Married

Tim Keller (Romans For You) on Romans 7.1-6, answering these questions: (6.1 and 15),

Shall we go on sinning, so that grace may increase?

Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means!

Becoming a Christian is a complete change in relationship and allegiance.

What an incredible metaphor—we are married to Christ! To be a Christian is to fall in love with Jesus and to enter into a legal, yet personal, relationship as comprehensive as marriage.

When you get married, no part of your life goes unaffected. So though Christians are now not “under law,”they have every aspect of their lives changed by the coming of Jesus Christ. No area is untouched.

Being “married to Christ”is the final answer to the question: Can a Christian live as he or she chooses? No, because we are in love with Christ!

Marriage does entail a significant loss of freedom and independence. You cannot simply live as you choose. A single person can make decisions unilaterally but a married person cannot. There is duty and obligation. But, on the other hand, there is now the possibility of an experience of love, intimacy, acceptance and security that you could not have as a single person. Because of this love and intimacy, our loss of freedom is a joy, not a burden. In a good marriage, your whole life is affected and changed by the wishes and desires of the person you love. You get pleasure from giving pleasure. You seek to discover the wishes of your beloved and are happy to make changes in accord with those wishes.

Does the gospel leave you free to live in any way you choose ? No! says Paul.