Romans 7 4

Romans 7:4 kjv

Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.

Romans 7:4 nkjv

Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another?to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God.

Romans 7:4 niv

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 esv

Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.

Romans 7:4 nlt

So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God.

Romans 7 verses

Romans 7 4 Meaning

Believers, through identification with Christ's death on the cross, have definitively died to the dominion of the Mosaic Law as a system for achieving righteousness or salvation. This spiritual death liberates them from the Law's power to condemn, enabling a new spiritual union, like a marriage, with the resurrected Christ. The ultimate purpose of this union is to live a transformed life that produces good spiritual fruit, ultimately glorifying God.

Romans 7 4 Context

Romans chapter 7 continues Paul's exposition on the relationship between believers and the Law, following his arguments in chapter 6 regarding freedom from sin's dominion through union with Christ. In Romans 7:1-3, Paul introduces the analogy of marriage to illustrate the unbreakable bond between a wife and her living husband. Only if the husband dies is she legally free to marry another. This verse, Romans 7:4, directly applies this legal principle to believers. The "death" described here is not of the Law itself, but of the believer to the Law, through Christ's body (His death). This liberation is foundational for understanding the believer's new identity and purpose, preparing for the extensive discussion of the Holy Spirit's role in guiding this new life in chapter 8, which provides the means to bear the promised fruit.

Romans 7 4 Word analysis

• So (Ὥστε, Hōste): An inferential conjunction, drawing a conclusion from the preceding analogy (Rom 7:1-3). It signifies a logical consequence.
• my brothers (ἀδελφοί μου, adelphoi mou): Paul's customary term of endearment, establishing a familial, pastoral tone with his audience, encompassing both Jewish and Gentile believers in Rome.
• you also (καὶ ὑμεῖς, kai hymeis): "Also" highlights that this spiritual reality applies equally to the recipients as it did to Paul (who stated "I died to the Law" in Gal 2:19), extending the universal truth of Christ's work.
• died (ἀπεθάνετε, apethanete): Aorist indicative active verb, denoting a past, completed, decisive action. This is not a gradual process but a definitive event of spiritual death, specifically an identification with Christ's death. It refers to the believer's corporate identity in Christ.
• to the Law (τῷ νόμῳ, tō nomō): Dative case, indicating "death concerning" or "death in relation to" the Law. This means believers are no longer subject to its binding power as a rule for salvation or a means to condemnation. It's freedom from its demanding legal requirements.
• through (διὰ, dia): Preposition indicating the means or instrument by which this death occurred.
• the body of Christ (τοῦ σώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ, tou sōmatos tou Christou): This phrase specifically refers to Christ's physical body offered as a sacrifice on the cross. It signifies His actual death, which became the instrument through which believers also "died" to the Law. Our union with His atoning sacrifice makes our liberation possible.
• so that you might belong to another (εἰς τὸ γενέσθαι ὑμᾶς ἑτέρῳ, eis to genesthai hymas heterō): This is a purpose clause (infinitive with prepositon εἰς τό). The Greek γενέσθαι implies "to become" or "to come to be," signifying a transfer of ownership or allegiance. "Another" (ἑτέρῳ) is explicitly distinct from the "first husband" (the Law), setting up the new relationship.
• to him who has been raised from the dead (τῷ ἐκ νεκρῶν ἐγερθέντι, tō ek nekrōn egerthenti): This further specifies "the another" as the resurrected Christ. The aorist participle "raised" (ἐγερθέντι) emphasizes the definitive nature of Christ's resurrection. It is not to a dead law, or to a dead Christ, but to a living, victorious Savior that believers are now joined.
• in order that we might bear fruit (ἵνα καρποφορήσωμεν, hina karpophorēsōmen): Another purpose clause. The aorist subjunctive "might bear fruit" signifies the desired outcome or new purpose of life after liberation. This fruit is not earned righteousness, but the natural outpouring of life from a healthy union with Christ (like a fruitful marriage).
• for God (τῷ Θεῷ, tō Theō): Dative case indicating the beneficiary or ultimate recipient of this spiritual fruit. The purpose of this new life is God's glory and pleasure, contrasting with the Law's demands that primarily exposed sin.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "So, my brothers, you also died": A direct address and declaration, stating a profound, shared past event of spiritual death common to the community of believers.
• "died to the Law through the body of Christ": This core statement clarifies the what, to what, and how of the believer's liberation. They are dead to the Law's authority, achieved through Christ's physical crucifixion and the believer's spiritual identification with it.
• "so that you might belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead": This is the immediate and intended outcome: a transfer of allegiance and a new spiritual bond. The focus is specifically on union with the resurrected Christ, underscoring new life and power, not just escape from condemnation.
• "in order that we might bear fruit for God": This presents the ultimate divine purpose of this new union and freedom. It shifts the focus from avoiding sin/condemnation to actively living a life of spiritual productivity that honors and serves God, empowered by Christ's life.

Romans 7 4 Bonus section

• The analogy in Rom 7:1-3, where the husband dies, is adapted in Rom 7:4 to show that the believer (likened to the wife) has died, specifically to the Law. While this shifts the specifics of the analogy, the effect of release to remarry remains the central point. The crucial takeaway is liberation.
• The "death to the Law" is not the same as "death to sin" (Rom 6:2). They are closely related outcomes of being united with Christ. Death to sin liberates from sin's power, while death to the Law liberates from its demands as a system of justification, particularly its condemnation of sin.
• Paul carefully qualifies this freedom. The Law itself is holy, just, and good (Rom 7:12); the problem lay not with the Law, but with sinful human inability to keep it perfectly. Christ accomplished what the Law could not, thus becoming the believer's righteousness and empowering righteousness through the Spirit (Rom 8:3-4).

Romans 7 4 Commentary

Romans 7:4 marks a pivotal shift in Paul's argument concerning the Law, drawing a powerful conclusion from the preceding marriage analogy. It clarifies that believers are released from the Law not by its abrogation, but by their own definitive death to its dominion through union with Christ's crucifixion. This is not antinomianism; it doesn't mean ethical rules disappear. Instead, it signifies a transition from a covenant relationship governed by external regulations (the Law's power to demand and condemn) to a new, living relationship with the resurrected Christ, powered by the Holy Spirit. This new union has a purpose: the spontaneous, authentic bearing of spiritual fruit for God. This fruit is not about legalistic performance but about a transformed life flowing from intimacy with Christ, marking the reality of God's grace working within.