The loss of a spouse is a profound and often unavoidable part of life. Some among my close friends and

family have weathered this painful experience. Witnessing it firsthand reveals the challenging transition

from being united in marriage one day to facing solitude the next. However, ceasing to be married

doesn't automatically shift your mindset away from that marital bond. Those left behind may even

continue to consider their departed partner's feelings when making decisions. To move forward, they

must alter their perspective.

In Romans 7, the apostle Paul draws a parallel to this situation when discussing the relationship of

believers to the law. Prior to embracing faith in Christ, we are bound to, or married to, the law. But upon

our transformation, when we shed our ties and our bondage to sin, we are no longer subject to the law's

dominion. For believers, this can lead to the feeling that they should remain tethered to the law, largely

because it feels familiar and comfortable. Yet Paul makes it abundantly clear that once we are in Christ,

we are unburdened from the law and liberated to lead lives of freedom in Christ. He articulates this new

way of living beautifully in the following passages: 

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)

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what

is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each

other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under

the law. (Galatians 5:16-18)

These two forces perpetually clash, making it challenging to remember that our position in Christ is

already determined by Jesus’ work on the cross. This in turn plays right into Satan’s plan to make us feel

powerless to sin. However, when we yield to the Spirit, we are no longer obligated to the law of Moses.

So, the next time you feel deep guilt and frustration over not living up to the standard that the law sets,

remember that as a believer, you walk by the Spirit; you're no longer wedded to the law!

By Paky Kramer

Paky leads APM Paving and has been at IBC since he was 9 years old. He and his wife, Traci, have been

married for 25 years and have two children, Caroline and Carver. He currently leads a Sunday morning

Bible study at Immanuel Tates Creek.