear.
The same principle holds for both: laws governing marriage presuppose two living partners.
The death of one partner (here, the husband) in validates the law, leaving the other partner (the wife) free to marry.
In verses 4-6: Christ's death and the law.
The law of Moses is the first husband, the risen Christ the second husband.
Paul's readers are the wife now discharged from the obligations of the old written code.
Newly married to Christ, they belong to another and enjoy the new life of the Spirit.
generally, the analogy makes sense, but seems forced.
V. 4 is difficult.
In verses 7-13: The value of the law.
In verse 7: V. 5 seems to support this objection.
By naming the sin, the law raises the sinner's consciousness.
To covet is to want something that belongs to someone else (Ex 20.17; Deut 5.21).
In verses 8-11: Sin takes on personal qualities, having power to seize and manipulate people and laws.
Comments or Questions..